A Glasgow-West India Merchant House and the Imperial Dividend, 1779-1867.

An essay is presented that discusses the profitability of the West India trade in Glasgow, Scotland from 1779 to 1867, noting the role of slavery and imperialism in funding Scotland's industrial revolution. Topics include the plantation businesses owned by Archibald Smith, James Smith, and the firm Leitch & Smith, the connection of Glasgow to Caribbean area plantations, and economist Adam Smith's view that the British West Indies took wealth from Great Britain.