Britain's timber imports from the Baltic, 1775–1830

Abstract

The English consul in Elsinore reported to the Board of Trade in 1805 that in the previous year, 5548 vessels had traversed the Sound en route westwards from the Baltic. Of this total, 1629 had been carrying timber (chiefly balks and deals), and of these latter, 1113 had been destined for England.¹ Accordingly these constituted a common category among the vessels making the westward passage of the Sound. The Industrial Revolution was underway in England, Holland had lost its position as a trading center, and timber was a bulky cargo.