HERRING FISHERIES. 1*7 



every poflible encouragement to the profecution of 

 them. By inattention, we loft the fway in the 

 Greenland fifheries, though the firft difcoverers : 

 and, by negligence, we have differed the Dutch 

 to raife immenfe fortunes from our fhores, by the 

 herring fifheries. Their uninterrupted pofleffion of 

 that lucrative branch of traffic, was what originally 

 gave birth to their now general commercial inter- 

 courfe, and confequence, with every trafficking 

 quarter of the world. OUR SEAS WERE THEIR ORIGINAL- 

 MINES, as acknowledged by the Dutch, and may be 

 fcen on the face of one of their proclamations for 

 the encouragement of the filheries, bearing datc> 

 anno 1624; they there call it their GOLDEN- MINE, 

 from which they have long derived a ftaple com- 

 modity, to barter againfl articles which other na- 

 tions had to fpare." 



Sir Lucius Obrien juftly obferves, fc that fmcc 

 the tirft eftablifhment of the herring fifhery, the 

 Dutch have enjoyed the principal part of it; to 

 this they fland indebted for their freedom, having 

 thereby been enabled to contend fuccefsfully with 

 the richeft monarch and moil powerful nation in 

 Europe, and not only to defend themfelves, but 

 during the courfe of a long war to beautify their 

 country, fortify their cities, eftablilh a powerful 

 marine, and fix colonies in the moil diftant parts 

 of the world ; and in the midft of all thefe expen- 

 ces to encreafe daily in wealth and fplendour ; and 

 therefore it is not without reafon that, by order of 

 the ftates, it is inferted in the daily prayers offered 

 up in their churches, that God would be graci- 

 oufly pleafed to blefs their land, and to prcferve to 

 them the great and imall riiheries. 



" The French too have benefited themfelves 

 exceedingly by this trade, and yet thefe nations 

 are obliged to feek their fifti on our coafts, by a 

 long and expenfive navigation in large {hips, 

 while providence bringcth them even to our 



doors; 



