Articles tagged with EIC

Dalton: Ten Years in England

Dalton's Life of Thomas Pitt, Chapter 5

Dalton has relatively little to go on for his un-imaginatively titled chapter, Ten years in England. As a result, he yields to the temptation to spin out what speculations he can.

Unreliable dates

In 1688 he bought from James Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, the manor of Stratford under the Castle, and was returned as member for Old Sarum in the election of the Convention Parliament, and for New Sarum (Salisbury) in the Parliament of 1690. In 1691 he became the owner of the site of Old Sarum, and the votes attached to it, thereby securing the representation of the borough for himself and his heirs. p. 69

In fact his election in 1690 at Old Sarum was overturned. He did not gain control of that borough until a later date, and the last contested election there was not until 1705.

Question of motivation …

Foundation for Empire (2)

The economics of the East India trade

An obvious aspect of mercantile activity, but one which will bear reiteration, is that the faster a merchant's capital is turned over, the smaller the amounts of money capital the merchant must employ. Conversely, the more slowly it is turned over, the larger this portion. The problems of the long-distance overseas trade were different from those in the domestic and European trades. The merchant's capital invested in his activities was employed for a much greater length of time, which increased the farther afield his ventures went. Furthermore, the greater distances put the investments at greater risk. The distances over which mercantile capital was employed thus became the material basis in the period of circulation. Watson 1980, p. 13

Watson defines primary costs as the direct payments made to purchase goods in Asia and bring them to market in London, and secondary costs as …

Extracts from 1689 HOC Journal

Extracts from the 1689 House of Commons Journal concerning complaints against the East India Company.

25 May

And the Counsel for the East India Company delivered in a Narrative of the Rebellion, or Tumult, which happened 21 October 1684, dated at St. Helena, 27 December 1684

8 June

Resolved that those who ordered martial law at St Helena (the Company refusing to reveal who had signed the order) not be covered by the general act of indemnity for these crimes.

13 July

Petition of Martha Bolton, Widow, was read; setting forth, That George Sheldon, her Brother, and one Gabriel Powell, Two of the Nine Persons condemned by Martial Law at Sancta Hellena, having, in December last, delivered to one Captain Dore, (then coming for England), a Petition to the late King James; setting forth, The ill Usage they had from the East India Company, and their Agents; whereof as soon …