20 THE DUTCH GRAND FISHERY 



Orknay, for giving them his oversight, for ilk shipe ane 

 Angell and ane Barrell of Birskate bread. But he would 

 have no less nore ane Double Angell, or ane Rose Noble at 

 the least." 



Some further contemporary evidence with regard to the 

 Dutch fishing in the Orkney and Shetland islands is given 

 in two letters, one written by the Earl of Dunfermline to 

 Lord Binning, dated Edinburgh, 27th November, 1618, the 

 other by S. Murray to the same, dated 26th November, 

 1618. 1 Lord Binning, it will be remembered, was one of 

 the commissioners appointed in 1618 by James to confer 

 with the Dutch on the matter of the fisheries ; he evidently 

 had been asking for information as to the manner in which 

 the Hollanders first began their fishing off the Scotch coast 

 in 1594. In answer to Lord Binning's request for " Informa- 

 tion in these matters concerning the Hollanders fishing in 

 our seas," the Earl of Dunfermline replies that he can find 

 no record of any negotiations with the Hollanders "in 

 1594 or any other tyme, although all Registers and Records 

 in the Castle have also been examined." 



Mr. Murray, however, gives a little more information. 

 " Since the wryting of my letter, I conferred with William 

 Bruce, that dwells in Zetland, anent ye matter of ye fishings, 

 who told me that the Hollanders albeit the most part of 

 their fishings were fourtie myles of the land and more, yet 

 they come ordinarily with fourteen myles before they let 

 their netts fall, and on the East of Orkneys come within 

 six or seven myles. Now they come so near the land that 

 some of them break their netts upon ye rocks. They fish 

 not within the Isles near adjacent to the Mainland of Zet- 

 land, nor are yr any great fish gotten, but such small fishes 

 as serve ye people for yr meat and whereof they gitt the 

 oyle wherewith to pay their rent of that kind. But they come 

 alse near those Isles as they can." 



1 MSS., Advocates' Library, 31.2.16. 



