446 THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 



years to have declined rapidly, chiefly on account of 

 measures taken to prevent the importation of Dutch fish 

 into the Austrian Netherlands, of which the fresh and 

 smoked fish concerns were equally the victims. In 1777, 

 the Grand Fishery having obtained a premium two years 

 before, the owners of herring boats of Katwijk and 

 Noordwijk in their turn petitioned the States of Holland 

 for " such a bounty (douceur) as it shall please their Noble 

 and Grand Mightinesses to grant " and they likewise sued for 

 a prohibition to the busses to bring home uncured herring,* 

 whence it may be inferred that they of the Grand Fishery, 

 although anxious enough to shelter their own trade from 

 competition by those of the coast, did not disdain occa- 

 sionally to meddle with theirs. No resolution was taken as 

 to the latter part of the petition, and the former was at the 

 time declined. The application for bounties was renewed 

 in November 1786,! and kept under consideration for more 

 than a year. A premium of fl. 200 was awarded, on 

 April 1 7th, I788,t to the owners or managers of all such 

 herring boats equipped in any of the villages on the 

 North Sea coast as shall be used in the fishery, for " salt- 

 herring or bucking " between Elevation day, or Sept. medio, 

 and Dec. medio, " or thereabouts." The premium was 

 granted for three years only, but the grant was renewed in 

 1791 and 1794. The fact of the coast fishermen being still 



* Steur-en Korf-haring. Such herring was kept in baskets 

 (korven) and strewed with salt (steuren) till brought home to be 

 smoked, whence fish thus treated was called either steurharing or 

 korfharing. The name of zoutharing (salt herring) is also occasion- 

 ally applied to it, but this " salt herring " should be carefully dis- 

 tinguished from "cured herring." See Res. Holl. 1777, p. 928, and 

 1778, p. 880. 



t Res. Holl. 1786, p. 4413. 



\ Gr. PL Boek, ix. p. 1314. 



