THE SECOND DUTCH WAR 451 



the Bill had been shelved by the dissolution of Parliament, and 

 that Charles was unlikely to summon another Parliament for 

 a long time, the ambassadors were told to withhold it, but at 

 the same time to make its substance known to the Ministers, 

 so that the king might learn of it indirectly. They were also 

 warned to say nothing, in the negotiations for the treaty on 

 which they were engaged, that might allow it to be supposed 

 that the right of the Dutch to fish in the seas around the coast 

 of England was derived from any treaty or compact, or from 

 any concession on the part of England. On the contrary, it 

 arose jure proprio from the law of nature and the law of 

 nations, the stipulation in the treaty of 1495 merely expressing 

 this mutual right of free fishery with the view of preventing 

 violence on either side. 



The negotiations dragged on slowly. The English com- 

 missioners showed no anxiety to discuss the questions of the 

 fishery, commerce, or navigation, about which the Dutch were 

 most concerned. Taking their stand on the Navigation Act, 

 which Parliament had recently passed, they declined to listen 

 to any proposal for free fishing on the English coast. The 

 Dutch ambassadors grew hopeless of being able to conclude a 

 treaty satisfactory to the States, and this feeling was strength- 

 ened by the jealousy and resentment which the English began 

 to manifest concerning the simultaneous negotiations that were 

 going on between Paris and The Hague. 1 Foreseeing the 

 difficulties likely to arise with England over the fishery ques- 

 tion, De Witt had made a dexterous move. In the negotiations 

 with France for a treaty between the two countries, he proposed 

 that an article should be inserted reciprocally guaranteeing the 

 right of free fishing in the sea to the subjects of each nation 

 against any that might endeavour to interfere with it. A 

 similar proposal had been made to France in 1653, but was 

 rejected owing to the desire of the French Government to avoid 

 irritating Cromwell. 2 Even now, when international conditions 

 were more favourable for its acceptance, the French looked 

 askance at it, and asked the States to define precisely their 

 position as to the right of fishery. They said in reply that 



1 Brieven, i. 344 ; iv. 66, 69, 81, 87, 89, 105, 109. 



2 Boreel to De Witt, *?**' 1653. fbid., i. 54. 



O JJ6C. 



