490 THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 



inspected by a " keurmeester " or assayer. Other materials 

 than Dutch hemp were prohibited from being used in her- 

 ring-nets. No nets were to be used unless marked by the 

 " counter " with a leaden seal bearing the name and arms 

 of the town, and the official's own initials. 



The most important innovations contained in the law of 

 1 80 1 are, however, the clauses relative to the rights of the 

 several branches of North Sea Fishery ; about which 

 rights, as has been shown in Part II., differences had 

 formerly arisen. The several monopolies, the limits of 

 which had in the course of the eighteenth century been 

 for the greater part established by College bye-laws, were 

 now, for the first time, sundered and defined by ordinary 

 legislation. 



The Grand Fishery having the monopoly of curing, was 

 restricted to that business, and forbidden to use the 

 process called steuren* i.e. to salt herring in baskets 

 ungutted, for the purpose of ulterior curage by smoke. 

 The busses' steersmen were allowed to preserve herring 

 in this fashion in two cases only ; viz., when all the 

 barrels on board should have been filled with cured herring, 

 in consequence of an exceptionally felicitous catch, and 

 when it should be impossible, by reason of foul weather and 

 high sea, to use the proper method of curing (kaken\ which 

 required considerable attention from the whole of the ship's 

 hands simultaneously. If any herring had been salted in 

 the former manner by reason of either of the said circum- 

 stances, a peculiar oath to the fact was to be taken by the 

 vessel's steersmen and two of her crew, immediately upon 

 entering port (Art. 19). 



The monopoly of the " steurharing" business being 



* See part ii. chap. iv. 



