562 THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 



solved this problem in 1866, by sending out a lugger built 

 upon a model from Boulogne. The vessel had as yet more 

 hemp than cotton in her fleet ; she had upon the whole 

 not a favourable catch, and she began to fish three weeks 

 late, and thence did not share in "hunting" prices. In 

 spite of these disadvantages, she covered her building and 

 equipping expenses, including two complete fleets in six 

 voyages, and in the first year yielded a net return of thirty- 

 seven per cent. The splendid success of this first lugger 

 in the Dutch fleet, named by her owner the Scheveningen, 

 after his residence, was the signal of a rapid revolution in 

 the country's herring-fishery. Four luggers were launched 

 in 1866 ; and the number increased very rapidly in the next 

 years. All new ships built were either luggers or cutters ; 

 and the wharves on the Maas had a busy time of it. The 

 old " hookers " were sometimes sold off before being worn 

 out; and the transformation was so rapid that, in 1872-3 

 and 1875-6, there was actually a decrease in the strength 

 of the herring fleet,* owing solely to old vessels being sold 

 off faster than new ones could be built. The following 

 figures show the progress of this most important reform : 



*, See Appendix K. 



t The stand-still in lugger-building in 1872 is apparent, not real. 

 Six luggers were in that year transferred to a German herring 

 company formed at Emden, whose directors prevailed upon a Dutch 



