40 THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 



was arrested by the States of Holland on April 27th, 1582,* 

 and is the first instance of Republican herring legislation. 

 The principal provisions of this Act, which has for more 

 than two centuries been the base of all working regulations 

 upon the herring trade, are the following : 



Besides the cooper's private mark, already prescribed by 

 the placard of 1519, a town-brand, which in the said year 

 was admitted in such towns as should see fit to use it, is 

 now ordered to be established in every town where barrels 

 are made. All barrels, whether whole, half, quarter 

 (kinnetgens), or eighth part, are to be marked with this 

 town-brand (here called tonnebrand] previous to their being 

 carried out of the town. The cooper apposes his own 

 brand, but the town-brand is added by municipal officers 

 or branders, under the assayer's supervision. These 

 branders are forbidden ever to let their tools and marking- 

 irons go out of their hands, or send them to the cooper's by 

 their wives, children, or servants. They are enjoined, before 

 branding each barrel, to examine it well and roll it over 

 three or four times containing a certain quantity of clean 

 water, and refuse it if found to leak, or to be worm-eaten, 

 made of light wood, or otherwise defective. No branding of 

 barrels is allowed between sunset and sunrise, and when 

 the brander comes to the cooper's to perform his business, 

 the latter, his wife and journeymen are not to be present at 

 the operation, but keep within call either in the house or a 

 street's width from it, in case the brander should want to 

 show them any defectivity in the barrels. The number of 

 staves to each barrel is to be twelve or thirteen as a mini- 

 mum, and the dimensions of barrels, staves and hoops,f as 



* Groot Placaetboek, vol. i. pp. 718-727. 



t A standard measure of herring barrels appears to have been kept 

 at Dordrecht. According to van der Lely's Recucil (p. 15) the 



