396 THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 



though in vain, to obtain an immunity of import duty for 

 his principal's article.* No herring busses sailed during 

 the season of 1781, and this time, as a further derogation 

 from the herring laws, the States-General saw the expediency 

 of allowing shipowners to sell their vessels abroad, under 

 a promise of buying them back in better times, and subject 

 to the advice of the Admiralty Board on the Maas for each 

 special case.f 



In 1782 it appears some Dutch busses went about their 



trade, and fished unmolested under the British men-of-war's 



guns,t but this was a mere act of toleration, as passports 



were only exchanged in I783, pending the negotiations 



which on August 28th of that year led to the signing of 



peace preliminaries. No less than six hundred passports 



were applied for at the time by the local fishery boards in 



several Dutch fishing towns ; but only 120 busses, besides 



a few trawls of the coast fishery, appear to have sailed. 



The trade was recommenced on a somewhat larger scale, 



but as yet without a premium, in 1784. In the next year, 



" those concerned in the herring trade of Holland and West 



Vriesland " once more sued for a bounty of fl. 700 or 800 



for each buss, which was granted in 1786 to the amount of 



fl. 700 for each ship that had sailed in the preceding year. 



At the same time the Admiralty of the Maas having 



reported that William Cunningham, Receiver-General in 



Ireland, had tried to induce a skipper from Vlaardingen to 



establish himself on the Irish Coast, the prohibition against 



engaging in foreign fishing concerns was renewed once 



* Res. St. Genl. 1781, pp. 647, 734 ; Res. Holl. 1781, p. 778. 

 f Res. Holl. 1 78 1, p. 1286 ; 1782, pp. 85, 121 ; Res. St. Gen. 1782, p. 

 1388. 



\ Ned. Jaarb. 1782, pp. 566, 663 ; Vervolg op Wagenaar, pp. 4, 376. 

 Res. St. Gen. 546, 560. 



