FISHINGS OFF THE COAST OF BRITAIN 31 
men should not be allowed to infringe upon what they 
considered their legitimate preserves, while the men of 
the Highlands and Islands were quite as hostile to the 
encroachments of the Lowland Scotch as to those of the 
Hollanders. In 1605, for example, it is stated in the Records 
of the Convention of Royal Burghs' that “the maist profitabill 
and easie fisching ’’ exists among the isles and their lochs, 
but that the burghs “ar debarrit be the wiolence and 
barbarous crueltie, abusis, and extortiouns of the hielandis 
and cuntre men.” Again, when in 1623, the Scotch 
burghs complain of the infringement of their privileges, 
they group “‘Inglish men and Fleymings”’ together under 
the term “ strangers,’”’ and ask that these be restrained from 
fishing ‘‘in the North and West Yles of this kingdom, it 
being ane tred onlie competent to the frie burrowis of this 
realm.”2 The royal and free burghs of Scotland were, in 
fact, as fully alive to the advantages to be gained from 
the fisheries as King Charles himself, and were anxious that 
none should reap these advantages save themselves. 
Since this was the habitual attitude of the burghs, it may 
well be imagined that it was with no feeling of elation that, 
in 1630, they received the news that the king had at last 
formulated a scheme for the establishment of fishing as a 
national industry, and that his intention was to establish 
a Joint Stock Company, to include “ adventurers,” or 
shareholders from England, Scotland, and Ireland, which 
was to have the monopoly, with certain reservations, of the 
fishing in British waters. The royal burghs were all the 
more unwilling to entertain the idea of the fishing company 
on account of the fact that it was probable that the Isle of 
Lewis, where they particularly desired to guard their privi- 
leges, was likely to be selected as the chief fishing station 
of the company. 
1 Records of Convention of Royal Burghs, Scot., vol. 2, p. 203. 
2 Ibid. vol. 3, p. 142. 
