100 A HISTORY OF THE WHALE FISHERIES 



The Dutch ship this year, 1612, was commanded 

 by Willem van Muijden of Amsterdam, with whom 

 was another ship from Saardam, which, however, 

 only went to Bear or Cherry Island to shoot or catch 

 walrus. In 1613 Van Muijden had two ships, in 

 which were engaged twelve Basque sailors from St 

 Jean de Luz; three master-harpooners, three boat- 

 swains, and the remaining six for the preparation of 

 oil and cutting up the whales. There was also a 

 barque from Amsterdam in which was Thomas 

 Bonaert, an Englishman, and a few Dutchmen, the 

 majority of the crew being, however, Englishmen. 

 There were also two barques from Saardam. As 

 already related, the English persistently molested 

 the Dutch. Eventually, Muijden showed the 

 English Admiral his Excellency's (Count Maurice) 

 Commission, which stated that he was at liberty to 

 fish, and to defend himself against all who wished to 

 harm him. The Admiral read it, kissed it, and 

 admitted its genuineness, but said he was obliged to 

 execute the charge he had from his king, which was 

 still greater, and which gave him the right to hold 

 for His Majesty, and for their enjoyment, all 

 countries and lands already discovered, and to be 

 discovered, within a line running from the north-west 

 and one from the north-east, drawn with a compass 



de grace, 1613." Escrit par H. G. A. " Et en apres une 

 protestation centre les Angloys, et annulation de touts leurs 

 frivols argumens, parquoy ils pensent avoir droict, pour se faire 

 Maistre tout seul, dudict pays," Amsterdam, 1613. (English 

 translation in Hakluyt Society's " Early Dutch and English 

 Voyages to Spitsbergen in the Seventeenth Century," London, 

 1904.) 



