54 THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 



cussions on Herring Law Repeal have given it in part the 

 credit of the fishery's former greatness, argued from a state- 

 ment utterly erroneous. The old Dutch herring laws, never 

 for the hunters' benefit, restricted herring carriage by fishers ; 

 when a glut occurred they prohibited hunting, and such pro- 

 hibitions are frequent enough.* As a fact, the industry was 

 either permitted or prohibited, upon the College's annual 

 advice, as the state of the market seemed to require abun- 

 dant or slower supplies. Opinions were generally divided 

 on the subject in the College ; Rotterdam, Schiedam and 

 Brielle generally moving to allow sale-hunters to sail, and 

 Delft and Enkhuizen opposing them. Delegates from 

 these five towns have for a long period composed the 

 College, and the point whether three cities could overrule 

 two was frequently contested a propos of the hunting 

 question, and generally decided by the majority having 

 their mind. 



The said College about this time showed considerable 

 activity. Besides the extensive administration of the con- 

 voying ships, and the collecting of the shipowners' contribu- 

 tions out of which they were equipped, they were constantly 

 advising or petitioning the States for such legislative 

 measures as the times seemed to give occasion for, and 

 accordingly had their eye always upon the herring-fishery 

 trade and market in the most extensive sense. Not content 

 with these functions, " they of the Grand Fishery ' con- 

 stituted themselves as guardians of the laws enacted upon 

 their advice. Every town where herring-ships were owned 

 had a fishery board of its own : and Delft, Rotterdam, 

 Amsterdam, Brielle, Schiedam, Hoorn and Enkhuizen, and 



* See the placards on the subject of the years 1604, 1606, 1607, 1612, 

 1614, 1615, 1621, 1632, Gr. PL Bock I., pp. 731-748; v. d. Lely. 

 Recueil, pp. 20, sqq. 



