The Settlement Papers of Fenwick & Lal

≈ 4 min

Fenwick & Lal Ice Agents acts as the Calcutta receiving agent for New England ice shipped from Boston. Following the arrival of the brig Perseverance, Horace Fenwick has submitted a cargo settlement statement to the Bengal Ice Importers' Board, setting out the dates and terms of each stage of the consignment's handling. The Board has asked an independent auditor to verify the statement against the harbour and commercial records before releasing the agent's commission. All six lines must be checked; one date in the statement conflicts with what the records show.

The scene

Ice-trade agent's office, Calcutta, 1845

Source documents

Calcutta Harbour Master's Vessel Register, 1845
Outturn Survey Report, Perseverance, March 1845
Standing Agency Agreement, Fenwick & Lal and Tudor Ice Co., Boston
Boston Custom House Outward Clearance Certificate, Perseverance, 1844

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