|
SHIPPING GOODS BETWEEN BALTIMORE AND WEST
INDIES
by Pat Melville
A state Chancery Court case heard between 1807 and 1809
provides detailed financial information on trade between
Baltimore and the West Indies. (Chancery Papers) 4883 [MSA
S512-5035, MdHR 17,898-4883-1/21] concerns a suit filed by
John Smith, a master mariner, against James Biays, a
merchant in Baltimore. Smith stated that he and Biays were
partners involved in shipping goods between Baltimore and
the West Indies from 1799 to 1806. Smith classified
himself as master, supercargo, and part owner of vessels
and their cargo. He claimed that much of the income from
the sale of merchandise was deposited with Biays who
"produced such a complicated account as rendered it
impossible for your orator to define accurately the sum
due to him." After dissolution of the partnership in 1806
the two men tried to settle their accounts. Smith alleged
that accounts worth $90,000 remained unsettled and wanted
the court to make a determination.
Biays offered a different version of the transactions
with Smith. Biays said he employed Smith as a ship's
master for the years 1799-1801 and paid him monthly wages.
The partnership supposedly existed only between January
1801 and May 1805. During that time Biays claimed that he
bore most of the expenses, sometimes meeting them by
borrowing money at a high interest rate. He filed several
accounts, one of which showed Smith indebted to Biays for
$10,000.
Most of the papers found in the twenty-one folders
consist of exhibits detailing shipping expenses, cargo
values, and merchandise sales. The documents included wage
agreements with crew members, cargo invoices, insurance
policies, letters, bills of lading, and other account
statements. An auditor appointed by the Chancellor
analyzed the documents and filed an initial report
and
|
|
