II 
KINDS OF GOODS SENT FROM THE NETHERLANDS TO 
THE UNITED STATES— MERCHANDISE AND SPECIE 
The kinds of goods that the United States received from the 
Netherlands can be definitely indicated. These things con- 
sisted of merchandise, money, and human beings. Only the 
first of these will be considered in this paper. There are 
several ways of knowing what kinds of merchandise the 
United States imported from the Netherlands. First, there 
are the advertisements in the newspapers of that time which 
state that in a certain named vessel just arrived from Amster- 
dam or Rotterdam certain named articles were imported and 
were on sale at the time of the advertisement. For example, 
in the Pennsylvania Packet of September 15, 1786, there ap- 
pears this advertisement : 
John Wilcocks just imported in the Pallas from Amsterdam Russia 
hemp, ticklenburghs, oznabrigs, dowlas, ravens duck, gin in cases and 
jugs, gunpowder in quarter casks. 
In the Massachusetts Centinel for July 16, 1785, one finds: 
Just arrived in the Brig Lady Maria from Amsterdam and to be 
sold by Leertouwer Hayman, iron in squares and flat boxes, Petersbourg 
hemp, reels of yarn, Russia duck, best Bohea and Hyson tea in whole 
or quarter casks, gin of superior quality in cases, calicoes and chintzes, 
cotton colored handkerchiefs, cotton stockings, Haerlam tapes, black and 
colored ribbons, black laces, fans, writing paper, cambrics and lawns, 
bedtick patterns, Bretagnes, dowlasses, nankeens, broadcloths, tub-steel. 
The Maryland Journal and Baltimore Advertiser of April 1, 
1788, gives: 
Robert Gilmor and Co., imported in brig Glasgow, Capt. Kerr, from 
Amsterdam, Ticklenburgs of 4 qualities, German oznaburgs, German 
dowlas, German stripes and writing paper. 
Now when a merchant would insert such an advertisement 
in his paper, giving the name of the very ship and captain 
and specifying that certain-named goods that he had for sale 
came in that ship from Amsterdam one can be pretty sure 
that the goods named came from the Netherlands. 
There is another kind of advertisement that is about as 
useful for this purpose. These are the advertisements that 
do not name the captain or ship in which the goods were im- 
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