IOR E/3/105 1730
Orders and Instructions to James Naish, Nathaniel Torriano, Philip Middelton, Abraham Wessels, Richard Moreton and Thomas Fytche, Council for China 4 Dec. 1730 (13v-23)
Additional Instructions:
Instruction nr. 33
We have suffered considerably by the Breakage of our China War in the voyage, in several of our ships, to prevent like in future, We direct, That you do carefully examine and ring all the China Ware you buy, and see that none be Cracked, That the chest it shall be packed in, be made thicker and stronger, but smaller than usual that one or two Cross Bars of wood be put in the Inside of each Chest, and be Dove tailed and let in about an inch and half at the top, to prevent the squeezing of the Chest, and thereby braking the China ware containing therein, that in packing the China ware care be taken it do not lye above the sides of Chest, but rather half an inch lower than the lid, and that vacuity be filled up with sago or Paddy dust, that bowls and dishes be not packed in the same Chest, but each sort by themselves that wherever the Supra Cargos think it necessary the Chest be rattan’d, that the supra cargo’s take care to advice the Captains to be very careful in the storage of the China Ware, to prevent breaking the Chests, and let them know, that if any Chests don delivering into the Warehouse appear to be broke through carelessness, the owners shall be charged with One third of the loss that shall be found in such broken Chests, That for the better preventing breakage, proper Iron Camps be put on the Corners of the Chest to hold better together, and we except at your return, that you be present at the opening of the China Ware, to see whether the Package be as it ought, for if it should not, We tell you before hand, that we shall expect the damage arising from bad Package to be made by you.
Instruction nr 34
Take care that all the chest wherein the Wrought Silks are packed be made thicker than usual, and Clamped with iron at the Corners before the Silks are put in, otherwise the nails will damage the Silks, be very careful that all the Wrought Silks you bespeak are the same lengths and Breadths ordered in the List of Investment, for some our Super Cargos have not complyd with our Directors on this Head, for failure therein, both we and they suffered considerably by the bad sale of them in comparison of what they would otherwise have yielded.
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Instructions 69
After all we have said, you must govern your selves chiefly by what you find has been don last year. We can’t doubt all circumstances considered, but that you will be first in China, and if so, we think it will be prudent to contract for great part of your Tea, at least, with those that undertake to make your silks, this we say not only on account of the Dutch Ships, but because there is reason to believe that you will have both French and Danes to contend with you, for large quantities of the same commodities.
Instruction 70
Though we expect you do all you can in a Mercantile way to disappoint both French, Dutch and Dane, you must always consider, we are in amity and alliance with them here, and therefore you must act so warily as not t give public offence or occasion any embroil between you, that may bring your selves into trouble and us into expense.
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A Compilation of the China Investment to be made at Canton, for the Cargos to be laden on board our ships Hartford, Macclesfield, Cesar and Harrison, with Orders & Directions relating there to:
See Excel file
p. 24
“Orders & Directions for the foregoing China Investment. To Mr. James Naish Our Chief & Council”
China Ware 3
Since we ordered no China Ware last year, and as that which we now have on hand will in all probability be disposed of to advantage before these ships return, we have now directed four hundred chests, which must be of all useful sorts, such as Dishes, Plates, Tea Cups with and without Saucers, Coffee Cups of several sizes, Chocolate Cups with handles, and no saucers, Slop Basins, Milk Pots and Sugar Dishes in due proportions for Tea Equipages, Bowls of all sizes from Gallon down to a Sneaker, fewest of the large sizes and most from two quarts downwards, with any other things you may find that are fit for use, and always preferring good blue & white, to any other colour that is not curiously well painted and designed.
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Raw Silk 5
Saying that they have ordered “much larger quantities” than last year because a prospect of “being relieved with respect to the Dutys in approaching session of Parliament” but any success here pending on the careful execution of orders...
Finest wide Sample
“The method to know the best China Raw Silk, is by the fineness or smallness of the Thread, the Thread of the best sort is as fine as a fine hair, vide the sample, which is of a pretty good size, though is finer, the silk would be more valuable here, provided the Quality be good, of which a judgment may be made by observing the following Instructions.
Cleanness & Evenness
First by the Evenness and Cleanness, by which is meant when the Thread is free from gouty thick places, knots, Knobs or nitts, even all alike, of one and the same fineness in
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All Places, as well in the Inside as the outside of the Bundles, without both which qualities the silk cannot be good.
Colour & Complex wide Sample A
Secondly the best silk is generally very white, clear & glossy, all the bundles appear of the same colour, complexion and s Bundle, the inside is found to be of the same sort as the outside in every respect vide the sample, which is if a good colour &c. But all the good silk is certainly the more valuable for being f a clean white yet finess, clearness and eveness are qualities of greater importance than the colour for silk that is fine, clean and even may be very good, though not white, but silk that is not fine clean and even cannot be good, though it should be ever so white.
Form and Fashion of the Bundles
China Silk is generally made up for Sale in to Bundles for by some called books of which there are three different forms or fashion viz one called three Mass from its being composed of three distinct masses or smaller Bundles, another four Mss from its containing four Masses, the other six mass from its having six of the said masses or packets of a smaller size tied together to make a Bundle which generally (of any of the fashions) weighs from eight to nine pounds English.
Masses
The Masses are composed of several lesser parcels called Skains, of which there are commonly from two to five or six in Number in each Mass.
The Skains are the first form into which the silk is reeled or made from the Balls which the Worms spin, and are generally when opened about a yard long.....
The differences in making up the Bundles is supposed to proceed from the Custom of several parts of the Country and not to distinguish the quality, because good and bad silk is frequently found in all the three forms, though in general the three Mass sort has proved much the best of what has been hitherto imported into England, and therefore ought to be preferred as far as in agreeable to the aforesaid Instructions, for the Bulk of what is bought for the company. However it would be very proper to have small Parcels for Trials bought of all other sorts that can be found of seeming good quality.
The Silk made for the warps or webb should be preferred before the sort made for the woof or shute, the form being necessarily made of much finer and better quality because that only appears in the silk after woven, and give the beauty, and the latter lies covered under it.
On how to judge the quality, to open up and examine it, and that it “appears to be reasonable to suppose that in China as well as in all other countrys, the finest and best silk sells at the highest price, that will be a pretty surest circumstance to direct to the best, especially when confirmed by the aforesaid rules, and it is certainly the Company’s interest to buy the very finest and best silks that can be had, because the Custom and Freight are as much on the worst as the best, and the best will certainly sell here much more above the Inferior sorts than the differences in the cost in China and promote a much greater consumption thereof.”
Wrought Silks
We are encouraged to demand so large Quantity of Silks, by the Prices they are now at in Foreign parts, and we make no doubt of their turning to good account if you are careful to procure such as are perfectly well manufactured, agreeable to the following Directions with respect to the Colours, and at or about the usual Process as specified in the Computation, though if they can be had cheaper, your merit will be more conspicuous, those that came home this year are much inferior in goodness to any we have lately received at the same prices, from whence we cannot but infer that we been abused....”
The Taffatys are the most staple Commodity, one fourth part of the whole number ordered must be good Blacks of the remaining three fourth one moicty (?) must be of all sorts of Cloth Colours and the other moicty of lively reds, blues, greens, yellows, and some white, according to the patterns which mr Torriano carrys with him, the most variety among the cloth colours the better, bring very few Grimsons, and fever still of the dark dirty greens, all must be of the usual lengths and breaths viz. Ts Thirty eight
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Covids long and two and two tenth broad.
Though we have mentioned in the list that all the Tassatys should be six threads, yet if you can have them of four threads, very well made, such as we received in the year 1729, at three Tale a piece, they will turn to good account and you may bring from to two thousand pieces.
The flowered, striped and spridged Taffatys have of late been dully fancyd, and sold accordingly. However for variety, we should have one thousand pieces more or less, in hopes you may get them better fancy’d and perform’d of various stripes, sprigs and flowers, for many pieces of one pattern will never do.
The Gorgorons must be of the same colours as the Taffatys in the same proportions, and no Crimsons, unless they can be dyed much cheaper than usual.
Of the Poises ordered, two thousand pieces must be of one colour, one third of which we would have to be cloth colours, of the most variety you can get, no blacks, two hundred pieces of White, and the remainder of the usual lively Reds, Blues &c, as the Taffatys, and let all the Patterns be of Chinese fancy.
The poises of two colours must be also the flowered with Chinese fancy, and you must take great care in seeing, that the Weavers shoot such colours as are agreeable to the Warps or grounds of the Silk, otherwise they will not sell here to advantage.]As to the Goshees, follow the same Directions as with Poises of one colour.
The Paduasoys if very well performed, at Prices in Proportion, will turn to very good account, the Colours must be the same with the Taffitys in proportion.
On tea maybe given a bit more freedom
A Sample of such China Raw Silk as the former Instructions refer to
Again some further instructions on how to examine silk where samples are mentioned that illustrates different sorts of defaults. Discussion of Gum
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“Bastards” or “Bobbys” as signs of deceitful silk and fraudulent practices.
Orders and instructions given by the court of Directors of the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies, to Captain Francis Nelly Comander of the Ship Hartford and to the Comander for the time being
Starts page 30
Instructions 36
On restricting private trade, say that Raw silk is not allowed to bring in, it is an “unlicensed goods”, as is Java Coffee (instruction 37)
Instruction 43
That there are three Dutch, three French and one Danes Ship “now going to China, and may be expected in Canton River...”
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4th of December 1730
President and Council of Fort St. George (Sent with Walpole and Frances)
4th of December 1730
(pp. 37-39)
Instructions 13
“One thing more we would recommend to you as a standing Order, that all goods proving better than muster, should besides the number upon the Bale, and in the Invoice, be marked with the letter B, denoting that they are better, and the other with a W, denoting that they are worse, and this will be of great use and ease to us, as well as our buyers and Warehousekeepers.”
List of goods to be provided on the Coast of Choromandel for the ships going out in the year 1730, 4th of December 1730
See excel file
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Orders and Instructions given by the court of directors of the United etc. To Charles Boddam of the ship Walpole and to the commander for the time being
(starts page 41-46) note also Johan Lawson of the Frances dates 4th Dec 1730
Instruction 13
In case sending letters with meeting VOC ships address it to Mess Andrew Pells and Sons Merchants at Amsterdam or with the French, to the secretary of the French Company at Paris
Instructions 17
On following private trade rules, the importance of registering every private trade transaction
Instruction 19
On the penalties for 12375 pounds for “sell or deliver out of the ship until her return to England, any goods laden on board your said ship, lest thereby you bring your owners and us into trouble by causing the bond given at the custom house to prevent breaking bulk, which...” amount penalty and goods that run from on board will be sued for (the value of). This needed to be communicated to all staff.