THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 39 



since 1519 subject to control by assayers (" keurmeesters ") 

 appointed for the purpose in each town ; and the brand 

 thus constituted an official certificate of the article's 

 excellence. In order to preserve this character, and like- 

 wise to protect the Dutch fishermen against foreign com- 

 petition, it was in 1580 prohibited under severe penalties, 

 firstly, to privately mark barrels containing spawn-sick and 

 other defective herring with counterfeits of the controlled 

 brands, or even with fancy marks,* and next, to pack 

 herring caught by foreigners in barrels properly branded 

 before. The use and even the importing of foreign or 

 unrefined salt f was also prohibited by this Act, and the 

 prohibition was even extended to " small salt ' made or 

 refined in the country, which it was forbidden either to 

 sell or use, unless to foreigners and for the purpose of 

 exportation. 



But these regulations were not deemed sufficient The 

 brand inspector's control, which till now only served to 

 warrant the quality of barrels, appears not always to have 

 been sufficiently close ; and the deputies of the herring- 

 fishing towns found upon inquiry that the quality of both 

 herring and barrels exported under the official brand was 

 sometimes deficient " because of the small control hitherto 

 exercised thereon." Wherefore, "having often been col- 

 legially assembled at Delft and ripely communicated on the 

 matter," they drew up a regulation " touching the making, 

 assaying and branding of herring barrels, the time of 

 catching, salting, handling, and packing of herring," which 



* Literally, " with ornamented bye-marks or otherwise." 

 f " Salt not sodden of salt." The " moor-salt," or " zelle " highly 

 recommended in the placard of 1519, appears to have been utterly out 

 of use towards the end of the i6th century, as it is not even mentioned 

 in the laws of 1580. 



