Excerpt from The Origin Growth of Greater Britain: An Introduction to Sir C. P. Lucas's Historical Geography

The Introduction to a Historical Geography of the British Colonies, ' which was written by my friend Mr. C. P. Lucas in 1887, being out of print, and the author being unable to prepare a new Edition, I have at his request and that of the Delegates of the Clarendon Press undertaken the work. In view of the great development of colonial questions, which has taken place in the interval between 1887 and the present time, and of the fact that several books have been published, giving a general and succinct account of the British colonies, it was thought advisable, not merely to edit and revise the former book, but somewhat to enlarge its scope, while incor porating the old matter, where it covered the same ground.

It has been sought to deal, however inadequately, with some of the dwopt'ar, which confront the student of colonial history. General histories assume a knowledge of economic facts which is often absent. Some grasp of questions, such as the mer cantile system and the labour problem in new countries, seems desirable before entering upon a detailed study of the political history. Again, a history of the British colonies, as they are, should find room in an Introduction for a brief consideration of that other colonial empire, which was English and is now an English-speaking world-power. Lastly, some explanation of the manner in which the system of colonial government was developed in the course of three centuries may usefully precede a study of the historical facts. For any views which are expressed upon debateable questions I am solely te sponsible.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.