portant matters to engage his attention at the time in the shape of rebellions in Cooch Behar and Assam, which necessitated his leading an expedition to those regions. As things turned out the difficulty was settled by the release of the ship and the tendering of a humble apology.
The Restoration, which had given the English Bombay and had brought in its train for the Company a new charter of a far-reaching kind, empowering the Company to build fortifications, raise troops and make war on non-Christian powers, strengthened materially the influences which were at work for the opening up of the Bengal trade. Sir Edward Winter, who had been sent out as President of Fort St. George to reorganize the factories in Madras and Bengal, early came to the conclusion that a bold and even aggressive policy must be adopted both on the Coromandel Coast and in Bengal if the Company was to hold its own. He advocated that the Dutch example should be followed of maintaining a powerful naval force to keep the native authorities in awe and ensure protection for trade. His conclusions were sound as events proved, but the Directors in London took alarm at his ambitious schemes and sent out in 1665 Mr. George Foxcroft to supersede him. It was an arbitrary measure, which led to one of the most extraordinary episodes which are to be found in the chequered history of the English in India.
Foxcroft, with his son Nathaniel, on landing in Madras met with a very cool reception from the local English community who were in entire sympathy with Winter's aims. Defects of temperament on the side of the Foxcrofts added as time went on to their unpopularity. They were Puritans, or had been, and what was worse, they were, to use the cant of the time, Levellers. One day in a discussion over
