Hello,

I was wondering if anybody could help translate this? Anything would be appreciated.

Thank you

by Steponas_Jonaitis

2 comments

  1. The handwriting is very loopy and the orthography is incorrect or outdated (kątrakt) so I have only a general gist of it, but it’s a contract between Kaietan Nagurski (nowadays this named is spelled Kajetan) and Marian Danilewicz (I’m not sure about Marian), who specialised in making kettles (majster kunsztu kotlarskiego).

    The contract is about making copper containers for brewing ‘okowita’ (aqua vitae)/spirytus and it describes how the containers should look like and goes into details about the copper itself, but I don’t really understand it because I don’t know anything about making spirits or kettles.

  2. it’s really hard for me to read most of those words and even when i read it i can’t really understand but it seems to be some kind of contract between Kajetan Nagurski, ensign of Šiauliai county, and Marcin Danilewicz, master of the boilermaker art.

    in the first part there is mentions of giving copper (i think it’s copper – modern polish word for copper is miedź but he’s spelling it “meidz”) to a beer brewery, flour, snakes. i think what follows is some instructions about the making of aqua vitae with spirit. something about a cauldron matching the size of a bania (i assume it means some big container for making the aforementioned aqua vitae). some bania proportions and if there was a need to make hats for the banias (he literally says hats) then send a message in 3 or 4 weeks. or something like that.

    in part number 2 there is something about a pound of copper, 3 thaler coins and other money and trade related words. the word Berlinki appears – Berlinki is a modern polish brand selling kabanos sausage – but i think it just means something like “Berlin money” in this text since it’s in a sentence “will pay with Berlinki. or Rubles”. then there is some ruble and polish złoty talk. exchanging copper made by Danilewicz and Danilewicz paying for pounds of something with 2-thaler coins.

    and part 3 – the last line – says something about tens of pounds of copper again

    if u really need to know exactly what that paper says u would need to get some polish historian used to working with sources like this (or i’m just super dumb and any pole that’s a little smart could decipher all of that)

    i assume u found this in some lithuanian museum or in your private collection since the author seems to be from late 18th century lithuania (there is a short wiki page about him and he says he’s a chorąży szalewski – okręg szalewski (Šiauliai county) is in lithuania)

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