Shipping abbreviations

[pwholt]

In the 1870s, Gore's Liverpool General Advertiser lists ships arriving in the city and the details of the cargo. All of this would have been off-loaded by hand, of course. The containers are listed in abbreviated form. I can work out brls as barrels, and bxs as boxes but what about cs, hf cs and bris ? The contents were currants and sultanas from Greece. Might cs be casks? Suggestions appreciated. pwholt

[Sue Mackay]

Could hf cs be half casks, ie smaller ones?

Could bris actually be brls (barrels) but the pen spluttered making the L look like a dotted I?

[pwholt]

I think hf cs might well be half casks. The information is printed and bris appears several times, so I don't think it is a case of faulty writing or penmanship. Still hoping for a suggestion on this one. pwholt