1630.] CHllONOLOGICAL HISTORY. 43 



from a subsequent cliarter*, they erected forts and 

 dwelling-houses in different parts of their posses- 

 sions. 



The privileges of these companies, furnishing 

 them with the opportunity of aggrandizement, to 

 the exclusion of all other persons belonging to the 

 United Provinces, produced a considerable degree 

 of discontent, when the fishery, towards the expira- 

 tion of these last charters, was in its most flourishing 

 state. Hence, it became the general wish of those 

 excluded from participation, that the trade might 

 be entirely laid open. To effect which, therefore, 

 towards the time of the expiration of the Amster- 

 dam and Zealand charters, the merchants of some 

 of the other provinces petitioned the government 

 against their renewal. These petitions having fail- 

 ed, the Frieslanders, who, in particular, were wish- 

 ful to embark in the whale-fishery trade, made a re- 

 presentation to the States-General of Friesland to 

 this effect. In consequence of which, inquiries, 

 agreeable to their suggestions, began to be made re- 

 specting the legality of benefiting any part of the 

 community of a republican country, to the exclu- 

 sion of the rest. The result placed the legality of 



* The whole of these charters I have by me^ in the Eng- 

 lish and French, as well as in the origmal languages. I 

 find them, however, like most law documents, so redundant, 

 and, on the whole, so uninteresting, that I shall not encum- 

 ber my pages with the translation. 



