82 THE COMMONWEALTH 



fish caught. The Dutch cured herring had a European 

 reputation for excellence ; the Association, which sought to 

 outrival the Hollanders, had need to produce work showing 

 as much thoroughness and skill as theirs. But De Witt, 

 in his Interest of Holland, tells of the inferior quality of the 

 cured herring exported by the English fishing company, 

 saying that their herring were rejected at Dantzic in 1637 

 and again in 1638. 1 



At length, weary of the unbroken record of failure and 

 loss, the Committee of the Association, in 1637, resolved to 

 abandon the fishing at the Lewis, although Simon Smith, 

 " Agent for the Royal Fishings," was still writing hopefully 

 of the ultimate success of the undertaking there. 2 The 

 Association, however, was suffering greatly from want of 

 capital, since many of the adventurers, alarmed by the want 

 of success in the Hebrides, and perturbed by the depreda- 

 tions of the Dunkirkers, had either ceased to subscribe, or 

 had paid nothing at all. The Association was thus forced 

 back upon loans, which entailed considerable extra expense 

 and hampered all its movements. 3 In spite of all this, the 

 committee at the head of affairs were still persuaded that 

 the enterprise would prove profitable if entered upon with 

 vigour, especially seeing that they had now restricted the 

 scope of their operations ; moreover, they had now attained, 

 they thought, "to the true and perfect art of taking and 

 curing herrings, making nets and casks fit for that purpose, 

 and building busses " ; they had also learned the best foreign 

 markets for herring, and were thus confident that success 

 would attend their public-spirited services, if the king would 

 cease his policy of inaction towards the Dunkirkers, who, 

 emboldened by immunity, had seized many fishing busses. 

 In 1639 alone, four busses belonging to the Fishing Associa- 



1 Macpherson, Annals of Commerce, ii. 365. 



2 Col. S.P. Dom. Car. /., vol. 397, No. 95. 



3 Ibid. vol. 377, No. 69; vol. 412, No. 27. 



