50 THE SCOTTISH HERRING-FISHERY. 



The Yarmouth fishery, even in these early times, was a great 

 success as success was then understood. Edward III. did 

 all he could to encourage the fishery at that place. In 

 1357 he got his Parliament to lay down a body of laws for 

 the better regulation of the fisheries, and the following year 

 sixty lasts of herring were shipped at Portsmouth for the use 

 of his army and fleet in France. In 1635 a patent was granted 

 to Mr. Davis for gauging red-herrings, for which Yarmouth 

 was famed thus early, at a certain price per last ; his duty was, 

 in fact, to denote the quality of the fish by affixing a certain 

 seal ; this, so far as we know, is the first indication of the 

 brand system. His Majesty Charles II., being interested in 

 the fisheries, visited Yarmouth in company with the Duke of 

 York and others of the nobility, when he was handsomely 

 entertained, and presented with four golden herrings and a 

 chain of considerable value. 



Several of the kings of Scotland were zealous in aiding 

 the fisheries, but the death of James V. and the subsequent 

 religious and civil commotions put a stop for a time to the 

 progress of this particular branch of trade, as well as to every 

 other industrial project of his time. In 1602 his successor on 

 the throne, James VI., resumed the plans which had been 

 chalked out by his grandfather. Practical experiments were 

 made in the art of fishing, fishing- towns were built in the 

 different parts of the Highlands, and persons well versed in 

 the practice were brought to teach the ignorant natives ; but 

 as the Highlanders were jealous of these " interlopers/' very 

 slow progress was made ; and, again, the course of improve- 

 ment was interrupted by the king's accession to the throne of 

 England and the union of the two Crowns. During the re- 

 mainder of James's reign little progress was made in the art 

 of fishing, and we have to pass over the reign of Charles I. 

 and wait through the troublous times of the Protectorate till 

 we have Charles II. seated on the throne, before much further 



