Contract between Swedish East India Company
and a Chinese supplier
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Page1 |
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English translation of page 1 |
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I, Iaqva, hereby acknowledge having entered into contract with Messrs. Nicol’s Heeggh, John Chambers, Hindr. Herm. Ditmer, Hind. Wilh. Hahr1 and Joh. Abr. Grill, signing for the Swedish East India Company, that I will this year deliver to said Company in ships arriving at Canton One Thousand Pecul2 fine and good Bohea Tea of the best sort, free from all admixture, of good smell and color in the water, and no damaged or black leaves, against an agreed price of Fifteen Tael3 per Pecul of 142 Swedish pound (skålpund victualie) weight. Packing, if so desired, to be started medio-October, and the entire lot to be packed before medio-November. Against which abovementioned Gentlemen on the part of the Company agree that the Messrs. Supercargoes arriving in ships of the Company during this year, will receive abovementioned Tea. And since no there has been advance payment made to me, Iaqva, of Ten Tael per Pecul, the remaining Five Tael per Pecul shall be paid when sure knowledge of the arrival of the goods on board ship has been received, and before which time any occurrences or accidents shall be for my account, against which the Supercargoes are bound to every possible speed during embarkment. The tare of the chests shall be 70 to 71 Swedish lbs., and the chests, when packed should weigh Gross about 452 to 460 lbs. The coolies shall also be warned to pack well and not to break apart and spoil the Tea. |
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Page 2 |
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English Translation of Page 2 |
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In case Iaqva misses the packing time, or tries to deliver goods inferior to what now has been contracted, or such with which the Supercargoes cannot be satisfied, Two Tael of the price shall be deducted, and furthermore damages of whatever name shall be reimbursed by him. For the consummation of what has been reported, I, Iaqva, sign this with my name and Chiapp, as well as we abovementioned, on the part of Hon. Swedish East Asiatic Company, which was done in Canton on the 26th of January, 1766. To the abovementioned contract have been added another Five Hundred Pecul, for which he also has received Ten Tael per Pecul, and do these have the same force and under the same conditions as the first. |
Footnotes
| [1] | Please note that the spelling here is is Hind. Wilh. Hahr short for Hindric Wilhelm Hahr. Other documents spelled the name Henric or even Henrik Wilhelm Hahr. What the correct spelling might be is unknown. | |
| [2] | A Pecul (also spelled picul), Malaysian in origin, is an oriental weight varying from 130 to 140 pounds. | |
| [3] | A Tael (Portuguese, from the Malay word Tahil, a measure of weight) | |
| 1. | any various units of weights in eastern Asia; especially, a Chinese unit equal to 1/16 catty. A catty (from the Malay word kati meaning a pound) is an Asiatic unit of weight varying from place to place but generally equivalent to 1.33 pounds avoirdupois. | |
| 2. | a Chinese unit of money equal in value to a tael of silver. | |
| Source: a photocopy of the contract and
the English translation is in the possession of Lennart A. Hahr
The definitions in footnotes 2 & 3 above came from: Webster' New Twentieth Century Dictionary, Second Edition |
| Lennart Hahr had mentioned to his son, Lennart A. Hahr, that the original contract is in the Swedish Archives in Stockholm Sweden |
Last revised: 05/15/03