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American trade with the British colony of New South Wales, 1792–1816—A reappraisal
Author(s) -
Stuart David
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
history compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.121
H-Index - 1
ISSN - 1478-0542
DOI - 10.1111/hic3.12641
Subject(s) - context (archaeology) , mercantilism , colonialism , independence (probability theory) , china , officer , history , port (circuit theory) , economy , economic history , political science , law , engineering , economics , archaeology , statistics , mathematics , electrical engineering
The founders of the penal colony established in New South Wales (NSW) in 1788 envisaged it as a limited agricultural economy, self‐sufficient but fully respecting the East India Company's mercantilist interests in the Pacific. These expectations were soon confounded. The article explores how American merchant mariners, frequent visitors between 1792 and 1811, contributed to Sydney's precocious emergence as a trading port. Historians have recognized this contact in the context of the US–China trade that developed after American independence. The resulting commerce has, however, been largely overlooked or understated. Synthesizing research into Australian colonial history records and American archival collections, the article reviews: engagement from 1792 when Providence merchants took the initiative in importing basic provisions and liquor, the evolving pattern of contact until the 1812 War and the end to this era of pragmatic commerce dictated by London in 1816. An analysis of the substance and drivers of this commerce highlights the American contribution to meeting the new colony's basic needs and their relationships with its key economic actors, both the officer‐traders of the NSW Corps and, after 1800, the emerging Sydney merchant class.