Precious Metals and Commerce

Precious metals played a key role in inter-continental trade between Europe and Asia in the early modern period. An assured supply of these metal was indeed a pre-requisite to the procurement of Asian goods such as spices, textiles and raw silk. Once these metals had been imported into Asia, they were converted into the coinage of the country concerned. The 'bullion for goods' pattern of trade had important implications for the level of output, income, employment and prices in the Asian societies. This collection of essays by Professor Om Prakash explores these issues in relation mainly to the Dutch East India Company. Given the scale of its operations, as well as its unique character as the only European corporate group to engage in large scale intra-Asian trade as an integral part of its overall trading strategy, the VOC is a particularly appropriate medium through which to analyse these issues. Les mtaux prcieux jourent in rle clef dans le commerce international entre lEurope et lAsie au dbut de la priode moderne. La prsence dun stock assur de ces mtaux tait, en effet, un facteur ncessaire afin de se procurer des produits asiatiques tels les pices, les textiles et la soie grge. Une fois imports en Asie, ces mtaux taient convertis dans le monnaie du pays concern. La structure commerciale du bullion for goods avait des implications importantes en ce qui concernait le niveau de production, lemploi et les prix au sein des socits asiatiques. Cette collestion dessais du professeur Om Prakash explore ces questions en relation plus particulirement avec la conpagnie hollandaise dInde Orientale. Etant donne lenvergure de ses oprations, ainsi que son caractre unique en tant que seule corporation europenne engage dans un commerciale, le VOC est un particulirement bon exemple travers lequel analyser ces questions.