A Contribution to the Konwledge of the Dubrovnik Maritime Affaire after the French Occupation (1806—1813)

Posljedice francuske okupacije Dubrovačke Republike vrlo su se štetno odrazile ne samo na njezinu trgovačku mornaricu nego i na njezin politički život. Ponajprije Rusi, a kasnije poglavito Englezi, svojim zapljenama reducirali su dubrovačko razgranate brodarstvo na vrlo malene razmjere. Od jake trgovačke mornarice, koja je samo u izvanjadranskoj plovidbi imala oko 300 brodova, računalo se da je gotovo sve propalo osim nešto malo što se uspjelo budzašto prodati. U obalnoj plovidbi ostalo je malo više od pedesetak manjih brodova, među kojima prevladavaju gotovo isključivo same bracere. Prekinuta je svaka plovidba dalje od Krfa, a pomorska trgovina ograničena je samo na Jadransko more. Engleska pomorsko-privredna blokada bila je vrlo uspješna i u njoj je stradalo mnogo dubrovačkih brodova i njihovih tereta. Dubrovačka je brodogradnja također u tom ratnom sukobu pre­trpjela veliku štetu, tako da je od njezine prijašnje djelatnosti vrlo malo ostalo. S političke pak strane posljedice su još tragičnije. Ne samo da je u siječnju 1808. ukinut njezin nezavisni politički život nego nakon odlaska Francuza taj više nikad nije bio obnovljen.The author divided his work into four chapters. In the first he gives the number of ships of the Dubrovnik merchant marine before the French occupation. At those times the Dubrovnik Republic had about 300 ships sailing outside the Adriatic. From the documents in the Historical Archives of Dubrovnik the author follows their destiny. Because of the French occupation of their native port, they were confiscated by the Russians. Some ships outside the Adriatic took shelter at various Mediterranean ports. Being unemployed they were left to ruin and their owners had to sell them dirty cheap. An the second chapter the author deals with the confiscation of Dubrovnik ships mostly effected by the English. The value of the Island of Vis for the English, in this war conflict, is particularly pointed out here. In the third chapter the importance of Dubrovnik forests for the French is emphasized. Some data on shipbuilding, very mean now in comparison with the previous activities in the Republic, are given. In the last chapter the author managed to state the number of Dubrovnik ships that the French disposed of. He says that the French, according to the statistics of 1810, had in Dubrovnik ships of coastal navigation, most of them being of smaller size. He gives, too, the sorts of goods that were imported to Dubrovnik from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Bay of Kotor and Albania, and of those exported to the ports of Italy and East Adriatic. Beside these, goods produced on the territory of the former Dubrovnik Republic were exported, too. Salt was mainly imported from the Italian ports for the needs of the people and French soldiers. At the end of his work the author gives two tabular statements, one of arrivals and the other of departures of ships from the Dubrovnik port for some periods of 1811