How can we prove that the old ports like Surat and Hooghly declined with the
coming of the Euro-pean companies? (1) Exports from these ports fell
dramatically (2) In the last years of the 17th century, the gross value of trade
that passed through Surat had been Rs 16million. By the 1740s, it had slumped to
Rs 3 million. (3) The credit that financed the trade dried up (4) The local
bankers went bankrupt slowly
