Collection of 19th Century China and India Trade Documents, 1794-1851, undated
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Not requestable
Scope and Contents
Collection of 19th Century China and India Trade Documents contains documents related to Spanish, French and American trade with China and India from 1794 to 1861. The collection includes: reports related to the sale of the ship Canton and its cargo; a report to a Spanish Customs Administrator; records from the United States Consulate in Kolkata related to the ship Argo; a manuscript book of disbursements kept by W. S. Higgins for the ships Colchis and Thomas Perkins and the bark Sarah H. Snow; a manuscript daybook kept by Oliver Chandler for ironwork completed on vessels; extracts of minutes to the French Justice of the Peace in Canton; and other records related to maritime trade in China and India.
Folder titles have retained the earlier spelling of Calcutta for Kolkata, India and Canton for Guangzhou, China to match the spelling of documents within the folders. Materials are ordered by date.
Dates
- Creation: 1794-1851, undated
Creator
- W. S. Higgins, active 19th century (Person)
- Oliver Chandler, active 19th century (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research use, with the following restriction: two photographs of paintings are restricted due to the appearance of cellulose nitrate film.
Biographical / Historical
European and North American trade with China and India changed dramatically over the course of the 19th century. At the start of the century, European and American traders were limited to trading with China through the port of Guangzhou (then Canton) and were limited to importing silver. The smuggling of opium to China, initially by the British beginning in the 18th century and later by American traders, upended that status quo. Losses in the First and Second Opium Wars forced China to legitimize the opium trade and open other ports to western traders. Trade with China was lucrative for these traders both before and after the wars; Chinese goods of all kinds were in high demand from western consumers. Kolkata, India served as an important stop for many ships, as well as the source for much of the Opium smuggled to China.
Extent
1.92 Linear Feet (2 boxes, 1 envelope)
Language of Materials
English
Spanish; Castilian
French
Bengali
Abstract
Collection of 19th Century China and India Trade Documents contains documents related to Spanish, French and American trade with China and India from 1794 to 1861. The collection includes: reports related to the sale of the ship Canton and its cargo; a report to a Spanish Customs Administrator; records from the United States Consulate in Kolkata related to the ship Argo; a manuscript book of disbursements kept by W. S. Higgins for the ships Colchis and Thomas Perkins and the bark Sarah H. Snow; a manuscript daybook kept by Oliver Chandler for ironwork completed on vessels; extracts of minutes to the French Justice of the Peace in Canton; and other records related to maritime trade in China and India.
Physical Location
Phillips Library Stacks, Freezer--Restricted
Provenance
This material was purchased from Skinner Auctions on January 27, 2021 with funds from the Marth Wheatland Library Bequest (Acc 2021.011)
Bibliography and Related Collections
"China and Europe: 1500-1800." Columbia University Asia for Educators, Accessed 18 November 2022, http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/chinawh/web/s1/index.html
"Early American Trade with China." The University of Illinois, Accessed 18 November 2022, http://teachingresources.atlas.illinois.edu/chinatrade/introduction04.html
Related Collections:
David Pingree papers, MSS 901.
Emery Johnson papers, MSS 668.
Graves family papers, MSS 800.
Thomas Perkins (Ship) Logbook, Log 578.
Thomas Perkins (Ship) Logbook, Log 2033.
Thomas Perkins (Ship) Logbook, Log 3194+.
Thomas Perkins (Ship) Logbook, Log 3195+.
Thomas Perkins (Ship) Records, MSS 1882.
William Graves, Jr. Papers, MSS 676.
Processing Information
This material was placed in acid free folders.
Subject
- Colchis (Ship) (Organization)
- Thomas Perkins (Ship) (Organization)
- Sarah H. Snow (Ship) (Organization)
- Argo (Ship) (Organization)
- Canton (Ship) (Organization)
- Title
- COLLECTION OF 19TH CENTURY CHINA AND INDIA TRADE DOCUMENTS, 1794-1851, UNDATED
- Author
- Patrick Doyle
- Date
- November 2022
- Description rules
- Dacs
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Sponsor
- The processing of this collection was funded by a gift from the Pingree heirs.
Repository Details
Part of the Phillips Library Repository