82 THE COMMONWEALTH 
fish caught. The Dutch cured herring had a European 
reputation for excellence ; the Association, which sought to 
outrival the Hollanders, had need to produce work showing 
as much thoroughness and skill as theirs. But De Witt, 
in his Interest of Holland, tells of the inferior quality of the 
cured herring exported by the English fishing company, 
saying that their herring were rejected at Dantzic in 1637 
and again in 1638.1 
At length, weary of the unbroken record of failure and 
loss, the Committee of the Association, in 1637, resolved to 
abandon the fishing at the Lewis, although Simon Smith, 
** Agent for the Royal Fishings,” was still writing hopefully 
of the ultimate success of the undertaking there.2 The 
Association, however, was suffering greatly from want of 
capital, since many of the adventurers, alarmed by the want 
of success in the Hebrides, and perturbed by the depreda- 
tions of the Dunkirkers, had either ceased to subscribe, or 
had paid nothing at all. The Association was thus forced 
back upon loans, which entailed considerable extra expense 
and hampered all its movements.’ In spite of all this, the 
committee at the head of affairs were still persuaded that 
the enterprise would prove profitable if entered upon with 
vigour, especially seeing that they had now restricted the 
scope of their operations ; moreover, they had now attained, 
they thought, “to the true and perfect art of taking and 
curing herrings, making nets and casks fit for that purpose, 
and building busses”; they had also learned the best foreign 
markets for herring, and were thus confident that success 
would attend their public-spirited services, if the king would 
cease his policy of inaction towards the Dunkirkers, who, 
emboldened by immunity, had seized many fishing busses. 
In 1639 alone, four busses belonging to the Fishing Associa- 
1 Macpherson, Annals of Commerce, ii. 365. 
2Cal. S.P. Dom. Car. I., vol. 397, No. 95. 
3 Ibid. vol. 377, No. 69; vol. 412, No. 27. 
