Synopses & Reviews
In 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.
Review
"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 and 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
"A book that I wish I had written but am very pleased that he has... Pearce's is a grand and very important story, impressively told. Bravo."--John J. McCusker, Economic History Review
"All students of colonial Spanish American history and British imperial and economic history should read this fine study."--Mark Burkholder, International History Review
"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
"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
"Pearce's work indicates the rich rewards to be pursued through histories of the Americas which consider interactions between Francophone, Hispanic, Lusophone and Anglophone regions."--Christer Petley, English Historical Review
"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
About the Author
Adrian J. Pearce is Profesor-Investigador at the Centro de Estudios Históricos, El Colegio de México.
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