446 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 



of herrings exported from Scotland, the Act under which it 

 had been formed was repealed. 1 



In England the efforts to establish a fishery association met 

 with but little more success, although the king showed an 

 active interest in its promotion. On 22nd August he issued 

 a commission under the great seal, appointing his brother, 

 the Duke of York, and twenty-nine noblemen, including all 

 the great officers of the Court, with six others, as the " Council 

 of the Royal Fishery of Great Britain and Ireland," to which 

 he assigned various privileges and monopolies. To encourage 

 the building of busses, the king "requested" that wharfs, 

 docks, and storehouses should be built on the Thames and 

 in all the ports of the kingdom for their accommodation 

 and use ; all the " returns " or commodities brought back 



* o 



from foreign lands for the fish exported were exempted from 

 customs for seven years; all victuallers, inns, alehouses, 

 taverns, coffee-houses, and the like, were to be bound to take 

 from one to four, or more, barrels of herrings from the society 

 yearly at thirty shillings a-barrel, " until foreign vent be 

 attained to perfection " ; each barrel of pickled herrings or 

 cod-fish brought into the realm by the Flemings, or others, 

 was to be taxed half-a-crown, the tax to be paid into the 

 coffers of the society, and the protection of the State was 

 to be given to their fishing vessels and the vessels employed 

 in exporting fish. It was further provided that the money 

 necessary for the scheme should be obtained by a lottery, 

 to be set up for three years, and by a collection in every 

 parish in the kingdom. 



A few days later, Charles issued letters-patent saying that he 

 had requested a bountiful subscription from London to fit out 

 fishing vessels, which should belong to the wards, and recom- 

 mending the same to the whole country, as the Hollanders had 

 ,so engrossed the fisheries that the fishing towns were greatly 

 decayed ; the local officers were to see to the collections being 

 made, the monies to be paid to the high-sheriff and by him 

 remitted to the Earl of Pembroke, who was appointed treasurer. 

 Those who subscribed to the stock were to pay their money 

 in three instalments to Mr Thomas King, a London merchant 



1 Rcc. Conv. Roy. Burghs, iii. 626. Acta Parl. Scot., vii. 64, 103, 195, &c. 

 Ibid., William and Mary, c. 103. 



