num_pages: 471
description: James Abercromby, born in Scotland in 1707, was active in American affairs for almost half a century, commencing with his appointment in 1730 as attorney general and advocate general of the Court of Vice-Admiralty for South Carolina. He represented the colony of North Carolina in London from 1749 through 1757 and served as the chief agent for Virginia from 1752 through 1775. His correspondence with other colonial agencies, government officials, and merchants on both sides of the Atlantic sheds new light on the rationale behind British imperial affairs in the critical years before the American Revolution.Although researchers have had access to the original letter book at the Virginia State Library and Archives since 1919, Abercromby's virtually illegible handwriting has prevented them from unlocking its riches. This edition, representing years of painstaking work by two talented scholars, makes this valuable historical document widely available for the first time.
language: English
title: The Letter Book of James Abercromby: Colonial Agent, 1751-1773
titlecomplete: The Letter Book of James Abercromby: Colonial Agent, 1751-1773
publisher: Library of Virginia