204 MR. T. SOUTHWELL ON THE ARCTIC WHALE-FISHERY. 
in consequence of his report as to the abundance of these 
creatures in the newly discovered seas and the increasing 
scarceness of the Atlantic Whale, in 1611 vessels from London 
and Hull directed their attention to this much more valuable 
animal, and for the first time it came in contact with man, 
the destroyer. 
I cannot find it recorded when the port of Yarmouth first 
sent out vessels to the Greenland Fishery, but that they were 
very early in the field is evident. Palmer, in his ‘ Perlustrations 
of Great Yarmouth,’ states that in the year 1627, the 
“ Fellowship of English Merchants ” complained to the Privy 
Council that Nathaniel Wright, previously one of their direc- 
tors, had joined Thomas Hoarth, and had drawn away one 
Sampson, their chief Harpooner, and were fitting out ships 
at Yarmouth for the Whale-fishery, and prayed that the ships 
might be stayed. According to Manship’s ‘ History of 
Great Yarmouth,’ a dispute arose as to two ships fitted out 
in that port, which I take to be those referred to above, and 
in the year 1631 the Bailiffs leceived a letter from the Lords 
of the Privy Council, which like other great bodies appears 
to have moved rather slowly, ordering them “ Not to suffer 
two shipps to goe forth untill good security bee entered into, 
that they shall not bend their course into any parts within 
the privileges of the Greenland Companye.” For the result 
we must again go to Palmer’s ‘ Perlustrations.’ and there 
we find that notwithstanding an appeal setting forth that a 
loss of £2000 was sustained by the delay, the privileges of 
the Company were maintained. 
The above prohibition refers to a monopoly granted in 
1613 to the Muscovy Company of London by James I., and 
renewed by Charles in 1636 ; this absurd assumption of 
jurisdiction over the high seas on the plea of pre-discovery 
led to no end of disputes and even bloodshed, chiefly with the 
Dutch, and was, as instanced above, mainly prejudicial to I 
his own countrymen ; although the restriction fell into abey- 
ance it was not abolished till 1672. 
In 1696 all restrictions were removed and a more enlightened 
policy introduced, but the industry still languished, and in 1 
