224 THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 



of these Departments the former sided for the plan 

 proposed by the " A msterdamsche Haringreedery" and the 

 latter opposed it in the most strenuous terms. Of all the 

 clamouring parties in the debate, this latter official Board 

 was the only one which showed discernment, by starting 

 from the premise that "not high prices, but abundant 

 capture, were the means to restore the Grand Fishery." 

 But even they were anything but faithful to their principle, 

 and indeed disavowed it wofully in some of their sub- 

 sequent reasonings. One of their objections to the plan of 

 Amsterdam was, that if the " hunting ' monopoly were 

 removed, and all and sundry left free to carry home herring 

 at any time, prices, now in some measure kept up till 

 July 1 5th by the Hunting Association (Jagery- Vereeniging), 

 would be frightfully depressed from the very beginning of 

 each season. 



Volumes of memorials were, as said before, written for 

 and against the Amsterdam plan.* The numeric majority 

 was against it ; for the whole of the shipowners' companies 

 and herring firms on the Maas of course took the side of 

 the southern department of the College. Still the argument 

 of Amsterdam prevailed in part. Having to suggest a 

 decision to the King, the Provincial States determined upon 

 a plan for conciliating the views of both parties, which 

 was perhaps the worst solution they could possibly have 

 contrived. By their advice, the King in 1829! maintained 

 the 46th clause of the Regulation, but authorised the 

 Provincial States to postpone the closing of the " hunting " 



* The whole of the documents are preserved in the record-books 

 (Notulen] of the Provincial States of Holland, 1828, p. 102, segg., and 

 1829, p. 180, seqq. They form about a hundied pages of folio print. 



t Decree of May 5th, 1829 (Bijvoegsel op het Staatsblad, vol. xvi. 

 p. 14). 



