The Aravidu Dynasty of Vijayanagara, Vol. I v1.c27.26

v1.c27.26

But the Dutch were not then the only rivals of the Portuguese in the Eastern seas. Early in 1527, Robert Thorne, a merchant of Bristol, had addressed a memorandum to King Henry VIII of England advising the opening of a route to India by the North-West 3. But the attempts made through this route proved a failure. Subsequently, from 1580 to 1584, several letters were received in London, spurring the merchants of the place once more to try a new route to India: such letters had been written by the Jesuit Father Thomas Stephens, the first Englishman who set foot in India. In one of them, dated October 24th, 1583, he describes several kinds of fruits and other productions of Salsette and Goa 4. Such a description was a tacit invitation to the enterprising British traders. Accordingly, after an unsuccessful attempt of Sir Robert Dudley in 1596, a large number of English merchants formed themselves into an association and subscribed upwards of £ 30,000 in support of the undertaking. A Charter of Incorporation was granted by Queen Elizabeth to George, Earl of Cumberland, and two hundred and fifteen Knights, aldermen and merchants, under the name of 'The Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading into the East Indies'. The first expedition of this Company, under Captain Lancaster, sailed from Wollwhich, on February 13th, 1601, but it did not reach India. In 1604 a second attempt was made under the command of Henry Middleton but with no better results. Finally a third expedition was sent, and Captain Hawkins its commander, landed at Surat, proceeding thence to the court of the Mughal Emperor. New voyages to the East Indies were subsequently made almost every year ¹.