Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1884-11-01
Orr OLD INDIAN COMMERCE.
: has aIi Gone and VIII Never Come Back
tot,any M~ore-Pirtnre OF the Fast.

Our with Calcutta and
British India IN general mad grown with
Is growth, commencing long before our
asst war with England and greatly II
.reasiue afterwards, writes Capt. John
Drew to the Boston JrWnal. Salem
merchants were largely engaged IN IT,
Md I used to be told Beverly men
shared with them, but it finally culmina--
ed in Boston before the val Of the Re-
~oellion. and since then has been carried
mostly to New York by English iron
ships. La the day | write Of, American
ships were in such demand that the new
ship Da5haway, built in Hallowell, 100
ton register, commanded by Capt. John
McClintock, went direct in ballast to
Calcutta for a return cargo to Boston.
Before this era were the good vessels
called Crack Indiamen," remembered
by our old sailors now. They were al
ways nearly in Boston and Calcutta c.
India trade. These were the Arab. the
Akbar, the Argo, the Chilo, the Orissa,
the Coniga, the Hindostan, the Bengal,
the Suttei, Sirnla, Jumna. Timour and
Gentoo; and SO many more that always
discharg. into the warehouses of Boston.
Why. a Boston wharf, India, Central or
Union. was the very essence OF the East
Indies. And our merchants owned both
ship and cargo, inward and outward.
This was what made commerce" They
had to have ships for their commerce
and they had to have commerce for
their ships. One Of these merchants
still lives, at a very advanced age, and l
learned my business III his employ. He
loved to tell me of the days when he and
other merchants had been supercargoes
and sometimes took charge OF vessels.
He said he carried his own palm and
needle, his pid and marline-spike, and
dittv-bag, darned and mended his own
clothes, as well as bought and sold with
the baboos of Bengal. They shipped and
discharged American sailors on the cap
stan-head, and the owner always inter-
viewed each man in regard to his birth
place, age, capacity,.to perform what he
shippedfor, and they Che sailors) bought
their own small stores. This gentleman
sent his own sons out east to learn as he
had, and when I returned off of one OF
my voyages he told me. with water-
eyes. my son died out there, Mr.. d.
shall never see him again !! Don't you
see the affinity between merchant and
master and officer, reader ? AS our com
merce grew up with that of India, SO
orr ships grew up with those of the En-
glish Indiamen, had many of their ways,
Sayings and doings" on board, and
were the best school for a young man to
learn seamanship in atloat. How quick
the transition Now look at the picture.
We can never have the like again.
The owner will never own his own cargo
again. There never will be that fellow
ship between owner, master and officer
again, for captains were the privileged
friends of the owner, and each were de-
pendent upon the other for success. The
captains and officers were patriots,
glorying in the flag they bore to every
part of the globe. Ships were literally
unshackled, free; that can never be
again in our day. Captains and owners
were never harmed or hampered by Gus
toms or consular officers, but were al
ways on the best of~terms.