An announcement reported that the Dutch coppered brig ship Gouverneur van Swieten captain A. van der Harst is lying at Rotterdam destined towards Batavia. For more details could be asked at shipbrokers Kuyper Van Dam&Smeer and owner H. van Rijckevorsel.(1)
Note
1. W.J.L. Poelmans. Nieuwsberichten uit de Rotterdamsche Courant, 1857. Rotterdams Jaarboekje, 1924. 18 September brig ship Gouverneur van Swieten of 225 Javalasten launched at the shipyard of Gebr. Visser for H. van Rijckevorsel for the Transatlantic shipping. The editon dated the 19th said 223 Java lasten. In 1826 was the standard to calculate the cargo capacity of a ship the so-called roggelast (rogge=rye) of 2.075 kilo’s. In 1827 made the Nederlandsche Handels Maatschappij a list of all colonial products with their weights corresponding with the space needed for one roggelast. This became known as the Java last. For instance the weight of a Java last tea was 1.000 kilo, of pepper 1.600, of rice 2.000 and of coffee 1.500 kilo (in the practice in fact 1.800). Huibert van Rijckevorsel (23 October 1813 Rotterdam-19 January 1866 Préfargier) merchant-ship owner major financer of the Dutch newspaper Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant of which he was president-commissioner Married on 23 October to Elise Susanne Marie Schmidt (1821-1893). Consul for Venezuela in Rotterdam since 1851 and consul general for Costa Rica in the Netherlands since 1854. The edition dated 23 October 1857 described her as new, coppered and copper tightened and to depart last half of October towards Padang with as captain A, van der Harst. Sufficient passenger accommodation.
