The Memoirs and Memorials of Jacques de Coutre: Security, Trade and Society in 16th- and 17th-century Southeast Asia

Memorial I: How one can do great damage to the Dutch if Your Majesty will give Your vassals, who are merchants, permission to outfit carracks to go to the East Indies, where they can capture booty and trade their wares.

195 M E M O R I A L I How one can do great damage to the Dutch if Your Majesty will give Your vassals, who are merchants, permission to outfit carracks to go to the East Indies, where they can capture booty and trade their wares. It is necessary, however, that Your Majesty allow the merchants to trade in pepper; with this we will be able to wage great wars on the Dutch, because the carracks will also bring large quantities [of pepper] to Spain, and the rebels will have less profits. This is the main commodity in which they trade. Firstly, an armada of 12 well-equipped carracks, powerful carracks intermingled with men from Dunkirk, Flanders and Spain; and all the 12 carracks can set sail simultaneously from Seville or Lisbon, and it is important that they do not get separated from each other. It is possible that they might come across rebel carracks when they approach the vicinity of Brazil or Ascension Island. They customarily take on fresh water on Ascension Island and they [also] hunt pigs, which are found in abundance there.  BNE Ms. 2780, fol. 252 recto–266 verso.  The term “we” in this context means the subjects of the King of Spain, especially the Castilians.  Ms. here and subsequently: naos.  Ms. Dumquerque.  Ms. Flamancos.  Ms. Espanholes.  Ms. Ilha da Anseisão. See the list of place names (Ilha da Anseisão). 21 MJdC.indd 195 10/24/13 5:25:25 PM The Memoirs and Memorials of Jacques de Coutre 196 They might [also] come across the rebels off the Cape of Good Hope. They are habitually there in a port that is called Agoada de Saldanha, but it is not recommended that the carracks go to this port when they are sailing from here [Europe] to there, since this port is on this side [western side] of the Cape. It could occur that if they call in at this port they will find it difficult later to sail around the Cape of Good Hope because they will miss the monsoon.10 It will [then] be necessary to winter in Mozambique.11 However, whenever it is necessary to winter it is much better to go to the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait12 [where] they can capture some Turkish vessels, including Dutch or English ships, which very often winter there on certain islands that are located inside the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait.13 Dutch ships normally lie in wait for Portuguese carracks in the vicinity of Mozambique, on Madagascar14 and on the Comoros;15 and if our carracks are pursued by numerous enemy vessels, they can enter Mozambique and recuperate.16 If Your Majesty will allow them, they can load a carrack with ebony17 there and send it to Portugal. It costs no more than just the expenses for cutting and loading the wood. They can also leave their factors there to procure ivory,18 as the Portuguese do, and send it to Goa and from there it can be sent to Cambay. It is a bountiful trade; ivory is obtained throughout this coast in exchange for dyed cloth from Cambay, and these textiles can also be exchanged for ambergris19 and gold, and every year more than 4,000 quintals20 of ivory are brought to Goa. It is a good trade. It is necessary to have factors on the Malindi  Ms. here and subsequently with different spellings: Cabo de Boa Esperanssa. See the image on p. 70.  Located northwest of Cape Town in South Africa. See also the list of place names (Agoada de Saldanha) and the image on p. 70. 10 Ms. monsão. Seasonally-conditioned winds and rain. See also the glossary (monsoon). 11 Ms. here and subsequently with different spellings: Mossambique. 12 Ms. here and subsequently with different spellings: Estrecho de Mecca. See the list of place names (Estreto de Mequa). 13 Several groups would come in question here, including the Dalhak Archipelago, the Farasan Islands, the Kamaran group as well as Zuqar and Hanish Islands. 14 Ms. Ilha de São Lorenço; Isle of Saint Laurence. See also the list of place names (Ilha de São Laurenso). 15 Ms. Ilha do Combro. 16 Ms. refrescar-sse. 17 Ms. pao preto. A black hardwood. See also the glossary (ebony). 18 Ms. here and subsequently: marfim. 19 Ms. ambra. An odoriferous excretion of baleen origin. See also the glossary (ambergris). 20 This is equivalent to about 184–236 metric tons. See...