Transatlantic Central (1 results)

Folio (38 x 27cm). Full contemporary reverse calf with gilt morocco titles labels to the spine ("Rough Sales Book / S & L / B". Marbling to page edges. Marbled endpapers with engraved label for "Baily Brothers, Booksellers, Stationers, Account Book Manufacturers", London to the front pastedown. 172pp. of manuscript text in ink on red-ruled laid paper (watermarked "W. King / 1850"), followed by c.160pp. blank, with a handful of pages torn out following the conclusion of the manuscript text section and another within the text. The majority of entries are in English with some in Spanish, mostly written in the same hand. Condition is very good, the binding firm with marking to the boards, chipping to the head of the spine, and a little wear to the extremities. The contents with a 3cm tear to the head of the first text page and two pages partially cut/torn away at the bottom are otherwise in good order. The ledger of a British sales agents operating in Panama during the mid-nineteenth century, detailing the importation and sale of a wide variety European and South American goods into the country. The manuscript meticulously records the origin city/country, importer, ship, the goods received and sold, and the charges entailed for each shipment. A typical entry, for example, records the arrival of "gunpowder, received per "Alexander", and sold on behalf of the Kames Gunpowder Company, Glasgow", followed by details of the subsequent purchasers ("J. D. Cordova" etc.), and the charges/commissions taken by the agent, including fees for landing expenses and "carriage to arsenal". Many of the entries describe large, diverse cargoes, combining both essential and luxury goods, including: alpacas; chocolate pots; "41 cases of pickles and mustard"; lavender water; rocking chairs; a "copying machine"; cinnamon; scissors, razors; bone buttons; horse brushes; compasses; gin; hatchets; bedsteads; looking glasses; children's toys; cloves; muslins; kegs of shot; cups and saucers; tobacco; machetes; claret; playing cards, rat traps; "Aqua de Colonia" [cologne]; silk gloves; saddles; blunderbusses; padlocks; lace; pantaloons; "Jamaica rum"; almonds; vinegar; bonnets; sausages; gold frames; water closets; wash stands; champagne; mosquito nets; and much else besides. The origin ports include major European trade centres, such as Liverpool and Glasgow, but also include many South American ports such as Guayaquil, Equador (carrying beans, cocoa, coffee, sugar, and quinoa, amongst other things); Buenaventura, Colombia; Callao, Peru (carrying candlesticks, coffee mills, and bayonets); Lima, Peru ("bottled fruits" and cherry cordial); and Valparaiso, Chile; as well as San Francisco and New York to the north. The importers themselves are also a mixture of British and Panamanian companies. A fascinating, detailed insight into Panama's transatlantic and South American trade during the mid-nineteenth century.