The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 16, July 1912 - April, 1913 Page: 215
464 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Reviews and Notices
from the control of the Crown to that of the Parliamentary chiefs,
fell into the hands of Whig spoilsmen-of whom Newcastle as
secretary of state for the southern department exercised the most
"pernicious interference"-and sank gradually into. such a con-
dition of helplessness that its only function was to gather occa-
sional information. Indeed, one is led to believe that, if Professor
Dickerson's view be correct, Newcastle was more responsible than
any other man for the conditions which brought about the revolt
of the colonies-so lax had become the administration and control
of imperial interests, and so many new powers had the colonial
assemblies been allo-wed to assume. During the presidency of the
energetic and ambitious I-Ialifax, 1748-1761, there was not only a
revival of the original powers of the Board but an extension of
them. But the mischief had already been done; the colonies were
already beyond the control of the administrative organs of the im-
perial government. The problems were passed up to Parliament
with what results we know.
The reader is likely to feel that the space given to such a topic
as the personnel of the Board could have been reduced without
serious loss and more given with profit to, the explanation of the
rise of the assemblies and the weakening of the colonial executive;
but the author probably felt that the excellent work of Professor
Evarts B. Greene in this field had made an extended discussion of
those subjects less necessary. Though sometimes too brief, the
account of the Board's efforts to retain imperial control over the
colonial judiciary, to bolster up the waning powers of the royal
governor, and to lop off by the weapon of royal disallowance the
unconstitutional extensions of the powers of the assemblies is very
illuminating. Likewise clear is the, story of how the work of the
Board was hampered by wretched means of communication, of
how the frequent wars and the urgent need of supplies placed the
governors at the mercy of the assemblies, and of the failure of the
ministers to, bring Parliament to the support of the royal officials.
Professor Dickerson has seemingly exhausted the sources of the
subject, the chief of which are the manuscript records of the Board
of Trade itself. If one is inclined to criticise the proportion of
the book, he must, nevertheless, praise the clarity of style and
treatment. The title, however, is entirely too, broad,-the subtitle
is a more accurate indication of the contents of the book.215
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 16, July 1912 - April, 1913, periodical, 1913; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101058/m1/223/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.