212 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 



suggestion of the sovereignty of the seas, but in 1631 instances 

 become numerous. Coke claims the sea fishings as belonging to 

 the crown ; he begins to speak of the king's " undoubted right 

 of sovereignty in all the seas of his dominions," and plainly says 

 it will be necessary to exclude foreign fishermen from the 

 British seas once the fishing society is a success. In the next 

 year he goes further. He begins a long and formal document 

 also on fisheries in the following words : " The greatnesse 

 and glorie of this Kingdom of Great Britaine consisteth not 

 so much in the extent of his Majesty's territories by land, as 

 in the souerantie and command of the seas. This command 

 is in peace over trade and fishing : and for warre in the power 

 of his Majesty's Navie to incounter the sea-forces of anie foren 

 prince." And he goes on to say that while Spain alone used 

 to oppose it, it was now opposed by France and the Low 

 Countries. 1 Still more to the point were the words of 

 Charles himself. A few months after the fishery negotiations 

 with Scotland were concluded, he wrote to the Clerk-Register 

 in Edinburgh saying that, as the fishing business was now 

 completed, he was desirous that it should be known abroad 

 by his neighbours through some " public writing," and asking 

 him to search the records of the kingdom for authentic evi- 

 dence to show his rights to the fishings, and to send such 

 evidence to him. 2 



At this time also the English records were being subjected to 

 search and scrutiny with the same object, but for other reasons. 

 The " homage " of the flag was being hotly enforced in the 

 Channel and disputed by France. Pennington, the Admiral of 

 the Narrow Seas, reported cases in which the French demanded 

 the salute from English merchant vessels, and rumours that it 

 was the intention of the French admirals to wrest the regality 

 of those seas from England on the ground that the Pope had 

 given it to France. 3 This news caused Viscount Dorchester 

 the Sir Dudley Carleton who had represented King James at The 

 Hague, now a peer and Secretary of State to write to Boswell, 

 Clerk of the Privy Council (soon also to be ambassador at The 

 Hague) for some information, however little, concerning the 



1 State Papers, Dom., Chas. I. ccxxix. 79. 



2 17th October 1632. The Earl of Stirliwj's Register of Royal Letters, ii. 627. 

 a State Papers, Dom., cxcix. 51. 



