Chapter 661 Monopoly on Mediterranean Trade
"I understand your good wishes." Melka Mohammed supported his big white hair, straightened his back and said, "But the great Sultan has decided that our country's trade will be fully aligned with the United Kingdom. .”
Talleyrand shook his head: "The girl you are obsessed with may still be smiling sweetly at you, but what you may not know is that she turned around and went to have a tryst with your enemy.
"Ah, I mean, the person who robbed the Northern Xinjiang Peninsula from your home."
The northernmost peninsula of the Ottoman Empire was Crimea, so he was obviously referring to Russia.
Melka Mohammed narrowed his eyes: "The trade between Britain and Russia has always been very close, but this does not affect the increasing number of British merchant ships coming to Constantiniya.
"Moreover, Britain's huge commercial influence on Russia may at some point be used to help us check and balance Russia."
"Haha," Talleyrand laughed heartily, "You actually have expectations for a woman who has changed her heart?
"Oh, you just mentioned merchant ships.
"I almost forgot. The main reason I came to see you this time is to talk about the merchant ship."
A look of displeasure flashed across the face of the Ottoman Grand Vizier: "Although your country has obtained port control of Tunis and Tripoli through some improper methods, British merchant ships can completely bypass these places," added Mitijah Paddlers and then straight to Constantiniya ”
"I must remind you that our country is only suppressing pirates. Moreover, these pirates are all from Anatolia. The Duke of Tunisia was grateful for our country's just act and decided to be loyal to His Majesty the King." Talleyrand said righteously at first. He retorted righteously and put on his business expression again,
"Let's go back to the merchant ship. You should know very well that the oarsmen who board the ship from Mitiga will exhaust their energy by reaching Egypt at most. After that, they will either stay in Alexandria for several days, or pick up new oarsmen there. .
"Either way, transportation costs will increase significantly."
Melka Mohammed seemed to have lost his patience: "This cost is acceptable, Mr. Talleyrand. If you plan to use this as a bargaining chip, I'm afraid..."
Talleyrand took a deep breath of the aroma of coffee in the cup and showed an intoxicated look: "You can't drink such a fragrant coffee in the Palace of Versailles. Oh, if this cup of coffee can be shipped to France within 6 days, I believe it will be great." The selling price can be as high as 1 franc.”
"Six days?" The Grand Vizier shook his head, "Emergency sailing cannot reach this speed, and that will make the cost of this cup of coffee exceed 8 francs."
When people mention coffee, most people think of the coffee culture in Europe, and subconsciously think that it is the center of the coffee trade.
In fact, Osman was the coffee overlord at this time. From Yemen to Ethiopia, the Ottomans produced more than a third of Europe's coffee needs. These coffees were also an important export commodity for the Ottomans.
Less than a hundred years ago, this number was 90%! It was not until Indonesia and the Americas began to plant coffee on a large scale that the Ottoman monopoly was broken. However, Yemeni coffee can still stand out among the others in terms of quality and price.
The "emergency voyage" mentioned by Melka Mohammed refers to allowing the ship to pass through the Mediterranean Sea at the fastest speed regardless of the life or death of the oarsmen. This is usually only used to convey urgent messages.
And if used in the commercial field, the cost will be unacceptably high.
Just like the 8 franc coffee he just mentioned. The price in the Ottoman Levant port would not exceed 2 sous, the rest was the cost of the rower.
Talleyrand shook his coffee cup contentedly and said with a smile: "What if my merchant ship can maintain a speed of more than 8 knots without using oarsmen?" "How is this possible?" Melka Mohammed was nonchalant. Said, "You can't go so fast with sails alone."
"Yes. However, we can rely on coal. Brittany's steamship has begun production, and it only takes 6 days to arrive here from France." Talleyrand looked at him, his tone was quite proud.
He laughed: "The cost is only slightly higher than that of an ordinary galley. Oh, and if a British ship is replenished in Algiers, the cost is even higher than that of a steam ship."
Yes, the main arena for steam paddle steamers was river navigation, but they were perfectly fine in the calm Mediterranean.
Of course, currently only Tunisia has a small number of coal mines along the Mediterranean coast, so it is very difficult to add coal along the way. Merchant ships were able to carry large amounts of coal on voyages, resulting in lower cargo volumes.
But this did not prevent Talleyrand from impressing the Ottomans with bright prospects.
He had previously signed an agreement with Mohammed to promote trade. When he returned to Marseille, he heard the news that the Brest Shipyard had begun producing steam paddle steamers, and he immediately realized that this could be used to re-negotiate trade with the Ottomans.
However, the main reason for his eagerness to return to Constantiniya was that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had given him a diplomatic mission related to the situation in Poland.
Melaka Mohammed's eyes widened immediately: "Are you serious?"
"You see, I am the most honest person." Talleyrand gestured to the west, "A steam transport ship will arrive at the port in three days. You can go and see for yourself.
"Oh, that ship just set out from Nantes when I left Marseille. It crossed most of France, but it was only 3 days behind me."
Melaka Mohammed's heart suddenly stirred up a storm.
If there is such a ship that does not require rowers and can maintain high speed, it is foreseeable that shipping in the Mediterranean will soon be monopolized by it!
You know, the biggest factor restricting a galley is not the cost, but the oarsmen.
Whether it is Alexandria or the Levant port, you can see a large number of merchant ships queuing up every day waiting to hire oarsmen. Of course, wealthy shipowners would buy slaves to row oars, but the cost would be sky-high, and the slaves would have to rest frequently to replenish their strength.
Therefore, any cargo owner who wants to transport goods to Italy or France will definitely choose a steamship with no restrictions on sailing.
What's more, the speed of steam ships is much faster - it usually takes 12 days or even half a month for an ordinary galley to go from Constantiniya to Marseille.
No wonder the lame man in front of him confidently said that France would be the Ottomans' largest trading partner.
It is true that they cannot eat a whole sheep, but in the future, the meat in their store may have to be transported and sold on their ships.
With such a large cost and efficiency gap, any ban will be useless. Ottoman merchant ships transported goods from the port and were immediately handed over to steam ships anchored in the open sea. Anyone who does not do this will lose their competitiveness in front of their peers.
The Grand Vizier suddenly thought of a question and raised his hand to press Talleyrand's coffee cup: "The British will not sit back and watch you monopolize Mediterranean shipping. Their fleet will control the entire Aegean Sea to the Gulf of Sirte."
(End of chapter)