THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 403 



several chambers, or separate boards, in the company, viz. 

 one at Amsterdam, one in the towns on the Maas, one in 

 North Holland (or the "North Quarter"), and one in 

 Zealand ; and these had agreed to a repartition of 

 convoying, and other general expenses between them. In 



1621, the charter being about to expire, a change in this 

 repartition was desired by some, and opposed by others ; 

 and as very high disputes arose on the subject, a 

 simple renovation of the charter under these circumstances 

 was impossible. The rival parties laid their differences 

 before the States of Holland, who. on January I4th, 1622, 

 appointed a committee to inquire into the matter and 

 effect a reconciliation. These umpires proposed to leave 

 the repartition as it was, viz., a quarter of the common 

 expenses for each chamber. But to this the parties did 

 not agree ; the " small company," by which name the 

 chamber for Zealand, though not then a separate body, 

 seems to have been designated, pretending to pay less. 

 There were, moreover, differences about the right to 

 establish blubber boilers, &c., on some parts of the available 

 coasts, to which rights both Holland and Zealand pre- 

 tended. The upshot of the matter was the separation 

 of the Zealand chamber from the company, and their 

 establishment as a separate corporation. On May 28th, 



1622, the States-General issued a placard assuring the 

 Zealand company the right of whaling on the coasts of 

 Mauritius or Jan Mayen's Land, and enjoining both parties 

 not to trouble each other's establishments there, as the 

 island was large enough for both. Upon this provisional 

 charter the fishery was carried on in the course of the year, 

 but the contending parties in the same year came to a 

 definite agreement, in virtue of which, on December 22nd, 

 the charter of 1617 was renewed for twelve years, for the 



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