This 1865 insurance receipt from
the Bombay Royal Insurance Company serves as a remarkable artifact of maritime
trade in colonial India. Issued in Calcutta on February 7th, it documents the
insurance of a cargo of sugar and rice valued at 12,600 Rupees. The goods were
transported via the steamship S.S. "Mula" to Bombay, highlighting the
active coastal trade routes of the era.
The document reveals the
sophisticated financial systems of the 19th century, utilizing the
Rupee-Anna-Pie currency. After a 1% premium was calculated, a 10% brokerage fee
was deducted and stamp duty added, resulting in a final payment of 119 Rupees,
14 Annas, and 3 Pies. Such precision reflects the formalization of insurance
practices under British rule.
Visually, the receipt is anchored
by a pink Queen Victoria revenue stamp, a requirement for legal validity after
the Crown assumed direct control of India. The involvement of H. Nosserwanjee
Cama & Co. as agents points to the significant role of Parsi merchant
families in brokering major trade deals between Indian traders and British
corporations.
A handwritten legal notation at the top adds a layer of mystery, marking the paper as "Exhibit F" for a court affidavit in 1866. This suggests that shortly after the voyage, the document became central to a legal dispute, ensuring its preservation as a bridge between 19th-century commerce and modern history.
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