Zeelandia

25. A Mercantile Venture

After we had breakfasted, Charles led me across the great cabin to his desk, and there he opened a drawer. "In here, I keep the bills of lading, all bambooed together by ports of destination." He sorted through the contents and selected a bundle. "This one is for Barbados."

I nodded my understanding. "To fulfill the merchants' requests for items."

"No, I have no requests for anything."

"Oh! Then, how do you know what they need or want?"

"By being aware of the rapid expansion of this colony and guessing what will be in demand from what I had earlier seen. Also, we must hope that no recent ship has brought similar goods."

"Oh, my! That seems high risque."

"Reesk? What is this word?"

"A new one from the French, meaning to put oneself in peril or in danger. Danger such as if nothing of what you bring is wanted here. Then, what would you do with it?"

"That should not happen. I have loaded common goods which are in general and continuing demand. Items for building, such as nails, bolts, hinges, glazing, pitch, tools and so on. Also, ingots of iron, copper, tin and lead for the smiths. On the last voyage, I saw crafting and construction had near stopped for their lack."

I nodded, seeing the logic in this.

"Also, I have brought household items to make life easier and more convenient. Items which I had noted were in demand but lacking in the merchants' shops – copper, pewter and tin wares, crockery, cutlery, bales of woollen, linen and cotton cloths, threads, yarns and the like. Mister Jenkins, my First Officer, took a list ashore to His Majesty's Custom-house when we arrived yesterday –"

"So, you will be required to pay fees to the Crown for all the cargo."

"No, that is the duty of the purchasers. They are the importers; we are merely the transporter."

"And how will you attract these purchasers?"

"Mister Jenkins posted a notice and a list on the board outside the Town Hall, and our arrival with cargo for sale will cause a great flurry of interest."

"Aha! So people will come to Zeelandia to purchase. Might I watch the activity from the deck?"

"No, they will not come here. At two of the afternoon by the town clock, those with interest will assemble in the high street to purchase by auction what we have brought."

"By auction?"

"A manner of sale in which I state a price, and it is agreed by someone who wishes to purchase. Others interested will offer a higher price, topping the previous, and this continues until there are no higher offers."

I nodded, smiling at the cleverness. "This seems a fine way to determine value." Then on thinking further, I asked, "Would that not limit the number of those able to purchase?"

'How so?"

"Offering the entire cargo at once. Would it not be better to sell it piece by piece?"

Charles chuckled. "Indeed! The auction list has been divided into what we call lots, each lot determined to be of broad interest."

"Will this not anger the shop owners that you pass them over?"

"How would this be?"

"Allowing the publick to purchase. The merchants need to sell at a higher price than they paid to make a gain and remain solvent. Knowing this, they will surely bid higher than would a merchant."

"Ah, I see. No." He shook his head as he leafed through the sheaf of parchment. "No, the lots are arranged in large quantities to attract only the agents, the contractors, the smiths and the merchants – those wishing to resell or to craft. If we offered it piece by piece or by small quantities, it would be too long and tedious for both us and them."

Charles pointed forward. "The crew have begun offloading to the wharf and ranging the lots all along, prising lids from crates and opening bundles for examination by those who might have interest."

"Are the publick allowed to examine these?"

"Indeed, they are. I thought this would show the merchants what interest there is."

We discussed details of the cargo, and when I had a fair understanding of it, I asked, "Might we go ashore and look in the shops to examine prices? This would assist you in knowing the worth of what you have and knowing at what amount to start the offers."

"Indeed, this is my intention, Camille. I had seen from our previous sales that merchants add half their cost, some as much as to double the cost, and I have thought to start at less than half the prevailing prices to create broader interest and spirited bidding."

"Will that leave anything for you?"

"Yes, well so. I had done a similar examination of prices during the past three voyages, and my costs in London and Portsmouth amount to only three to five shillings to a pound of price here."

"Ooh! So, you will sell here at double or treble your cost."

"This is my hope. But to the cost of goods, I must add the expense of victualling the crew and the value of their share of the gain."

"Their share of the gain? Will there be much left for you after this?"

"For us." He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close. "The gain is divided fifty parts to the ship, ten parts to the captain and forty parts among the crew, according to their duty aboard. This is the same as when we hunted pirates."

I tilted my head, wondering. "Why have you changed from hunting them?"

"Because of the danger. Not all ships have had the success Zeelandia has enjoyed. Many have been sunk or captured, many lives have been lost and many sailors maimed."

I winced as possibilities of Father's fate flashed through my mind.

Charles caressed my back as he continued, "On each voyage, I pondered other ways to use the ship for gain, the idea of trading being always to the fore. Finally with a plan, I convinced the captain to allow me to load cargo for sale in the colonies, and he agreed to it for half the gain."

"With what did you purchase the cargo?"

"From my share of prizes when we raided the pirate haven two and a half years ago. Many of the crew took theirs and left the ship for an easy life ashore, but I knew nothing but the sea. In two voyages, I gained sufficient to purchase the wharf and the land on Manhattan Island, to purchase Zeelandia and to purchase the cargo for this voyage."

"Was the captain not inspired to use your ideas and follow them himself?"

"He wavered for a while, but having grown tired of the sea, he welcomed the opportunity to withdraw to a life of ease."

"And here you are, the venture barely begun, and you are about to abandon it all." I gazed up into his eyes. "Are you certain you wish to withdraw?"

Charles swept me into an embrace and a passionate kiss, and when our lips parted, he said, "My dream has always been to create and nurture a family, and that is stronger than is the call of the sea or the call of great wealth. Very much stronger."