IN THE event, William barely had time to unpack his chest before Richard Crabb summoned him to London. As commander of Durrington, Captain Crabb had made his fortune on the Mocha voyage in 1749 and had now retired to become her managing owner, along with other of Samuel Braund's ships. Her new commander was Richard Drake, related to Roger Drake, the Company Chairman that year. Consequently, he had been offered the best voyage of the season, traditionally in the Chair's gift. Durrington was stationed for Madras, Bengal and Bombay, offering William the best opportunity to trade from port to port. Within twenty days of Boscawen's arrival at Gravesend, William took the oath at the India House as first mate of Durrington and hurried down to Gravesend to join his ship as she was on the point of sailing to the Downs.

Three senior factors bound to Fort St David embarked as passengers. They were taking orders to the government to return to Fort St George, Madras, and re-establish the Presidency there. Ever since November 1746, when the Governor and his Council had finally left the fort in French occupation and retreated to its subordinate factory at Fort St David down the coast, the Company had carried on the business of the west coast from there. The Company provided generously for their servants to ensure that their passage to Coromandel would not be marred by insufficiency of food and wine. All this William was able to enjoy as he learned of the latest developments in India from the horses’ mouths. Both the government and the Company agreed that since the victories of a small French force over the vast army of the nawab of Arcot, Indian ruling families were seeking French support for their own advancement in the unstable conditions prevailing in South India. They had supported Chanda Sahib's claim to be nawab of the Carnatic and according to the latest news he had been proclaimed nawab in the capital, Arcot. In December 1750 the new nawab had visited Pondicherry to reward the Marquis de Dupleix and the French Council for their help.