THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 89 



prevent a scarcity of fishing materials, was maintained 

 at a time when its only possible effect was to make the 

 auxiliary trade share the decay of the principal one. It 

 certainly did at times prevent coopers from selling off 

 their stock, as is proved by the following facts. On 

 January Qth, 1722, a change was made in the lawful dimen- 

 sions of the herring barrels as established in 1582. As, 

 however, a considerable stock of staves, hoops, &c., made 

 under the old regulation was still upon the cooper's hands, 

 and unexportable under the placard of 1719, branders and 

 assayers were, by Resolution of the States of Holland, 

 empowered to brand such barrels until June 1st, 1722. 

 And to prevent the branding at a later date of barrels 

 made upon the old model, it was further enacted on June 

 2nd, 1723, that each brand apposed to a barrel should 

 henceforth mention the year of its branding.* 



Despite these sundry provisions against the depreciation 

 of the Dutch brand, herring bearing that mark of excel- 

 lence was more than once, at this very period, shown to be 

 of inferior quality. In 1721, the magistrates of Stettin f 

 or " Old Stettin " (Oudstetijn) again remonstrated with the 

 States of Holland, about their brand-herring's quality and 

 packing, and were put off with assurances that the Dutch 

 laws on packing &c., were maintained with the utmost 

 possible severity. At the same time the Stettiners were 

 invited, as they and the Dantzigers had been before, to 

 co-operate towards the maintenance of the Dutch laws by 

 transmitting to the States the branded stave of each 

 herring barrel which should have occasioned complaints as 

 to the quality of its contents, in order to have the guilty 

 steersman or brander detected and punished. There is no 



* Groot Placaetboek, vi. pp. 1431-2. 

 t Res. HolL 1721, pp. 578, 618. 



E. 8. H 



