I am currently writing a research paper on the opium trade in British India. My (mis)conception was that there would be a fair amount of information on the East India Company's opium monopoly after the Battle of Plassey. I have found numerous articles/books regarding currency, administration, Warren Hastings', and broad surveys of the BEIC in India.
However, I have found next to nothing regarding the opium trade in India. Currently the only true resources I have are John Richards article, "Opium Industry in British India" and David Edward Owen, "British Opium Policy in China and India".
I have not been able to find a single monograph on the subject or anything remotely close to the information I am suppose to be researching with the resources made available.
I may be inclined to completely scrap this topic and pray I can salvage something before the semester ends. Does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations?
this might be a little late, but i have a bit of info as i have been researching a man named Roger de Faria. He was an opium merchant, in books he was called the 'merchant prince' and the 'goan aristocrat'. He has quite a story. I got most of his story by reading extracts from books on google.
One of the major researchers is a man named teotonio desouza, he has written a lot about the opium trade and Roger de Faria.
Is it due at the end of the semester? You should have plenty of time for your library's ILL to get you some obscure books.
Have you seen this book? This also looks good. Or am I barking up the wrong tree? I'm going under this subject heading.