ABSTRACT
Between Thomas Bowyear’s mission at the end of the previous century and the withdrawal of the English from Burma in 1744 as a result of the destruction of the Syriam factory by the rebellious Talaings, no important negotiations were carried on between Fort St. George and Ava. The connexion with Syriam was maintained chiefly for shipbuilding purposes; but the private trade between Madras and Syriam was by no means negligible, and served to swell the Fort St. George Customs returns. With regard to the Company’s shipbuilding activities at Syriam, the Fort St. George records contain ample details. Between 1730 and 1740 we have record of six ships built for the Company in the Syriam dockyard. After several years of experiment, however, the Company came to the conclusion that Syriam was not a good place for shipbuilding. The destruction of the English factory at Syriam in 1743 rings down the curtain upon the early relations of the East India Company with Burma.
