Asia and the History of the International Economy: Essays in Memory of Peter Mathias : Routledge : 9781138298606 : 1138298603 : 14 Feb 2018 : This collection of essays sheds new light on many aspects of Asia's integration with the international economy. H.I.H. Crown Prince Naruhito discusses the problems of controlling water in the interest of urban development. He first examines the problems encountered on the River Thames in relationship to the growth of London in the eighteenth century, and then relates his findings to Japan where similar problems arose with respect to the expansion of Edo (Tokyo). Other chapters looking at the eighteenth century examine the development of plant collecting in Asia and the wider world in the interest of the economy and leisure, Japan's connections with the outside world by way of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), and the Dutch acquisition of the knowledge of the Japanese language at their base at Dejima Island, Nagasaki. India features next with a