Society for Navigation on Essequibo and adjacent Rivers

Sociëteit ter Navigatie op Essequebo en annexe Rivieren or SNER

Logo of the SNER, source: Zeeuws Archief, 87, Verzameling Verheye van Citters, inv.nr. 51d
Detail of a painting of the frigate Essequebo Sociëteit on the roadsted of Flushing, oil on canvas, Engel Hoogerheyden, 1772. Collection Scheepvaartmuseum Amsterdam, object A.1171.
Native name	Sociëteyt ter Navigatie op Essequebo en annexe Rivieren
Company type	Chartered company
Industry	Consumer goods
Founded	1 March 1771 (1771-03-01)
Defunct	1 January 1788 (1788-01-01)
Headquarters	Middelburg , The Dutch Republic
Key people	Board of Directors: Cornelis van den Helm Boddaert P.C. van Visvliet Daniël Radermacher
Products	Sugar cocoa coffee cotton
Operating income	fl. 320,000
Number of employees	unknown

The Society for Navigation on Essequibo and adjacent Rivers was a Dutch organization headquartered in Middelburg, founded in 1771 and disestablished in 1788. The objective of the society was to equip ships to Essequibo, which made the SNER a shipping company that exclusively transported goods.

The Board of Directors of the Sociëteit ter Navigatie op Essequebo en annexe Rivieren (Society for Navigation on Essequibo and adjacent Rivers) was led by five men. The directors received compensation and a percentage of the dividend paid out. Cornelis van den Helm Boddaert became president. Meetings were held in the house of the appointed accountant. This postal address was that of P.C. van Visvliet in the Brakstraat. Another participant was Daniël Radermacher. Half of the investment capital had to be present before March 1771 and this goal was achieved.

History

Foundation

Only residents of Zeeland had the right to trade on Essequibo River and Demerara River based on the transfer of 1670. Willem V blocked that decision with a regulation that came into effect on 1 January 1771. Zeeland did have the right to first equip 16 ships and ships also had to sail from Zeeland and unload their return cargo there. However, that regulation was adjusted in such a way that ships could also be sailed from other chambers. The Middelburg merchants then put their heads together to start their own company. 185 merchants subscribed for an amount of 320,000 guilders, and in addition the participants Johan Adriaan van de Perre de Nieuwerve (representative of the First Noble, for 15,000 guilders), the MCC and the ropewalk yards ‘’Fortuyn’’ and ‘’Swarte Kabel’’ and the city government (for 24,000 guilders) also contributed.

In the first two years, six ships were purchased: the Phoenix (Phenix), Planterslust (Planters delight), Vreede (Peace), Eensgezindheid (Unity), Middelburgs Hoop (Middelburgs hope) and Westhove. The frigate Essquebo Societeit (Essequibo Society) was being build and was launched from the Middelburg slipway in 1772. The ships were insured with the Middelburg Assurantie Compagnie (Assurance Company), and the transported goods were assured by Amsterdam and Rotterdam companies. In 1778, the premium for a voyage was still 3%. Companies that shipped from Middelburg included the trading houses of Steven Schorer, De Bruijn & Smith, Van der Perre & Mijndert and Spoors & Sprengers, some of which also had their own ships.

Essequibo during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War

The colony Essequibo, map in: P.M. Netscher, Geschiedenis van de koloniën Essequebo, Demerary en Berbice, van de vestiging der Nederlanders aldaar tot op onzen tijd ('s-Gravenhage, 1888).

Captains Cornelis Loeff and Rochus van Swyndregt (skippers on the MCC ships Watergeus and Planterslust) declared before the Middelburg notary Andreas Schouten that on 27 February 1781 they were anchored in the Essequibo River with their own and some other ships. That day a Spanish ship brought the news of war and that several Dutch ships had already been captured by English privateers. Loeff went ashore to speak to Governor Trotz. He broke off the conversation, whereupon Loeff and the other six captains decided to leave their ships at anchor under the protection of the fort. There they waited for orders from Trotz to prepare their ships for battle. A reconnaissance unit sent by Trotz to Demerary soon returned with the news that Demerary had already fallen into English hands. Loeff wanted to defend his ship and promised 10,000 guilders. The crew wanted to know whether this money came from the MCC or the WIC. When Trotz announced that the captains had to react to the manoeuvres of the fortress in the event of an unexpected attack by the enemy, it was clear to them and Loeff that they would not receive any support. Loeff wanted to sail up the river in the hope that the English would not follow or find him there. Trotz, however, stopped his departure and on 3 March a small English fleet appeared in front of the fortress. After a short consultation, Trotz lowered the flag. This was also done on the Dutch ships, according to instructions. Without consultation, Trotz handed over the seven Dutch ships to the English. There was still some confusion because the soldiers of the fortress refused to serve under the English flag and threw away their guns under the cry vlag neer, dienst neer (flag down, service down). They did not want to serve again until the Dutch flag was raised, which Trotz agreed to, after which the Dutch flag was raised again, although the colony was already occupied by the English. The soldiers were then allowed to leave the fort with military honours.

Bankruptcy

A total of 360 voyages to the colonies were undertaken between 1771 and 1789, of which the Zeelanders accounted for 152 and the Amsterdammers 189. The first two financial years, a 3% dividend was paid out and 4,500 guilders remained in cash. After that,year losses were incurred annually until 1778. It was not until after 1779 that a profit was made again. When the colony fell on 3 February 1781, a total of 23 ships were captured by the British, four of which came from Zeeland: the Eensgezindheid (captain Andries Christiaan Doutz) loaded with flour; the Jonge Juffrouw Margaretha (captain Cornelis van Kakom) loaded with sugar, coffee and cotton; the Middelburgsche Hoop (captain Hans Theudels) loaded with sugar, coffee and cotton and the Vryheid (captain Peterse) loaded with sugar, coffee and cotton. After this, the financial situation of the SNER deteriorated. In 1788 it was decided to liquidate, for which Johan Valentijn Sprenger was appointed as curator. The debt was paid off by selling ships, so that the organization continued to exist for some time.

Captains

Captains who sailed for the SNER were: Wrister Pieterse Nap, Stoffel Different, Maarten van Lou, Barend Land, Frans Hansen, Cornelis Medendorp, Jan Clisser, Hans Theudels, Hendrik Medendorp, Rocus van Swijndregt, Andries Christiaan Doutz, Pieter Willem Prins, Pieter Harmszoon, Rocus Boom and Barend Goverts.

Sources

Literature

• A. Wisse, 'De overgave van Demerary en Essequibo in 1781', in: Historia. Maandschrift voor geschiedenis en kunstgeschiedenis 8 (1942) 191–192.
• Ruud Paesie, ‘De 'Societeyt ter Navigatie op Essequebo en annexe Rivieren' : op- en ondergang van een Zeeuwse rederij ‘, in: Maurits Ebben, Henk den Heijer en Joost Schokkenbroek (red), ‘’Alle streken van het kompas. Maritieme geschiedenis in Nederland‘’ (Zutphen, 2010) 295-316.
• Ruud Paesie, Sociëteit van Essequebo; op- en ondergang van een coöperatieve scheepvaartonderneming, 1771-1788 (Vlissingen, 2017).
• P.M. Netscher, Geschiedenis van de koloniën Essequebo, Demerary en Berbice, van de vestiging der Nederlanders aldaar tot op onzen tijd ('s-Gravenhage, 1888).

Archival sources

Zeeuws Archief, Middelburg

• 87 – Verheye van Citters, inv.nrs. 51d
• 255 – Familie Mathias-Pous-Tak van Poortvliet, inv.nrs. 314–318.
• 2802 - A.A. Brown, inv.nrs. 18, 25, 34, 35, 44, 55.