THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 345 



schepen)* to signify their nature as belonging to the 

 Fisheries' directors, were nevertheless commanded by 

 officers appointed by the Stadtholder and under oath of 

 fidelity to the States-General. A pusillanimous plan for 

 pacifying the Dunkirk Vikings, by issuing letters of safe- 

 conduct under the States' seal to such enemies as should 

 reciprocally let the United Provinces' vessels fish unmo- 

 lested, "in the hope," as the States of Holland candidly 

 aver, " that fewer pirates will this year put to sea from the 

 ports of Flanders," f was indeed tried a few years afterwards, 

 but there is no evidence of its having had anything like 

 success. And this, indeed, seems highly improbable ; for 

 there was not much promise in an attempt to make the 

 Dunkirkers give up piracy by offering them a permission 

 to fish within range of the guns of the States' men-of-war. 



The fishery laws were in the meantime strenuously main- 

 tained, although under considerable difficulties. It was not 

 easy to enforce the prohibitions against carrying herring 

 caught by Dutch fishermen directly abroad ; and moreover, 

 the inevitable " gain-seeking " people, who " for their 

 singular profit " did not fear to break the law, managed to 

 smuggle herring not lawfully packed and branded through 

 the United Provinces, and elude the authorities' vigilance. 

 Notwithstanding the yearly reminder to the herring-skippers, 

 the placards, in a word, got out of observation "by the 

 slowness and the passing of years," and were frequently 

 re-enacted in the first years of the seventeenth century, t 



* Cf. de Jonge, Geschiedenis v&n het Nederl. Zeewezen, i. pp. 257-8. 

 This institution is also mentioned in Meynert Semeyns' " Beschryuinge 

 over de Haring visscherye in Hollandt? but with the lack of precision 

 usual in that otherwise precious contemporary author. 



t Res. Holland 1606, p. 783. 



% Viz., the years 1604, 1606, 1607, 1612, 16 5, 1620, 1621, 1632, 

 Groot Plac. Boek, i. p. 733, and following. 



