THE DUTCH WAR 85 
It was remitted to a council of the Estates to deliberate 
upon this extraordinary proposal, powers being given to 
naturalise the enthusiastic Frenchman. The finding of the 
committee, however, was not in favourable terms, and no 
encouragement was given him to proceed with his scheme. 
With the end of the Civil War and the advent of the 
stable government of Cromwell, there came a renewed 
interest in all branches of industry and commerce, and 
particularly in everything that pertained to the establish- 
ment of Britain as a sea-power. Cromwell, indeed, had 
scarcely commenced to rule before, among other instructions 
to Colonels Popham, Blake, and Deane, then commanding 
the fleet, he gave them orders ‘“‘to guard the North Sea and 
mackarel fisheries,” and “to maintain the sovereignty of 
the commonwealth in the seas.” 1 The Protector’s ambition 
to make the Commonwealth great at sea depended, for 
its realisation, upon the achievement of his cherished policy 
of a united Britain, a policy which continually urged him to 
secure peace and good government in Scotland, and to 
support and encourage her industries, including the fisheries. 
An indication of Cromwell’s settled policy towards Scotland 
is given in 1655 in the direct instructions sent by him to his 
Council in Scotland “ to give all due encouragement to the 
Trade and Commerce of that Nation and to advance Manu- 
factures and the Fisheries there, and to consider of all 
waies and meanes how the same may be improved for the 
advantage of the People and of this Comonwealth.” 2 
During a great part of the Commonwealth period, however, 
it was impossible for any ruler to do anything to develop 
British fisheries, since the naval war in the North Sea caused 
an almost complete suspension of fishing operations. Even 
before the final declaration of war with Holland in 1652 
there had been numerous instances of the seizure of herring 
1Cal. S.P. Dom. Commonwealth, 1649-50, p. 23. 
2 Act. Parl. Scotland, vol. vi. 2, p. 827. 
