THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 105 



the Dunkirkers, the right to fish off a small island dis- 

 covered by some of them, provided they should sail thither 

 under Dutch colours, and contribute towards the expenses 

 of the common defence, i.e. pay last-money.* The foreign 

 discoverer's rights were thus respected at the price of a 

 breach of the company's monopoly. 



The ardour for discoveries on the company's side was 

 great. They even seriously attempted the north-east 

 passage, and towards the opening of the whaling season of 

 1615 resolved to send some ships to China, or " Cathay," 

 by that route, and applied to the States-General for 

 permission, if obliged to return by the Indian seas, to 

 water and victual their ships in the colonies then comprised 

 in the East India Company's monopoly.! The whaling 

 ships and their conveyers seem from the very first to have 

 sailed in a sort of squadron ; for it is registered that on 

 April 29th, 1614, the States-General drew up an instruc- 

 tion for "the commander of the ships, both of war and 

 others, destined to the Northern islands whether for the 

 purpose of whaling or making discoveries." Their occasion 

 for convoy and armament was constant and pressing ; for 

 besides repeated difficulties and conflicts with British 

 whalers, they in 1616 had to provide against apprehended 

 violence from the King of Denmark, who in the said year 

 set up a claim to the exclusive right of fishing on the 

 shores of Greenland. Both these matters will be treated 

 of in another chapter. The States-General in the course 

 of the year 1616 granted the Arctic Company no less than 

 five convoying men-of-war, and, moreover, lent them 

 artillery to arm their own whaling vessels. J 



* Res. Holl. 9 th April, 1618, p. 591. ~ os ^ 



f Res. St. Gen., 2nd April, 1615. / 



\ Ibid. April 13, 28 ; May n, 12 ; June 2, 1616. See ch. 



E. 8. I 



