THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 241 



continuation of the early fishing system, recommended by 

 them in 1846. The main cause of opposition to early 

 fishing was the Herring-hunting Association's contrary in- 

 terest. This corporation, or rather annual covenant between 

 shipowners, generally found it inconvenient to equip one or 

 more " hunters " for the sole benefit of the few shipowners 

 who chose to try an early cast of the nets ; and all ship- 

 owners were obliged to be partners in the association and 

 act upon its rules, in order to have some of their fish brought 

 into market early and sold at the high prices prevalent 

 during the first days of the season. As a fact, the liberty 

 to fish before St. John's Day, though in itself desirable 

 because good herring was sometimes caught at an earlier 

 date, could only be of real use if the sale-hunting monopoly 

 were abolished, and any buss allowed to transfer fish to any 

 other, or sail home at any date with or without a full cargo. 

 Thence the discussion of the laws for early fishing served 

 to throw some light on the evils of the hunting monopoly, 

 and are therefore of importance in the history of the regu- 

 lation system, although the lawful opening date of the fish- 

 eries was not in itself one of its constitutive elements pro- 

 perly said, and could be altered without necessarily affecting 

 the rest. Wherefore the measure of 1 846 was not, properly 

 speaking, the beginning of the system's destruction. 



Premiums were the vital point in which the system was 

 attacked. It has already been shown that, as sea-fisheries 

 were regulated, bounties to them were necessary and 

 equitable ; and that, on the other hand, the fallacies of the 

 bounty system were by this time found out in Holland, 

 not only by political economists, but by the greater part of 

 the enlightened and disinterested public. Fishery bounties 

 threw a peculiarly strong light on the inherent defects of the 

 system : for the trade declined in spite of them, and had, 



