Adam Ferguson on the British Empire in India

The Scottish philosophe Adam Ferguson’s views on the British empire—especially beyond the Atlantic context—have proved elusive. This Document draws upon a new letter of Ferguson to show that these views encompassed the British empire in India. It reveals that, in the 1770s and 1780s, he supported the continuation of this empire under the embattled East India Company. It finds that his support was rooted in a sense that Britain must compete with European rivals. Finally, it suggests that Ferguson was the source of what was to become a key defence of the Company: it was bad in theory but justified by experience.