With numerous posts in eastern India, the British were able to purchase and trade goods that would otherwise not be available , such as tea, opium, silk and porcelain. Before government control, the British East India Company was able to compete both economically and militarily. In the following pages I hope to explain how this trading company flourished between 1600 and 1800 and the impact the British government had in suppressing the company. The British East India Company was a trading movement started in 1600 by Queen Elizabeth I. There had previously been companies interested in trading with the East Indies, such as the Duth East India Company. The English saw how trading in the rare commodity that others were could help them become rich. Because the Dutch had already begun trading, the English would learn that they were not welcome. I believe Queen Elizabeth was trying to make London more "popular", because before that it was insignificant. Having been one of the most influential trading companies in England, it was sad to see that it was subsequently taken over by the British government and went bankrupt. Sailors were so excited about the new charter and the opportunity to use their new talents in the act of sailing long distances. There were earlier records that the British were moving west, but this was new territory. The first voyage took place in 1601 and was led by Sir James Lancaster, appointed by the Queen. A total of £72,000 was raised which provided supplies for the four ships sent in 1600. The five ships were the Red Dragon on which Lancaster was, the Hector, the Ascension, the Guest and the Susan which housed a total of 480 men. . The Guest was added as a container to hold food and supplies that would be contained in paper......ns, 1857. This source was pretty cool. It was a list of Parliamentary Papers of 1857-1858 and I was able to use it to explain the India Act of 1857Roy, Kaushik. Army in British India: from colonial war to total war 1857-1947. Huntingdon: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012. Roy has a crazy first name that I would never try to pronounce and that helped me break the sieges. It was quite descriptive and I enjoyed reading the book.St. John, Ian. The Creation of the Raj: India under the East India Company. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, 2012.eBook Academic Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed April 2, 2014). This book, I found this book while I was at MKE airport during spring break. I had no money so I couldn't buy it. I was very excited when I found it online, because what I read about it at the bookstore was very informative..