The methods by which Rainier communicated were important because he needed to operate effectively both within the navy and with the Company. A major reason for this communication was the transfer of intelligence. Obtaining intelligence in a thirty-million-square-mile station presented enormous challenges. It then had to be evaluated and used appropriately.

Communication

As Parkinson has said of communications between London and India:

From the late seventeenth century, with the Cape of Good Hope settled by the Dutch, the journey to India via deep sea routes was well accepted and understood. It also suited the British attitude to long-distance trade, keeping well out of the way of potential enemies. Apart from the risk of shipwreck or enemy action, the major drawback was the time taken — usually around six months from England to India — although Rainier, sailing out in 1794, surprised the maritime world by completing the journey with his convoy in four months. This contrasted with an average three months overland.