Kapitel 10 handler om fiskeriernes historie indtil Kristian
IV. Forf. taler først utførlig om sildefisket ved Bohuslenskysten
eller Viksiden. Dette fiske maa ha været igang
alt i 1220-aarene. Marstrand (Mástrandir) nævnes første gang
i 1227, da sendemænd fra Skule jarl til kong Valdemar i
Norway is bounded on the North with Lappia, on the east with the Dofrine mountains, on other parts with the Sea.
The chiefe commodities of this Country is Stockfish, rien furres, traine Oile, pitch, and tackling for ships, as masts, caples, deal-boards, firre and the like.
Townes are here thinne, and the houses therein poor and miserable. The chiefe of those there are, is Nidrosia the Archbishop’s seat of Norway, Iseland, and Groinland: The second Is Bergen, one of the four ancient Mart townes of Europe; the otler three being, London in England, Nouegrade in Moscovia, and Bridges in Flanders; and all of these but London are decayed, for this Bergen has yielded to Wardhouse; Nouegrade, by reason of the change of navigation through the Baltique into the Northerne passage, has given way to Saint Nicholas, and Bridges being deprived of her trafficke by Antwerpe, is now removed to Amsterdam, for the Hollanders, by blocking up the haven, but especially by keeping of Bergen op Zone, have such a command over the river, that no vessel can passe or repasse without their license. But to proceed: Finmarch also appertaineth to this kingdome, and both to the Dane; the chiefe Cities are Saman, secondly Hielso, both Sea townes, but the principall is Wardhouse, seated in the very northerne end of all the country, being a town of little trade, but great concourse of shipping, that this way are bound for Moscovia, which must needs touch here, and it is so called, as seated in a little Island called Ward.
In Bergen in Norway the common waight is a pound, the 100 li. of London hath beene found to make there 92 li., but weighing with a sling, as they do, is found to be very uncertaine.
The particulars of the trade of this Country, here necessarily to be handled, I am inforced to omit, by reason of my ignorance, therefore I intreat the better experienced to supply my defect therein.
Det var i det hele omkr. 1600 begyndt at gaa tilbake med Engelskmændenes skibsfart paa Norge; paa et skrevet, delvis ødelagt blad i British Museum (Cotton MSS. Otho E. IX p. 406), skrevet ikke længe efter 1608 (»in the yeare 1608« nævnes l. 15) heter det (l. 29 ff): Now to come to the perticulers of our trade in Norway if that were manadged by our shippinge as it is by our merchants it (would) (em)ploy 60 or 70 saile of ships and carvells, where now it doth not employ 6.
