The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-01-05
THE MIGHTY HERRING
Played a Star Role In the History
of Some Nations.
COST ONE KING HIS LIFE.

Ultimate Execution by the Headsn,sn IN
OF Charles !. Of England.
A tale as stirring as any fiction could
be based on the part played by the sea
herring In the history Of some of the
principal countries. writes Hugh NJ.
Smith In the National Geographic Mag
azine. Its spawning and feeding
grounds have determined the location
OF cities. and in several instances the
actual destiny Of nations and the fate
OF monarchs appear to have been In
volved in the herring fishery. Even
today the herring Is a factor In em.
pire.
Countries In which the quest Of the
herring Is an important industry are
the United States. the Canadian prov
inces Of New Brunswick. Novs Scotia.
Quebec and British Columbia. New.
foundland. England. Scotland. Wales
and ireland. Norway. Sweden and
Denmark, Russia. Germany. Holland,
Belgium. France. Japan and Siberia.
The prosecution Of the herring fish.
cry and trade has been considered not
beneath the dignity Of nobility and
royalty. Fitz-Greene Halleck tells us
that
Lord Stafford mines for coal and salt,
The Duke Of Norfolk deals In malt,
The Douglas in red herrings.
In 1877 the Duke Of York and other
persOnages Of rank formed q corpora
ton called the Company Of the Royal
Fishery Of England" for the purpose
OF carrying on the herring fishery in
the North sea. They built a feet Of
Dutch "busses" and manned them
with Dutch fishermen and then were
bankrupted by the capture Of their
vessels during a war with France. In
1720 some 1900 Of 1.-The principal gen.
tlemen Of Scotland" formed q com.
pany for herring fishing. but were
quickly disrupted. leaving n mournful
lot of stockholders.
In 1850 the Prince Of Wales beca me
president. or governor. Of a herring
fishery. with q capital Of $2.5OO,OOO
whose members "were among the first
men In the kingdom" one Of the pro-
moters being General James Ogle-
thorpe. founder of the state of Geor.
gia. Stock was taken with eagerness,
vessels were built quickly, and efforts
were made to learn the secrets of the
Dutch methods Of curing herring. but
the company soon suspended. and its
failure cast on the English herring
fishery an Odium that continued for q
long time.
1t Is matter Of great historical in
terest that the herring fisheries should
have been prime and perhaps the
most important factor In the over
throw OF Charles l.. whose attitude
toward the development Of home and
colonial fisheries was most unreaso
able and unfortunate. At time when
the Dutch herring fishery had attained
such magnitude and importance that
1t was regarded as the fright arm Of
Holland" and when the sturdy Dutch
fishermen were pursuing their lucra-
tive calling under the encouragement
Of their government the English peo-
pie were chafing under the grievous
restrictions imposed by royal approval
on all who desired to engage in fishing
anywhere of the American coust be-
tween the fOrtieth and forty-eighth de-
grees of north latitude.
This effort on the part of the crown
to interfere with the cherished privi-
lege of "free fishing had begun under
James and was bequeathed to Charles
and was perhaps the first In the series
Of farreaching differences that sprung
up relative to the prerogative of the
crown as against the rights of the sub
ject.
At the same time there was another
restriction placed on the fishermen at
home. When James ascended the
throne Of England his navy consisted
OF but thirteen vessels. and Charles
succeeded to war feet but little
stronger and utterly inadequate to
cope with the navy Of the Dutch or
French.
After Charles had been successfully
opposed by the commons in his plan to
have no fishing conducted on the
American shores except by permission
OF the company Of "noblemen. knights
and gentlemen" known as the council
OF Plymouth he levied ship money"
on the fishing and mercantile vessels
at home in order to build up his navy,
with the distinct object Of breaking
up the Dutch herring fishery on the
shores Of England and driving the
Dutch from 1.-The four narrow seas"
over which England claimed jurisdic-
ton.
At the expense Of the fisheries and
navigation Charles finally fitted out
the largest war fleet England had ever
had and succeeded in his purpose. so
far as the Dutch were concerned, but
the levying Of ship money stirred
up civil war at home. and Charles paid
tha eytrama papaltv