Dissertation_A Bick_May 25 - DataSpace at Princeton University
Dissertation_A Bick_May 25 - DataSpace at Princeton University Dissertation_A Bick_May 25 - DataSpace at Princeton University
they liked (save the three goods explicitly excluded) at anytime and any price they chose; although these goods would be transported on company ships they neither belonged to the company nor were subject to its discretion. At the same time, however, by forcing private merchants to purchase shares, the compromise ensured that these merchants would have a stake in the company's survival. This would better distribute the risk involved in the company's activities in Brazil and, crucially, it would force up the value of the company's shares. From a value of 98 in 1637, shares rose to 117 in 1638 and 134 in 1639, before beginning a long decline. 126 This was hardly unfettered free trade in the sense used by Adam Smith, but it worked as the solution to a complex political and economic problem. But there was another remarkable element of the final agreement: three goods were identified as reserved for the company. Two of these—Brazilwood, used to make dyes for the cloth industry, and ammunition, which the company did not want falling into the hands of the Portuguese—also had been exempted when the trade to Brazil was first opened to private merchants in 1630. 127 The third “good,” which up to this point had never appeared in any formal regulation or resolution by the States General, was slaves. Without fail historians always mention that the slave trade was one of three exemptions, but the tendency has been to treat this as a continuation of a pre-existing state of affairs. Van Dillen, for example, sums up the agreement by saying that, “the trade in slaves, dyewoods, and ammunition remained a company monopoly.” 128 In a strict sense this is true, since the slave trade, in which the company had become involved two years earlier, was never open to private merchants. But in a broader sense, the decision to 126 Den Heijer, De Geoctrooieerde Compagnie, 250; Van Dillen, “De West-Indische Compagnie, het Calvinism en de Politiek,” 159. 127 Articulum ... over het Open ende Vry Stellen van den Handel en Negotie op de Stadt Olinda de Pernambuco, ende Custen van Brasil. 128 Van Dillen, “De West-Indische Compagnie, het Calvinism en de Politiek,” 160. “Echter bleef de handel in slaven, verfhout en ammunitie het monopolie der Compagnie.” The italics are mine. 209
exclude private merchants from the trade in slaves represented a deliberate choice to retain for the company an important source of revenue to compensate for the income Zeeland, its allies, and the States General initially hoped would come from monopoly control over the trade to Brazil. Slavery, in other words, was a bargaining chip that helped to resolve the debate in favor of free trade. On April 22, the day before the States General announced that a deal had been struck, a proposal “to trade blacks in Brazil and on the Coast of Africa” was reviewed in the Heren XIX, “so that once the regulations for free trade have been approved by their High and Mightiness [the States General] this can be executed.” 129 Once agreement had been reached, the delegates at the Heren XIX devoted the next several days to planning for the slave trade. 5. Planning for the Slave Trade Before 1636 the WIC had played almost no part in the Atlantic slave trade. There is evidence that Dutch skippers participated in Portuguese slaving missions in the 1590s and that they profited from seizing and then selling the cargo from slaving ships, including a well known case in which 20 slaves were delivered to Virginia in 1619. 130 This accelerated under the WIC: between 1623-1636, De Laet calculated that the company captured 2,356 slaves aboard Portuguese ships and sold them on to America at a hefty profit. Nevertheless, these were the proceeds of piracy, and the company did not become involved in purchasing slaves on the 129 NA 1.01.07, inv.nr. 12564.6, entry for April 22, 1638. “Is gelesen het project om op Brasil ende de Cust van Africa negers to handelen soo wanneer het reglement vanden openhandel, by haer ho: mo: soude syn geapprobeert, ende versocht dat Commissarisen t'selve wilden voltrecken.” 130 Van den Boogaart and Emmer, “The Dutch Participation in the Atlantic Slave Trade, 1596-1650,” 354–355. 210
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exclude priv<strong>at</strong>e merchants from the trade in slaves represented a deliber<strong>at</strong>e choice to retain for<br />
the company an important source of revenue to compens<strong>at</strong>e for the income Zeeland, its allies,<br />
and the St<strong>at</strong>es General initially hoped would come from monopoly control over the trade to<br />
Brazil. Slavery, in other words, was a bargaining chip th<strong>at</strong> helped to resolve the deb<strong>at</strong>e in favor<br />
of free trade. On April 22, the day before the St<strong>at</strong>es General announced th<strong>at</strong> a deal had been<br />
struck, a proposal “to trade blacks in Brazil and on the Coast of Africa” was reviewed in the<br />
Heren XIX, “so th<strong>at</strong> once the regul<strong>at</strong>ions for free trade have been approved by their High and<br />
Mightiness [the St<strong>at</strong>es General] this can be executed.” 129 Once agreement had been reached, the<br />
deleg<strong>at</strong>es <strong>at</strong> the Heren XIX devoted the next several days to planning for the slave trade.<br />
5. Planning for the Slave Trade<br />
Before 1636 the WIC had played almost no part in the Atlantic slave trade. There is evidence<br />
th<strong>at</strong> Dutch skippers particip<strong>at</strong>ed in Portuguese slaving missions in the 1590s and th<strong>at</strong> they<br />
profited from seizing and then selling the cargo from slaving ships, including a well known case<br />
in which 20 slaves were delivered to Virginia in 1619. 130 This acceler<strong>at</strong>ed under the WIC:<br />
between 1623-1636, De Laet calcul<strong>at</strong>ed th<strong>at</strong> the company captured 2,356 slaves aboard<br />
Portuguese ships and sold them on to America <strong>at</strong> a hefty profit. Nevertheless, these were the<br />
proceeds of piracy, and the company did not become involved in purchasing slaves on the<br />
<br />
129 NA 1.01.07, inv.nr. 1<strong>25</strong>64.6, entry for April 22, 1638. “Is gelesen het project om op Brasil ende de Cust van<br />
Africa negers to handelen soo wanneer het reglement vanden openhandel, by haer ho: mo: soude syn geapprobeert,<br />
ende versocht d<strong>at</strong> Commissarisen t'selve wilden voltrecken.”<br />
130 Van den Boogaart and Emmer, “The Dutch Particip<strong>at</strong>ion in the Atlantic Slave Trade, 1596-1650,” 354–355.<br />
210
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