out of what is collected as aforesaid. To which might have been added, an abstract of Sir Roger Le Strange, his brief treatise to that purpose, entituled, A Discourse of the Fishery;' briefly laying open, not only the advantages and facility of the undertaking, but likewise the absolute necessity of it, in order to the well being both of King and people. Printed anno 1674. And,

"Quest. If any be desirous to know, or have an estimate of the ordinary charge of building and equipping a fishing vessel of about seventy tun, for the first year of its setting out, and so afterwards for twenty years, in repairing and amending the same, and all its furniture. As also, what may be the annual profits thereof one year with another, &c.

"Answ. None may presume on what depends on God's providence and blessing, in the most prudent and diligent management of this affair, more than of any other maritime and merchantly adventures. But, computing the particulars of profit and loss by others observations and experiences, it may be reasonably expected, that the disburse of about £1000 in building, equipping, victualling, and wages of a fishing vessel of about seventy tun, may produce cent. per cent. per annum; for so have very prying and experienced men in the fishing trade computed. And such estimate thereof has been formerly presented to a committee of Parliament, appointed to inquire about the fishery affair; and is evidenced by a small treatise, called 'Britain's Buss,' printed anno 1615, and reprinted anno 1630, setting forth the particulars.

But, supposing it to be but half so much, or one quarter (viz. £25 per cent. clear gains), it were sufficient encouragement and motive to incite all persons to be concerned therein by their subscriptions; and the rather, for that it is so essentially requisite to the strength, safety, wealth, and trade of these kingdoms, and therefore is worthy the most serious consideration and regard of all true-hearted Englishmen, of whatsoever characters and denominations amongst us; and ought accordingly to be so managed, as all the people of these nations, who are able to contribute towards the stock thereof may be admitted so to do, and thereby become engaged in interest to stand by and defend the rights and privileges of these kingdoms in the fishings. aforesaid, and not to be limited within the sole power and advantage of a few, the first subscribers of the first stock (proposed for the entering upon this affair), exclusive of after subscriptions, to as far as the trade and affairs thereof will bear and require.

"In order whereunto, the company of the Royal Fishery of England, incorporated as aforesaid, in prosecution of this great affair and

design, have caused, as well the letters patents for their incorporation, as the constitution, laws, and articles, terms or conditions of subscription, and bringing in persons into the said company, to be members of, or traders or adventurers with them therein, to be fairly engrossed and published in books, to be exposed and opened for subscriptions; as also, abstracts of them to be printed and published, in order to persons having the contents thereof before them for their consideration before they do subscribe.

"The present stock proposed by them is £300,000, or £150,000, at least, to begin the same withal. It is made payable at ten several quarterly payments, and not any part thereof to be paid till thirty days from and after notice or publication of the completing the said subscriptions of the said first £150,000, as by their public advertisements may appear.

"Out of all which, it is evident, that there is, 1, A legal foundation, viz. by letters patents or charter from his late Majesty, King Charles II. 2, A regular constitution and laws for the management of the affairs of the company, so as may be both safe and easy, unto which all the members of the company are to subscribe, for the conservation, observing, and keeping the same inviolably. And, 3, Considerable encouragements to the subscribers of the said first £300,000, not only by their reimbursement of their tenth, by the subscribers of the next £300,000 as aforesaid, which is proposed to be allowed for the first patentees, and such disbursements, losses, charges, and damages, as the members of the company have sustained in the management and preserving the patent, &c. in being to this time; and other uses of the company, entrusted by the constitution to be distributed by the trustees of the company; but by three per cent. allowed to the subscribers of the first £150,000 thereof, out of their three first quarterly payments, by equal proportions; all which, notwithstanding, is also to be made good unto the stock of the company, by and out of the said tenth part proposed as aforesaid.

"And to the end that persons in Scotland and Ireland, and the remote parts of England, might not be surprised or excluded the first subscriptions and benefits thereof (if they should think fit to begin so early), the company, by their order of the 3d day of June last, deferred their taking subscriptions unto the 3d day of September following, and resolved that should have been the day of opening their books for the said whole sum of £300,000, and that they would speedily agree, and notify the place or places for doing thereof; which having been notified, several worthy persons of the city of London, and parts adjacent, became engaged in subscriptions and promises, to

S

the value of about £50,000, in case the books should be then opened for that purpose; whereupon the company thought meet to have their books opened accordingly for such value. But,

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Upon further considerations (as, namely, that most members of Parliament, and others of the nobility and gentry, were out of town, and were not likely to come sooner than about the beginning of the next term; and, that it was meet for the company to provide they should not be precluded of any advantages, proposed to the subscribers of the first £300,000). The company therefore, by their further order of the 31st day of August last, thought fit, upon the subscriptions of the said £50,000, to restrain any further subscriptions, or opening of their books for that purpose, until the fourth day of November next : And having (in nine days time) received subscriptions of the said £50,000, they shut up their books accordingly: And have ordered the same should be published; and that they will no longer, than the said fourth day of November next, delay the subscriptions, that any persons shall think fit further to make, for raising the said stock, and settling their other affairs, relating to the management thereof. And, in the mean time, will live in hopes of the parliament's confirmation of, and additions. to their privileges, herein before mentioned, to have been formerly granted to the undertakers; Whereunto they are encouraged, by the judgment of the parliament of this kingdom, declared in the preamble of an act, past in the fourteenth year of his late Majesty King Charles the Second, cap. 28. wherein is this expression, viz.

"The Public Honour, Wealth, and Safety of this Realm, as well in the maintenance of Trade and support of Navigation, as in many other respects, doth in an high degree depend upon the Improvement of the Fishery, &c.

"Which may be thus paraphrased, viz. The fish of the British seas, and other his Majesty's dominions, within the grant afore-specified, (which costs us nothing but the taking) being added to our other useful and necessary products and manufactures, wherewith these kingdoms and dominions are blessed, (beyond any other trading nations of the world; wherein also consists the honour of these islands) may be exported to double, yea treble the value of all necessary imports of merchandizes from other countries, and so must necessarily produce great wealth of all kinds, and particularly plenty of monies, for its balance. And, the fishings train up multitudes of the hardiest and skilfullest seamen for our other navigations and defence, in the improvement whereof

principally lies the safety and strength of these nations; and the situation of these islands being such as may justly challenge to be the emporium or mart of trade beyond all others, we shall not need to fear the vent of such surplusage of such imports, for ready monies of all countries who need them; and, if so (not regarding the malicious and clandestine whisperings and backbitings of such as envy and bear illwill to our nation's flourishing under our present Government, and the ways and means proposed for the management of this affair, which they understand little of), let all the cordial promoters thereof be up and doing; and, if our only strength fail us not, we may bid defiance, in his name, to all the might of Europe, which shall conclude this subject, with this brief advertisement of the Collector hereof, touching the present state of these kingdoms, with respect to the present advance of our gold and other monies above the common standard and denomination at which they are coined, viz. that the same is impoverishing, and destructive to the trade, prosperity, and wealth of these nations. That yet the Government may be eased of the burden of our clipped monies, without loss or charge to the nation, yea, to the great enriching thereof, and so as may tend to the carrying on the Fishery; the present war with the French, and all its tradings whatsoever, to the excess of profit and commodity before mentioned; the methods and means of which he reserves to the further prosecution of what he hath heretofore humbly proposed."

SECTION X1.

The long Extracts from those eminent Persons in the Reign of Charles II. given, not so much to fill up space, as on account of the sound Observations they contain The Copies very scarceThe Measures proposed at that time, dictated, perhaps, by Animosity and Rivalship of the Dutch-The Subject of improving the Fisheries not necessary to be discussed at present with those Sentiments—The Herring Buss Fishery, as now conducted, a very insignificant Nursery of Seamen-Origin of the System-Short Account of the great Society for carrying on the free British Herring Fishery-The Design highly popular-The Death of the Prince of Wales a fatal blow to the Undertaking-The Character of this excellent Prince-An Account of the deep Sea Fisheries, and Estimates of the Expence of carrying on this Fishery in the Northern Ocean, and the Bounties which appear necessary for that Purpose.

I HAVE been led to give, by much, perhaps, too long and tedious extracts* from the ancient opinions, in the seventeenth century, of the importance, and of the best mode of conducting the British Herring Fisheries. But they are the sense of the country at an important period after the civil wars, and because they are not easily to be met with; for, notwithstanding the misery and destruction of life occasioned by civil wars, they seldom fail to rouse a spirit favourable to the extension of the energies of the human mind, and exertions in all domestic improvements. Hence we find that, on the restoration of Charles II. the country teemed with plans of improvements on all subjects of trade and commerce, of which, as appears by the papers and lists of acts of Parliament we have given, the Herring Fishery was considered the best calculated to extend our power both of attack and defence.

By these acts, salt fish of all kinds, whale-fins, whale-bone, oil, and blubber, not caught and cured on board British vessels, when imported into Great Britain, are subject to double aliens' duty.

The Dutch, as they have been until lately, the principal, were then the only fishers in Europe that attempted to supply foreign na

• The collection of these papers I was favoured with by Mr. Brougham, and is very

Scarce.