178 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 



within those huge long netts " that they used, and which they 

 laid hard by the shore, " whereas before they approached not 

 nearer the coasts than fourty (sic) myles." By fishing near the 

 shore they had impoverished the whole trade of fishing ; before 

 they began to do so the herrings came close in, so that the 

 poorest fisherman could enrich himself, while the shoals were 

 now broken up and dispersed. So near did the busses come 

 in stormy weather that they fished "hard by gentlemen's 

 doors," where the fishing was "appropriate to the owners of 

 the land nearest adjacent for their own fishing in the time 

 of storms when they could not go to sea for the entertain- 

 ing of their houses." * 



Since the States-General appeared to be tardy in admitting 

 the offences with which their fishermen were charged, the 

 king wished strong measures to be taken by the Council in 

 Scotland, and he instructed Lord Binning, his Secretary there, 

 to take steps " for interrupting and staying the Hollanders to 

 fish in his seas within sight of the land." The Council, 

 however, pointed out in a very humble tone that inasmuch as 

 it was a matter which concerned not only " thir Hollanders, 

 who ar your Maiesties confederatis, pretending thair awne 

 interes thairin, ather be right or lang possessioun," but also the 

 whole of the kingdom, it would be better if the king's proposals 

 were first imparted to the Privy Council in England. They 

 requested, further, that the ambassador in Holland should again 

 expostulate with the States as to the injuries caused to the 

 king's subjects by their " unjust usurpation to fish within sight 

 of his Majesty's land," and to urge them to issue a proclama- 

 tion to prohibit, under heavy penalties, their people from all 

 further fishing within his Majesty's seas, which, they said, 

 ought by the Law of Nations to be exclusively reserved for his 

 own subjects. They advised the king to make the States 

 clearly understand that if they continued any longer in their 

 " oppression," he would so provide for the maintenance of his 

 right and the freeing of his people as his honour and justice 



1 Ane True Relatione of the Greifs and Wrangs qlks the Inhabitants of the Isles 

 of Orknay and Schetlaiid and Others his Maties Subjects Fishars within ye King- 

 dome of Scotland sustains be the Hollanders and Hamburghgers and wha within 

 these few Zears are associat to the Hollanders in the Fishing within his Maties 

 Seas in Scotland." MSS. Advoc., 31. 2. 16. It may be noted that the custom 

 referred to in the last paragraph was of Scandinavian origin. 



