170 A HISTORY OF THE WHALE FISHERIES 



Britain, France, and the Netherlands combined to 

 shut the Hanseatic towns out of the whale fishery. 

 The Hanse towns made diplomatic protests which 

 were, however, feeble and unavailing, so they decided 

 on their own convoy system, a decision which was 

 helped by the losses their ships had sustained in the 

 Mediterranean trade owing to the attack of Algerian 

 pirates. Usually twenty, thirty or even forty ships 

 assembled around the convoyer, the captain of which 

 assumed the responsibility of Admiral of the Convoy. 

 This warship carried a crew of from one hundred 

 and thirty to one hundred and fifty, and sixty to 

 eighty soldiers. There was also a chaplain, a 

 surgeon, a " botteler," and a cook. According to 

 contemporary accounts the proceedings aboard these 

 conveyers were of a puritanical description. There 

 was morning and evening prayer, and on Sundays 

 a sermon and communion in addition. Drinking, 

 brawling, " Lastern," and swearing were forbidden, 

 and cards, dice, and " Weiber " were not allowed on 

 board. In 1691 the Bremen convoyer was a ship 

 one hundred and twelve feet by twenty-nine feet by 

 twelve. She carried fourteen twelve, one eight, 

 nine six, ten four, and four three pounders, as well 

 as four metal cannon of three pounds ; eight bombs, 

 one hundred and eighty hand grenades, thirty-one 

 casks of powder of each one hundred pounds, and 

 twenty-one pounds musket balls, forty-two muskets, 

 forty-six pistols, and so on. 



In 1777 Cornelis Ris attempted to found a poor 

 house at Hoorn, with a school in which useful 



