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East India Company's Early Ships in India (Part II)

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  First Anglo Burmese War  Source:https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First-Anglo_Burmese_War.jpg The First Anglo Burmese War that took place from early march 1824 till late February 1826, placed great financial burden on the East India Company but reduced Burma and its rulers to a weak state from the level of a peer of the East India Company's British India. This had happened with other Indian kingdoms before and would happen with many kingdoms in the 19th century. The Charter Act of 1833 tried to create a more centralised form of governance in British India with the newly created position of Governor General of India and transformed the East India Company from a sole commercial entity with administrative powers to a Governing body with overwhelming governmental duties and responsibilities. It lost its monopoly over the two remaining items of tea and trade with China and soon the right to trade altogether. The Board of Control had full power over EIC but the territories were a

East India Company's Early Ships in India (Part I)

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  Early flag used by East India Company ships in 17th century.  ImageSource:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_East_India_Company#/media/File:British_East_India_Company_Flag_from_Downman.jpg Sea trade has always been more profitable than land trade. Land trade offers speed, so it can be more useful if the commodity being moved is perishable or if the value of the product is very high relative to its mass and size. Chinggis Khan used horses and feet to move his armies because the places he went to were contiguous, these horses also fought as part of the cavalry. The sea route would have been too long and his men would have been seasick and he used high speed horse couriers to relay messages and threats. Chinggis Khan often failed at sea. But he was no trader. His empire despite being massive was not bound by the logic of economics and trade between nations but military power and some diplomacy. Hence it was short lived and quickly fragmented. Sea trade offers benefit of cost and