174 COMMON COD FISH. Class IV. 



to fwarm on the coafts of Norway^ in the Baltic^ 

 off the Orkney and the V/efiern Ifles \ after which 

 their numbers decreafe, in proportion as they ad- 

 vance towards the fouth, when they feem quite to 

 ceafe before they reach the mouth of the Straits of 

 Gibraltar. 



Before the difcovery of Newfoundland^ the greater 

 fiiheries of cod were on the feas of Iceland., and 

 off our Wefiern Ifles^ which were the grand refort of 

 fhips of all the commercial nations ; but it feems 

 that the greateft plenty was met with near Ice- 

 land. The Englijh reforted thither before the year 

 1415: for we find that Henry V. was difpofed to 

 give the King of Denmark fatisfadlion for certain 

 irregularities committed on thofe feas by his fub- 

 jedls. In the reign of Edward the IV. the Englijh 

 were excluded from the filhery by treaty \ and for- 

 bidden to refort there under pain of forfeiture of life 

 and goods. Notwithftanding this, our monarch 

 afterwards gave licence to a fhip of Hull to fail to 

 Iceland^ and there relade fifh and other goods, with- 

 out regard to any reftridions to the contrary. 

 Our riaht in later times was far from beino; con- 

 firmed, for we find Queen Elizabeth condefcending 

 to afl^ permilTion to fifh in thofe feas from Chrifti- 

 an the IV. of Demnark, yet afterwards fhe fo far 

 repented her requeft, as to inftrudl her embaffadors 

 to that court, to infiil on the right of a free and 

 univerfal filhery *. How far Ihe fucceeded, I do 



* Rjmer's Fcsd. XYI. 275, 425. 



JlOt 



