THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 513 



and latter terms had indeed been used from very early 

 times downward, the former meaning herring full of spawn 

 or milt, and the latter fish about to shoot the same, and 

 consequently unfit to be preserved for a long time 

 " Ylen" is a common word for lean, or empty, and was 

 applied to herring, in its literal sense, down from old times 

 The word maatjes first occurs, without any positive state- 

 ment as to its meaning, in the I4th clause of the Herring 

 Placard of 1656. The Regulation of 1822 defines this very 

 i mportant description of cured-herring as containing neither 

 milt nor spawn, but much fat, and " maatjes " herring is 

 stated to be a great delicacy, but not very durable. The 

 " maatjes " and " ylen " qualities were formerly certified on 

 board by the skipper, by means of " girdings " or circles 

 drawn round the barrels. Positive brands for them, to be 

 given of course ashore by the brander, are first prescribed 

 in the Regulation of 1822, besides the old brands stating 

 the season of catch and described in Part II., Chap. I. 



Besides the aforesaid regulations, a Royal Decree of 

 April 4th, 1824 (Staatsblad, No. 28), extended the clause 

 of 1 8 1 8, forbidding Dutchmen to fish "between the rocks 

 of Scotland, Hitland, and Norway." They were now pro- 

 hibited from fishing, or even without urgent reasons from 

 approaching, within two hours (twenty making a degree) of 

 the British shores. The main object of this statute appears 

 to have been to stop Dutchmen smuggling on the British 

 coast ; but as cure-herring fishery off " Hitland," Fairhill, 

 and Yarmouth, and all fresh-herring fishery, were expressly 

 dispensed from the rule, it is not easy to see what can have 

 been its real force at the outset. It was carried into full 

 effect, and the exceptions were withdrawn, by a new 

 regulation on cure-herring fishery enacted by the Provincial 

 States of Holland in 1826, and approved by Royal Decree 



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