Alexandria Chronicle a Publication of Monographs About Historical Alexandria, Virginia
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The Alexandria Chronicle A publication of monographs about historical Alexandria, Virginia. ALEXANDRIA HISTORICAL SOCIETYY, INC. 201 South Washington Street • Alexandria, Virginia 22314 Editor: Linda Greenberg Summer 2015 The Madeira Wine Trade By Richard Klingenmaier On 28 July 1790, Alexandria, dated almost six months earlier. He Virginia merchant William Wil - was writing to explain why he had son sat down at his desk, pen General Washington “...loves to not been able to fulfill an order in hand, to write to represen - chat after dinner with a glass of for wheat, flour and corn that tatives of the British trading Madeira in his hand.” had been placed by the firm in company Newton, Gordon & Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz 1798 correspondence dated 4 March Johnston located on the Por - of that year. As he advised, due tuguese island of Madeira. This to “exorbinately” [sic] high prices was a routine, though time con - for wheat and flour in Alexandria for suming, part of his day as a successful the past several months [likely the result Scottish import/export merchant in this busy of a smaller than expected harvest], he was un - seaport town on the Potomac River. It could also be able to complete the order as promised without exceed - somewhat frustrating given the uncertainty of mail de - ing the originally agreed upon price for these livery. Ships carrying letters were frequently delayed commodities. He expressed confidence, however, that by bad weather, captured by enemy forces, or simply he would be able to execute the order in the coming disappeared, no one knowing why. In December of months of October or November. However, he also 1776, Alexandria merchant Harry Piper had resent a let - stated “The old corn will be too high, [too expensive] ter to Dixon and Littledale , merchants in Whitehaven, England, explaining: “The Brig by which the above Let - ter was sent belonged to this place, she is lost near the Cape, the People are saved, but imagine the letters were lost.” 1 (See Figure 1) Merchants like William Wilson routinely drafted their letters in a letter book and made copies to be dispatched via more than one vessel, hoping at least one would reach its intended destination. The elapsed time be - tween sending letters and receiving responses could fur - ther complicate commercial transactions, especially when the cargo consisted of agricultural products that were themselves subject to the vagaries of crop produc - tion, poor weather conditions, spoilage, and market prices. In this instance he was responding to a letter 1 and the new, not fit to ship-ing [sic] in those months, so land was already established, having arrived as early as that the cargo, if it can be purchased ... will consist of 1760. By 1774, William had moved to Alexandria, Vir - wheat and flour.” He further advised the firm that the ginia, where he established a second import/export busi - quality and quantity of the cargo would be assured due ness representing the family’s Glasgow-based to local “standards” established for such shipments, and mercantile and shipping firm, James Wilson and Sons , furthermore, that the vessel carrying the wheat and corn founded in 1757. He was listed as a “Seller of British would be seaworthy, i.e., “You may rely on my attention Goods Who Buys Tobacco.” Like many Scottish in procuring a good vessel and to see her properly dun - agents, his original intent, most likely, was to represent naged [sic].” his family’s business for a few years, make his fortune, As part of this commercial transaction, Wilson and return to Scotland. specifically stated his intention “to take our third of the The years prior to the American Revolution proved cargo on my own account, the proceeds of which to be promising and profitable for Alexandria’s British based returned in wines.” Wilson was asking Newton, Gor - mercantile firms. The city served as the county seat for don & Johnston to establish a line of credit based on the Fairfax County and its booming waterfront was the sale of his third of the cargo, to purchase a shipment of focus of the region’s tobacco, grains and milled flour fine Madeira wine, probably for his personal use as well exports. However, for William Wilson, as well as other as for resale on the local Alexandria market. agents of foreign based mercantile firms, politics and This rare, surviving letter not only offers a glimpse rebellion would soon interfere resulting in a dramatic of how commercial trade was carried on in the eigh - reversal of fortunes for many. teenth century, but how aspects of that trade such as shipping schedules, quality control standards, and fluc - “Everything is ripe for rebellion.” tuating market prices, directly affected such transac - The winds of change began blowing from the north tions. It also provides a window into the economies of in earnest by early 1774. The dumping of 342 chests of the American south, the mid-Atlantic region, and New tea into Boston harbor the previous December by angry England in the eighteenth century, and how those Bostonians protesting British taxing authority inflamed economies related to the historic Madeira wine trade be - the British ministry in London. Of the thousands of tween North America and the Madeira archipelago. (See Boston area spectators who viewed this event from the Figure 2) docks, few, if any, realized that they had witnessed the beginning of a revolution. By June 1st, Parliament had passed the Boston Port Bill, closing the port of Boston to all commercial trade until such time Bostonians re - imbursed the British East India Company for the de - stroyed tea. Word of the British government’s response spread to seaport cities and towns throughout the colonies. One Loyalist in Alexandria commented: “Nothing talk[ed] of but the Blockcade of Boston Har - bour. The people ... talk as if they were determined to dispute the matter with the sword.” 2 While Americans at this early date were not yet seeking independence from Great Britain, they were insisting upon their rights as British citizens. They specifically voiced their ob - jection to taxation by Parliament without their consent. Mob violence in defense of those rights or in protest against major grievances came to be accepted by society in general as a legitimate, if not a legal, right of freeborn English subjects. 3 Americans soon realized if the British parliament could close the port of Boston, it could just as easily close other port cities as well. As patriotic support grew for Boston’s plight, colonial legislatures, William Wilson, Agent, in defiance of their royal governors, implemented meas - ures to further oppose parliament’s actions and to ensure James Wilson & Sons, Merchants, Glasgow defense against possible British incursions in their re - William Wilson emigrated from Scotland in 1768 and spective colonies. On 27 May 1774, members of Vir - initially settled in Maryland where his brother Cumber - 2 ginia’s House of Burgesses called for a boycott of guard his business, might be neutral in action, but...he British tea and commodities, and declared: “An attack, was anti-Revolutionary in sentiment.” 6 made on one of our sister colonies ... is an attack made Alexandria, unlike other cities such as Boston, New on all British America.” As George Washington would York, and Norfolk, never developed a viable loyalist later write to his Virginia neighbor George William Fair - faction, even though the majority of merchants were fax, “...we shall not suffer ourselves to be sacrificed agents of foreign firms. This was partly due to two fac - piece meals....” On 23 March 1775, Virginian Patrick tors: 1) Alexandria was never occupied by British Henry introduced resolutions for arming the colony. On forces, and 2) the influence of noted patriots George April 28th, word reached Alexandria of the bloody con - Washington and George Mason was far too strong. The frontation at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. town’s opposition to Britain’s “intolerable acts” was ev - As Alexandria merchant Harry Piper noted, “This affair ident as early as October of 1774 when visiting Loyalist has roused the whole colony...[and] ... it has almost put Nicholas Cresswell reported: “Committees are ap - a stop to all kind of business. The sword is drawn. I pointed to inspect into the Character and Conduct of fear much blood will be shed before it is sheath.” 4 every tradesman, to prevent them selling Tea or buying Even before the Second Continental Congress for - British manufactures.” These local committees were mally declared independence in July of 1776, colonial created on 20 October 1774 by the First Continental legislatures and local committees of safety began to Congress and encouraged to enforce a series of restric - focus on the potential threat posed by Loyalists among tions - called the “Continental Association” - on com - the population. Of particular concern were those indi - mercial dealings with Great Britain. The restrictions on viduals employed by British mercantile firms as agents. imports came to be so successful that in the first year They were not considered native citizens of North alone, 1774-1775, the value of British imported goods America but rather representatives of British commer - decreased significantly from 3,000,000 to 220,000 cial interests with no long term commitment to the pounds sterling. colonies. Scottish merchants, like William Wilson, in The few isolated Loyalists in Alexandria could not particular posed a conundrum for Virginia planters who help but observe the Fairfax Independent Company of considered them “...perfectly willing to stand by and militia regularly parading through the streets in their watch American liberty vanish,” but at the same time, uniforms of blue and buff, and on at least one occasion, the planters recognized that these merchants were able an “Effigy of Lord North [the British Prime Minister] to provide a valuable service.