page_title: Swedish East India Company
section_title: The first expedition
hierarchical_section_title: Swedish East India Company / The Trade / The first octroi (1731–1746) / The first expedition
caption_attribution_description: Nederlands: Gezicht op het binnenplein van het Kasteel van Batavia, waar de gebouwen van de VOC gevestigd waren. Links het huis van de directeur-generaal, rechts de woning en de dienstvertrekken van de gouverneur-generaal, ofwel het gouvernement. Middenachter is de kasteelkerk zichtbaar, het heeft klassieke pilasters en een wapenschild. Cf. Westfries Museum, inv. nr. 15241.05. De prent uit de Atlas Van Stolk, inv. nr. top1037 en Koninklijke Bibliotheek, inv. nr. 388 A 9 deel II. na 208 is zwart-wit, de prent uit de Koninklijke Bibliotheek (Atlas van der Hagen, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, Den Haag Deel 4, inv. nr. 1049B13_29) is ingekleurd. English: View of the inner courtyard of Batavia Castle, where the VOC buildings were located. To the left the residence of the director general is shown, while the residence of the governor general and company offices the 'gouvernement' are shown right. In the centre to the rear the castle's chapel may be glimpsed with its classical pillars and coat of arms. Cf. Westfries Museum, inv. nr. 15241.05. The print in the Atlas Van Stolk, inv. nr. top1037 and Koninklijke Bibliotheek, inv. nr. 388 A 9 deel II, na p. 208 is in black and white, while the print from the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (Atlas van der Hagen, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague Part 4, inv. nr. 1049B13_29) has been coloured in.
context_page_description: The Swedish East India Company was founded in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1731 for the purpose of conducting trade with China and the Far East. The venture was inspired by the success of the Dutch East India Company and the British East India Company. This made Gothenburg a European center of trade in eastern products. The main goods were silk, tea, furniture, porcelain, precious stones and other distinctive luxury items. Trade with China saw the arrival of some new customs in Sweden. The Chinese cultural influence increased, and tea, rice, arrack and new root vegetables started appearing in Swedish homes.
  It grew to become the largest trading company in Sweden during the 18th century, a total of 132 expeditions were carried out with 37 different ships. The company folded in 1813, nevertheless, it left clear footprints that can still be seen in Gothenburg.
context_section_description: The first expedition was organized by Campbell. His reconstructed diary of the voyage, rediscovered in 1986, contains a complete account of the expedition. It started on 9 February 1732, as the ship Friedericus Rex Sueciae sailed out from Gothenburg. Campbell was the first supercargo onboard and had also been appointed ambassador to the Chinese court by the King. The other three supercargos were English: Charles Graham, Charles Morford and John Pike. The captain of the Fredericus was Georg Herman af Trolle, a seasoned sailor who had been brought up in Amsterdam and previously served on English, French, Dutch and Danish ships. He had also been employed as a privateer by the town of Middelburg. Both he and Campbell had previously visited China. The crew for the ship was approximately one hundred men.
  The expedition started well—passing the Cape of Good Hope and crossing the Indian Ocean, the vessel arrived safely in Canton (now known as Guangzhou), the trading port for foreigners in China at that time, in September 1732. For the next four months, trading was carried out successfully. Initially, different spices were the primary commodity along with tea, silk and miscellaneous luxury items, but on later voyages, porcelain and tea made up the bulk of the trade to meet the demand for such goods back in Europe.
  On its return, the vessel was stopped by the Dutch between Java and Sumatra, and brought to Batavia. Campbell protested and produced his papers, but the Dutch argued that they had suspected the vessel of falsely flying the Swedish flag. The expedition was eventually released, but time was lost and the winds unfavourable. Many of the seamen died en route and the ship had to recruit new Norwegian sailors upon reaching the coast of Norway.
  Almost one and a half years after the departure, the vessel returned to Gothenburg on 27 August 1733. The expedition was a huge economic success, the auction bringing in some 900,000 Swedish riksdaler. The dividend paid was 75% of the capital invested. According to the ledgers of the Gothenburg Main Customs Cambers for Sea Trade in 1733 to 1734, goods for 518,972 riksdaler were exported; the rest stayed in Sweden.
caption: Residence of the governor general and the VOC buildings in Batavia
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