Lehigh University Lehigh Preserve Theses and Dissertations 1-1-1981 A case study of early American trade with India the voyage of the Reaper 1809-1810. Glenn Stine Gordinier Follow this and additional works at: http://preserve.lehigh.edu/etd Part of the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Gordinier, Glenn Stine, "A case study of early American trade with India the voyage of the Reaper 1809-1810." (1981). Theses and Dissertations. Paper 2380. This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Lehigh Preserve. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Lehigh Preserve. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A CASE STUDY OF EARLY AMERICAN TRADE WITH INDIA THE VOYAGE OF THE REAPER 1809-1810 by Glenn Stine Gordinier A Thesis Presentee1 to the Graduate Committee of Lehigh University in Candidacy for the Degree of Master of Arts in History Lehigh University 1981 ProQuest Number: EP76656 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest EP76656 Published by ProQuest LLC (2015). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL This thesis is accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. c ll\A(u,n{ [ jk\. Date) Chairman ofDepartment 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author extends sincere thanks to Dr. Lawrence Leder who served as the advisor for this project. The author also wishes to acknowledge a variety of staff members who gave their time and expertise, Andy German and Bob Walser for their evaluations, Jane Masset for her assistance in typing, and Patrice Mathews, a faithful friend, for her untold hours of sacrifice. To my wife, Pam, for her years of encouragement and assistance, I offer my deepest gratitude. - in TABLE OF CONTENTS CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv ABSTRACT 1 CHAPTER I. THE UNITED STATES TRADE WITH INDIA PRIOR TO 1809 3 CHAPTER II. OWNER AND MASTER: ANDREW CABOT AND ISAAC HINCKLEY 20 CHAPTER III. THE REAPER: DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION . 5 0 CHAPTER IV. OUTFITTING THE REAPER 83 CHAPTER V. THE REAPER'S VOYAGE 96 CHAPTER VI. ACCOUNTS AND FINANCES 132 CHAPTER VII. EPILOGUE 154 BIBLIOGRAPHY 177 APPENDICES 184 VITA 215 - iv ABSTRACT A CASE STUDY OF EARLY AMERICAN TRADE WITH INDIA THE VOYAGE OE THE REAPER 1809-1810 by Glenn S. Cordinier Durinq the years immediately followinc the Peace of Paris, the American maritime industries suffered finan- cial stagnation due to the loss of traditional British intercourse. Throughout the remainder of the eigtheenth century, American entrepreneurs located and developed new markets throuohout the world. One of the most valuable of these new markets was'India. Althouqh trade with British East India has been largely ignored, it was no less val- uable a market than that of China. Many of the wealthiest American merchant houses pro- fitted from the Indian trade throughout the early national period--in spite of the fluctuations in trade that were brought about by the conflict between Great Britain and France. Jefferson's embargo virtually halted this trade, but it was renewed vigorously shortly thereafter. In June of 1809 Captain Isaac Hinckley set out in the new brig REAPER on a passage that would take him to Calcutta. His records from that voyage are exceptionally detailed and enable the researcher to delineate the char- acteristics of trade with India. Hinckley and Andrew Cabot, his shipowner, are typ- - 1 - ical of the venturers who traded with eastern ports. Cabot was a skilled and astute merchant who mastered the complexities of the Calcutta trade. His captain, like most other East Indian masters, was a mariner of accomp- lishment. The REAPER was one of the finest vessels of her day and serves as a unique example of American ship design and construction. The REAPER'S voyaqe to Calcutta was typical for that period. Hinckley's journal shows that such a voyage in- cluded long weeks of loneliness, periodic strugoles with the elements, and the ever present threat of harassment from English or French men-of-war. The times were such, however, that a successful voyaqe could net tens of thou- sands of dollars for prudent investors. Understanding the highly complex Indian market was essential to the success of such a venture. Due to years of previous ex- perience and good fortune, both Isaac Hinckley and Andrew Cabot profitted from the voyaqe of the REAPER. Both of these men, as well as their competitors struggled through the difficult years during the War of 1812. Conditions which affected the Indian market changed drastically followinq the war. Cabot died only months after the fighting ended, and Hinckley lived just two years longer. By that time the Indian market was only a shadow of its former self and Hinckley, as well as others abandoned it in search of other investments. - 2 - CHAPTER I THE UNITED STATES TRADE WITH INDIA PRIOR TO 1809 At the close of the American Revolution, the new nation's maritime industries were on the brink of radical change. Since the thirteen states were no longer colonies of the British Empire, they did not have to operate under the hindrances of the Navigation Acts. At the same time, however, the United States no longer enjoyed the protection of those same acts, or of the great navy which enforced them. The result was a severe loss of markets for the Americans. Most important, trade to the West Indies was forbidden to vessels from the United States. The dumping of imported goods on American shores by British vessels further depressed business conditions. Realizing that the best way to alleviate the situation was to seek new markets, American entrepreneurs sent vessels to the Far East. In February of 1784 Philadelphian Robert Morris and others dispatched the ship EMPRESS OF CHINA to Canton. Upon arrival' in Canton, the American agent gathered a cargo for shipment to the United States. The return of this ship created a flurry of activity which sent numerous vessels to the Orient. Only a month after the EMPRESS OF CHINA departed, - 3 - another vessel put to sea. The UNITED STATES sailed east to "explore the advantages of Oriental commerce." Follow- ing layovers at Madeira and Sumatra, the UNITED STATES arrived in Pondicherry, French India. After a small amount of trading, the ship returned to Philadelphia via the West Indies. Despite scurvy, lack of water, and an uncooperative governor at Barbados, the return of the UNITED STATES estab- 2 lished India as a viable market. Smaller ports like Providence, Newburyport, and especially Salem dispatched vessels in competition with Boston, flew York, and Philadelphia. American vessels, par- ticularly those from New England, were found in ports throughout the world. Small ships and brigs were sailing to Sumatra, Russia, the Sandwich Islands, and lie de France (Mauritius). The voyages to these ports were often complicated and long. The lack of goods that were saleable in the Far East forced American traders to search for products to sell or for specie with which to buy. For example, the pioneering fur trader COLUMBIA went from Boston to the northwest coast of America for sea otter skins before proceeding to China with a desirable cargo. Other vessels struggled through long months or years before a voyage might be completed. The travels of George Charles Cabot in 1804 exemplify the G. Bhagat, Americans In India (New York, 1970), 4. 2 Bhagat, 6. traveling that was necessary in Far Eastern enterprise. In a letter written by Cabot, supercargo for Stephen Higginson and J. and T. II. Perkins, he described the transaction that he had recently concluded. Upon departing from India, he sailed east to Siam. He then traveled on to Pontania (in Borneo), Mallacca, Penang, Sumatra, and the Celebes Islands in search of profitable cargoes to carry. In that effort he stopped on more than twenty different occasions as he traveled back and forth between these small countries. During these ramblings, he had traded in tin, pepper, piece goods, "elephant teeth," agala wood, and opium. Of all the goods, opium had proven to be the most profitable cargo. Cabot explained that, lacking further instruction, he planned to pick up another cargo of opium in India and return to the East. By returning there before any other trader, he felt certain that he could make a handsome 3 profit for his financial backers. The independence exhibited by Cabot was not uncommon. Due to the poor communications and rapid changes in the international situation, the captains and supercargoes of vessels from the United States were often given a free hand by their backers at home. Thus, American seamen who traded with the Far East became known for their independence, aggressiveness, and self sufficiency. 3 George C. Cabot to S. Higginson, J. Perkins, and T. H. Perkins, Calcutta, December 1, 1804, Samuel Cabot Papers, Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston. Of all the eastern markets to which these men sailed during the early national period, India was destined to become one of the richest. Followinq the Teace of Paris in 178 3, American vessels had been barred from British East Tndia by the Navigation Acts.