426 



THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 



salting and casking of herrings was much before that date. 1 

 As to the alleged lease of the fishings by King Philip, there 

 was nothing to compel him to take such a lease, and they saw 

 no reason why he should have done so; while the proclamation 

 of James, so far from being an argument against them, was 

 entirely in their favour, because, as they could prove from 

 papers in their hands, it was never put into execution, but was 

 suspended on the representations of the States. The action of 

 the Earl of Northumberland they described as simple extortion, 

 since he had compelled a few defenceless fishermen, without 

 the knowledge of the States, to pay him some money. The 

 deputies concluded their arguments by saying they had no 

 further instructions on the matter, and that if the Council 

 pressed the article, they would require to return and report 

 to their Government : there was, they said, a high and mighty 

 Lord in heaven who knew the hearts and rights of all, and He 



o 



would judge. Cromwell assured them that the article had 

 not been inserted in the draft treaty with the object of break- 

 ing off the negotiations, but only that they might maintain 

 their just rights. Why, he asked, should the States object to 

 acknowledge the right of the Commonwealth to the fisheries, 

 when other Powers like France and Sweden, who had as much 

 claim to liberty as they, had not scrupled to acknowledge it ? 2 



As Cromwell was immovable, and the deputies equally ob- 

 durate, the negotiations came to a stop, and the latter on 5th 

 December formally requested their passports to return to The 

 Hague. In the interval they asked the French ambassador if 

 France had requested permission from England to fish in the 

 sea, as Cromwell averred. He told them nothing had been 

 said to him on the matter since he came to England, but that 

 his papers showed that the Duke of Guise had formerly asked 

 that certain fishermen of Treport should not be molested in 

 their fishing. 3 They also learned that the Swedish ambassador 

 had sought to obtain from England free commerce in general, 



1 Beukelsz, who invented the modern method of pickling herrings, is said by 

 some to have died in 1347, by others in 1397, and by a few in 1401. Stubbe says 

 the deputies assigned the year 1414 to the discovery, but no year is mentioned in 

 their report. 



2 Verbael, 237, 238, 240-243. Stubbe, op. cit., 64. 



3 The statement referred to the licenses for fishing on the Zowe. See p. 65. 



