THE ROYAL FISHERY 101 
among the governors, and feared the worst for the 
enterprise. On July 7th, 1664, for instance, he writes, 
“To Whitehall and there found the Duke and twenty more 
reading their commission (of which I am, and was also 
sent to, to come) for the Royall Fishery, which is very 
large, and a very serious charter it is; but the company 
generally so ill-fitted for so serious a worke that I do much 
fear it will come to little.” 
Two days afterwards, on July 9th, the members of the 
council were required to take an oath to be true to the 
interests of the company. Their conduct on this occasion 
confirmed in the mind of Pepys that opinion which he 
had already formed concerning them and the prospects 
of the society. Two motions were laid before them, the 
one that they should swear to be true to the company to 
the best of their power, the other, to the best of their under- 
standing. The latter motion was carried, a fact which 
Pepys considered ominous for the success of the new society, 
since thus the governors would be, as he puts it “least 
able to serve the company, because we would not be obliged 
to attend the business when we can, but when we list. 
This consideration did displease me, but it was voted and 
so went.” 
It was not long before the fears of Pepys that the manage- 
ment of the company had not been entrusted to a body of 
men sufficiently interested in the enterprise were con- 
firmed. A meeting of the council of the fishery had been 
called for September 3rd, and this Pepys attended, to find 
that so little interest was being taken in the affairs of the 
company that there were not more than four persons present. 
His thoughts on this occasion he records thus: ‘“ After 
dinner to Whitehall, to the Fishing Committee, but not 
above four of us went, which could do nothing, and a sad 
thing it is to see so great a work so ill followed, for at this 
pass, it can come to nothing but disgrace us all.” 
