In the letter from King James to the Great Mogul, King James is asking for a clear path to a trading post. He is very detailed in the way he introduces himself and very sly in addressing the Great Mogul. King James says, " To the high and mightie Monarch the Great Mogor- Letter from King James to the Great Mogul, Purchas's Pilgrimes, vol.i, pg.580. King James is asking for permission and explaining how he doesn't want to have any bothersome on the journey, and especially from the Moguls workers. King James is also looking for instructions on how to carry this excursion out. He wants to be fully protected and the Great Mogul can do this he will get something worthwhile in return shortly after the trade takes place. .
The relationship between England and India appears to be kind of rough during the time that this letter was written. This was probably because of all the run ins that the English encountered while trading. It appears that they were not very much well liked by the other traders. In 1618 the English attacked the Dutch ships and settlements on the java coast and lost a good amount of ships and as a result from this they had no choice but to agree on a treaty. The treaty explained how the English company pays the cost of the spice production in return for one third of the crops. This made the trade completely unprofitable and not worthwhile for the English. The Origins of Empire, British Overseas Enterprise to the Close of the Seventeenth Century, Nicholas Canny PhD, MIRA, vol.i, pg.271. This and other events made trading extremely difficult especially dealing with political aspects. Permission to establish a .
trade was nearly impossible because the Surat was under the direct administration of the Moughal Empire. To get authorization you were required to have diplomatic negotiations with Mughal officials and ultimately the emperor in person. Secondly you had to get through the Portuguese, which were well established along the coast of India, and they would resist any intrusion by other Europeans.