Abstract

Banks's Chasing Empire across the Sea provides a striking "Atlantic World" synthesis investigating the role of communications in the management of France's western empire. Banks has left some room for other issues to be raised, especially that of the role of "old colonial hands." The frequent occurrence of a metropole-colony-metropole career trajectory meant that the colonial administration contained many who had been in the colonies themselves, or knew or were related to people who were or had been there. The possibility that such experienced people may have had an exceptional ability to understand problems in the colonies is worthy of additional investigation, and several examples are offered.

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