THE DUTCH WAR 85 



It was remitted to a council of the Estates to deliberate 

 upon this extraordinary proposal, powers being given to 

 naturalise the enthusiastic Frenchman. The finding of the 

 committee, however, was not in favourable terms, and no 

 encouragement was given him to proceed with his scheme. 



With the end of the Civil War and the advent of the 

 stable government of Cromwell, there came a renewed 

 interest in all branches of industry and commerce, and 

 particularly in everything that pertained to the establish- 

 ment of Britain as a sea-power. Cromwell, indeed, had 

 scarcely commenced to rule before, among other instructions 

 to Colonels Popham, Blake, and Deane, then commanding 

 the fleet, he gave them orders " to guard the North Sea and 

 mackarel fisheries," and " to maintain the sovereignty of 

 the commonwealth in the seas." * The Protector's ambition 

 to make the Commonwealth great at sea depended, for 

 its realisation, upon the achievement of his cherished policy 

 of a united Britain, a policy which continually urged him to 

 secure peace and good government in Scotland, and to 

 support and encourage her industries, including the fisheries. 

 An indication of Cromwell's settled policy towards Scotland 

 is given in 1655 in the direct instructions sent by him to his 

 Council in Scotland " to give all due encouragement to the 

 Trade and Commerce of that Nation and to advance Manu- 

 factures and the Fisheries there, and to consider of all 

 waies and meanes how the same may be improved for the 

 advantage of the People and of this Comon wealth." 2 



During a great part of the Commonwealth period, however, 

 it was impossible for any ruler to do anything to develop 

 British fisheries, since the naval war in the North Sea caused 

 an almost complete suspension of fishing operations. Even 

 before the final declaration of war with Holland in 1652 

 there had been numerous instances of the seizure of herring 



1 Cal. S.P. Dom. Commonwealth, 1649-50, p. 23. 



2 Act. Part. Scotland, vol. vi. 2, p. 827. 



