Continuity in Commerce: Development of the Panton, Leslie and Company Trade Monopoly in West Florida
Abstract
As the year 1782 drew to an end, the framers of Indian policy in British East Florida found themselves in a quandary. Although the evacuation of Savannah and Charleston signaled the end of military campaigning, the precise status of the British Empire in postwar North America remained unknown. To Thomas Brown, Indian superintendent of the Southern District, and Governor Patrick Tonyn, this uncertainty was a matter of real concern; numerous deputations of Indians—some from as far as the Great Lakes region— had descended on St. Augustine seeking assurances of continued British support. The officials responded by encouraging the Indians to remain loyal allies while discouraging them from engaging in offensive warfare with the Americans. Toward the latter end, Superintendent Brown deemed it advisable to divert the minds of the Indian visitors from the warpath by exhorting them to resume their hunting and trade. Brown and Tonyn were particularly anxious to retain the good will of the Creeks, whose domains abutted Spanish, British, and American frontiers.
Recommended Citation
Watson, Thomas D.
(1975)
"Continuity in Commerce: Development of the Panton, Leslie and Company Trade Monopoly in West Florida,"
Florida Historical Quarterly: Vol. 54:
No.
4, Article 11.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/fhq/vol54/iss4/11
