Since "pride in abundance as a token of an elect nation rests not just on agriculture, but, even more stridently, on commerce", and it is the "geographical mobility and the range of the communications to make Great Britain's experience distinctive,"2 it seems obvious that the British dominance of the international trade is in itself a major victory, which boosts the morale of the nation while unifying it
Economically, Britain is in a decisive stage towards maturity: capitalism is now reaching the interests of both producers and consumers. British public now starts realizing the real implications and importance of trade, understanding for the first time that one's expense directly translates to someone else's wealth3. On the other hand, the influence of class and social status soars. Greed is good, and impressing guests with luxurious goods slowly becomes en vogue. For many, affording exotic goods becomes the principal incentive to work longer hours and to increase one's productivity4. Undoubtedly, luxurious and exotic goods are those coming from the most remote corners of the Empire. Such emphasis on merchandise appears in the summary of the goods stolen by Henry Broom in 1719. Each item is described as coming from exotic locations, such as China, Turkey, and Holland, or made with particular materials or textures, like Damask, silver, gold, and silk. The demand for these fascinating goods is remarkably high in a society where "vices are virtues" and "gluttony is honorable."5 .
If consuming foreign goods is desirable, actively being part of the Empire is the ne plus ultra in the 18th century. We get a convincing proof of this phenomenon in the third transcription involving John Cockerell and an enormous estate in the Barbados. Once again, exotic and luxurious goods, as the gold watch and the diamond pendants, make a great fist impression on the protagonist.
