THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 87 



a breach of some width in the system ; for it was a deroga- 

 tion from the laws made to uphold the herring markets of 

 Holland ; and besides, herring brought straight to Hamburg 

 was of course to go without the sacred brand of the Dutch 

 assayers. For these reasons there was much opposition to 

 the plan. The delegates from Enkhuizen foresaw " the 

 most ruinous consequences " if it were to be adopted ; and 

 by way of a transaction the exports of herring to Hamburg 

 direct from the fishery were restricted to three vessels' 

 cargoes in 1753 and the next year. The step was taken, 

 but the States hung back from taking it thoroughly, and 

 still did things by halves. Nor were these restrictions 

 abandoned when the measure, such as it was, proved a 

 brilliant financial success. In 1753 two Dutch sale-hunters 

 brought the first herring to Hamburg and sold it, although 

 unbranded, at fl.i562, and fl.8i4 a last severally, whereas 

 the first English herring-ship, having reached the same port 

 a few hours later, made only fl-543 for the same quantity.* 

 But even this could not convince the ultra-conservative 

 Dutch legislators of the expediency of trying the experi- 

 ment on a larger scale. Having so far belied the provisions 

 of the opposition in the Herring College, the experiment 

 was indeed repeated in the next years, but always with a 

 very few ships. Although of course involving a tacit ad- 

 mission of the existing legislation's noxiousness, these ex- 

 ceptional expeditions were to the very last treated as an 

 irregularity contrary to the law, and strictly limited in con- 

 sequence. If, having succeeded with three ships, Holland 

 had next sent thirty and aspired to send three hundred 

 from the North Sea to Hamburg, there is reason to believe 

 that great profits might, as of old, have been made in that 

 market ; for the eagerness for " new ' Dutch herring was 

 * Ned. Jaarboeken, 1753, p. 1226. 



