THE ROYAL FISHERY 



99 



importance to all coast towns. All local officers and 

 ministers throughout England, were therefore asked to see 

 the collection duly made and the money reaHsed given to 

 the High Sheriffs of the counties to be handed to the Earl 

 of Pembroke, who was to act as Treasurer for the company. 

 In spite of the personal influence of the king, however, his 

 appeal was fruitful of result only m a few of the counties 

 of the south and west, and particularly in Kent.i The 

 amount of the collection was returned as £818 6s. 4|d., and, 

 since the expenses of collection were £543 10s. 4d., the net 

 sum given to the company was £274 16s. 0|d. The Earl 

 of Pembroke gave the following statement of the amounts 

 contributed by the churches in some of the counties. ^ 



County of Southampton - 



,, Surrey - - - 



,, Berks . . . 



,, Bucks - - - 



,, Middlesex - - - 



,, Oxon - - - 



,, Hertford - - - 



,, Hereford - - - 



,, Devon - . - 



,, Salop - - . 

 „ Wilts 



,, Somerset - - - 

 „ Kent 



,, Exon . - - 



Although Charles and the promoters of the Royal Fishery 

 must have felt disappointed at the want of enthusiasm with 

 which their public appeal to the sympathies of the nation 

 had been met, they were not to be thus easily dissuaded 

 from their enterprise, and continued to make their prepara- 

 tory arrangements. By September, 1662, these arrange- 

 ments were so far advanced that it was resolved to make 



1 Cal. S.P. Dom. Car. 11., vol. 41, No. 19 ^ /^id. vol. 73, No. 56. 



