1788-Jul.-29: The Savanna-la-Mar Gazette in Jamaica published reports of increasing local anxiety regarding the illicit trade between British subjects and th…

1788-Jul.-29: The Savanna-la-Mar Gazette in Jamaica published reports of increasing local anxiety regarding the illicit trade between British subjects and the French colonies. Officials expressed concern that the high volume of “clandestine communication” via small boats was making it impossible to enforce customs laws or monitor the movement of people. The newspaper noted that the proximity of Jamaica to Saint-Domingue facilitated a “dangerous intercourse” that transcended imperial boundaries. This early report foreshadowed the role of maritime networks in spreading revolutionary sentiment just a few years later. The publication served as a primary record of the pre-revolutionary tensions in the British West Indies.