6 THE DUTCH GRAND FISHERY 



The feelings of Britain towards the Dutch changed at once 

 with the altered position of Holland ; the former attitude 

 of easy toleration extended to a poor neighbour was changed 

 to a feehng of jealous hatred for a rich and powerful rival. 

 This growing animosity was fanned by the works of the 

 numerous English pamphleteers who wrote concerning the 

 wealth that the Hollanders were deriving from the North 

 Sea. These pamphleteers, for the most part, boldly asserted 

 that the North Sea, and in particular the parts near the 

 coasts of England and Scotland, — and here the Hollanders 

 frequently fished — were part of the British dominions, and, 

 as such, should be reserved for the native fishermen. 



Though many such pamphlets appeared during the reign 

 of Elizabeth, no action was then taken by England against 

 Holland in the matter, since the queen was too much ahve 

 to the danger from Spain to permit herself to become in- 

 volved in a quarrel with a people whose hostihty towards 

 the Spaniard rendered them a likely ally. The controversy 

 therefore regarding the right of the kings of England to 

 " Dominium Maris," did not reach a head until James I. 

 ascended the throne of England. It was such a question 

 as James, with his love of legal detail, loved to discuss, 

 and he devoted himself zealously to the task of maintaining 

 the ancient claims of his kingdom. Before his accession to 

 the throne of England, James had already had considerable 

 experience of Dutch encroachment. His Scotch subjects, 

 particularly those resident in the island of Lewis, had com- 

 plained frequently to the king concerning the aggressive 

 tactics pursued by the Dutch. 



No foreigners had fished off the island of Lewis till 1594, 

 when the Hollanders began to fish in the seas about the 

 island by virtue of a license, which kept them, however, at 

 a distance of twenty-eight miles from the shore. Finding 

 the fishing there a highly lucrative one, the Dutch had 

 repeatedly asked James to sell them a little island called 



