Description

First published in 1781, this work of the Abbé Raynal (1713-69) is the English translation of the last volume of his widely known and influential Philosophy and Political History of the East and West Indies which first appeared in 1770. Raynal's work begins a description of the distressed state of England in 1763 and her calls for help from the colonies in the build-up to the war. Written during the Revolution itself, the book speculates about the ending of the conflict in chapters entitled 'What ought to be the politics of the House of Bourbon, if victorious' and 'What idea should be formed of the thirteen united provinces'. Raynal's work was heavily criticised by, among others, Thomas Paine, who published A Letter Addressed to the Abbé Raynal on the Affairs of North-America (also reissued in this series) in 1782, correcting what he perceived as Raynal's mistakes and false assumptions.