In
the eighteenth century trade with the East dominated entirely by the
East
India Company,
which was possibly the world’s first multinational corporation.
It maintained a considerable fleet and to be an officer in that fleet
conferred some considerable status. Status, it must be remembered, brings
its own benefits.
The principal perquisite offered by the company was allowances for private
trade to officers. Formalised by grant of Charter by William III in 1694,
these were generous, provided the officers did not trade in those goods
for which the Company held a monopoly. These allowances varied considerably
over the years, but, if one includes illicit tonnages, were considerable.
In 1674, for example private allowances were 5 tons outward and 5% of the total tonnage on the return, with freight charges on any excess. By 1772 the private tonnage was 25 tons outward, 15 tons return. By 1791 they were higher still.
The officers of the East Indiamen, therefore, kept the shops of Calcutta full of the home comforts demanded by the expats and their memshabs, trading in everything from ‘millinery and madiera, claret and cutlery, perfumes and glass-ware’ iv to beer.
In 1786 Captain Robert Taylor of the East India ship the Earl Talbot advertised the sale of his private allowances. They included claret, red port, Madiera, old hock, porter, cider, ale, pale beer, rum and gin, alongside cheeses, pickles, confectionery, hardware, hats, jewellery, plate, perfumery, habadashery, cutlery, fishing tackle and ‘prints of droll and political charactes.’ Old hock, by the way, would appear to be a kind of precursor of IPA.
“ Old hock requires the same proportion of hops as are used in keeping pale strong, or keeping pale small beer; the length is about two barrels from a quarter of the palest and best malt.” v
Barley was also a commodity that made it out to India to on occasion, as was porter, which was included in ships’ provisions for the sailors, who like the officers with their rations of wine, beer and cheese, were not above selling or bartering any surpluses.
In 1784 in India was advertised ‘London Porter and Pale Ale, light and excellent, 150 Rupees per hogshead, whilst on January 19th 1793 the Bombay Courier advertised a cargo of pale ale for sale at 80 rupees a hogshead. Respectable quantities of beer and pale ale were making it over to India, therefore, even before the IPA trade took off. This begs the question; who was making it?
Happily we know the answer.