Page 42 - Dutch Ships in Tropical Waters
P. 42
From the Dutch gradually gained great economic strength through their position in Japan. Apart from a short period between and , when the Dutch were in conflict with the Japanese authorities on account of Taiwan, the VOC was privileged above the other Euro- pean nations. After the Tokugawa dynasty isolated itself from the outside world in , they were the only Europeans allowed to trade with Japan. The Japanese authorities prohibited their people to travel to other countries. They were afraid that Japanese society would be contami- nated by foreign (i.e. Christian) ideas. Since Chinese traders were also obstructed in both Japan and China, the Dutch were virtually the only foreign traders with access to Japan, under ex- treme restricted conditions (were confined to a artificial island off Nagasaki, Deshima). Japa- nese silver, copper and gold were important products on the Asian market and the Dutch had an advantage over their competitors in that they did not need to transport all these precious The western region is comprised of the important trade area of the Bay of Bengal with the Coast of Coromandel on the east coast of India and Ceylon in the south. The second important part of this region includes the Arabian Sea, the west coast of India, Surat and destinations in Persia and Arabia. metals from Europe for trading purposes ury items, were used to purchase textiles from India; these formed the most important barter- ing products for pepper and spices. This system formed a very lucrative profit cycle even though the Dutch did not control prices on the Japanese market. The situation in the western region . Japanese precious metals, traded for silk and lux- Hougly Bengal (44) Machilipatnam Coromandel Coast (43) Pulicat (Paleacatte) Tuticorin Gulf of Manar (41) Sri Lanka (42) Colombo Galle Pegu Martaban Myanmar (Arakan) (45) Bay of Bengal Andaman Islands (46) Map .: The western region: Bay of Bengal, indicating the shipping routes. Dutch Ships in Tropical Waters Nagappattinam (Negapatnam)
