Entangled Public Opinion: Thomas George Love and the British Press in the River Plate, 1807–45

Abstract

This chapter focuses on a single transnational group, the British merchant community that settled in Buenos Aires and Montevideo, the capital cities of the western and eastern banks of the River Plate, respectively. Thomas George Love thrived in Buenos Aires due to the commercial opportunities brought about by the independence of the region from Spanish rule which entailed a re-opening of the ports to foreign trade. Love was particularly active in the social and cultural life of the British charitable, religious and cultural institutions. The incipient British press emerged virtually contemporary to the beginnings of the local periodical press in the River Plate. Love’s paper is in itself an instance of how British communities could integrate in Spanish America and of how, in turn, the creole milieu could host a foreign public opinion that combined the constant interest in overseas news with a keen eye over local developments.