FISHINGS OFF THE COAST OF BRITAIN 31 



men should not be allowed to infringe upon what they 

 considered their legitimate preserves, while the men of 

 the Highlands and Islands were quite as hostile to the 

 encroachments of the Lowland Scotch as to those of the 

 Hollanders. In 1605, for example, it is stated in the Records 

 of the Convention of Royal Burghs ^ that " the maist profitabill 

 and easie fisching " exists among the isles and their lochs, 

 but that the burghs " ar debarrit be the wiolence and 

 barbarous crueltie, abusis, and extortiouns of the hielandis 

 and cuntre men." Again, when in 1623, the Scotch 

 burghs complain of the mfrmgement of their privileges, 

 they group " Inghsh men and Fleymings " together under 

 the term " strangers," and ask that these be restrained from 

 fishing " in the North and West Yles of this kingdom, it 

 being ane tred onhe competent to the frie burrowis of this 

 realm."- The royal and free burghs of Scotland were, in 

 fact, as fully ahve to the advantages to be gained from 

 the fisheries as King Charles himself, and were anxious that 

 none should reap these advantages save themselves. 



Since this was the habitual attitude of the burghs, it may 

 well be imagined that it was with no feeling of elation that, 

 in 1630, they received the news that the king had at last 

 formulated a scheme for the establishment of fishing as a 

 national industry, and that his intention was to establish 

 a Joint Stock Company, to include " adventurers," or 

 shareholders from England, Scotland, and Ireland, which 

 was to have the monopoly, with certain reservations, of the 

 fishing in British waters. The royal burghs were aU the 

 more unwiUing to entertain the idea of the fishing company 

 on account of the fact that it was probable that the Isle of 

 Lewis, where they particularly desired to guard their privi- 

 leges, was likely to be selected as the chief fishing station 

 of the company. 



1 Records of Convention of Royal Burghs, Scot., vol. 2, p. 203. 

 -Ibid. vol. 3, p. 142. 



