The Letter Book of Charles Winstone of Dominica, 1767-1784 - by Mark Quintanilla (Hardcover)

About the Book

Charles Winstone's letter book offers a rich first-hand account of Caribbean history during the American Revolution, the French invasion, and the occupation of Dominica.

Book Synopsis

Charles Winstone's letter book offers a rich first-hand account of Caribbean history during the American Revolution, the French invasion, and the occupation of Dominica.

The American Revolution and French presence disrupted the island's economic life. As Dominica's former solicitor and attorney general, Winstone became a central figure to absentee planters and British firms protecting estates and investments. His letters reveal efforts to forge new trading networks through the Dutch West Indies as he worked for British absentees based elsewhere in the Caribbean and Europe. The correspondence also reflects his struggle to establish a West Indian fortune on the backs of enslaved people cultivating coffee and sugar. His letters provide a rare look at the world of a plantation attorney and manager as he oversaw several estates near the colonial capital of Roseau during the most tumultuous years in Dominica's history and reflects on the ineffective and unprepared British response upon the outbreak of the American conflict, particularly noting French military preparations on the nearby islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe.

Review Quotes

An excellent new choice as an annotated primary source collection for use in classes in the Atlantic Word, the Colonial History of Latin America and the Caribbean, and the History of Capitalism and the Developing World. Quintanilla has spent a lifetime traveling throughout and studying the history of the region, making him a superb guide to the tangled and complex economic history of the Caribbean. First rate in all respects. Very strongly recommended for students and scholars alike.
Ronn Pineo, Professor Emeritus, Towson University, USA

This documentary collection of letters stemming from the official correspondence of a British colonial administrator provides valuable personal insights about the social, political and economic world of the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica, a territory that France ceded to England at the conclusion of the Seven Years' War, as seen from the writer's perspective as the territory's solicitor and later attorney general. The Letter Book of Charles Winstone of Dominica, 1767: -1784 sheds light about local affairs that were being impacted to one degree or another by regional and transatlantic developments bearing on the prospects of commercial agricultural exploitation, disruptions triggered by the American Revolutionary War, perennial interimperial frictions and the growing English movement calling for the abolition of slavery and the slave trade.
Jorge Chinea, Distinguished Service Professor of History, Wayne State University, USA

About the Author

Mark S. Quintanilla is a historian of the Atlantic World and a two-time Fulbright Scholar. He holds dual appointments at Carson-Newman University and Liberty University.