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In Coromandel on August 31, 1716, there were issues with local merchants interfering with East India Company business in Masulipatnam. To address this, bookkeepers Andries van Walree and Thomas Daniel Eliot were called to headquarters. Van Walree had previously worked at the Palicol trading post, while Eliot had been a cashier in Daatcherom.
The Masulipatnam authorities were ordered to send several local people for questioning regarding Eliot's case. Eliot was required to gather all documents needed for his defense before leaving. The case against former Masulipatnam warehouse master Gerrit Steenlak and his accomplices was to be concluded after the ship's departure.
According to a letter dated March 25, the positions of deputy and administrator in Masulipatnam needed to be filled following a death.
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1007 On April 30, 1716, expense accounts were sent from the Coromandel coast regarding supplies provided to ships at Colombo, Tuticorin, Galle, and Nagapatnam. The clerk J. Steenhuijsen signed these documents in Nagapatnam.
A letter was sent to Batavia addressed to Governor-General Christoffel van Swoll and the Council of the Dutch East Indies. The letter was received on June 29 via the ship Ellemeet.
The frigate Meervliet departed on February 12 that year with former governor Daniel Bernard. The sender hoped the ship had arrived safely under God's protection. A copy of their respectful letter was sent with this shipment to ensure its delivery.
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 0996 The ship Cormandel arrived with pepper from Gale on April 30, 1716. Another ship, the Ellemeet, sailed from Gale Bay on February 10 with 512,572 pounds of Malabar round pepper and arrived at their harbor in March. Governor Henrik Becker and the council at Colombo arranged its further deployment.
The textile trade agreements were made with merchants at the main location of Nagapatnam on December 6 of the previous year. Additional textile contracts were established on February 14 with the southern and northern trading posts at:
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 0997 On August 31, 1716, contracts were made for handkerchiefs in Sadraspatnam and Tanuvo. A piece of twilled cloth was ordered for Batavia. Money was transferred from Bimilipatnam to Masulipatnam. A contract was made in Masulipatnam for 15 packs of cotton blankets. In Sadraspatnam, they set prices for painted handkerchiefs that were 1¼ ells long. The merchants there had different prices for colored and white backgrounds, which wasn't properly regulated but was accepted pending inspection upon arrival. The officials allowed Portonovo to make kaigoelangs (a type of textile) for Palembang and Jambi using yellow silk stripes instead of Chinese gold thread. Masulipatnam was instructed to quickly prepare and ship the ordered piece of broad twilled cloth to the north, as it couldn't be bought in Palliacatta. Following a resolution from January 7 of that year, 10,000 pagodas (currency) were sent to northern Chormandel and Masulipatnam.
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 0998 In Coromandel on April 30, 1716, officials reported on various commercial and political matters. They promised to fulfill payment demands and noted no changes in southern Coromandel. The governorship over Golconda was reconfirmed.
Beyond local needs in Bimilipatnam, 4,000 coins were transferred there, while Paliacatta would soon receive its requested 5,000. Other trading posts would also be supplied appropriately.
Trade was improving in Masulipatnam, showing good turnover, while Bimilipatnam's commerce was also picking up. They hoped this trend would continue without interruption after resolving local difficulties. Sales continued at various trading posts and the main location as previously reported in monthly returns.
Regarding Moorish and Dutch governance in the north, reports from Masulipatnam dated February 25 contained news from Golconda about Mobareschan and his journey to Ourangabad, where the Deccan governor Movarenthan Zaid Assan Alichan received him favorably and presented him with gifts.
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 0999
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1000 The document from Cormandel dated October 6, 1716 discusses finances and trade:
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1151
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1152 In Coromandel on October 6, 1716, a trading report was made. During the month of September, sales included 100 sheets of Japanese copper bars and spices: 600 pounds of clove nails and 240 pounds of nutmeg. The traders promised to sell these goods within one year.
The following goods were sold from the East India Company's warehouses for cash in September:
The total revenue was 7,170 guilders, 5 stuivers, and 3 pennies. The report mentions that there was no demand for camphor in the warehouses, making it essentially unsellable. As per yearly custom, a copy of records about private arrivals and departures was included.
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1153 On October 6, 1736, officials in Coromandel discussed payments that Bimilipatnam owed to the East India Company. They also addressed issues with weights and measures of goods transported by private ships since September 1735 until the end of August 1736.
The matter concerned a shipment that was lost on September 23, 1713, sent from Bimilipatnam by native vessel. Ian Daniel Simons, the second in command at Bimilipatnam, was ordered to pay for this loss. The merchant Coenraad Ojers, who was in charge during the shipment, had since died.
The document also mentions cargo aboard the ship Rosenburg, specifically 160,320 pounds of round Bantam pepper, which showed a loss of 1/8 pound per hundred.
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1154
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1155 On October 6, 1716, in Coromandel, officials reported problems with transportation and storage. The new chief Elias Guillot did not have his own palanquin (carried chair) and could not borrow one. This made it difficult to meet with local rulers (nabobs) and maintain the company's dignity during official business. They also needed 5 new storage platforms because the old ones were completely broken. Since the local council in Patnam did not have authority to address these issues, they referred the requests to the governor. The officials promised to be more efficient with building and repair work in the future, noting that recent work had dragged on for nearly 9 years. They would now wait for orders from either the high authorities or from the main office in Nagapatnam before starting any construction or repairs.
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1156 On October 6, 1736, a report was made about a newly constructed linen warehouse in the middle of a trading post. After receiving approval from the governor and council of Nagapatnam in a letter dated July 2, instructions were sent along with a Brahmin and overseer to the company's trading post in Golconda. On September 15, they were ordered to begin necessary repairs to the company's buildings within the trading post, while ensuring costs were kept as low as possible. The new linen warehouse cost 4,161 guilders, 19 stuivers, and 12 pennies. The officials assured that the construction was done economically while maintaining durability and strength. A request was made to the governor and council of Nagapatnam to approve writing off these expenses.
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1157
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1170 On October 6, 1716, at Coromandel, a report discusses merchant Steenlak. The local authorities and king's officials requested the release of imprisoned black accomplices involved in misconduct. According to the emperor's decree, the Dutch East India Company was allowed to employ local servants and punish them with whip lashings, but not keep them imprisoned for long periods since they were the emperor's subjects. To avoid future conflicts with the current or future regents, they wished for these people to receive their sentences as soon as possible.
On April 4, merchant Gerrit Steenlak requested permission to transport two sealed chests to the ship Rosenburg. These chests had been sealed at his house by substitute fiscal officer Ruijs van Doornik and bookkeepers Jacobus Vermeer and O. Witmont, though their contents were not inventoried at the time.
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1169 On October 6, 1716, a letter was sent from Coromandel regarding salary accounts. It mentions a report given by the fiscal officer Dirk Bot to the former governor Daniel Bernard, who was president, and other members of the Council of Justice in Nagapatnam on November 2 of the previous year. The letter discusses the need to confront accomplices to certain wrongdoings one by one against Steenlack, and to have merchants give declarations or confessions under oath in their own way. The letter also includes salary accounts of Steenlack and Wamelink for proper handling by higher authorities.
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1168
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1167
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1166 On August 21, 1731, a shipment arrived in Coromandel containing various goods. The cargo included:
The document was signed in Masulipatnam on August 16, 1731 by A. Meerkerke and I. Seloover, and verified by clerk W. D. Jongh.
A financial report follows covering September 1730 to July 1731, listing sales of various goods including silver rupees, vermilion, cloth, butter, wine, spices (cloves, mace, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper), Japanese copper bars, and coffee beans. The document concludes with a financial statement signed by Frederik Elliot in Masulipatnam on July 31, 1731.
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 2197 / 0962 In Geldria on Friday October 16, 1699, a meeting was held to discuss textile contracts for the year 1700. The meeting was attended by:
The meeting addressed contracts for various types of painted textiles (chintz) for both India and Persia. They discussed:
The merchants of the Company were instructed to carefully declare their prices for delivery of these textiles, including bleached and painted cloths, as required by their respective demands for the upcoming year 1700.
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1617 / 0360 On October 10, 1703, issues regarding trade in cloth were discussed in Palicol and Coromandel. The merchant Paec Seloover made promises about deliveries within 2-2.5 months, as communicated to Joannes van Steeland on April 6 (though unknown to second-in-command Cornelis Comans).
The letters from Masulipatnam up to July 21 showed satisfaction with the management and unity at the trading post. Letters from May 21, June 6, and July 21 specifically mentioned that 17,000 pagodas were sent for trade advancement: 8,000 from Masulipatnam's treasury and 9,000 from Daetcheron's office.
After the tax collector Gadi Timmeragie visited the trading post and promised not to hinder the Company's interests, merchants requested 60 bahars of round pepper at 18 pagodas per bahar. They claimed they couldn't pay more due to low sales. Governor Joannes van Steeland rejected their request to sell 30 bahars at 19 pagodas per bahar (the same price as in Bimilipal), though there was agreement to work on increasing sales without being too strict about quantities.
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1678 / 0482 The document discusses trading issues between Dutch merchants around 1282. It mentions that van Slingelant and his second in command were involved in negotiations about cloth quality and payments. They found differences between quarter and half samples of fabric from broad moorish cloth, which was difficult to obtain due to scarcity. The merchants had to carefully sort and examine the cloth through multiple rounds of inspection.
They explain that they are worried about supporting their households, wives and children with the wages and food money left after paying compensation to the East India Company for cloth that was deemed of lesser quality. They argue that it's nearly impossible to find gold without some impurities, using this as a metaphor for perfect cloth samples.
The merchants request understanding and forgiveness for the variations in cloth quality, considering the difficult circumstances of the times and the scarcity of materials. They ask to be excused from having to pay compensation.
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1592 / 0308 In Coromandel on August 10, 1715, various goods were sold for cash from the East India Company warehouses. The records show multiple transactions managed by J. Seloover, with final verification by P. van Burg. Detailed financial records show sales throughout March, April, and May 1715.
The transactions include:
The document specifically references Masulipatnam trade goods in its final calculations. All transactions were recorded in Dutch currency units of florins, stuivers, and pennings.
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1869 / 0351 This shipping document from Coromandel dated October 27, 1727 details inspections of mace shipments. The inspections were conducted in Banda Nassau on several dates in 1724 and 1726.
The main inspectors were Aldert Aldertsz, Joannes Crijn, and J. Thewalt. They examined 7 containers of mace, checking their gross and net weights, and sorted the contents into categories: good mace, white leaves, grains, dust, and loss during handling.
The total shipment should have contained 1,078 pounds of mace, but showed a loss of about 8.5%. The inspection was witnessed and verified at Sadraspatnam at the Dutch office on August 31, 1727. The document was signed by G.T. Schreuder and A.M. Seloover.
A final verification of this declaration was made on October 3, 1727.
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 2064 / 0583 In Sierra Leone, Major van Sirtema faced financial difficulties while serving as a judge. He had to issue two bills totaling 269 Dutch guilders. One bill for 139 guilders was initially rejected because as a judge, he wasn't entitled to that amount in salary. The Department of Colonies had already settled accounts with him regarding his mission to Sierra Leone. The second bill of 150 guilders was still being held.
Although there were concerns about his position in Sierra Leone, his service was considered trustworthy, showing good judgment and level-headedness. Due to his challenging circumstances, which weren't entirely his fault, and the inadequacy of his annual salary, it was recommended to show leniency. Following a previous gratification of 12,500 guilders granted to him in 1819, it was suggested to provide him with a proportional gratification for 1828, when he served as a judge without receiving proper compensation. This would help him cover the two outstanding bills totaling 269 guilders.
View transcript NL-HaNA / 2.10.01 / 291 / 0314 Find your ancestors and publish your family tree on Genealogy Online via https://www.genealogieonline.nl/en/