THE PEACE NEGOTIATIONS 419 



fishery, remarking that if these points were adjusted the work 

 in hand would be much facilitated. 1 



In putting the question of the sovereignty of the sea and 

 the fishery in the foreground of the negotiations, Cromwell 

 placed the envoys in a difficulty. In conformity with their 

 traditional policy 011 like occasions, the States -General had 

 expressly instructed their representatives to avoid discussion 

 on these thorny subjects, a circumstance no doubt well known 

 to Cromwell. They therefore fenced with them. With regard 

 to the " honour of the sea," they had never desired to dispute 

 with the Parliament of the Republic of England any honour 

 or dignity which had been rendered to former Governments, 

 and they declared their willingness to pay the same "honour 

 and respect" to the English flag as had been previously 

 shown to it. They thought it would be better to defer con- 

 sideration of the fishery question until the articles of a " strict 

 union " had been adjusted, when the whole business of 

 commerce, fishery, and the immunities on both sides might 

 be dealt with. But Cromwell was not to be turned from 

 his purpose. On the following day, after a long and remark- 

 able speech on the advantages of coalition which the Dutch 

 once more put aside, he again declared that the matter of 

 the sea and the fishery must be first of all settled; and he 

 ended the discussion by handing to the deputies the draft 

 articles which the Council had prepared.- The articles were 

 twenty - seven in number. Some of them provided for a 

 defensive alliance and arranged details of peace. Freedom of 

 trade was to be allowed, provided the laws in force the 

 Navigation Act were observed; the rebels of the one were 

 not to be assisted by the other, and so forth. But the Dutch 

 were to pay a sum to be agreed upon, by way of reparation, 

 and there were several articles dealing with the sovereignty 

 of the sea and the fisheries. 



The article 8 on the fishery was framed on the model of the 



1 Vtrlxiel, 189. "Syn Excellencie . . . gesyt . . . dat sy daerom voor af 

 meenden, dat moeate VMtetellen haer Reght ende Dominie in de naeuwe Zee, ende 

 het stuck van haere Visscherye, ende . . . eyndelyck besluytende dat die pointen 

 van de Zee ende Viascherye geadjusteert synde, het vordere werck seer souden 

 fuciliteren." 



a Verbnel, 189, 190, 196, 198, 214. J Art. xviii. Verbael, 203. 



