THE DUTCH WHALERS PREDOMINANT 165 



Holland on that account, and consequently each of 

 them could not take so many whales as heretofore; 

 and, nothwithstanding the new prohibition of 

 France and other countries, to import those com- 

 modities, and though there is greater plenty of it 

 imported by our fishers, yet those commodities are 

 much raised in value above what they were whilst 

 there was a Company; that the common inhabitants 

 do exercise that fishery with profit, to the much 

 greater benefit of our country than when it was 

 under the management of a Company carried on by 

 a few. For however much these members sell their 

 commodities dearer than if that trade was open or 

 free, all the other inhabitants that gain their subsist- 

 ence immediately or by consequence by a foreign 

 competition must bear the loss. Indeed, our fisher- 

 men, dealers in manufactures, owners of freight 

 ships, are burdened by all manner of imposts; to 

 impress them yet more in their necessity by these 

 monopolies of Guilds and yet to believe that it 

 redounds to the good of the land, because it tends 

 to the benefit of such companies, is to me incompre- 

 hensible. These Guilds are said indeed to be a 

 useful sort of people, but next to those we call idle 

 drones, they are the most unprofitable inhabitants of 

 the country, because they bring in no profit from 

 foreign lands for the welfare of the inhabitants of 

 Holland." 



Further details of the Dutch whale fishery during 

 this period are given in an Appendix (p. 308). 



Towards the end of the seventeenth century 



