An Account of the Present State of the Island of Puerto Rico

This 1834 survey of Puerto Rico presents a very flattering view of Spanish colonial policies in the West Indies.

George D. Flinter (Author)

9781108024396, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 9 December 2010

410 pages
21.6 x 14 x 2.3 cm, 0.52 kg

George Dawson Flinter (d. 1838) served in the British army, before working for the Spanish crown. In both capacities he spent time in the West Indies, and was well placed to write about the region, and compare the different colonies. He published a report on slavery in Puerto Rico in Spanish in 1832, and this more wide-ranging report on the island in English in 1834. Addressed to the King of Spain, the work shows considerable bias in his flattering interpretation of Spanish policies towards Puerto Rico, and he downplays the degree to which the colony was involved in the slave trade. His description of the island and its natural resources makes it seem like a paradise, as Spain was trying to encourage further settlement. But he provides a good picture of the way of life of the different social and racial groups of inhabitants, and much detail about trade.

Preface
1. Introductory
2. Situation and general appearance of Puerto Rico
3. State of society
4. Government
5. Commerce of Puerto Rico
6. Advantages of the soil and climate for agriculture
7. Present condition of the white, free coloured, and slave population in the islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico, as compared with the same classes in other European colonies
8. Comparative view of the condition of the slaves in the colonies of Spain and in those of other European powers
9. The substitution of free for coercive labour the best preparation for the extinction of slavery
10. Prison discipline in the Spanish colonies
Appendix.

Subject Areas: Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH]