THE ENGLISH FISHING SETTLEMENTS. 325 



induced the Earl of Pembroke to try Lewis in preference 

 to the Shetlands. His Lewis representatives managed his 

 factory so badly, that in two years they had exhausted the 

 whole of the available capital and were largely in debt. 

 Some of the Earl's colleagues refused to find any more 

 capital, but with the assistance of the others, and by con- 

 fining the work of his factory chiefly to the curing of 

 herrings, he managed to keep the concern afloat. Accord- 

 ing to his own showing, the Earl of Pembroke at length 

 " attained to the true and perfect art " of taking and curing 

 herrings, making nets and casks, and building busses, and 

 had also found out the best foreign markets for the fish. 

 But this state of prosperity was rudely disturbed. The 

 Dunkirkers and other foreign pirates swooped down upon 

 a number of the busses, and carried off the crews to captivity, 

 where some of the men died, and the others had to be 

 ransomed at a heavy cost. The total loss sustained by the 

 Earl's Association through the Dunkirkers was estimated 

 at .5,000, and in his statement submitted to the Council 

 of the Corporation in February, 1640, Lord Pembroke 

 professed his inability to send his boats to sea again with- 

 out fresh capital. In these circumstances, he left the King 

 to find some method of continuing the work, suggesting, 

 however, that a good plan for raising funds would be to 

 give his Association the power to start a standing lottery, 

 similar to the grant obtained by the Virginia Company in 

 1612 ; the management of this lottery to be in the hands 

 of the most " discreet " members of the Association. Lord 

 Pembroke also desired that the King should take steps for 

 the recovery of damages from the Dunkirkers, and subjects 

 of the King of Spain, and for protection from their depre- 

 dations in the future. Charles happened himself to be 

 present at the meeting of the Council when this remon- 

 strance was under consideration, and at once assented to 

 the Earl's suggestion of a lottery. His attitude towards 

 the proposal for obtaining restitution from the Dunkirkers 

 was, however, more guarded. If Lord Pembroke saw fit, 

 he could send an agent to demand reparation, and if 



