226 A. D. 1602. 



tempers*; wherefor no licence ought to be infifted on, as in old trea- 

 ties, for fifliing, &c. on that coaft ; for it cannot be admitted, that the 

 property of the fea, at what diftance foever, is confequent to the banks, 

 as it happeneth in fmall rivers, where the banks are proper to divers 

 men,; for then it would follow, that no fea were common, the banks on 

 every fide being the property of one or other. 



To all which the Danifh king replied in this fame year in a letter to 

 the queen, by referring to old treaties between t.ngland and Denmark, 

 which Queen Elizabeth would not allow to be of any force in her days. 

 That king moreover in his turn complained of the depredations com- 

 mitted by certain EngUfli fliips on thofe of Denmark. [Foedera, V. xvi, 

 pp. 425, 441.] 



Upon the whole, the queen's inftrudions are fo extremely well pen- 

 ned, and the reafonings fo juft for not obferving the obfolete reftridive 

 treaties, that it is humbly apprehended they may even be found ufeful 

 to minifters and ambafladors of the prefent and future times in fimilar 

 cafes, commercial and nautical. 



Queen Elizabeth iffued a proclamation, prohibiting her fubjeds from 

 pirating on the (hips and merchandize of nations in alliance with her, 

 under pretence of their belonging to Spain and Portugal (which (hews 

 the complaint of the king of Denmark not to have been without 

 ground), and for regulating the fale of prizes, &c. [Fcedera, V. xvi,. 



f- 436-] 



Chavin from France now failed up the great river of St. Laurence to. 



Canada, but made no fettlement there till the following year. 



The plurality of Eafl-bidia partnerfhips or focieties, at this time 

 formed in Holland, creating much diforder and clalhing in that com- 

 merce, the fiates-general fummoned before them the directors of all; 

 thofe companies, and obHged them to unite for the future into one; 

 to which united company the dates granted the fole commerce to Eall- 

 India for twenty-one years, from the 20th day of March 1602, and 

 their now joint capital flock confifted of 6,600,000 guilders (or about. 

 L6oo,ooo Sterling). This joint capital flock was proportioned in the 

 following manner, viz. 



Amflerdam to have one half of the faid capital, and twenty direc 

 tors. 



Middleburg one fourth of it, and twelve diredlors. 



Delft, Rotterdam, Enchuyfen, and Hoorn, each one fixteenth part, 

 and feven direftors, making in all fixty diredtors from all thofe places. 

 Or more minutely, by other accounts, 



:' ,'* How dilFcrent is this language from that of and othei- fimilar declarations by Elizabeth, they 

 her two next fucceffors, and of Sckien in his Mare would have furnilhed excellent arguments in his 

 cUttfHin ? Had Grotias feen ihefe inftrudlions, Mare likrum. 



