448 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 



English-built fishing-buss ready for the fishing before the 

 middle of the following year. 1 To facilitate the success of 

 the society on the foreign markets, an Act was passed in 

 1663, after considerable discussion, to make the use of the 

 Dutch system of curing and packing herrings compulsory, 

 so as to avoid abuses, and bring the English-cured herrings 

 into repute. 2 



At a meeting of the Privy Council a few months later, 

 Sir William Batten, Sir Richard Chaterton, and Sir William 

 Ryder were appointed to formulate proposals for the organ- 

 isation of the Royal Herring Fishery, and, after consultation 

 with Simon Smith and Mr Thomas King, it was resolved to 

 adopt the Dutch system and regulations and to go on with 

 the scheme. 3 The next step was the issue by the king in the 

 spring of 1664 of another commission under the great seal, by 

 which the Duke of York and thirty-six assistants were incor- 

 porated as Governors and Company of the Royal Fishery of 

 Great Britain and Ireland ; the Lord Mayor and the Chamber- 

 lain of the City of London were appointed treasurers. 4 



In spite of all efforts, such as they were, extremely little 

 was done by the society before the outbreak of the second 

 Dutch war. The slovenly way in which the business was 

 managed and the corruption in regard to the finances were 

 notorious. Pepys, who was a member of the council of the 

 society, and had grave misgivings as to the issue of their 

 labours, gives amusing glimpses of the proceedings in his 

 Diary. He examined the accounts, and declared that "the 

 loose and base manner that monies so collected are disposed 

 of in, would make a man never part with a penny in that 

 manner." The Duke of York and the members did not 

 even meet to read the king's commission until July, and 



1 Lord Southampton to the Masters of the Trinity House, 31st July 1662. The 

 Masters to the Lord Treasurer, 23rd August. The Lord Treasurer to the king, 

 2nd Sept. State Papers, Dom., lix. 7 ; Entry Book, vii. 258. Pepys' Diary, ii. 

 403, 404. 



2 Commons' Journals, viii. 497, &c. Lords' Journals, xi. 555, &c. 15 Car. II., 

 c. 16. All herrings, white or red, were to be " justly and truly packed, and of one 

 time of taking, salting, saving, or drying, and equally well packed in the midst and 

 every part of the barrel." This was to be done by a sworn packer, and the barrel 

 branded after the Dutch method. 



3 John Collins, Salt and Fishery, 2. 1682. 



4 State Papers, Dom., ciii. 130. 



