FITCH. Ralph Fitch, a London merchant, travelled through India and Burma about 1583-91, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, along with another London merchant named Newberry, and accom panied by a jeweller named I.Redes and an artist named Storie or Storey, all at the charge of Sir Edward Osborne and Mr. Richard Staper, two rich London citizens. They travelled through Syria to the Persian Gulf, and there the Portu guese imprisoned and sent them to Goa as inter lopers. Storie adopted the Romish faith, and settled at Goa, marrying a half-caste ; but the others were ultimately released, and travelled to Golconda, and through Berar and Rajputana to Agra, where Akbar was ruling. Thence Newberry returned, via Lahore, Afghanistan, and Persia, to England. Leedes appears to have settled at Agra in Akbar's service, and Fitch sailed in a fleet of 31 boats down the Jumna and Ganges, passing Allahabad, Benares, Patna, and Gour, to the Bay of Bengal, visiting also Koch-Bahar, thence to Orissa, and finally, in November 1586, to Burma, in a small Portuguese vessel. He returned to England in
April 1591. With the extensive information re garding the wealth of the countries they had visited, the general current of enterprise ran so vehemently towards India, that in 1589 some London merchants applied to their Government for the royal permission to send three ships and the same number of pinn.aces on a voyage to that country. This was granted towards the end of 1600, and they formed amongst them selves a chartered association, under the style and title of the Governor and Company of Merchants trading to the East Indies, which isms the origin of the East India Company. Their first factories were formed at Surat, Ahmadabad, Cambay, and Gogo.—Fytehe's Burmah.