British Ambassador of Sixteenth century in India

William Hawkins (1575 -1613) 

(also known as Brian Hawksworth a fiction novel character)

He was the captain of merchant ship. He was not a former ambassador.

He knew Turkish language, he was the first Englishman to reach the court of Jahangir. He delivered gifts from the new East India Company and the letter from  King James proposing direct trade. 

He was tall and had short beard and unkempt hairs. 

These trading ships sailed around the cape of Good hope, up the eastern coast of Africa, and then through the Arabian sea to the northwest coast of India. William Hawkins's ship reached to the port of Surat, India. Port of Surat was not in control of Portuguese.

English commodity was wool and Indian commodities were pepper and spice. Pepper was available also in Java and Sumatra but they did not want the English wool.  And it was not profitable to buy pepper and spice for gold. In India, Mughals were buying wool from Portuguese

So East India company made a business strategy.

They bought cotton goods in north India in exchange of English wool and then shipped these cotton goods to south India to trade for pepper and spice.

William Hawkin's had a map of world published by John Davis in 1600. He followed the wind in the end of August. The time when India's port reopen for the Autumn trading season. It took him seven months to reach India.

The name of the ship was Discovery.
William Hawkins had following items -

1 - The letter of King James, in English and a formal copy in diplomatic Spanish, both were kept in a leather case secured with his majesty's impression in red wax.

2 - Royal presents for the Mughal King Jahangir, like a brace of gold plated pistol

3- a half dozen silver handled swords

4 - a small silver trimmed saddle

Reference -

The Moghul
By Thomas Hoover

India Tour Escort
Agra Tour Guide