During the 18th century, the British presence in India changed dramatically. Trading enclaves in the coast conquered major provinces and, for the first time, large sections of the Indian population came under British rule. The essays in this volume focus on the great transformation and offer interpretations of it. They explore the link between commercial expansion and military conquest, between the policies of the East India Company and the personal interests of its servants, and between the Englishmen and the Indians who did business with them or offered their services as administrators. Bengal was the first great prize of British territorial expansion, and Bengal and Calcutta featue prominently in this collection.