

CHARLES I. : THE NAVY 301 



few small men - of - war guarding them to have attempted 

 resistance to a force so superior. Northumberland, how- 

 ever, in his report, while explaining that from the lateness 

 of the season they had encountered fewer busses than they 

 expected, said that "those we could come to speak with, 

 when they were made to understand the business, have 

 been very willing to take licenses, and are most desirous 

 of the King's protection." About two hundred licenses, he 

 stated, had been distributed among the busses, and others 

 vtrre left with the ships he had appointed as their guard. 1 



As was to be expected, the revival in England of the 

 policy of James as to unlicensed fishing by foreigners on 

 the British coasts occasioned serious concern in the United 

 Provinces. Since Charles came to the throne the Dutch had 

 been careful to repress as much as they could any cause of 

 further complaints from Scotland. In 1628, when they were 

 informed of the continued " insolencies " of their fishermen, 

 the States-General renewed their previous edict (see p. 179), 

 and gave instructions that extracts from it should be sent 

 to the Chancellor of Scotland ; and they issued peremptory 

 orders to the captains of the convoying ships and the masters 

 of the busses and others to obey it strictly. 2 When the 

 Fishery Society was instituted, the States were kept advised 

 by their ambassador in London of its progress and of the 

 measures proposed to be taken at the Hebrides and on the 

 east coast; and although they soon perceived that they had 

 very little to fear from it in the sphere of commercial com- 

 petition, they rightly suspected that the project foreshadowed 

 the revival of exclusive claims to the fishery, such as had 

 given them so much trouble under James. 3 We have noted 

 also how anxiety was aroused in Holland over the equip- 

 ment of Lindsey's fleet, and that Joachimi, their ambassador, 



1 Northumberland to Windebank, 16th August 1636 (from Scarborough). State 

 Papers, Dom., cccxxx. 41. About 400 licenses in all, each signed by the king, 



! had been furnished to the Earl. 



2 20th Dec. 1628. " Clachten van de insolentien van 't bootsvolk en de visschers 

 deser landen in Schotlandt." Muller, op. cit., 232. 



3 The English Company and the king's relation to it were considered by the 

 States in January 1631, 25th Oct. 1632, 19th Nov. 1633, and 15th Sept. 1634. 

 (Bosgoed, Bib. Pise., 357. Oprichting eener Engelsche compagnie voor de Haring- 

 visscherij, Muller, op. cit., 235.) 



