142 THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 



as statistics, if kept at all, were at the time incomplete and 

 unwarranted, to obtain such a knowledge would alone be 

 the work of years. 



Besides "hookers' transferable from one business to 

 another, there were under the Republic vessels fit for no 

 other service than the capture of fresh fish, cod and 

 haddock especially, and provided with wells to keep the 

 fish alive. Such well-boats must have been in use from 

 early times downward ; for without them it would scarcely 

 have been feasible to carry fish caught on the Dogger bank 

 to the Friday-markets of the Catholic provinces unsalted. 

 No mention, however, is made of well-boats till 1777, when, 

 one Jongeneel of Rotterdam having built such a vessel 

 to meet a foreign order, a petition to prohibit its export- 

 ation was preferred to the States of Holland by the 

 Commissioners of the Cod-fishery of Vlaardingen and 

 Maassluis. The States instantly appointed Rotterdam to 

 take provisional steps to baulk the said Jongeneel's 

 purpose ; but as in point of fact there was no law against 

 it, they at the same time applied to the States-General for 

 a special prohibition to export well-boats (vishoekers met 

 bimnen), which was accordingly enacted on January 5th, 

 1778, notwithstanding Jongeneel's remonstrances, who by 

 reason of the depression then prevailing in the trade could 

 hope for no chance of selling his vessel at home. The 

 Placard of January 5th, 1778, contains prohibitions for 

 the Republic's subjects not only to sell or hire vessels of 

 the above description out to foreigners, or build them upon 

 orders from abroad, but also to take service on foreign 

 wharves towards the building of such vessels, or put wells 

 into foreign vessels while staying in Dutch ports. All 

 steersmen in the cod-fishery are, moreover, enjoined by 



