THE NEW SOCIETIES 91 
‘* Counsellors ”—each of whom must have subscribed at 
least 1000 merks to the general fund. 
All goods imported for the use of the Societies were to 
be free of customs duty; their fish were to be brought to 
land and exported without any kind of tax, while it was 
declared that “all ale, beir, strong waters and other pro- 
visions for outreiking of any vessel for the saids fishings of 
the saids companies, is and shall be free of all maner of 
impositions whatsomever.” In order to maintain the quality 
of the herring cured it was declared that each barrel of 
fish packed by these Societies was to be marked, “ilk 
barrel of grein fish to contain tuelve gallons, which is to be 
the ordinar gage betuixt buyer and seller.’ As a mark 
of special favour the members and employees were freed 
from service on juries and from various other forms of public 
duty, and were given a monopoly of the export trade in 
herring, it being declared that ‘“‘no herring or white fish 
taken by Scotsmen in the said Kingdome or yles therto 
belonging be sold fresh or salt to any but to natives, except 
by the companies,” and again that ‘‘no persone or persones 
shall have libertie to export herring or fish, nor use or have 
the priviledges, liberties and imunities abovewfin but those 
that shall enter themselffes and be frie in one or other of 
the saids companies and societies.” 
To further encourage these companies, the king on 6th 
February, 1662, issued a proclamation enjoining the observ- 
ance of Lent, (a custom which had been in abeyance since 
1640) ; Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday were also to be 
observed as the three fish days, on which it was forbidden 
to eat flesh, butchers being warned not to kill or sell meat 
on those days. Thus, the proclamation continued, “the 
young brood and store will be preserved, so that therafter 
the hazard of security and dearth may be prevented and the 
fishes (which by the mercie of God abound in the salt and 
fresh watters of this kingdom) may be made use of for the 
