Managing the British Empire: The Crown Agents, 1833-1914

First in-depth account of the role played by the Crown Agents in the growth of the colonies.

The Crown Agents Office played a crucial role in colonial development. Acting in the United Kingdom as the commercial and financial agent for the crown colonies, the Agency supplied all non-locally manufactured stores required bycolonial governments, issued their London loans, managed their UK investments, and supervised the construction of their railways, harbours and other public works. In addition, the Office supervised the award of colonial land and mineral concessions, monitored the colonial banking and currency system, and performed a personnel role, paying colonial service salaries and pensions, recruiting technical officers, and arranging the transport of officers, troopsand Indian indentured labour. In this important book, the first in-depth investigation of the Agency, David Sunderland examines each of these services in turn, determining in each case whether the Crown Agents' performance benefited their clients, the UK economy or themselves. His book is thus both an account of a remarkable and unique organisation and a fascinating examination of the "nuts and bolts" of nineteenth-century development.

David Sunderland is Reader in Business History, Greenwich University.

Author: David Sunderland
Publisher: Boydell Press
Published: 08/15/2013
Pages: 368
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.14lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.77d
ISBN13: 9781843838418
ISBN10: 1843838419
BISAC Categories:
- History | Europe | Great Britain | General
- History | World | General
- History | Modern | General