424 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 



This concession facilitated the negotiations. Frequent con- 

 ferences were held in the following week, Cromwell and his 

 Council strongly asserting the right of the Commonwealth to 

 the fisheries and the dominion of the sea. At this period 

 there were four subjects chiefly in dispute the arrangements 

 relating to the striking of the flag, the visitation of ships of 

 war, the preliminary part of the sixteenth article as to the 

 guarding of the seas, and the fishery. On none of these was 

 Cromwell inclined as yet to give way. The deputies repeated 

 their offer as to the flag, and requested that a joint commission 

 of old and experienced naval officers should be appointed to 

 draw up regulations for the guidance of both sides in future. 

 To this Cromwell replied that such a commission was unneces- 

 sary, their rights and the custom being well understood and 

 clearly expressed in the article. There was, however, uncer- 

 tainty as to the places where the right could be claimed, 

 and the Dutch deputies said they wished to make it clear 

 in what seas and on what coasts the flag ought to be 

 struck, urging that it was better to be guided by a regulation 

 than to compel it by force. But Cromwell was inflexible. 

 To yield would be to admit that the claim was doubtful in 

 point of right or mode, and it would stultify their whole 

 action ; he may also have thought it would open a door 

 for some form of reciprocity. The article was therefore 

 postponed, as was also the sixteenth article, the deputies 

 insisting on the deletion of the introductory sentence as to 

 a fleet to be put forth to guard the sea, which Cromwell 

 refused to do. 1 



The keenest dispute at this time was about the herring 

 fishery. There were two principles in the article, Cromwell 

 said, which required attention : first, the recognition of 

 England's right to the fishery; secondly, compensation for 

 allowing the use of it. Unable to avoid the discussion, the 

 envoys pleaded their immemorial possession and their treaties, 

 and said that their liberty of fishing had never been disputed ; 

 besides, they asked, was it a friendly thing to make a proposal 

 of the kind when they were about to conclude a strict and 

 close alliance between the two countries ? Cromwell, who had 

 obviously been well posted up in the arguments in Mare 



1 Verbacl, 229, 230, 236. 



