DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.57079#0111
THE LEVANT COMPANY
95
under the reconstituted company, of definite
articles of agreement is that of Mr. John
Markham, in 1611,81 who went as consul to
Smyrna.82 The first clause lays down that
he shall collect by way of consulage 2 per
cent, in and out—i.e., on imports and exports
—of the English nation to the use of the com-
pany.83 This consulage he had to send to
Constantinople every six months. For his
pains he received a salary of 500 Dollars per
annum. Every six months he had to send
the company an account of the consulage,
and it was his business to see that they were
81 Document 69 in Book of Letters, etc., marked F.A.
Levant Company, No. 109 in Record Office. Cf. note
(34) on p. 79 above.
82 Markham was later consul at Cio (cf. list of Con-
suls, Appendix IV.), though he returned to Smyrna
afterwards.
83 The chief business of the consul at any place was
the collection os consulage. It is difficult to define
his other duties, but, in general, he looked after the
company’s interests. On one occasion he was even
allowed to fix prices {Min. November 19, 1633). The
company had fixed the price of cloth at Aleppo at
Dollars per pike. But the consul wrote to say that
this price was inconvenient, and the company accord-
ingly ordered that in future the consul and the majority
of the English merchants in Aleppo should have the
power to fix the price of cloth.
95
under the reconstituted company, of definite
articles of agreement is that of Mr. John
Markham, in 1611,81 who went as consul to
Smyrna.82 The first clause lays down that
he shall collect by way of consulage 2 per
cent, in and out—i.e., on imports and exports
—of the English nation to the use of the com-
pany.83 This consulage he had to send to
Constantinople every six months. For his
pains he received a salary of 500 Dollars per
annum. Every six months he had to send
the company an account of the consulage,
and it was his business to see that they were
81 Document 69 in Book of Letters, etc., marked F.A.
Levant Company, No. 109 in Record Office. Cf. note
(34) on p. 79 above.
82 Markham was later consul at Cio (cf. list of Con-
suls, Appendix IV.), though he returned to Smyrna
afterwards.
83 The chief business of the consul at any place was
the collection os consulage. It is difficult to define
his other duties, but, in general, he looked after the
company’s interests. On one occasion he was even
allowed to fix prices {Min. November 19, 1633). The
company had fixed the price of cloth at Aleppo at
Dollars per pike. But the consul wrote to say that
this price was inconvenient, and the company accord-
ingly ordered that in future the consul and the majority
of the English merchants in Aleppo should have the
power to fix the price of cloth.