INDES. 3 Letters: Letter signed THEBAUT, from the River Calc - Lot 637

INDES. 3 Letters: Letter signed THEBAUT, from the River Calcutta, December 1, 1834, to Th. DIBRÉE de COMINCK, merchant in Nantes, 3 pages, in-4: “Aided by a northeast breeze as I left the Loire, I reached the latitude of the Cape Verde Islands in 20 days. … I was not able to reach the Equator until August 17…. On October 26, we were off the coast of Sumatra… without finding even 10 pecules of pepper… It is said that not only did the usual American traders come to the coast, but also that a large number of ships they had never seen before flooded the coast. These ships completed their loading at any cost—that is to say, they paid 6 to 7 dollars per ARIGAS for the pepper. I was able to trade there for only 7 piastres in exchange for opium, which I sold at 6#... I am immediately taking a shipment of rice to Bourbon, and I will surely arrive in time for the start of the harvest in Sumatra; or, if pepper is not at 6 or 7 piastres, I am certain to load… ” (Excerpt) + Calcutta, June 3, 1857. Business letter: “…business is difficult in our market due to the scarcity and high cost of our products… We would dare to promise the success of our charterings, which would be arranged under the influence of news from here that has informed French shipowners that ships, which had been in port for a long time, had to, in order to finally set sail, take on a light cargo at 100 francs for ports across the ocean and load their main cargo with rice to complete their shipment… Salt imports might provide a small freight…” + Business letter from Madras, May 27, 1867, with a Cognac merchant.