Read (subscription needed) in the February 2025 issue of the IJMH Sara Caputo’s review of “The Naval Government of Newfoundland in the French Wars 1793–1815” by John Morrow

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/08438714241307438

Exploring the professional and political ideas of Newfoundland naval governors during the French Wars, this book traces the evolution of the Naval Governorship and administration of the region, shedding a light on a critical period of its early modern history.

Contextualising Newfoundland as part of Britain’s broader Atlantic Empire, Morrow focuses on the years 1793-1815 as it transitioned from a largely migratory fishery and ‘nursery of seaman’ to a colonial settlement with a resident British and Irish population. With a diversifying economy and growing demography amidst the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, the governors of Newfoundland faced a unique set of challenges. Drawing upon various primary and secondary sources, Morrow provides a comprehensive account of their responses to the perceived needs of those they governed – both settler and indigenous – and reveals the professional attitudes and attributes they brought to bear on both their civil and military responsibilities.

https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/naval-government-of-newfoundland-in-the-french-wars-9781350383197/