Norwich bulletin., 1916-03-04
EARLY NoRwcH-IRIsH COMMERCE
dollars, bringing back wines, fruits, brandy, drugs and silks.

dollars. bringing back wines, fruits, brandy drugs and silks.
 Notes like the following give an of early Norwich:
 21 Feb. 17s4 Gone hundred and Cwenty-tWo years ago; yet we pa tronizingly look back on the old town as sleepy and slow;) arrived sloop Homer. William Pollard. from Cadiz, with goods consigned to Joseph How land; duties $159.os. Left at Cadiz sch. Patty, Ames, of Norwich.
 28 Oct. 1790, arrived Recovery, John Eos61 MeoG. T9m tram, Lisbon, with itO6 goods to
 Il March. 17e6, entered from the Isle of May, Portugal, ship Mercury, Hezekiah Perkins; duties $S5.40.
 The brigs Neptune. Atalanta and Despatch were among those engaged in this Spanish Portuguese trade. Captains Whiting, Loring and Bos- well were among the prominent com manders.
 Norwich ship masters gained e rep utation beyong their own home port, so that their skill and experience ire quently won them commissions from 1 other places.
 In 1901, 1t is shown that Capt. Rock we'll was at Amsterdam in the ship Commerce, and Capt. Roswell Roath at London in the Juliana, both New York vessels. Capt. Tracy command ed the ship Eugenia in voyages to Bordeaux. A New England ship master was always able to find hon orable employment either at New | York or some of the southern ports. Besides. the merchants of Norwich and other Connecticut ports were | largely interested in New York ship ping and the imports made by them directly were often received in New | York
 A scheme of Norwich ship owners
 and masters devised during the early years of 1900 was to combine a fish
 ing trip with European trade. This saved the drain of silver paid for inn
 ported goods. A license for fishing
 and a foreign passport would be ob- tained. and the vessel would clear fol
 the cod-fisheries and Q market. i The Norwich courier-still published and telling up-to- date news-On May
 1st. 1895, gave notice that a fleet ot five brigs and schooners had dropped
 down the river, bound for the Straits of Belleisle on a fishing adventure and that four others were nearly { ready to follow. These were the brig Hiram, Capt. Austin: Iris, Chr. Stan ton; Dolphin, Berry; and the schoon CTS Betsey, Loring; Amelia, Fitch Thetis, Hall; Chelsea, Doane; Jane l anu Ile AlSCLGIllC- ueSe nm
 vessels were afterward reported saf at Green Island. and a part of tn l fleet visited the Mediterranean befor t returning to Norwich.
 - Tn 1906, the schooner Jane. Capt Berry, from the Straits of Belleisle 2 bound up the Mediterranean, wa taken by the English on pretence O 5 her attempting to go into Cadiz. Sh was sent to Gibraltar, where she wa = cleared and proceeded on her voyage e arriving late in the season at Bos s ton, 60 days from Alicant.
 June 9th. 1906, arrived brig DoIphir
 Capt. Carewell Colt, 60 days froT Algesiras with goods to Jesse BrowI a JT., Levi Huntington and E. Colt n Go. paying a duty of s6,454.10, tn = highest duty ever assessed on any on ;. consignment from Europe to Norwic
 merchants.
 This peculiar line of business 500 h declined, however. Other ports weT f more favorably situated for engagin 8 in the fisheries, and the New Englan = vessels were all more or less annOye l, by British competitors, and sometime r were driven from the ground. Tn l Norwich ships continued in the trad as long as any of them; and in moI VI than one local family are cherishe
 the traditions of bold and enterpriS
 ing grandsires who risked dangers c
 many such a voyage, for the prof that were in it.