400 THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 



year the company sued for a charter from the States, 

 which was granted them on January 27th, 1614, and in 

 virtue of which they set up as monopolists, after the 

 manner of the East India Company, then already extant. 



Their charter of monopoly, though applied for to last 

 ten years, was at first granted for three only.* It con- 

 ferred on them the exclusive right " to trade and fish from 

 these United Netherlands, on or to the coasts of the lands 

 between Nova Zembla and Fretum Davidis," including 

 Spitzbergen, Beeren-Eiland, Greenland, etc. Partners in 

 the company were to be entitled " not only to the profits of 

 their money in proportion to the sums they shall have 

 ventured, but also to all such further advantages as shall 

 arise to the company within the aforesaid time, whether 

 pertaining to the administration of the said company and 

 equipage, or otherwise." On April 4th, 1614, towards the 

 beginning of the whaling season, the States-General 

 decreed that the company's ships should sail under convoy, 

 and pay last-money ; and in the next years one or more 

 of the States' men-of-war generally sailed with the whaling 

 fleet. The object of these warlike expeditions, and of 

 the company's own armaments, was twofold. Besides 

 catching whales, they meant to discover new countries, and 

 as a fact, made several discoveries of islands in the Arctic 

 seas. Their charter, as shown above, included such islands 

 in their fishing monopoly, which circumstance of course 

 stimulated their exploring ardour. The principle that the 

 discoverer had a right to profit by his discovery, was 

 applied by the Republic with remarkable fairness. In 

 1618 the States of Holland granted their worst enemies, 



* Groot Plac. Boek. i. 670. The document is also to be found in 

 Aitzema, Saecken van Staat en Oorlogh, vol. ii., p. 356 ; Zorgdrager 

 //., p. 173 ; Wagenaar Vad. Hist. vol. x. p. 68. 



