THE ROYAL FISHERY 101 



among the governors, and feared the worst for the 

 enterprise. On July 7th, 1664, for instance, he writes, 

 " To Whitehall and there found the Duke and twenty more 

 reading their commission (of which I am, and was also 

 sent to, to come) for the Royall Fishery, which is very 

 large, and a very serious charter it is ; but the company 

 generally so ill-fitted for so serious a worke that I do much 

 fear it will come to little." 



Two days afterwards, on July 9th, the members of the 

 council were required to take an oath to be true to the 

 interests of the company. Their conduct on this occasion 

 confirmed in the mind of Pepys that opinion which he 

 had already formed concerning them and the prospects 

 of the society. Two motions were laid before them, the 

 one that they should swear to be true to the company to 

 the best of their power, the other, to the best of their under- 

 standing. The latter motion was carried, a fact which 

 Pepys considered ominous for the success of the new society, 

 since thus the governors would be, as he puts it " least 

 able to serve the company, because we would not be obliged 

 to attend the business when we can, but when we list. 

 This consideration did displease me, but it was voted and 

 so went." 



It was not long before the fears of Pepys that the manage- 

 ment of the company had not been entrusted to a body of 

 men sufficiently interested in the enterprise were con- 

 firmed. A meeting of the council of the fishery had been 

 called for September 3rd, and this Pepys attended, to find 

 that so little interest was being taken hi the affairs of the 

 company that there were not more than four persons present. 

 His thoughts on this occasion he records thus : " After 

 dinner to Whitehall, to the Fishing Committee, but not 

 above four of us went, which could do nothing, and a sad 

 thing it is to see so great a work so ill followed, for at this 

 pass, it can come to nothing but disgrace us all." 



