The staple commodities of export by the English East India Company from Bengal in the middle of the 18th century were

Lists Bengal exports to Europe as raw products including cotton textiles, silk, indigo, saltpetre, rice and handicrafts — showing Bengal was a major supplier of textile-related goods and other raw/export items.

A student could use this to check whether 'raw cotton' (as distinct from finished textiles) and other agricultural exports from Bengal appear in mid‑18th trade records or port manifests.

States that under colonial rule India became an exporter of raw materials including raw cotton and opium among other items (lists opium explicitly).

Use this general pattern to investigate whether Bengal specifically was a principal source of opium and raw cotton in the mid‑18th century by consulting regional production/auction data or EIC export lists.

Notes that opium shipments from India to China grew rapidly from the 1820s and became a major export in the 19th century, implying opium was an important colonial commodity though its prominence rises later.

Compare mid‑18th Bengal export composition with 19th‑century opium expansion to judge whether opium was already a staple in the mid‑18th or became dominant only later.

Indicates that textile exports from India did not immediately decline after the 1760s and that the Company was keen on expanding textile exports — implying continuity of textile/raw‑cotton related trade in the later 18th century.

Combine this with regional weaving/production centres in Bengal (e.g., Dacca, Kasimbazar) to infer whether Bengal's exports were more finished textiles or raw cotton in the mid‑18th.

Shows a 19th‑century pattern where India exported large values of raw cotton to Britain and the Company aimed to import raw materials for British industry.

Use the 19th‑century pattern as a rule to test if the shift toward exporting raw cotton (rather than cloth) began in or after the mid‑18th century by checking chronological export data for Bengal.

Gives an explicit list of Bengal exports to Europe including 'saltpetre, rice, indigo, pepper, sugar, silk, cotton textiles, handicrafts' — showing which staples were recorded.

A student could note that 'sugar' is named (supporting that sugar was exported) while 'salt', 'zinc', and 'lead' are not listed and thus are less likely to have been staples; they could check other contemporary trade lists or port records to confirm presence/absence of salt, zinc, lead.

States textile exports from India (including Bengal) remained important in the mid- to late-18th century, indicating the Company prioritized established exports rather than necessarily metals/minerals.

Use this pattern (focus on textiles and fine manufactured/agrarian goods) to question whether non-listed minerals like zinc/lead were among staple exports and to search commodity-specific records.

Documents the rapid increase in the Company's imports from India into England in early 18th century, implying detailed records and commodity accounting existed for major exports.

A student could infer that commodities of significant volume (e.g., sugar) would appear in such accounts, so they should check those trade statistics for mentions of salt, zinc, or lead to test the claim.

Explains the shift in trade patterns with industrial Britain favoring raw materials for British industry and imports of British manufactures into India, highlighting what kinds of goods the Company emphasized.

Apply this rule: the Company favored raw materials and textiles — use that to assess plausibility that metals (zinc/lead) were major Bengal exports versus agricultural/ textile goods.

Notes the Company obtained trading concessions and exemptions in Bengal, suggesting privileged access that would be recorded and used for exporting key valuable commodities.

A student could look for tariff-exemption records or concession agreements from Bengal that list targeted commodities to see whether salt, zinc, or lead appear among prioritized exports.

Gives an explicit list of Bengal exports (saltpetre, rice, indigo, pepper, sugar, silk, cotton textiles, handicrafts) — notable omission of copper, silver, gold and tea.

A student could compare this export list to the claimed commodities to see which items match or are absent, and then check contemporaneous trade records or port manifests for confirmation.

States Europeans imported spices, indigo, Bengal silk, muslin, calico and chintz, and that India received large quantities of silver and gold in return — implying silver and gold flowed into India rather than out.

Use the direction-of-trade hint (silver/gold as payments to India) plus basic balance-of-payments logic to argue silver/gold were likely imports to India, not staple exports from Bengal.

Lists 'tea' among India's traditional exports (alongside jute, cotton, spices, etc.), indicating tea did feature in export lists historically.

A student could note tea appears as an Indian export generally, then examine whether mid-18th-century Bengal specifically produced/exported tea using regional production timelines or tea plantation history.

Explains that textile exports from India (including Bengal) remained strong through the 1760s and that the Company was keen to expand textile exports — reinforcing textiles as a staple export over metals/precious metals.

Combine this pattern (textiles as primary exports) with the claimed list to prioritize likely staples and question the inclusion of copper/silver/gold among them.

Describes the Company's demand for tea (from China) and its use of opium to obtain silver to buy Chinese tea, showing tea was a major commodity in Company trade networks (though context is China rather than Bengal).

Use this to distinguish sources: even if the Company traded much tea, check where tea supplied to Britain came from in the mid-18th century (China vs. Indian tea) to assess if Bengal was a primary tea exporter then.