THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 495 



convoying vessels like the " direction ships " of old, were 

 mainly intended for peaceful purposes. Their captains' 

 instructions indeed contained an injunction "to use good 

 seamanship and soldiership" but the rest of their vessels' 

 attributes, as apparent from the same document, are such 

 as no man-of-war could carry out without very serious 

 prejudice to the latter function. Jhey were to be floating 

 lazarets, marine stores, and wharves for the busses' 

 convenience, whom they were bound to assist with 

 surgeons and carpenters, spare rigging, and all such 

 materials as they should require. They were to relieve 

 the busses of their sick, and provide them with able 

 seamen instead, and in general see that no buss should be 

 obliged to sail home prematurely by reason of avary or 

 lack of hands. In some cases the captain was instructed 

 to act in concert with the commander " of the other 

 hospital-ship ; " whence it is evident that no more than two 

 used as a rule to be sent after the fleet ; and both of them 

 were constantly to sail round the herring fleet, and carry 

 signals to enable busses in distress to find them out 



A short while after the establishment of the law of 1801, 

 and the definitive organisation of the Committee of the 

 Grand Fishery, the preliminaries of London were signed ; 

 and in the next spring the short-lived Peace of Amiens 

 opened the sea for peaceful pursuits. Sea-fishery was 

 instantly recommenced, and of course its beginnings were 

 attended with such financial difficulties as shipowners had 

 in former years been accustomed to overcome by the 

 aid of bounties. Accordingly, to sue for premiums to 

 herring-busses was one of the first acts of the now es- 

 tablished committee ; and besides, they applied for the 

 subsidy which the provisional committee had not enjoyed 

 during the stagnation of herring-fishery. A subsidy of 



