[BITList] The 'hard men' of Empire

[John Feltham]

Snipped from The Times October 29, 2008

The 'hard men' of Empire who made up the dark side of
Scottish diaspora

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article5042620.ece

****  Scotland's history is not just a chronicle of battles fought
and empires gained. A new centre, set up to examine the global
impact of Scots abroad plans to uncover the more sinister side
of the Scottish story. According to Tom Devine, director of the
Scottish Centre of Diaspora Studies, which opens today at the
University of Edinburgh, the outstanding progress achieved by
Scottish emigrants came at a price - namely the shameless
exploitation of indigenous peoples in countries controlled by
the British Empire.

Professor Devine, one of the nation's most respected historians,
said that previous studies of the subject had failed to highlight
the ruthlessness that was often displayed by Scots who sought
their fortune abroad.

"There is a much darker side to the Scottish diaspora than is
often credited," Professor Devine said. "You could argue that
they were the hard men of the Empire."

Among the most prominent examples, he said, were the
"systematic plundering" of 18th-century India by Scots
working as civil servants in the East India Company and
their involvement in the slave trade.

Professor Devine also cited the role of Jardine, Matheson
& Company, established by two Scots businessmen to trade
with the Far East, in illegally supplying opium to China in return
for tea and textiles. ****  [snip]


ooroo

If you don't hear the knock of opportunity - build a door.

Anon.