H. V. Bowen

Britain's oceanic empire : Atlantic and Indian Ocean worlds, c. 1550-1850

In the mid-eighteenth century, some Britons who looked outward to the wider world discerned a transoceanic imperial presence that was global in both its ambition and scope. Long-established patterns of settlement and commercial activity had created extended regional networks of colonies and trading posts; worldwide warfare against the French and Spanish had projected the military and naval reach of the state far into the western and eastern hemispheres; and maritime exploration promised to open yet more spheres of British inl uence. These myriad overseas enterprises had become a single, if as yet only loosely integrated, empire and observers emphasised the strength, status, and comparative advantage that such developments afforded to Britain. In some imaginations, Britain now possessed a global empire, an accomplishment celebrated widely in architecture, song, verse, and visual art. 1 Other Britons, however, perceived the nation’s overseas activities quite differently – as haphazard, scattered, and unconnected – and saw not one coherent empire but instead several discrete areas of inl uence, each of which possessed its own distinctive forms and dei ning characteristics. 2 These divergent eighteenth-century interpretations of British overseas activities manifested the palpable uncertainty in how to interpret – and by extension govern – the diversity of enterprises that the English, Welsh, Irish, and Scots had established, many of which seemed quite incommensurable: an eighteenth-century logwood camp on the Miskito Coast of Central America differed greatly from the vibrant port city of1. Introduction: Britains oceanic empire H. V. Bowen, Elizabeth Mancke and John G. Reid Part I. The Oceans: 2. Geographies of the British Atlantic world Stephen J. Hornsby 3. Britain in the Indian Ocean region and beyond: contours, connections, and the creation of a global maritime empire H. V. Bowen Part II. Sovereignty, Law, and Governance: 4. Imperial constitutions: sovereignty and law in the British Atlantic Ken MacMillan 5. Constitutions, contact zones, and imperial ricochets: sovereignty and law in British Asia Robert Travers 6. Company, state, and empire: governance and regulatory frameworks in Asia Philip J. Stern 7. The oriental Atlantic: governance and regulatory frameworks in the British Atlantic world Jerry Bannister Part III. Diplomatic and Military Relations: 8. Subjects, clients, allies or mercenaries? The British use of Irish and Amerindian military power, 1500-1800 Wayne E. Lee 9. Diplomacy between Britons and Native Americans, c.1600-1830 Eric Hinderaker 10. Diplomacy in India, 1526-1858 Michael H. Fisher 11. Army discipline, military cultures, and state formation in colonial India, 1780-1860 Douglas M. Peers Part IV. Commercial and Social Relations: 12. Seths and sahibs: negotiated relationships between indigenous capital and the East India Company Lakshmi Subramanian 13. The commercial economy of eastern India under early British rule Rajat Datta 14. Anglo-Amerindian commercial relations Paul Grant-Costa and Elizabeth Mancke 15. Placing British settlement in the Americas in comparative perspective Trevor Burnard 16. Britains oceanic empire: an afterword H. V. Bowen, Elizabeth Mancke and John G. Reid.

Bullion for trade, war, and debt-relief: British movements of silver to, around, and from Asia, 1760-1833

This paper provides the first detailed assessment of British exports of silver to Asia during the initial phase of imperial expansion in India. It demonstrates that, contrary to the views of some historians, exports of silver were at times very considerable, notably after 1785, when they were used to fund war and debt-relief in India, as well as for trade. Focus is on the East India Company, but attention is paid to private exports, to British transfers of silver around Asia, and the paper ends with an analysis of ‘reverse’ flows to Britain established after 1810.

Britain's Oceanic Empire: Abbreviations

In the mid-eighteenth century, some Britons who looked outward to the wider world discerned a transoceanic imperial presence that was global in both its ambition and scope. Long-established patterns of settlement and commercial activity had created extended regional networks of colonies and trading posts; worldwide warfare against the French and Spanish had projected the military and naval reach of the state far into the western and eastern hemispheres; and maritime exploration promised to open yet more spheres of British inl uence. These myriad overseas enterprises had become a single, if as yet only loosely integrated, empire and observers emphasised the strength, status, and comparative advantage that such developments afforded to Britain. In some imaginations, Britain now possessed a global empire, an accomplishment celebrated widely in architecture, song, verse, and visual art. 1 Other Britons, however, perceived the nation’s overseas activities quite differently – as haphazard, scattered, and unconnected – and saw not one coherent empire but instead several discrete areas of inl uence, each of which possessed its own distinctive forms and dei ning characteristics. 2 These divergent eighteenth-century interpretations of British overseas activities manifested the palpable uncertainty in how to interpret – and by extension govern – the diversity of enterprises that the English, Welsh, Irish, and Scots had established, many of which seemed quite incommensurable: an eighteenth-century logwood camp on the Miskito Coast of Central America differed greatly from the vibrant port city of1. Introduction: Britains oceanic empire H. V. Bowen, Elizabeth Mancke and John G. Reid Part I. The Oceans: 2. Geographies of the British Atlantic world Stephen J. Hornsby 3. Britain in the Indian Ocean region and beyond: contours, connections, and the creation of a global maritime empire H. V. Bowen Part II. Sovereignty, Law, and Governance: 4. Imperial constitutions: sovereignty and law in the British Atlantic Ken MacMillan 5. Constitutions, contact zones, and imperial ricochets: sovereignty and law in British Asia Robert Travers 6. Company, state, and empire: governance and regulatory frameworks in Asia Philip J. Stern 7. The oriental Atlantic: governance and regulatory frameworks in the British Atlantic world Jerry Bannister Part III. Diplomatic and Military Relations: 8. Subjects, clients, allies or mercenaries? The British use of Irish and Amerindian military power, 1500-1800 Wayne E. Lee 9. Diplomacy between Britons and Native Americans, c.1600-1830 Eric Hinderaker 10. Diplomacy in India, 1526-1858 Michael H. Fisher 11. Army discipline, military cultures, and state formation in colonial India, 1780-1860 Douglas M. Peers Part IV. Commercial and Social Relations: 12. Seths and sahibs: negotiated relationships between indigenous capital and the East India Company Lakshmi Subramanian 13. The commercial economy of eastern India under early British rule Rajat Datta 14. Anglo-Amerindian commercial relations Paul Grant-Costa and Elizabeth Mancke 15. Placing British settlement in the Americas in comparative perspective Trevor Burnard 16. Britains oceanic empire: an afterword H. V. Bowen, Elizabeth Mancke and John G. Reid.

Britain's Oceanic Empire: Contents

In the mid-eighteenth century, some Britons who looked outward to the wider world discerned a transoceanic imperial presence that was global in both its ambition and scope. Long-established patterns of settlement and commercial activity had created extended regional networks of colonies and trading posts; worldwide warfare against the French and Spanish had projected the military and naval reach of the state far into the western and eastern hemispheres; and maritime exploration promised to open yet more spheres of British inl uence. These myriad overseas enterprises had become a single, if as yet only loosely integrated, empire and observers emphasised the strength, status, and comparative advantage that such developments afforded to Britain. In some imaginations, Britain now possessed a global empire, an accomplishment celebrated widely in architecture, song, verse, and visual art. 1 Other Britons, however, perceived the nation’s overseas activities quite differently – as haphazard, scattered, and unconnected – and saw not one coherent empire but instead several discrete areas of inl uence, each of which possessed its own distinctive forms and dei ning characteristics. 2 These divergent eighteenth-century interpretations of British overseas activities manifested the palpable uncertainty in how to interpret – and by extension govern – the diversity of enterprises that the English, Welsh, Irish, and Scots had established, many of which seemed quite incommensurable: an eighteenth-century logwood camp on the Miskito Coast of Central America differed greatly from the vibrant port city of1. Introduction: Britains oceanic empire H. V. Bowen, Elizabeth Mancke and John G. Reid Part I. The Oceans: 2. Geographies of the British Atlantic world Stephen J. Hornsby 3. Britain in the Indian Ocean region and beyond: contours, connections, and the creation of a global maritime empire H. V. Bowen Part II. Sovereignty, Law, and Governance: 4. Imperial constitutions: sovereignty and law in the British Atlantic Ken MacMillan 5. Constitutions, contact zones, and imperial ricochets: sovereignty and law in British Asia Robert Travers 6. Company, state, and empire: governance and regulatory frameworks in Asia Philip J. Stern 7. The oriental Atlantic: governance and regulatory frameworks in the British Atlantic world Jerry Bannister Part III. Diplomatic and Military Relations: 8. Subjects, clients, allies or mercenaries? The British use of Irish and Amerindian military power, 1500-1800 Wayne E. Lee 9. Diplomacy between Britons and Native Americans, c.1600-1830 Eric Hinderaker 10. Diplomacy in India, 1526-1858 Michael H. Fisher 11. Army discipline, military cultures, and state formation in colonial India, 1780-1860 Douglas M. Peers Part IV. Commercial and Social Relations: 12. Seths and sahibs: negotiated relationships between indigenous capital and the East India Company Lakshmi Subramanian 13. The commercial economy of eastern India under early British rule Rajat Datta 14. Anglo-Amerindian commercial relations Paul Grant-Costa and Elizabeth Mancke 15. Placing British settlement in the Americas in comparative perspective Trevor Burnard 16. Britains oceanic empire: an afterword H. V. Bowen, Elizabeth Mancke and John G. Reid.

Britain's Oceanic Empire: Commercial and social relations

In the mid-eighteenth century, some Britons who looked outward to the wider world discerned a transoceanic imperial presence that was global in both its ambition and scope. Long-established patterns of settlement and commercial activity had created extended regional networks of colonies and trading posts; worldwide warfare against the French and Spanish had projected the military and naval reach of the state far into the western and eastern hemispheres; and maritime exploration promised to open yet more spheres of British inl uence. These myriad overseas enterprises had become a single, if as yet only loosely integrated, empire and observers emphasised the strength, status, and comparative advantage that such developments afforded to Britain. In some imaginations, Britain now possessed a global empire, an accomplishment celebrated widely in architecture, song, verse, and visual art. 1 Other Britons, however, perceived the nation’s overseas activities quite differently – as haphazard, scattered, and unconnected – and saw not one coherent empire but instead several discrete areas of inl uence, each of which possessed its own distinctive forms and dei ning characteristics. 2 These divergent eighteenth-century interpretations of British overseas activities manifested the palpable uncertainty in how to interpret – and by extension govern – the diversity of enterprises that the English, Welsh, Irish, and Scots had established, many of which seemed quite incommensurable: an eighteenth-century logwood camp on the Miskito Coast of Central America differed greatly from the vibrant port city of1. Introduction: Britains oceanic empire H. V. Bowen, Elizabeth Mancke and John G. Reid Part I. The Oceans: 2. Geographies of the British Atlantic world Stephen J. Hornsby 3. Britain in the Indian Ocean region and beyond: contours, connections, and the creation of a global maritime empire H. V. Bowen Part II. Sovereignty, Law, and Governance: 4. Imperial constitutions: sovereignty and law in the British Atlantic Ken MacMillan 5. Constitutions, contact zones, and imperial ricochets: sovereignty and law in British Asia Robert Travers 6. Company, state, and empire: governance and regulatory frameworks in Asia Philip J. Stern 7. The oriental Atlantic: governance and regulatory frameworks in the British Atlantic world Jerry Bannister Part III. Diplomatic and Military Relations: 8. Subjects, clients, allies or mercenaries? The British use of Irish and Amerindian military power, 1500-1800 Wayne E. Lee 9. Diplomacy between Britons and Native Americans, c.1600-1830 Eric Hinderaker 10. Diplomacy in India, 1526-1858 Michael H. Fisher 11. Army discipline, military cultures, and state formation in colonial India, 1780-1860 Douglas M. Peers Part IV. Commercial and Social Relations: 12. Seths and sahibs: negotiated relationships between indigenous capital and the East India Company Lakshmi Subramanian 13. The commercial economy of eastern India under early British rule Rajat Datta 14. Anglo-Amerindian commercial relations Paul Grant-Costa and Elizabeth Mancke 15. Placing British settlement in the Americas in comparative perspective Trevor Burnard 16. Britains oceanic empire: an afterword H. V. Bowen, Elizabeth Mancke and John G. Reid.

Britain's Oceanic Empire: Diplomatic and military relations

In the mid-eighteenth century, some Britons who looked outward to the wider world discerned a transoceanic imperial presence that was global in both its ambition and scope. Long-established patterns of settlement and commercial activity had created extended regional networks of colonies and trading posts; worldwide warfare against the French and Spanish had projected the military and naval reach of the state far into the western and eastern hemispheres; and maritime exploration promised to open yet more spheres of British inl uence. These myriad overseas enterprises had become a single, if as yet only loosely integrated, empire and observers emphasised the strength, status, and comparative advantage that such developments afforded to Britain. In some imaginations, Britain now possessed a global empire, an accomplishment celebrated widely in architecture, song, verse, and visual art. 1 Other Britons, however, perceived the nation’s overseas activities quite differently – as haphazard, scattered, and unconnected – and saw not one coherent empire but instead several discrete areas of inl uence, each of which possessed its own distinctive forms and dei ning characteristics. 2 These divergent eighteenth-century interpretations of British overseas activities manifested the palpable uncertainty in how to interpret – and by extension govern – the diversity of enterprises that the English, Welsh, Irish, and Scots had established, many of which seemed quite incommensurable: an eighteenth-century logwood camp on the Miskito Coast of Central America differed greatly from the vibrant port city of1. Introduction: Britains oceanic empire H. V. Bowen, Elizabeth Mancke and John G. Reid Part I. The Oceans: 2. Geographies of the British Atlantic world Stephen J. Hornsby 3. Britain in the Indian Ocean region and beyond: contours, connections, and the creation of a global maritime empire H. V. Bowen Part II. Sovereignty, Law, and Governance: 4. Imperial constitutions: sovereignty and law in the British Atlantic Ken MacMillan 5. Constitutions, contact zones, and imperial ricochets: sovereignty and law in British Asia Robert Travers 6. Company, state, and empire: governance and regulatory frameworks in Asia Philip J. Stern 7. The oriental Atlantic: governance and regulatory frameworks in the British Atlantic world Jerry Bannister Part III. Diplomatic and Military Relations: 8. Subjects, clients, allies or mercenaries? The British use of Irish and Amerindian military power, 1500-1800 Wayne E. Lee 9. Diplomacy between Britons and Native Americans, c.1600-1830 Eric Hinderaker 10. Diplomacy in India, 1526-1858 Michael H. Fisher 11. Army discipline, military cultures, and state formation in colonial India, 1780-1860 Douglas M. Peers Part IV. Commercial and Social Relations: 12. Seths and sahibs: negotiated relationships between indigenous capital and the East India Company Lakshmi Subramanian 13. The commercial economy of eastern India under early British rule Rajat Datta 14. Anglo-Amerindian commercial relations Paul Grant-Costa and Elizabeth Mancke 15. Placing British settlement in the Americas in comparative perspective Trevor Burnard 16. Britains oceanic empire: an afterword H. V. Bowen, Elizabeth Mancke and John G. Reid.

Britain's Oceanic Empire: Index

In the mid-eighteenth century, some Britons who looked outward to the wider world discerned a transoceanic imperial presence that was global in both its ambition and scope. Long-established patterns of settlement and commercial activity had created extended regional networks of colonies and trading posts; worldwide warfare against the French and Spanish had projected the military and naval reach of the state far into the western and eastern hemispheres; and maritime exploration promised to open yet more spheres of British inl uence. These myriad overseas enterprises had become a single, if as yet only loosely integrated, empire and observers emphasised the strength, status, and comparative advantage that such developments afforded to Britain. In some imaginations, Britain now possessed a global empire, an accomplishment celebrated widely in architecture, song, verse, and visual art. 1 Other Britons, however, perceived the nation’s overseas activities quite differently – as haphazard, scattered, and unconnected – and saw not one coherent empire but instead several discrete areas of inl uence, each of which possessed its own distinctive forms and dei ning characteristics. 2 These divergent eighteenth-century interpretations of British overseas activities manifested the palpable uncertainty in how to interpret – and by extension govern – the diversity of enterprises that the English, Welsh, Irish, and Scots had established, many of which seemed quite incommensurable: an eighteenth-century logwood camp on the Miskito Coast of Central America differed greatly from the vibrant port city of1. Introduction: Britains oceanic empire H. V. Bowen, Elizabeth Mancke and John G. Reid Part I. The Oceans: 2. Geographies of the British Atlantic world Stephen J. Hornsby 3. Britain in the Indian Ocean region and beyond: contours, connections, and the creation of a global maritime empire H. V. Bowen Part II. Sovereignty, Law, and Governance: 4. Imperial constitutions: sovereignty and law in the British Atlantic Ken MacMillan 5. Constitutions, contact zones, and imperial ricochets: sovereignty and law in British Asia Robert Travers 6. Company, state, and empire: governance and regulatory frameworks in Asia Philip J. Stern 7. The oriental Atlantic: governance and regulatory frameworks in the British Atlantic world Jerry Bannister Part III. Diplomatic and Military Relations: 8. Subjects, clients, allies or mercenaries? The British use of Irish and Amerindian military power, 1500-1800 Wayne E. Lee 9. Diplomacy between Britons and Native Americans, c.1600-1830 Eric Hinderaker 10. Diplomacy in India, 1526-1858 Michael H. Fisher 11. Army discipline, military cultures, and state formation in colonial India, 1780-1860 Douglas M. Peers Part IV. Commercial and Social Relations: 12. Seths and sahibs: negotiated relationships between indigenous capital and the East India Company Lakshmi Subramanian 13. The commercial economy of eastern India under early British rule Rajat Datta 14. Anglo-Amerindian commercial relations Paul Grant-Costa and Elizabeth Mancke 15. Placing British settlement in the Americas in comparative perspective Trevor Burnard 16. Britains oceanic empire: an afterword H. V. Bowen, Elizabeth Mancke and John G. Reid.

Britain's Oceanic Empire: List of Maps

In the mid-eighteenth century, some Britons who looked outward to the wider world discerned a transoceanic imperial presence that was global in both its ambition and scope. Long-established patterns of settlement and commercial activity had created extended regional networks of colonies and trading posts; worldwide warfare against the French and Spanish had projected the military and naval reach of the state far into the western and eastern hemispheres; and maritime exploration promised to open yet more spheres of British inl uence. These myriad overseas enterprises had become a single, if as yet only loosely integrated, empire and observers emphasised the strength, status, and comparative advantage that such developments afforded to Britain. In some imaginations, Britain now possessed a global empire, an accomplishment celebrated widely in architecture, song, verse, and visual art. 1 Other Britons, however, perceived the nation’s overseas activities quite differently – as haphazard, scattered, and unconnected – and saw not one coherent empire but instead several discrete areas of inl uence, each of which possessed its own distinctive forms and dei ning characteristics. 2 These divergent eighteenth-century interpretations of British overseas activities manifested the palpable uncertainty in how to interpret – and by extension govern – the diversity of enterprises that the English, Welsh, Irish, and Scots had established, many of which seemed quite incommensurable: an eighteenth-century logwood camp on the Miskito Coast of Central America differed greatly from the vibrant port city of1. Introduction: Britains oceanic empire H. V. Bowen, Elizabeth Mancke and John G. Reid Part I. The Oceans: 2. Geographies of the British Atlantic world Stephen J. Hornsby 3. Britain in the Indian Ocean region and beyond: contours, connections, and the creation of a global maritime empire H. V. Bowen Part II. Sovereignty, Law, and Governance: 4. Imperial constitutions: sovereignty and law in the British Atlantic Ken MacMillan 5. Constitutions, contact zones, and imperial ricochets: sovereignty and law in British Asia Robert Travers 6. Company, state, and empire: governance and regulatory frameworks in Asia Philip J. Stern 7. The oriental Atlantic: governance and regulatory frameworks in the British Atlantic world Jerry Bannister Part III. Diplomatic and Military Relations: 8. Subjects, clients, allies or mercenaries? The British use of Irish and Amerindian military power, 1500-1800 Wayne E. Lee 9. Diplomacy between Britons and Native Americans, c.1600-1830 Eric Hinderaker 10. Diplomacy in India, 1526-1858 Michael H. Fisher 11. Army discipline, military cultures, and state formation in colonial India, 1780-1860 Douglas M. Peers Part IV. Commercial and Social Relations: 12. Seths and sahibs: negotiated relationships between indigenous capital and the East India Company Lakshmi Subramanian 13. The commercial economy of eastern India under early British rule Rajat Datta 14. Anglo-Amerindian commercial relations Paul Grant-Costa and Elizabeth Mancke 15. Placing British settlement in the Americas in comparative perspective Trevor Burnard 16. Britains oceanic empire: an afterword H. V. Bowen, Elizabeth Mancke and John G. Reid.

Britain's Oceanic Empire: Frontmatter

In the mid-eighteenth century, some Britons who looked outward to the wider world discerned a transoceanic imperial presence that was global in both its ambition and scope. Long-established patterns of settlement and commercial activity had created extended regional networks of colonies and trading posts; worldwide warfare against the French and Spanish had projected the military and naval reach of the state far into the western and eastern hemispheres; and maritime exploration promised to open yet more spheres of British inl uence. These myriad overseas enterprises had become a single, if as yet only loosely integrated, empire and observers emphasised the strength, status, and comparative advantage that such developments afforded to Britain. In some imaginations, Britain now possessed a global empire, an accomplishment celebrated widely in architecture, song, verse, and visual art. 1 Other Britons, however, perceived the nation’s overseas activities quite differently – as haphazard, scattered, and unconnected – and saw not one coherent empire but instead several discrete areas of inl uence, each of which possessed its own distinctive forms and dei ning characteristics. 2 These divergent eighteenth-century interpretations of British overseas activities manifested the palpable uncertainty in how to interpret – and by extension govern – the diversity of enterprises that the English, Welsh, Irish, and Scots had established, many of which seemed quite incommensurable: an eighteenth-century logwood camp on the Miskito Coast of Central America differed greatly from the vibrant port city of1. Introduction: Britains oceanic empire H. V. Bowen, Elizabeth Mancke and John G. Reid Part I. The Oceans: 2. Geographies of the British Atlantic world Stephen J. Hornsby 3. Britain in the Indian Ocean region and beyond: contours, connections, and the creation of a global maritime empire H. V. Bowen Part II. Sovereignty, Law, and Governance: 4. Imperial constitutions: sovereignty and law in the British Atlantic Ken MacMillan 5. Constitutions, contact zones, and imperial ricochets: sovereignty and law in British Asia Robert Travers 6. Company, state, and empire: governance and regulatory frameworks in Asia Philip J. Stern 7. The oriental Atlantic: governance and regulatory frameworks in the British Atlantic world Jerry Bannister Part III. Diplomatic and Military Relations: 8. Subjects, clients, allies or mercenaries? The British use of Irish and Amerindian military power, 1500-1800 Wayne E. Lee 9. Diplomacy between Britons and Native Americans, c.1600-1830 Eric Hinderaker 10. Diplomacy in India, 1526-1858 Michael H. Fisher 11. Army discipline, military cultures, and state formation in colonial India, 1780-1860 Douglas M. Peers Part IV. Commercial and Social Relations: 12. Seths and sahibs: negotiated relationships between indigenous capital and the East India Company Lakshmi Subramanian 13. The commercial economy of eastern India under early British rule Rajat Datta 14. Anglo-Amerindian commercial relations Paul Grant-Costa and Elizabeth Mancke 15. Placing British settlement in the Americas in comparative perspective Trevor Burnard 16. Britains oceanic empire: an afterword H. V. Bowen, Elizabeth Mancke and John G. Reid.

Revenue and Reform: The Indian Problem in British Politics, 1757-1773.

List of tables Preface List of abbreviations Introduction 1. Traders into sovereigns: the East India Company, 1757-1765 2. Perceptions of empire 3. The policy-makers: Parliament and the East India Company 4. Crown and Company (I): the Diwani and the inquiry of 1767 5. Crown and Company (II): foreign relations, 1766-1769 6. Attempts at reform (I): civil, military, and judicial affairs, 1767-1772 7. Attempts at reform (II): trade and revenue, 1767-1772 8. The East India Company crisis of 1772 9. Response to crisis (I): high politics and the committees of inquiry, 1772-1773 10. Response to crisis (II): trade, finance, and reform 11. The final act? the passage of Lord Norths East India legislation, 1773 Conclusion Select bibliography Index.