author

James MacQueen

1778–1870

A Scottish geographer and businessman whose life crossed empire, trade, and fierce political debate, he helped found both the Colonial Bank and the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. His career was influential and controversial, especially for his outspoken defense of slavery and British colonial expansion.

2 Audiobooks

A General Plan for a Mail Communication by Steam, Between Great Britain and the Eastern and Western Parts of the World

A General Plan for a Mail Communication by Steam, Between Great Britain and the Eastern and Western Parts of the World

by James MacQueen

A geographical and commercial view of northern Central Africa : containing a particular account of the course and termination of the great River Niger in the Atlantic ocean

A geographical and commercial view of northern Central Africa : containing a particular account of the course and termination of the great River Niger in the Atlantic ocean

by James MacQueen

About the author

Born in 1778 in Crawford, Lanarkshire, he spent part of his early career in Grenada as a sugar plantation manager before returning to Scotland. He later became known as a geographer, statistician, editor, banker, and businessman, building a reputation through writing on African geography and imperial commerce.

He was closely involved with West Indian and imperial politics, co-owning and editing the Glasgow Courier and arguing strongly against the abolitionist movement. Modern sources also note his role as a pro-slavery activist, which makes him a deeply controversial historical figure.

Beyond publishing and politics, he is remembered for helping found the Colonial Bank and the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. Although not chiefly known today as a literary author, his writings and public campaigning made him an influential voice in nineteenth-century debates about empire, trade, and slavery.