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Beyond all Dispute the King and Kingdom hath taken Care to Pay the Hollanders, all the Charges they were at for the Navy and Army.
But it cannot be supposed that they would quit their Pretensi∣ons to the Sovereignty of the British Seas, which is the Main Pillar of the Nation.
As in the Preamble, of an Act of Parliament made in the 14. year of the Reign of King Charles the Second, it is thus inserted.
That the Wealth, Honour and Safety of this Realm; as well for the Maintainance of Trade, and Encouragement of Naviga∣tion, as in many other Respects, doth in a High Degree depend on the Fishery.
And should God Almighty, out of his Infinite Mercy and Goodness, Inspire the King and Senatours, to Revive and Pro∣mote this National-Fishery; It would be such a Comfort in Dan∣ger to this Nation, as the Ho∣ney Sampson found in the Lyons Jaws: And not onely the Coast∣ing Towns, Burroughs and ad∣jacent villages, be Enriched there∣by; but the King and Kingdom in General, would find the Sweetness of it.
For did we but Secure the Sovereignty of the British Seas, it would not only make the whole World stand in awe of us, but Court us to buy our Fish.
For without, it is Impossible the East and Northern Coun∣tries should subsist, and in many o∣ther Places, Herrings are every days Meat, Winter and Summer, as well to draw on drink, as to satisfie Hunger and in many Places, the Greatest part of the year, they are Scarce to be had; for soon after Michaelmas, the Sound is Frozen, so that no Herrings can be Transported thither; And France, Spain, Italy, and the Rest of the Catholick Countries, could not keep Lent (without our Fish) which next to their own Salvation, they Tender most Dear, in Obedience to the Com∣mand of the Church of Rome.
'Tis Observable, that the Hol∣landers make it their Business to infect the People of England, that we cannot make the Advan∣tage of the Fishery as they do; and therefore it will be convenient to remove all the Vulgar Ob∣jections: Some will have it that
we want Men, and others, that our Men will never take to it.
As to the First, I Answer, That we have Men Enough, but they are Idle and live upon the Pub∣lick, without making any Re∣turn of their Labour, but let these People be Employ'd in the Fishery, and they Protected by an Act of Parliament, we shall soon have enough, and to spare; and it is a Great Happiness to this Kingdom, that we can Employ our Sea-faring Men in times of Peace, and 'tis so great a Bles∣sing, that no Nation in the World has the like Opportuni∣ty of Employing and enriching themselves.
The Second (Exception or) Objection is; That the Genius of this Nation will never endure the Hardships of this Employ∣ment.
To which I Answer, That the English do run greater Hazards, and suffer greater Hardships in
their long, tedious, and unheal∣thy Voyages; as to the East and the West-Indies, and the Turkey Voyages, where many Men are lost, by reason of the Heat of the Climate, want of Provisions and Water, which in the Fish∣ery, there is none of these In∣conveniences to attend them, they being so often in and out of Port; and as to Labour, the working of a Mine is far beyond that of Fishing, where the Men sometimes Work up to the Middle in Water.—But to come nearer to the Point, the English is so far from having an Aversion against Fishing, that they apply themselves to it; for Example, after Harvest is in, and the Herring-Season comes on, the Country Fellows and Boys do go to the Coasting Towns, to be Hired into the Fishery; and do Generally take such a liking to it, that after 2 or 3 Voyages they very rarely return
to their Rural Employment, but take to the Sea altogether.
And further, I cannot imagine what Hardships the Hollanders can undergo in the Fishing, more than the English are willing to do; this is another Objection.
But this, beyond all dispute, is a very Erroneous Notion; for the Herring Fishing in the Eng∣lish Seas begins in June, and goes out in November; and that for the first four Months, it is the best time for Profit, Pleasure, and Fair-Weather; for we seldom look out after the Herring Fishing till September, and so continue to the end of November, which is the most Tempestuous Season in the Whole Annual; and then in January, we fit out for the North Seas, and spend the remaining part of Winter in all Extremi∣ties of Cold and Hardship; This is enough to Satisfie, that we are able to undergo as much Hardships as the Hollanders.
But however, I'le strain this point a little further; Suppose that the Winter Fishing would be too Hard for us, what Ex∣cuse can we have for not make∣ing our Improvements on the Summer Fishing, which is more advantageous abundantly;
Another Objection is, That the Hollanders can fare Harder than the English, in their course feed∣ing, and Great Stress is laid up∣on this; and that an English Man will never be able to live on so sparing a Diet as they do.
Now if it were so, and that an English Diet could not be had, and that a Dutch Diet would not serve us; but that is not our Condition: for he that cannot brook with the one may have the other; And I am indu∣ced to believe that Pork, Pease, and Beef, are much better and more Strengthening, than Roots and Cabbage, for the Hollanders
Victualling is the same with ours, for Beer, Biscuite, Butter, Cheese; all which we can provide our selves with, much Cheaper than they: And to make Good the Defect of their Ordinary Provi∣sions, they drink a great deal more Brandy than the English do; so then to take one thing with another, we Victual with Good Provisions, as Cheap or Cheaper than they do.
But besides the very suggestion of leaving a Good Diet, to go to a bad, is a very Great Error; for the Countrey Men that en∣ter themselves on board the Fish∣ery, fare far better at Sea than they did at Land; for be∣sides their General Victualling, which they carry with them to Sea, they feed upon the Fish they Catch, which for Va∣riety, being Fresh taken, is a Treat, to what a Person of Qua∣lity has at his Table a Shoar; and of pitiful weak Men at
Land, in a Voyage or two, become Stout, Hearty, and Health∣ful Men.
There are two more Wolves in the way; First, that our Herrings are in no esteem abroad, because we have not the right way to cure them.
Secondly, we shall never make nothing on't, for the Hollanders will under-sell us, for Freight∣ing Cheaper, and consequently beat us out of the Trade.
In answer to which; First, there are two ways of curing the Her∣rings, the one at Sea, where they are Gipp'd, immediately up∣on their taking, and Barrell'd; the other at Land, where they are Gipp'd, and Pack'd some days after they are taken; These we call Shoar-made-Herrings, and we know very well, that one Barrel of the other for Goodness, is worth one Hundred of these; and that they will never take their Pickle kindly, unless their
Throats be Cut, as soon as they are Caught; so that it is a great Error to take a Shoar-made-Herring, for a Tryal of Skill in curing; But for those that are made at Sea, they are made as Good, and as much in Esteem abroad as any of the Hollanders Herrings, and they have been fre∣quently Sold in the East-Coun∣try for four pounds a Barrel; and I could wish we were no more to blame, for not taking them than curing them; But ad∣mit we did not know how to Cure them; I hope 'tis not im∣possible for the English to learn.
Secondly, the other Notion is, That the Hollanders will beat us off of our Trade; this is as Errone∣ous as the rest, and of no force at all against the Fishery, or it is much more Force against the Merchant, and the Newcastle Trade; for this lies under our Noses, and more in our conve∣niency than any Body's else.
And to Neglect our Fishing upon this Consideration, is to Quit all Navigation, and leave our selves to the Mercy of the Hollanders, or to be made a Prey to any that will attack us.
And then to fear we shall want Vent, is to imagine that the People will leave off Eating, and a Great part of the Trade∣ing World is yet unserv'd with Fish, and it never could be made appear that our Herrings lay upon our Hands for want of a Market.
And since all these Objections are sufficiently answer'd, there is nothing wanting, but assuming our Antient Right, and taking Possession of the Fishery.
And notwithstanding it is so apparently made appear, that this National Fishery will redound so much to the Glory of the King, Honour of our Senatours Assem∣bled in Parliament, and Welfare of the Kingdom in General.