... permissions and the Portuguese connived, the British took to backing up their local requests with threats of force. By 1639, English traders were established on the east coast, too, leasing for 600 a year a harborless beach just five miles long and one mile wide, which they christened Fort St. George (later ... as they wished, selling silver and devices like clocks and firearms in return for cotton, spices, silk, indigo, jewels and opium. Before long the East India Company was one of the largest employers in London. In India, its major settlements developed into self-sufficient communitie...

• Word Count: 5127
• Approx Pages: 21
• Grade Level: Undergraduate