The Dutch newspaper Zierikzeesche Courant dated Wesnesday 7 July 1852 published the next item dated Zierikzee, 6 July. In the afternoon of yesterday was with success of the yard of C. Smit the bark ship Drie Vrienden of 450 Java-lasten (1) built by shipbuilder C. Mak launched. She was destined for the Dutch East Indies trade shipping on behalf of the company of de Jonge&Keller of Zierikzee. Immediately after the launching was the keel laid down of the bark ship Marinus Willem on behalf of the same company. The latter ship was according to another Dutch newspaper Sheboygan Nieuwsbode dated Tuesday 6 June 1854 with success launched in the afternoon of 29 April. Her measurement was 334 lasten and her master P. van Duyn.
Note
1. 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).
