Description
Book SynopsisIn this erudite and comprehensive study Adrian Pearce offers a detailed survey of British trade with Spanish America in the latter half of the eighteenth century drawing together a variety of sources and looking at all aspects of commercial activity. The history and vicissitudes of the free port system are documented in a much fuller way than heretofore and the interests of competing interest groups are mapped out. Pearce re-examines the share of British export trade provided through Spanish America in one of the most important interventions in the field in recent years.
Trade ReviewReviews'This is without doubt the most important contribution to Anglo-Spanish (and Latin) American trade history since D.C.M. Platt’s Latin America and British Trade, 1806-1914 (London: Adam & Charles Black, 1972)... This is an outstanding monograph, very well written, very engaging, which I am sure will become the definitive work on this subject.'
Manuel Llorca-Jaña,
Business History'Pearce concedes that some of his conclusions are provisional – an almost unnecessarily modest remark since many readers will be at a loss to suggest what more he might have done... His argument is credible precisely because it is so well rooted in the records of the age.'
David Maclean,
Journal of British Studies * Journal of British Studies *
All students of colonial Spanish American history and British imperial and economic history should read this fine study.
Mark Burkholder, International History Review * International History Review *
'His research in twelve archives in six countries...is incredibly impressive. The presentation of the research findings is exemplary; Pearce is always cautious, presenting alternative interpretations to test his own argument, and seeking points of strength among his collation of fragmentary and incomplete sources.'
Matthew Brown,
Bulletin of Latin American Research'This ambitious work manages difficult, complex material in a carefully reasoned, engaging manner. The first comprehensive treatment of Britain’s trade with Spanish America in modern times, it will undoubtedly remain the standard work for years to come.'
Allan Kuethe,
Bulletin of Hispanic Studies * Bulletin of Hispanic Studies *
'Pearce’s detailed and cautious study is of great interest... Magnificent.'
Renate Pieper,
Anuario de Estudios Americanos'Moves..towards a broader and more modern vision that goes beyond the strictly national horizon, to seek to throw light on problems common to the mercantilist nations and their (diverse or similar) means of participation in European trade with the Atlantic.'
Ana Crespo Solana,
Revista de Indias * Revista de Indias *
Table of Contents
- List of Tables and Maps
- Preface
- List of Abbreviations
- Note on Exchange Rates and Values
- Introductory Essay by Professor John R. Fisher
- 1 The Origins of British Trade with the Spanish Colonies, Sixteenth Century to 1763
- 2 The ‘Spanish Trade’, 1763-83: Geographical Expansion and the Free Ports
- 3 The Comercio de Colonias and the Consolidation of the Free Port System, 1783-96
- 4 Trade during Wartime (1796-1808): The Spanish Licensed Trade in the British West Indies
- 5 Trade during Wartime (1796-1808): British Contraband and the Spanish-American Perspective
- 6 Trade during Wartime (1796-1808): Neutral Trade, the Bullion Contracts, and the ‘Secret Trade’
- 7 Conclusions
- Maps
- Statistical Appendix: British Trade with the Spanish Colonies, 1788-95
- Note on Archival Sources
- Bibliography for the Study of British Trade with the Spanish Colonies
- Index
