PKEFACE. 



IN this book I have endeavoured to bring together from all 

 available sources such information as exists as to the claims 

 formerly made to the sovereignty of the British Seas, and to 

 trace the evolution of the territorial waters in recent times. 

 The work was originally undertaken with the intention of 

 dealing only with these subjects so far as they related to the 

 sea fisheries, but it soon became apparent that to restrict the 

 scope in this way would involve considerable disadvantages, 

 and would enable only a partial picture to be presented. For 

 though during a large part of the period with which the book 

 is concerned, the question of the fishery was the main question 

 in determining the claim to sea sovereignty, and is the one of 

 the greatest frequency at the present day with respect to the 

 territorial waters, it was by no means the only one. The 

 freedom of commerce to regions more or less remote ; the 

 jurisdiction of a State in the sea which washed its shores or 

 which it claimed as belonging to it ; the naval salute or 

 homage to the flag, and various other matters, were commonly 

 bound up with the question of the fisheries. It was therefore 

 deemed more satisfactory to treat the subject as a whole, even 

 though this necessarily involved much additional labour. 



The book is divided into two sections, the first comprising 

 an historical account of the pretensions to the dominion of 

 the sea ; the second dealing with the relic of such preten- 

 sions, the territorial waters, more particularly in the aspect 

 which they present under the Law of Nations and in relation 

 to the rights of fishing. With some doubtful exceptions, the 



