ABSTRACT
I n April 1762 Captain Richard Kempenfelt, then in command of HM S Norfolk, sent a letter from Madras to Admiral Pocock, his old Commander-in-Chief. ‘The Company,5 he wrote, ‘has a fair field open to them now to Establish their Trade upon an advantageous footing, but I apprehend it will require a nice Judgment and Dexterous Management to Effect this, in such a manner as not too much to alarm and raise the jealousy of other European states. It must not be my attempting to ingrose much but by a Moderate and Judicious choise of what trade they take to themselves and of the Places they Establish Setdements at. I find we may if we please have a share in the Spice Trade without interfering with those Islands the Dutch have settlements at, as in the S.E. part of those Seas are many islands probably not known to the Dutch abounding with spices some of them producing Cinnamon equal to that of Ceylone besides several other Commodities for Commerce. These discoverys have been made by a young Gentleman of This Settlement (Dalrimple) He is lately returned here having been absent amongst these Islands three years in the Cuddalore Schooner to make discoveryes and observations.51
