THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 185 



ment this diplomatic debate only led to the question at 

 issue assuming more and more serious proportions ; and 

 finall}/, when remonstrances on both sides had gone on for 

 more than a year, a distinct pretension to " la domination de 

 la Mer du Nord " as the source and origin of the right to 

 exclude foreign vessels from the coasts of islands in the said 

 sea, was set on foot by the Danish Government in August 

 1741. The States-General immediately ordered their am- 

 bassador to deny this pretension in the most energetic 

 terms, " because other potentates might follow the example 

 of Denmark, to the inestimable prejudice of these countries' 

 trade and traffic in general." Denmark at the same time 

 sent a squadron north to enforce her claims, and the Dutch 

 Whaling Commissioners obtained convoy from the States. 

 A warlike conflict between the two naval Powers seemed 

 imminent, but was ultimately averted by the intercession, 

 in favour of the Republic, of the British and French 

 Ministers at Copenhagen. " Mare liberum " was the base 

 of their joint remonstrance, in which it is worthy of note 

 that a British diplomatist should have been employed, in 

 opposition to another naval Power's pretension to " Maris 

 dominium." The matter was subsequently adjusted by 

 an understanding that Dutch vessels should not trade 

 within the precincts of the Danish provinces in the Arctic 

 seas ; and a placard against such trade was issued by the 

 States-General on April I5th, 1762.* The limit of four 

 miles from the shores of these provinces appears to have 

 been afterwards interpreted by Denmark, not as a prohibition 



the periodical called Europische Mercurius, 1741, vol. i. p. 313. 

 Wagenaar ( Vad. Hist. xix. p. 279) gives but a very incomplete account 

 of the matter, and plainly was not acquainted with its true bearings, 

 having never read the Mauricius papers. 

 ' Res. HolL 1762, p. 508. 



E. 8. O 



