The Levant Trade, As We Have Seen, Was Gradually Obtained By The English
From The Hands Of The Venetians And Other Foreign Powers.
The trade we are
next to notice was purely of English origin and growth; - we allude to the
trade between England and Russia, which began about the middle of the
sixteenth century.
The discovery of Archangel took place, as we have
already related, in 1553. Chanceller, who discovered it, obtained
considerable commercial privileges from the Czar for his countrymen. In
1554, a Russian Company was established; but before their charter, the
British merchants had engaged in the Russian trade. The first efforts of
the company seem to have been confined to attempts to discover a north-east
passage. Finding these unsuccessful, they turned their attention to
commerce: they fortunately possessed a very enterprising man, peculiarly
calculated to foster and strengthen an infant trade, who acted as their
agent. He first set on foot, in 1558, a new channel of trade through Russia
into Persia, for raw silk, &c. In the course of his commercial enquiries
and transactions, he sailed down the Volga to Nisi, Novogorod, Casan, and
Astracan, and thence across the Caspian Sea to Persia. He mentions that, at
Boghar, which he describes as a good city, he found merchants from India,
Persia, Russia, and Cathay, - from which last country it was a nine months
journey to Boghar. He performed his journey seven different times. It
appears, however, that this channel of trade was soon afterwards abandoned,
till 1741, when it was resumed for a very short time, during which
considerable quantities of raw silk were brought to England by the route
followed by the Russian agent in the sixteenth century. The cause of this
abandonment during the sixteenth century seems to have been the length and
danger of the route; for we are informed that one of the adventures would
have proved exceedingly profitable, had not their ships, on their return
across the Caspian, with Persian raw silk, wrought silks of many kinds,
galls, carpets, Indian spices, turquois stones, &c., been plundered by
Corsair pirates, to the value of about 40,000_l_. The final abandonment of
this route, in the eighteenth century, arose partly from the wars in
Persia, but principally from the extension of India commerce, which being
direct and by sea, would, of course supply England much more cheaply with
all eastern goods than any land trade. Beside the delay, difficulty, and
danger of the route from the Volga, already described, the route followed
in the sixteenth century, till the merchants reached the Volga, was
attended with great difficulty. The practice was to transport the English
goods, which were to be exchanged, in canoes, up the Dwina, from Archangel
to Vologda, thence over land, in seven days, to Jeroslau, and thence down
the Volga, in thirty days, to Astracan.
The Russians having conquered Narva, in Livonia in 1558, the first place
they possessed in the Baltic, and having established it as a staple port,
the following year, according to Milton, in his brief history of Muscovia,
the English began to trade to it, "the Lubeckers and Dantzickers having
till then concealed that trade from other nations." The other branches of
the Baltic trade also encreased; for it appears by a charter granted by
Elizabeth, in 1579, to an Eastland Company, that trade was carried on
between England and Norway, Sweden, Poland, Lithuania, Prussia, Pomerania,
Dantzic, Elbing, Konigsberg, Copenhagen, Elsinore, and Finland. This
company was established in opposition to the Hanseatic merchants; and it
seems to have attained its object; for these merchants complained to the
Diet of the Empire against England, alleging, that of the 200,000 cloths
yearly exported thence, three-fourths went into Denmark, Sweden, Poland,
and Germany; the other fourth being sent to the Netherlands and France.
It was not to be supposed that our commerce with Archangel and Narva would
long remain without a rival. The Dutch, aware of its importance, prevented
by their influence or presents, the Czar from renewing the Russian
Company's privileges. As this trade was become more extensive, and carried
off, besides woollen goods, silks, velvets, coarse linen cloth, old silver
plate, all kinds of mercery wares, serving for the apparel of both sexes,
purses, knives, &c. Elizabeth used her efforts to re-establish the company
on its former footing; and a new Czar mounting the throne, she was
successful.
The frequent voyages of the English to the White Sea made them acquainted
with Cherry Island, of which they took possession, and where they carried
on for a short time the capture of morses: the teeth of these were regarded
as nearly equal in quality and value to ivory, and consequently afforded a
lucrative trade; oil was also obtained from these animals. Lead ore is said
to have been discovered in this island, of which thirty tons were brought
to England in 1606. The Russian Company, however, soon gave up the morse
fishery for that of whales. They also carried on a considerable trade with
Kola, a town in Russian Lapland, for fish oil and salmon: of the latter
they sometimes brought to England 10,000 at one time. But in this trade the
Dutch likewise interfered.
The fishery for whales near Spitzbergen was first undertaken by the company
in 1597. In 1613, they obtained from King James an exclusive charter for
this fishery; and under this, fitting out armed ships, they expelled
fifteen sail of French, Dutch, and Biscayners, besides some private English
ships. But the Dutch persevered, so that next year, while the Russian
Company had only thirteen ships at the whale fishery, the former had
eighteen. The success of their whale fishery seems to have led to the
neglect of their Russian trade, for, in 1615, only two vessels were
employed in it, instead of seventeen great ships formerly employed. From
this period, the commerce carried on between Russia and England, by the
Russian Company, seems gradually to have declined.
The commerce between England and the other parts of Europe, during the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, presents little that calls for notice;
as the manufactures and capital of England encreased, it gradually
encreased, and was transferred from foreign to English vessels.
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