126 THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 



decimation,* and though the expense of convoy equipped 

 by themselves appears to have burdened them considerably. 

 On August iSth, 1702, the States of Holland considered 

 the request of " certain persons styling themselves the 

 Commissioners of the Greenland Fishery," who having 

 procured convoyers and demanded of the shipowners a 

 retribution of 300 florins per whaling vessel to cover the 

 costs, had met with opposition at the hands of several 

 shipowners, who wanted the contribution for each ship to 

 be proportioned to the quantity of train-oil brought home 

 in her.j The contribution was either paid very irregularly, 

 or denied outright, whence in 1704 it was two years in 

 arrear, and part of it irrecoverable, so as to necessitate the 

 intervention of the regular legislative authorities. On 

 July 1 7th of the said year the States of Holland declared 

 the Commissioners entitled to recover the arrears by 

 execution.^ As a fact, the Committee's authority, having 

 not been hitherto expressly sanctioned by law, was at the 

 time very ill obeyed ; and this led to a Resolution of the 

 States-General dated March 24th, 1706, by which the 

 Commissioners of the Greenland Fishery were authorized 

 and qualified " to issue the necessary orders for the Green- 

 land fleet, for the next season, and especially to establish 

 a convenient Admiralship, determine a sailing day and 

 rendezvous, and enact such secret orders as shall be found 

 advisable for the conservation and well-being of the fleet ; " 



* It appears that whaling vessels were frequently manned with 

 foreigners. On March 3rd, 1713, the States-General granted a re- 

 quest made by the Greenland Fishery Committee to be allowed as 

 usual to draw sailors from Jutland for their crews, although a 

 contagious disease was then prevalent there (Gr. PL B. v. 1579). 



f Res. Holl. 1702, p. 441. 



% Ibid. 1704, p. 419. 



Gr. PL B. iv. p. 1564. 



