ABSTRACT
The 17th century saw official, state-level negotiations for trade concessions by the newer entrants into Asian waters, the English and the Dutch. New kinds of travel writing ensued — some official, some semi-official, and many increasingly judgemental. It is in these accounts that many of the stereotypes outlined earlier become much more firmly grounded. The number of travellers who came on official or semi-official work, or accompanied those who were on official work, increased tremendously in this century. This chapter therefore examines the accounts of travellers and officials like Pietro della Valle, Thomas Roe, Edward Terry, and Peter Mundy, among others.
