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Dupleix, Joseph François

(Encyclopedia)Dupleix, Joseph François zhôzĕfˈ fräNswäˈ düplĕksˈ [key], 1697–1763, French colonial administrator in India. He went to India in 1721 as an officer of the French East India Company. In 173...

tea

(Encyclopedia)tea, tree or bush, its leaves, and the beverage made from these leaves. The plant (Camellia sinensis, Thea sinensis, or C. thea) is an evergreen related to the camellia and indigenous to Assam (India)...

Bengal

(Encyclopedia)Bengal bĕng-gôlˈ, bĕn– [key], region, 77,442 sq mi (200,575 sq km), E India and Bangladesh, on the Bay of Bengal. The inland section is mountainous, with peaks up to 12,000 ft (3,660 m) high in ...

Shah Alam

(Encyclopedia)Shah Alam shä äˈləm [key], 1728–1806, Mughal emperor of India (1759–1806). Driven out of Delhi in 1758, he nonetheless proclaimed himself emperor after the murder (1759) of his father, Alamgir...

Ellenborough, Edward Law, 1st earl of

(Encyclopedia)Ellenborough, Edward Law, 1st earl of ĕlˈənbûrˌə [key], 1790–1871, British statesman; son of the 1st Baron Ellenborough. He served as president of the Board of Control of the East India Compan...

Canning, Charles John Canning, Earl

(Encyclopedia)Canning, Charles John Canning, Earl, 1812–62, British statesman; third son of George Canning. Succeeding to the peerage conferred on his mother, he took his seat as Viscount Canning in the House of ...

Vries, David Pietersen de

(Encyclopedia)Vries, David Pietersen de də vrēs [key], b. c.1593, Dutch merchant captain and colonizer. An experienced mariner, Vries, in partnership with directors of the Dutch West India Company, founded (1631...

Van Rensselaer, Kiliaen

(Encyclopedia)Van Rensselaer, Kiliaen kēˈlēän văn rĕnˈsələr, rĕnˈsəlērˌ [key], c.1580–1644, Dutch merchant and patroon, b. Amsterdam. He was a wealthy diamond and pearl merchant and helped found (16...

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