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This is a collection of records of various companies involved in the trading of Ceylon [now Sri Lanka] and Indian teas. It consists of import registers for an un-named company, auction catalogues for private trade teas and photographs of tea plantations, possibly in Ceylon, and the offices and staff of R.M. Holborn and Sons Limited, tea and coffee merchants.

Records of Furness Withy and Co Ltd. For the parent company the records in the Museum include: ship files from the Naval Architect's Department, 1941 to 1961; building and service files from the Superintendent's Department, 1947 to 1964; movement books, 1946 to 1966; Charter Parties arranged by the Charter Department, 1917 to 1965; financial records, including wages and salaries, 1911 to 1958; one volume of commission accounts (mainly North American berths and the Danube), 1896 to 1952. There are papers for the three companies concerned in the South American trade: the Argentine Cargo Line Limited, minutes, 1908 to 1918; freight agreements, mainly 1908 to 1910 and printed reports, 1909 to 1917; the British and Argentine Steam Navigation Co Ltd, minutes, 1911 to 1934; meat contracts, 1914 to 1915; Furness-Houlder Argentine Lines, freight agreements (including Brazilian fruit and meat), 1914 to 1921; balance sheets and profit and loss accounts, 1940 to 1946. For the Prince Line (including the Rio Cape Line) there are reports of meetings, 1921 to 1949; files on oil prices and contracts, 1953 to 1958; and some notes on the Far East-U.S.A. Conference, 1919 to 1968. There are also the following records for other subsidiary companies: River Syndicate Ltd, minutes and accounts, 1920 to 1968; Compagnie Furness (France), accounts, 1923 to 1939; Furness (Montreal) Ltd, minutes, 1954 to 1964; Watson and Youell, cashbook for London, Bucharest and Galatz, 1919 to 1923. (Section 3: FWS/: 36ft: 1,097cm) Ships' Plans: the plans were presented in 1970. They consist mostly of prints of details of a few ships of the late 1940s and early 1950s. There are also two data books.

Papers of Thomas Bowrey, sea captain and merchant, including ledger; correspondence; diaries; drawings; charts; and maps; relating to travel and trade in India, Africa, Holland, France, Batavia (Jakarta) and Persia (Iran); the "Coffree" language of Delagoa and the Telenga language; shipping insurance and Lloyd's coffee house; whaling; and piracy.

Records of Duncan Macneill and Company, including partnership deeds; correspondence; financial accounts; annual reports; agreements; and valuations of tea companies managed by the company.

Records of J. B. Barry and Son, including partnership deeds, correspondence and financial accounts.

Records of both companies including articles of association; annual reports; financial accounts; maps of tea gardens; goods ledger; produce ledger; tea companies' ledger; correspondence and legal papers.

Also records of John Mackinnon's trusts and Duncan Macneill's trusts.

Records of Ganges Transport and Trading Company Limited, including memorandum and articles of association; annual statements of account; and half-yearly accounts.

Records of merchants John Richards and John Rooke, comprising invoice and account of sales books.

Records of George G Sandeman, Sons and Company Limited, wine shippers and cotton merchants, comprising financial records 1799-1812 and 1838-9; an order book 1792-1809; merchant bankers' ledger 1817-1819; letter books 1795-1797 and 1885-1887; shipment register 1869-72; trade circulars 1840-2; private account books of stocks and shares 1821-60; and a copy of a letter by George Sandeman dated 1790.

Records of E D Sassoon and Company Limited including combined register of shares.

Records of E D Sassoon and Company Limited including correspondence files relating to business links and investment in South Africa; and copy judgement.

The records of general merchants Steel Brothers and Company Limited mainly comprise annual reports and accounts, photographs and unpublished histories.

Papers of John Motteux and Company, merchants, comprising letters from the company's agent in L'Orient (Brittany) and Paris.

Outgoing letters of John March, merchant trading with Turkey.

Letters from Norris and Collet, merchants, to their factor Henry Norris in Sweden.

Out-letter book of John Oldbury and Henry Stanley, merchants, containing copies of letters to ships' masters, agents, contacts and consignees, relating to business and private affairs.

Please note these are photostat copies; the whereabouts of the original is unknown.

Records of Goschens and Cunliffe, merchants and bankers, comprising out-letter books, telegram books and register of policies. Also records of predecessor Fruhling, Goschens and Company, comprising letters to their agent in Germany.

Records of Deli Estates Engineering and General Union Limited, including articles of association; minute books; annual reports; circulars to shareholders and a ledger.

Access to records less than 30 years old (or records less than 70 years old which relate to staff) should be sought from Elementis plc (contact details may be obtained from a member of staff).

Records of Harrisons and Crosfield (Borneo) Limited; including minutes and agendas; correspondence with head office; papers regarding operations in Brunei; financial accounts; memoranda; correspondence concerning the general trading of the Company, the work of secretarial and agency companies in Borneo and the work of the Engineering Department; papers relating to political news in Borneo; and financial accounts of sub-branches.

Access to records less than 30 years old (or records less than 70 years old which relate to staff) should be sought from Elementis plc (contact details may be obtained from a member of staff).

The records comprise deeds and legal, administrative and financial papers relating to the Castle Wemyss Estate, Jamaica, 1802-1845, belonging (during the period covered by the papers) successively to Gilbert Mathison, Simon Halliday and Rev Walter Stevenson Halliday. The deeds and legal papers record the ownership of the estate and financial claims upon it by other parties, as well as compensation claims under the Abolition Act. They include the title deeds to the estate 1802-1845; together with correspondence and other papers concerning financial claims upon it (particularly an annuity payable to Catherine Mathison, widow of Gilbert) 1830-1845, compensation payable under the Abolition Act 1834-1835, and the fate of the estate in 1843-1845 when it was no longer viable financially.
The administrative and financial papers illustrate the management of a West Indian sugar estate by attorneys on behalf of absentee landlords, and the process of shipping the sugar and rum produced back to London for sale by a firm of merchants. A fairly complete series of correspondence between Simon Halliday and his attorneys and merchants survives for the period 1823-1828, giving many details of the practical problems of managing a sugar estate and of ensuring an adequate performance by the attorneys. There are many reports on the progress of crops, as well as references to maintenance work required, the need for new cattle (a continuing problem on the Castle Wemyss estate) and the work and health of the slaves. There is further detailed information on the slaves in a series of returns; in addition there are lists of them in the title deeds to the estate after 1807 (following the abolition of the slave trade). There are references to specific events involving the slaves in the correspondence and/or the returns: for example, the case of Catalina alias Susannah Mathison who induced an abortion by taking Vervain and Contrayerva in 1824; and allegations of mistreatment of the slaves by one of the overseers, in 1827.
The correspondence of 1823-1828 also includes letters between Halliday and the firms of merchants he used in London to sell his produce. The state of the sugar and rum markets are regularly discussed, and both attorneys and merchants report on the despatch and receipt of shipments of sugar and rum, on which the successful running of the estate depended. There is one instance of a ship being wrecked and part of the cargo lost.There are also financial accounts, both of the attorneys and of the merchants, which illustrate the returns and financial problems of the estate.

Agreement between Don Francisco de Paula Alvarez and Henry Clay and Bock and Company Ltd, 1890.

This handwritten volume is concerned with the freedom of trade which has caused the disappearance and bankruptcy of many small businesses. Bruyard also alludes to the fact that the only reason French manufactures are still exported is due to the war in which England presently is engaged and which absorbs a lot of attention and financial resources. The author claims that once the English have their hands free, the French will soon find out that they have little resources in comparison with the English. In the inner margin of the first page is a note stating 'Remis à M. de Montaran, le 9 Xbre (December) 1782.'

A manuscript volume containing a collection of papers made by George Chalmers chiefly relating to Ireland including notes and transcripts relating to royal activity in Ireland from the time of King Henry II, tables of imports and exports for Ireland made in the late seventeenth or eighteenth century, a letter by Sir Peter Pett dated Dec 1678, and letters to Chalmers from General Charles Vallancey, Apr 1791, and Francis Douce, [1808]. On one paper, giving the exports of Ireland for 1641, 1665 and 1669, Chalmers has written 'This paper is worth more than its weight in gold'.

Authorisation, 1668, to seize upon contraband Irish beef and other provisions, on the attempt being made to import them into Scotland.

Records, 1926-1951, of the Chinese Government Purchasing Commission (CGPC), including information on the state of Chinese communications; the workings of the Chinese Ministries of Communications, Railways and Industries; Chinese banking; construction and engineering technology and the work of British manufacturers; and some information on Chinese educational and cultural institutions in receipt of subsidies from the Board of Trustees for the Administration of the Indemnity Funds Remitted by the British Government.

Records, 1926-1951, relating to the foundation and constitution of the CGPC comprise printed report of the Anglo-Chinese Advisory Committee (China Indemnity Advisory Committee), 1926; correspondence, largely letters from the Board of Trustees to the CPGC, 1931-1950, concerning the constitution of the Commission, procedural issues, personnel and financial matters; file on procedure on appointment of a new member of the Commission, 1947-1948; correspondence concerning events preceding the winding-up of the Commission, 1951.

Financial records, 1931-1951, comprise papers on the Board Account, 1937-1950; papers on the Chin Fund (apparently a grant paid to Constance Chin, a patient of the Bethlem Royal Hospital), 1945-1951; summaries of expenses relating to purchase orders made by Chinese ministries, 1931-1951; Indemnity Fund cash books, 1937-1950; invoices and receipts relating to CGPC business, 1937-1951; financial statements and correspondence relating to banking matters with the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, 1931-1951, the subjects including investments and tax.

Operational records, c1928-1951, relating to the administration of purchase orders, comprise register of tenders/purchase orders, 1942-1946; contract registers (not comprehensive), 1931-1949, recording the management of contracts for the supply and delivery in China of plant, machinery and other materials manufactured in the UK for the Chinese government, and over 1,000 related contract files for engineering companies and manufacturers for industrial, construction, railway and other projects; tender forms, 1934, issued to contractors by the CGPC; specifications and standards, c1928-1937 and undated, largely for the construction of railways and carriages; correspondence concerning administration of purchase orders, 1932-1951, relating especially to delivery of locomotive spare parts and related materials; registers of export licences issue to British manufacturers under wartime regulations, 1941-1946; applications for export licences, 1939-1945; registers of shipments, insurance, freight and inspection fees, 1931-1951; shipping letters, 1937-1950, issued for CGPC shipments; general correspondence concerning the administration of the CGPC, 1931-1951, including correspondence with solicitors and correspondence concerning the CGPC premises in Tothill Street, London.

Annual reports and accounts, 1931-1950, comprise typescript accounts and reports, 1931-1950, of the CGPC and published annual reports, 1931-1950, including summaries of receipts and payments; and annual reports of the Board of Trustees, 1931-1938.

Miscellaneous records, c1932-1950, comprise one file including papers on subjects including railways, training Chinese students, Japanese imperialism, and CGPC records, a photograph of ships in harbour, and maps of China and the Far East.

Records, 1939-1943, of the China Purchasing Agency Ltd comprise standing regulations of the Board of Directors, undated; correspondence, 1939-1943, concerning various purchase orders; miscellaneous items, c1939-1940, including list of tenders passed for acceptance, 1939, and an undated schedule of materials shipped.

Manuscript and typescript letterbook containing letters from Guy Francis Hamilton Acheson, 1921-1924, and Cecil Arthur Verner Bowra, 1924, in the London Office of the Inspectorate General of Chinese Maritime Customs, to Sir Francis Arthur Aglen in Peking (Beijing), including some enclosures.

Transcripts of the papers given during the conference 'Cocoa Production and Economic Development in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries', 1993, concerning the world-wide trade in cocoa, including discussion of the issues in Africa, South America, South East Asia and the West Indies.

Papers, 1882-1943, of Sir Frederick Maze, including personal and semi-official letters, letter-books, reports and circulars, relating to his work with the Chinese Maritime Customs.

Correspondence and papers, c1684-c1709, of William, sixth Lord Paget, concerning his public appointments in England, Vienna and Turkey. Letters to Paget include those from English ministers of state, consuls and merchants in Turkey, Swiss Cantons and Ambassadors. Papers include royal letters, state papers and treaty drafts.

Manuscript and typescript letterbook containing letters from Sir Francis Arthur Aglen in Peking (Beijing) to Guy Francis Hamilton Acheson, 1921-1923, and Cecil Arthur Verner Bowra, 1924-1926, in London, including some enclosures, also including letters to Bowra from A F H Edwards, 1926.

Papers of Richard Cobden Phillips, including Phillips' letter book recording out-letters from Ponto da Lehna and Banana Congo, Sep 1883-Oct 1885, including to his family on personal matters and to the Standard on political and social conditions; eighteen sepia photographic prints of scenes along the Congo river including of Henry Morton Stanley and party; two certificates of corresponding membership from the Bremen and Hamburg Geographical Societies, 1883.

Papers of William Sherriff relating principally to historical and survey work on plans for a Burma-China railway through the Shan States of Northern Burma, [1885-1900], including a survey by Sherriff on the feasibility of a Burma to China railway for Rangoon Chamber of Commerce, [1886-1899]; article by Sherriff in the Manchester Guardian, 'Railway communication with China - The Burmah-China Railway', 09 Mar 1900; correspondence, 1888-1890; blueprints for the Burma Railways Mandalay Kunlon railway, 1899; note by [A] R Colquhoun entitled 'Amongst the Shans', 1885; report by Capt A Bowers, 'Bhamo Expedition Report in the Practicability of reopening the trade route between Burma and Western China', 1869; memorandum on a possible railway route on to the Shan Plateau, 1889; reports on the Shan States, 1887-1889 and notes by Sherriff relating to Burma.

Journal of William Alley describing fourteen voyages to India, Malaya and the East Indies in several ships. The typescripts cover most of the journal's text and include material from the records of the East India Company reporting Alley's activities.

Records of Whitbread International Limited, a subsidiary company of Whibread and Company Limited, brewers. Records include ledgers detailing Whitbread exports and ship stocks from the 1920s through to the 1970s along with advertising from the launch of various Whitbread products abroad most notably that of Mackeson Stout and Whitbread Premium Draught Beer.

General Records: This group contains a large vellum-bound volume of Spanish diplomatic papers, mainly dating between 1603 and 1672, but with a section dealing with the Armada, 1587 to 1588; two English documents relating to the expedition to Cadiz, 1596; an enquiry into the loss of ships in the convoy guarded by Sir George Rooke (1650-1709) and the Streights Squadron, 1693; a gathering of Italian papers relating to the capitulation of Malta, 1799 to 1807. There are also a number of items relating to Lord Nelson and his family, 1805 to 1845. (PHB/: PHB/P: 2 vols: 3 items) Merchant Shipping Records: relating to merchant shipping, including the journal of the Blackham on a voyage to Constantinople, 1696 to 1698; the log of H.E.I.C.S. Ceres, 1743 to 1745; of H.E.I.C.S. Wager, 1745 to 1746; and an account in verse of H.E.I.C.S. Ceres, 1812 to 1814, on a voyage to China. There is also a memorial of 1774 by a Harwich pilot to the Treasury, seeking to establish an excise cutter there. Among the documents are Bills of Sale, 1651, 1695, 1775; Letters of Marque, 1780, 1799. (PHB/: PLA/P: 4 vols: 12 items) Royal Navy: Administration: This group consists of nineteen volumes and four documents relating to the administration of the Navy. It includes the naval accounts from 1422 to 1427 of William Soper (fl.1410-1459), Clerk of the King¹s ships; a list of ships' stores 'wasted' in the Prymrose after the Rochelle expedition, 1573; a volume of the records collected by Sir Robert Cotton (1571-1631), the antiquarian and collector, containing summaries of papers on naval matters and defence from the time of Henry III to Elizabeth I; a copy, dated 1638, of the first 'Discourse of the Navy of England' by John Hollond (fl 1624-1659); regulations for the Ordnance Office, 1683; an account, written by a clerk, of the dispute between Samuel Pepys and Colonel Middleton (d 1672) about the importation of cottons and kerseys, 1667 to 1668; two lists of official documents transferred by Pepys to his successor on leaving the Admiralty, 1689; two volumes of Navy Board orders to Deptford and Woolwich dockyards, 1644 to 1722; and eleven volumes of papers, bound by Phillipps in no particular order, relating to general administrative matters, including sea-men's pay, 1711 to 1790; however, among these papers are three letters from Vice-Admiral Benbow (1653-1702) written from Jamaica, 1699. Finally, there are a number of lists; of Admiralty Commissioners, 1673 to 1782; of ships, 1625 to 1636, 1705, 1706 to 1745, and of foreign navies, 1755 to 1778 (PLA/: PLA/P: 2 1/2ft: 76cm) Royal Navy: Law and Prize Money: This group consists of a volume, 1658 to 1673, containing a collection of sentences and decrees made at the Court of Admiralty; a volume of 1685 chiefly concerning the powers and rights of the Lord High Admiral, with an abstract of the judgements of Oleron, translated from the French; a further seventeenth-century volume concerning maritime customs and law from the time of Henry III; a French treatise of maritime law, 1690; a volume containing bound letters from senior naval officers expressing their opinion on the prize money dispute between Lord Nelson (q.v.) and Lord St Vincent (q.v.), 1801 to 1802; vindication of the conduct of Surgeon D.T. McCarthy, court-martialled 2 lines 1 field in 1804.

Papers of Thomas Abel Brimage Spratt, consisting of various reports, 1850 to 1884, which include surveys (particularly of the Black Sea area); remarks on Crete and the Cretans; on the coal trade of the Black Sea; on a new harbour at Malta; on an electric cable between Malta and Alexandria; reports submitted to the Teignmouth Harbour Commission and Fishery Commission reports for England and Ireland. Spratt's correspondence consists of a few letters received and some draft replies, 1853 to 1860. The memorandum of his service, 1837 to 1862, contains an account of his part in the Crimean War. His publications are also listed.

Records of the Anglo-Thai Corporation and predecessors; including partnership deeds; agreements; articles of association; Directors' minute books; press cuttings; annual reports; papers relating to shares; financial records; correspondence, tenders; employment contracts; deeds for property and photographs.

Records of Gibb, Livingston and Company, merchants and agents, including articles of association, minutes of meetings, and financial records.

Records of the London Chamber of Commerce including records of constitution, membership, administration, finances and so on; records of sections and committees relating to places, arranged alphabetically by place; records of sections and committees relating to subjects, arranged alphabetically by subject of substance. Included in this category are 'General' and 'Special' minute books which contain minutes of sections and committees relating to both places and subjects. Ask a member of staff for an index of the sections and committees whose minutes are contained in the 'General' and 'Special' minute books.

Records of Arnhold and Company Limited including a profit and loss book, ledgers mainly relating to the business in China, journals and cash books.

Records of merchants Stratton and Gibson (later known as Stratton, Gibson and Fuller) comprising two series of account books, 1798-1817.

Records of East India and general merchants Tribble, Pearson and Company. The records comprise partnership and tenancy agreements 1914-1957, financial records 1940-72, records of sales and purchases, including correspondence and ledgers, 1929-72, correspondence regarding finance and insurance 1933-70, correspondence with customers 1941-1975, records relating to trade, including papers regarding trademarks, specification books of products and a trade association membership certificate, 1900-1970, correspondence regarding the destruction of the company office 1941-1943, advertising material c 1942 and c 1950, cable books, telegraphic code book and postage book 1897-1959.

The collection also includes a register of members of the International Produce Exchange (1926) Limited 1926-1927 and 1955-1956; its connection with the firm is unknown.

Accounts ledger of Lewis and Baily, merchants and shippers, 1711-12; with accounts of John Pope, merchant, 1716-17.

Outgoing letter book of Peter Bond Burgoyne and Company, wine importers.

Agreements for the hire of vessels at Bathurst, Australia, to the River Gambia Trading Company Limited.

Records of Courage (Export) Limited, brewers, comprising board meeting minutes.

Records of Agassiz, Son and Company, merchants, including partnership agreements; personal papers of Lewis Agassiz; yearly accounts and account books; bills and receipts; business letters from diverse suppliers including from Switzerland, France, Argentina, Uruguay, India, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy; and inventory of the offices.

Records of the Anglo-Portuguese Bank Limited, including memorandum and articles of association; Board minutes; annual reports and accounts; correspondence; financial records; manager's files; some staff files; and communications with headquarters in Portugal.

Records of Antony Gibbs and Sons Limited, merchants and foreign bankers, and their branches and subsidiaries. Records include papers relating to the Gibbs family; correspondence, letters and letter books; ledgers and other financial records; papers and correspondence of branches in Peru, Chile, Australia, the West Indies, New York, Bristol and Liverpool; memoranda; trading agreements; minutes and reports; papers relating to the guano business and papers relating to the iodine industry.

Correspondence with foreign branches will be found in a number of different points in the catalogue. A keyword search of the online catalogue by the name of the branch and 'Gibbs' is the easiest access to branch correspondence.

The archives consist almost entirely of business and partnership correspondence of A.G. Wentworth Gray between 1856 and 1906. They therefore include some private and family material. The firm dealt in a wide variety of goods and cargoes. The records contain references to, inter alia: beef, pork, cocoa, flour, sugar, limes, molasses, rice and timber.

Access to Mss 21409, 21411, 21412 and 21413 is subject to special conditions: for further information please ask a member of staff.

The records of Davis and Soper Limited, export merchants, comprise minutes, details of overseas staff appointments, and a volume of contracts of sales.

The records of Grahams Trading Company Limited consist of constitutional documents, minutes of the Board, executive committee, and annual general meetings, annual reports and accounts, financial material, register of directors, press cuttings and title deeds. This collection is held offsite and requires 24 hours notice for access.