THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 461 



no space for any but a short survey of the question, and 

 forbids entering upon its merits properly said, or treating 

 its scientific side as a point of history and international 

 law. The following is a very concise account of its actual 

 bearings upon the Dutch sea-fisheries, i.e. of the effect 

 taken upon them, at some periods, by such acts of .foreign 

 Governments as were based upon pretensions to a fishing 

 monopoly in some portions of the sea. 



It has been stated in Part I of this work, that as early 

 as the year 1295, King Edward the First forbade his subjects 

 to molest the Dutch, Zealanders and Prisons, while fishing 

 off Yarmouth ; a fact peculiarly significant, as Edward the 

 First was the first British monarch who styled himself 

 sovereign of the sea. In 1439 a treaty concerning the 

 rights of fishermen was agreed to between King Henry the 

 Sixth and Isabel of Portugal as representing her husband, 

 Philip Duke of Burgundy, then reigning Count of Holland. 

 This treaty, stipulating that the fishermen of both parties 

 should be free to " paisiblement aler par tout sur Mer, pour 

 Peschier et Gaignier leur vivre, sans Empeschement ou Des- 

 tourber de Fune Partie ne de VAultre" originally covered 

 only the natives of Brabant and Flanders on this side of the 

 Channel. Having been renewed more than once, it was 

 finally extended on the 24th of November, 1467, to the 

 natives of " toutz leraultres Palis et seigneuries" of the then 

 reigning Duke of Burgundy, thereby including the Dutch 

 and Zealand fishermen, and for the first time consecrating 

 by international compact their right to fish all over the sea. 

 "sans qu'il leur soit Besoigne sur ceo requirer ne opteiner 

 ascune Licence Congie ou Sauf conducted The treaty was 

 again renewed at Lille, on July I2th, 1478, in the same 

 terms as regards fisheries ; and was finally superseded by 

 the " Grand Intercourse," or treaty concluded at London 



