| title: | The Export of Russian and Ingrian Timber via Narva to the Market of Amsterdam -the International Trade of Timber and Timber By-Products in the Last Quarter of the 17th Century |
|---|---|
| reg no: | ETF6039 |
| project type: | Estonian Science Foundation research grant |
| status: | accepted |
| institution: | Rahvusarhiivi Ajalooarhiiv |
| head of project: | Enn Küng |
| duration: | 01.01.2005 - 31.12.2008 |
| description: | The planned research project will enable to answer several particularly interesting questions of economic history. The study will not focus strictly on the business relationships of Narva, it will deal with the development of international trade capitalism and capitalist relationships on the example of a particular trade channel (from Russia via Narva to Amsterdam) and particular trade articles (timber and timber by-products). The primary aim of this project is to give a review of national timber trade policies in Sweden and Russia, and the conditions of fulfilling this policy on the local market, i.e. in Narva. Secondly, one has to trace the movement of goods from the places of their production (the forests of North-Western Russia and Ingermanland) to the place of stocking and remanufacturing at the mouth of the River Narva, and from there to the market of Amsterdam. Thirdly, the problems relating to the trading techniques and profits, i.e. marginal profits, price-differences between purchasing timber at the felling area, primary purchase and sale at the market of Narva, and the final sale at the market of Amsterdam, i.e. one has to differentiate between three kinds of prices: production, purchase and sale prices. What was the profit after subtraction of the custom duties, shipment costs, insurance fees and other so-called expenses (such as freighting and weighing the goods) from the income in relation to the invested capital? How big was the net profit? Keeping in mind that the shipment of large timber products (masts, beams) was more expensive than that of small-sized goods, the question would arise: with different timber products, how great was the part of one or another expenditure in the total cost? How much did the profits fluctuate throughout the whole period? What were the prognoses and speculations? It is also important to trace the activities of agents, purchasers, and representatives both at the places of production and selling. Several intermediaries existed: the owner of the wood, the feller, the transporter, the purchaser, the mediator, sea transport, insurance company, the stock broker, the speculant, the purchaser, the consumer. Also, one has to try to answer the question, whether the capacious timber trade through Narva depended only on the existence of subscriber in Western Europe or was the main factor the local liberal trading conditions for foreign merchants arranged by the state. One has also to consider the attitude of the Russian Czar towards exporting highly demanded Russian goods via the Baltic instead of Archangel. Since the project includes various regions, one of its aims is to follow the controversies aroused by that. |
| project group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no | name | institution | position | |
| 1. | Enn Küng | Rahvusarhiivi Ajalooarhiiv | Head of Department | |
| 2. | Kai Tafenau | Rahvusarhiiv | Archivist | |
| 3. | Jelena Vammus | Rahvusarhiiv | ||