Most people today
have heard of the British East India Company (EIC) even
though it closed its doors in 1833. From 1600 until its
demise, it profoundly impacted not just England but the
world. Its vessels made more than 4,000 voyages between
London and Asia, brought exotic imports of tea,
porcelain, and textiles home, and devised a complex
system of trade that brought other peoples under British
rule. Monsoon Traders, a companion book
to the National Maritime Museum’s new permanent gallery
“Traders: the East India Company and Asia” (NMM),
explores the history of the EIC through a series of
essays generously illustrated with gorgeous color
photographs of artifacts and paintings from the museum’s
collection.
John McAleer, Curator of
Imperial and Maritime History at the NMM, pens the
introduction, which is a concise and well-written
overview of how the EIC came to be, its early trading
days, and the company’s maritime world, which
incorporated not only the actual business of trade, but
also diplomacy and war. He also writes the second
chapter “Places far remote . . . cause much expectation”
that covers two centuries of encounters and diplomacy in
Asia. This chapter also looks at how England received
the strange and exotic offerings from the regions. His
chapter four, “In trade as in warfare,” examines the
conflicts and conquests that occurred in the Indian
Ocean between 1600 and 1815. This chapter includes a
section on piracy and how it impacted the trade routes
the EIC used. Among the pirates mentioned are the
Barbary corsairs, the Angrians, and William Kidd.
H. V. Bowen is Professor of
Modern History at Swansea University and one of his
special research areas is the EIC. He writes the first
chapter, “Uncertain Beginnings,” which discusses the EIC
from 1600 to 1709. One of the key points this essay, and
the book, focuses on is that on entering Asian waters,
unlike those of the New World, “they entered a very
different extended maritime space that was already
defined by the existence of a series of long-standing,
complex and interconnected regional maritime economies.” (24) This presented unexpected
challenges and kept them at arm’s distance rather than
permitting them to control and influence the region’s
development. The other point that Bowen brings out is
the fact that while we think of the EIC as a
well-developed monopoly, that description didn’t apply
to the early days of the company.
“The most illustrious and
most flourishing commercial organization that ever
existed” is also written by Bowen and focuses on the EIC
empire from 1709 through 1833, a time when the company
became “a sovereign as well as a trader” and “corruption
and misrule” eventually filtered back to England. One
intriguing element of this chapter is his examination of
East India house, which includes the building itself as
well as its sphere of influence on London and its
people. This section includes a painting by William
Daniel that depicts the fascinating contrast between
Western architecture and waters filled with junks and
other Asian watercraft in Canton. Bowen also discusses
the actual voyages and the dangers and conditions seamen
endured while sailing for the EIC.
The final chapter, “Smoke,
and flame, and thunder,” examines the demise of the EIC
and its legacies. It is written by Robert J. Blyth, who
is also a Curator of Imperial and Maritime History at
the NMM. He begins with the loss of the EIC’s charter
and its monopoly on trade with Asia, then explores the
First China War, anti-piracy campaigns and the Second
China War, the Indian Mutiny, the final days of the
company, and how technology impacted trade with Asia.
Nearly every page
includes artwork, and the book opens with two maps. The
first depicts the EIC’s maritime world from 1600-1858,
while the second focuses on India, China, and Indonesia.
Each chapter ends with a conclusion, and the book
contains notes, a bibliography for further reading, and
an index. Monsoon Traders is a clear
and absorbing look at the EIC and offers readers a
succinct and rewarding introduction to the company and
its influence and impact on the world.
Review Copyrighted ©2012
Cindy Vallar
Pirates
and Privateers
