Dutch merchant William Bolts, who came to India and worked for the British East India Company, was born on this day. His career would be various and as full of successes as failures. He is remembered for a book that was a severe critique of the company.

He came to Calcutta, where he worked as a factor with the East India Company. He learnt to speak Bengali. Later, he was posted at the company’s Varanasi factory, from where he encouraged trade in diamonds.

Possibly this trade led to a conflict between him and the company. In 1768, he said he would start a newspaper in Calcutta, because he had to communicate matters of importance, but the company made him return to England, where he had spent a part of his early youth.

In 1772, he published his book, Considerations on India Affairs, which was an attack on the functions of the East India Company and contained many documents.

Later, he tried many other trade ventures across the world, including in India and China, often unsuccessfully. He died in a poorhouse in Paris.

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