(^154) THE WEALTH AND POVERTY OF NATIONS
ordinary merchants. Arbitrary levies turned the intruders to thoughts
of violence. One vexed Englishman said it straight in 1752: "Clive,
'twould be a good thing to swinge the old dog [the Nawab] ... the
Company must think seriously of it, or twill not be worth their while
to trade in Bengal."^5 And Clive thought seriously.
In India the English learned that Asia had more and better to trade
than spices. In particular, India produced the world's finest cotton
yarn and textiles, and the English were quick to seize the opportunity.
Here they left their rivals behind. The Portuguese had shown litde in
terest in these products, and even the Dutch were slow to catch on. But
the East India Company (EIC) decided to push cotton fabrics and
make a market: "calicoes are a commodity whereof the use is not gen
erally known, the vent must be forced and trial made into all ports."^6
This vent had traditionally been directed toward regional buyers in
Indonesia and Southeast Asia, who exchanged spices and other local
goods for Indian cloth. Like the Dutch, the English continued this pat
tern, for they had litde of their own to sell and cottons thus furnished
vital means of payment. (England's woolens had litde appeal in climates
where the problem was to stay cool rather than keep warm.) But the
EIC's momentous innovation lay in introducing these cottons to Eu
rope. In 1619-21 the VOC was shipping some 12,000 pieces of cal
ico to the Netherlands; the EIC was up to 221,500 pieces by 1625.
Then, after a slow period of digestion and retrenchment, the trade
took off toward the end of the century: some 200,000 pieces a year in
the late 1660s; 578,000 in the 1670s; 707,000 in the 1680s. The
Dutch followed suit, but remained at half or less of English levels.^7
Indian cottons transformed the dress of Europe and its overseas off
shoots. Lighter and cheaper than woolens, more decorative (by dyeing
or printing), easier to clean and change, cotton was made for a new
wide world. Even in cold climes, the suitability of cotton for underwear
transformed the standards of cleanliness, comfort, and health. In the
American plantations, it answered perfectiy; as some Jamaica traders
put it (1704): "... the said island being situated in a hot climate,
much of the clothing of the inhabitants is stained callicoes, which being
light and cheap and capable of often washing contributes very much
to the keeping them clean and in health."^8 Here was a commodity of
such broad and elastic demand that it could drive an industrial revo
lution.
So the English bought cotton piece goods and to a lesser extent raw
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