ABSTRACT
Britain's 'empire of free trade' involved the acquisition of territory as well as the signing of profitable trade deals. By the 1870s, the British Empire was widely seen as a source of national pride, it is important to consider both the frequency with which slaves attempted to escape and how the Empire dealt with opposition, hostility and revolutionary intent. The famous Robinson–Gallagher thesis emphasised Britain's 'informal empire of free trade' in which, outside the framework of formal colonial control, Britain established a commercial dominance which virtually excluded competition from other Great Powers. An 'informal empire of free trade' is a problematic concept when applied to the 1830s and 1840s since protection, though under increasing intellectual pressure, continued to remain an important determinant of government policy. From the middle of the 1840s opinion in Britain increasingly favoured self-government for settled territories. British rule enabled the Indian Princes and other aristocracy of India to remain loyal to Britain once peace returned.
