To James Madison from David Airth, 31 December 1805 (Abstract)
From David Airth, 31 December 1805 (Abstract)
§ From David Airth. 31 December 1805, Gothenburg. “I had the honour of addressing your Excellency last on the 8th. Ulto. by the Susanna of Baltimore Capt. John Arnold bound to NewYork1 and as therein promised and agreeable to my Instructions, I now beg leave to wait on you with a Specified Acct. of the Trade of the United States at this Port during the past Year,2 which as hinted before has been more considerable than the two preceeding Years and I hope it will still continue to increase.
“The East India Company’s Charter here is expired and will not be renewed. They have therefore resolved to dispose of their Ships, a list of which I have the honour to send here inclosed, in case the United States should wish to purchase any of them to be employed as Ships of War.”3
RC and enclosures (DNA: RG 59, CD, Gothenburg, vol. 1). RC 1 p. For enclosures, docketed by Wagner as received in Airth’s 31 Dec. 1805 dispatch, see nn. 2–3.
1. The Susanna, Captain Arnold, arrived at New York on 15 Feb. 1806 in ninety-six days from Gothenburg (New-York Price-Current, 22 Feb. 1806).
2. Airth enclosed a list (1 p.; dated 31 Dec. 1806 [sic]) of twelve American ships that had traded at Gothenburg in 1805. Of the twelve, eight had arrived in ballast and eleven departed with cargoes of iron.
3. Airth enclosed a list (1 p.; dated 31 Dec. 1805) of six ships that were to be sold by the Swedish East India Company, describing them as built of oak, coppered, with complete inventories of sails, anchors, cables, etc., and carrying from fourteen to twenty guns each; he added that two were “old French Ships and I believe nearly wore out.”