90 WHALE-FISHEKY. 



half laden, and the Dutch made but a poor fish- 

 ing *. 



King James seems to have entertained the same 

 opinion with regard to the title of his subjects, to 

 the sole occupation of the Greenland AVhale-fishery ; 

 or, at least, he wished to establish such a title, 

 since, in the course of the same year, he sent Sir 

 Henry Wootten, his ambassador extraordinary, to 

 treat with the Commissioners of their High Mighti- 

 nesses the States-General, concerning the intrusion 

 of the Hollanders into the English Greenland fishe- 

 ry, together with their interruption of our East In- 

 dia Commerce f . 



In 1615, the Russia Company fitted out but two 

 ships and two pinnaces for the whale-fishery, while 

 the Dutch sent out eleven, together with three ships 

 of war. Three Danish ships of war, piloted by one 

 James Vaden, an Englishman, likewise appeared 

 on the fishery, with the object of exacting tribute 

 from the English fishermen, on the score of a sup- 

 posed title, on their part, to the right of the fishery. 

 This absurd claim was answered by the English 

 with their usual argument of Sir Hugh Willough- 



* Purchas's Pilgrimes, vol. iii. p. 467. ; and Churchill's Col- 

 lection of Voyages and Travels^ vol. i. p. 565. 



t Anderson's History of Commerce, a. d. 16]4; and Mac- 

 pherson's Annals, vol. ii. p. 275. 



