64 THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE FISHING 
civilitie and for increase of policie within the same Ile.”” This 
charter was confirmed by Parliament on 17th November,1641.1 
The sequel showed that Charles had done wisely in thus 
securing the co-operation of Seaforth. There were no further 
complaints by the adventurers of the Association of depreda- 
tions committed by the islanders until 1642, when a certain 
William Cobb, captain of one of the ships belonging to the 
society, accused some of the islanders of having stolen his 
ship and wrongfully kept himself and his ship’s company 
prisoners for four months. This case was the occasion 
of a letter from the king to the Privy Council of Scotland, 
asking that Cobb should be again put in possession of his 
ship and goods, and that the “ pirots ” should be brought 
to England.? 
The very attention, however, attracted by the case of 
Cobb, serves to show that the molestation of the vessels of 
the Association had ceased to be a common occurrence. 
The society had, for some years, enjoyed that practical 
monopoly of the fishing about the Lewis which the king 
had secured for it, the great influence of Seaforth being a 
sufficient check on the native fishermen, most of whom, as a 
matter of fact, were probably already in the service of thecom- 
pany, for this was a favourite and frequently expressed idea 
of the king.? If the work of the Association in the Lewis 
ultimately proved unsuccessful, its members could not say 
that the company had lacked opportunities. The want 
of success was due partly to the fact that the troubles 
in the realm during the period of civil war crippled 
all trade movements, but, as we shall see, in greater 
measure to the want of skill and the dishonesty of those 
to whom the affairs of the Association had been entrusted.+ 
1 Act. Parl. Scotland, vol. v. p. 531. 
2 Reg. Privy Council, Scotland, vol. vii. (2nd series) p. 548. 
3 Cal. S.P. Dom. Car. I., vol. 203, No. 54. 
4Simon Smith, A True Narrative; Macpherson, Annals of Commerce, 
vol. ii. p. 365. 
