John Smith, Lord Fitzwarren, leaned back on his chair, listened to the wind roaring in the flue, dipped his quill in the inkwell, and perused the bill of lading. He smiled, thinking such documents appeared like works of art rather than necessary receipts given by a shipmaster. The bill of lading acknowledged the shipmaster had accepted a quantity of merchandise and promised delivery.
This bill was engraved with a picture of a three-masted ship in both top corners and the name John Smith & Company, Leadenhall Street, London, across the top centre in beautiful copperplate writing. As with all Smith’s bills of lading, the first line of printed text ran: “Shipped by the Grace of God in good order and condition” and continued with the ship’s name, handwritten, in this instance, “Martha of Norf
