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Fully AI-GeneratedUsers of Open Archives can have summaries generated from the recognized texts (transcriptions) produced through text recognition (OCR) and handwriting recognition (HTR). Neither of these artificial intelligence tasks is perfect, but they are often more than sufficient to make the historical document understandable. In the transcripts, names are underlined in green and clickable (to search the personal entries on Open Archives for the name in question), the recognized dates have a light gray background and recognized place names have a light purple background. The results of the application of (European) artificial intelligence have not been verified by a human.


The Dutch East India Company's officials in Coromandel wrote on August 14, 1716 about giving ceremonial gifts. Company officials try to give regular gifts at the customary times when they can no longer politely delay them. However, experience has shown it is sometimes better to delay giving gifts as long as possible due to sudden changes in government. Sometimes new rulers are appointed unexpectedly, while others are pushed out of their positions. In these cases, as soon as the departing rulers get wind of upcoming changes, they strongly demand their customary gifts through any means possible if they still have the power. This happens especially when the customary gift-giving time is almost over. To avoid hostile actions, officials sometimes had to give in to these demands and give double gifts - one to the departing ruler and one to the new ruler, who would demand gifts just as strongly and shamelessly as their predecessor. Even when officials tried to reason with them and explain that the Company had already given the customary gift, it was like talking to a wall - they insisted on receiving gifts too.
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1044  


In Cormandel on August 14, 1716, officials dealt with a dispute about 6 rowers who were arrested. These rowers were subjects of the East India Company and lived on Company ground. The local ruler (fausdaar) had no legal right over them, as proven by a contract given to these people by the haweldaar of Marasoe. Despite this, the fausdaar's men: The Pallacat officials' actions to free these rowers from arrest were considered reckless by their superiors. However, they felt these actions were necessary to protect the Company's rights and authority over its subjects. This incident was previously reported in a letter dated February 12 sent via the Meervliet ship.
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1045  


On August 14, 1716, a report was sent from Coromandel. It discussed problems with trade and currency exchange in the region. The local authorities in Masulipatnam had been charging 60 pagodas for currency conversion at the mint. The company had advanced 40 pagodas to local minters. This was done to maintain the company's reputation, which had been severely damaged. The writer complains that the proud and difficult local people had become too bold due to excessive leniency, and were now trying to dictate terms to the company everywhere.

Trade in merchant goods was poor along the entire coast, except in Sadraspatnam. The company planned to:

View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1046  


On August 14, 1716, in Coromandel, a decision was made about cotton blankets and cloth quality. Officials would no longer accept orders for certain types of cotton blankets. For coarse cloth, only 1st and 2nd quality would be accepted. They would still take 3rd quality of the coarse cloth, but 4th quality was rejected.

In Daatcheram and Bimilipatnam, it was impossible to enforce these strict quality requirements. The weavers could not be convinced to produce such uniform and high-quality linens without significant defects, unless prices were increased substantially. Even then, it would be risky because the weavers were set in their ways and changing their practices would take much time and effort.

Therefore, they were forced to continue accepting 3rd quality linens to prevent merchants from being stuck with excess inventory and suffering great losses. However, 4th quality items would be rejected going forward.

The text also mentions that two packages of fine bleached salempoe from Daatcheram and one package of parcallen, which were first brought to Masulipatnam and rejected there, were re-sorted at their current location.

View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1047  


In a letter from Coromandel dated August 14, 1716, officials discussed textiles from Masulipatnam. The letter mentions a comparison between different packages of cloth. One package, number 451, had been approved by Masulipatnam officials, while similar goods were rejected, despite appearing to be of equal quality and characteristics according to local inspectors. A follow-up letter from June 12 was received on July 4, but it did not provide the expected clarification. The Masulipatnam officials explained that the difference in assessment could be because package 451 came from Daatscherom and was sent to Masulipatnam uninspected, under the responsibility of the Daatscherom chiefs.
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1048  


In Cormandel on August 14, 1716, there were concerns about preventing damage and worm holes in raw linens. The officials wanted to receive half of the three sample cloths that had been sorted in Masulipatnam, but these had not arrived. They would investigate this matter further. The officials had written to Jaffanapatnam on June 22 advising them to only order enough raw linens for red dyeing to last one year, to prevent decay and worm holes. The cloth in Jaffanapatnam had been found to have worm damage. They recommended: To preserve the cloth, they:
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1049  


In Coromandel on August 14, 1716, several administrative decisions were made:
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1050  


In Northern Coromandel during August 1716, following the death of merchant Isaac Selover, the Dutch East India Company maintained financial records for various trading posts. The accounts showed: After deducting all losses and expenses totaling 60,067 guilders, the total net profit for Northern Coromandel was 93,061 guilders.
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1008  


In Cormandel on October 6, 1716, several administrative changes took place. The authorities arranged transport for various officials and their families to Nagapatnam. Among those transported was the widow of Isaac Seloover, a former merchant, second-in-command, and administrator, who traveled with her family aboard the sloop Delier. Pieter van den Berg took a new oath of office on September 18 and was appointed as fiscal officer, taking a position next to the second-in-command van Noort. The widow Seloover and her family were sent to Nagapatnam on September 25 after the unloading of the mentioned vessel. Letters of safe passage were issued to accompany these transfers.
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1884 / 1165  


On September 20, 1697, from Nagapatnam on the Salleacatta coast, a young man named Pieter Willemsz Teerling received permission to travel to Batavia. A soldier, Isack de Wit, came from the Pudducherry garrison. Several officials signed the document:

Letters were sent from Coijlang on September 16 and from Pudducherry on September 20, including shipping documents for cargo loaded onto ships.

View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1592 / 0241  


On September 15, 1708, officials in Coromandel discussed how to set fixed prices according to their resolution from May 25 of that year, which was already being implemented at headquarters. The local chiefs received a written document on July 25 from the second-in-command Isaac Seloover, concerning the calculation of these prices and how to handle the differences in currency conversion between southern and northern Coromandel. This document was discussed in a resolution on August 10. They believed that the order to calculate pagodas at 120 stuivers only applied to the sale of spices, not to other trade goods or the purchase of clothes. They also thought it wasn't intended to affect expenses and salaries of Company servants in the north, with the increased conversion rate of pagodas instead of rupees.

View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1761 / 0776  


In the letter from Cormandel dated February 2, 1784, officials discuss textile trade issues. The local ruler (ragie) renewed orders about returning clothes, and they expected 68 packs of textiles but received only 57 pieces. The weavers complained daily to the prince about having no work. The merchants in Palicol were not actively procuring textiles anymore, making them unable to pay their usual taxes and extraordinary charges.

The ruler repeatedly renewed his orders and kindly requested the Paliacol chiefs to order merchants to collect textiles as before. This request wasn't granted, partly because they could now obtain most needed textiles from outside his territory. They expected 68 packs of various linens to arrive soon.

At the Daascherom trading post, despite merchants being able to get coarse linens easily from nearby weaving villages at lower costs, the situation was problematic. van Steeland had agreed to the same prices as those in Palicol a year ago to improve the poor quality of textiles. Although merchants willingly signed the contract, the work failed despite numerous recommendations.

The letter mentions a conflict between chief Isaac Seloover and his second-in-command Cornelis Comans regarding merchant interests and indigo prices, with Comans withdrawing from negotiations over linens and indigo.

View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1692 / 0390  


On September 20, 1714, a report was sent from Coromandel. The cargo value of the ship totaled 424,342.12 florins, which included expenses of 97,417.2.8 florins. Additional expense accounts showed: Total additional expenses came to 2,955.13 florins. A sailor named Joris Janszoon from Hanover had to stay behind due to illness. He would be sent to Nagapatnam once recovered. The document was signed in Masulipatnam by:
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 8829 / 0767  


In a letter dated August 26, 1697, several Dutch officials at Palleacatta wrote about transporting cannons. The document was signed by Cornelis Joan Simons, B. van Slingelant, J. Seloover, Hectoor Aleweijnsz, H. Wolf, P. Elsevier, Dirck Hackaart, and J. Dubbeldaart (who was the sworn scribe). They reported:
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1592 / 0234  


On October 11, 1707, regarding trade in Coromandel, old debts from Sadraspatnam remained to be settled. The debt amounts to 14,637½ rixdollars or 21,956.5 guilders. Apollonius van Noort handled 5 goods worth 9,206 1/15 rixdollars.

The outstanding balance would be settled once the returns were accepted by the East India Company and the merchants sold their gold and silver works or delivered quality clothes instead. By resolution of the first council, it was decided to withdraw the amount of this debt. The second merchant Cornelis Comans requested and was granted transfer to Batavia on the ship Donauw.

The chief merchants and co-owners remained under arrest until full settlement of their accounts. The current chief of Sadraspatnam, junior merchant Abraham Witmout, was required to submit his considerations about the old outstanding debts at that office, in accordance with the resolution of September 5.

View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 8825 / 0077  


The document appears to be a financial trading record from March through May 1708. It shows various transactions and profits made at a trading office. The total profits for these three months amounted to 12,038 guilders, 16 stuivers, and 15 penningen. The document was signed at the end of May 1708 by I. Seloover and van Burgh.

The record includes details of multiple transactions, involving different commodities including cloth ("doecken"). The entries show purchase prices, sale prices, and the resulting profits, with amounts listed in guilders, stuivers, and penningen (the Dutch currency system of the time).

View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 8826 / 0409  


In Coromandel on September 15, 1708, there was a discussion about cleaning cloves from dust and debris. This practice was previously allowed several times despite being a new procedure that had never been done before on the northern coast. Even though there were attempts to abolish this cleaning practice, it was permitted multiple times when merchants requested it. The text also mentions a monetary discussion about replacing rupees with pagodas (types of coins), as was done before. However, they could not make this change without explicit orders, as rupees were introduced by official decree on May 3, 1695. The officials decided to:
View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1761 / 0778  


On September 15, 1708, in Coromandel, warehouse master Paulus Verrijn was relieved from paying for cinnamon that was eaten by white ants. This followed the transfer of duties between former second merchant Harmanus van Sugtelen and his successor Isaac Seloover. The amount of damaged cinnamon was 129¾ pounds. If Verrijn had already paid for this into the Company's treasury according to their resolution of December 23 of the previous year, he would be reimbursed. As per the resolution of May 8 of the past year, Verrijn was also relieved from paying for damaged cloths that were received from inland trading posts, as noted in the resolution of _March 13.

View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1761 / 0823  


Here's the English summary in HTML:

On September 15, 1738, a letter from Coromandel discussed problems with currency in Masulipatnam. The local authorities were ordered to make the northern rupees heavier, as decided in a resolution from May 25. The Masulipatnam chiefs were informed about this, and they were expected to implement these orders properly. They were instructed to:

If they didn't understand these instructions, they could request clarification about specific points. A letter from July 25 by Seloover, a secondary official, reported a shortage of both silver rupees and ro/as (a type of currency) in the region, indicating that these coins had practically disappeared from circulation.

View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1761 / 0777  


This accounting document from Coromandel dated April 23, 1715 contains financial records signed by I.S. Seloover. It shows three sets of transactions:

The document was verified and authenticated by S.V. Burg. Each entry includes detailed listings of quantities, costs, and advances for various traded goods.

View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1869 / 0225  


In Masulipatnam on March 1, 1730, officials at the Dutch trading office handled a shipment of spices. A. Meerkerke and Jacob Seloover delivered 105¼ pounds of pure mace and 24½ pounds of dust, debris and white fragments. There was a shortage of 24 3/8 pounds compared to the invoice, resulting in a loss of 1 1/16 pounds per hundred. The statement was witnessed by clerks Jan Wulik and Johannes Damman, with H.D. Devos serving as First Clerk. The deponents later reappeared before the First Clerk and witnesses to confirm their earlier statement without requesting any changes.

View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 2151 / 0556  


A letter from Coromandel dated February 16, 1704 and another from January 16, 1704 describes problems with local merchants. The merchants in Daatcherom were unwilling to deliver cloth and refused to sign their yearly accounts. This happened despite having a voluntary contract with governor Joannes van Steeland. The merchants refused to honor their agreement to deliver quality linens at specified prices and pay their debt to the Company. They wouldn't sign their yearly accounts, claiming they couldn't manage with the prices set in the contract. This seemed suspicious to the authorities. Van Steeland had discovered their fraud in delivering poor-quality cloth during his visit. Though the merchants promised to deliver better cloth in their contract, after Van Steeland left for Masulipatnam, they broke their promises. The merchant chief, junior merchant Isaac Seloover, supported their actions. The authorities believed the merchants intended to repay the Company's advance payments with worthless and poor-quality linens collected in the old way, at very high prices. This would make settling accounts more profitable for the merchants but very costly and damaging for the Company. The situation was similar to problems they had experienced in southern Palliacatta.

View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1692 / 0337  


In Nagapatnam, Barthout van Slingeland, Isaac Selover, Hans Wolff, Pieter Elsevier, Dirck Hackaart, and Joannes Subbebdaerd (clerk) signed a document on October 31, 1698. This document included a ledger and a price list of merchant goods sold in the market and shops that month. Later, on November 15, 1698, they sent another letter, primarily to forward correspondence from the English governor. They also mentioned receiving and forwarding a packet of papers to Masulipatnam the previous evening. The letter was signed by Barthout Slingeland, Isaack Seloover, Hans Wolf, Dirck Hackaert, and Ioannes Dubbelclaard (sworn clerk).

View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 1621 / 0199  


On October 7, 1707, officials in Coromandel wrote a formal closing letter. They expressed hope that their important ship would arrive safely without disasters. The letter was signed by several officials including H. van Outshoorn, H. van Suchtelen, Hr. Seloover, Pieter ten Broek, P. Verrijn, and I. Sweers, who was head clerk. The letter ends with elaborate blessings and good wishes for the Dutch East India Company's success in India. The document was signed in Masulipatnam.

View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 8825 / 0042  


In September 1739, several employees of the Dutch East India Company received promotions:

View transcript NL-HaNA / 1.04.02 / 2471 / 0175  



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