24 THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 



of course depressed the markets and occasioned bitter 

 remonstrances at the hands of the parties concerned. 

 Working regulations on fisheries must in these evil days 

 have greatly contributed to the trades' depression ; for 

 being, one and all, calculated to warrant the excellence of 

 the fisheries' produce with a view to secure the foreign 

 markets at the cost of severe restrictions upon the industry's 

 liberty, their favourable effect of course was lost in times 

 when many markets were closed, and their only result was 

 to clog the fisherman and preclude him from taking 

 instant advantage of such favourable conjunctions as might 

 occur. 



Such working rules were indeed issued with an unsparing 

 hand both under Charles V.'s and his son's government. 

 It has been shown that under the placard of 1519 herring 

 was allowed to be caught and cured before St. James's 

 Day ; and the beginning of the season seems to have been 

 left to the fisherman's discretion. 



A prohibition to fish for herring before St. James's, or the 

 25th of July, seems to have been first thought of in the year 

 1526, when it was adopted by the States of Holland upon 

 the advice of all the towns concerned in the fishery, 

 Amsterdam alone excepted.* But this enactment was at 

 once complained of on the plea that, not being applicable 

 to the French fishermen, it would put the Dutch at a dis- 

 advantage against them. A sharp debate occurred on the 

 subject in a meeting of delegates from Holland, Zealand, 

 Friesland and Flanders, on March 1 2th, 1526, when by 

 way of a sharp taunt, the Flemings were upbraided with 

 having sold early herring at a low price, which imputation 

 they at once declined in indignant terms. The Northern 

 delegates persisted in the new rule ; and the matter was 

 * Res. Holland, in Aert v. d. Goes' Register ', p. 35. 



