The South Russia in Vision of the Europeans: The British Consular Reports on the Years 1882 and 1883

Abstract

This article is dedicated to the analysis of the commercial activity of European merchants in Odessa in 1882 and 1883 from the British perspective. Along with the authors' researches and statistical tables, this article includes reproductions from reports of British Consuls of the second half of the 19th century. More specifically, the study analyses the prerequisites, general principles, directions of development and results of this activity in connections with the trade policy of the Tsarist Empire are explained. It is proven that the foreign merchants have exercised substantial influence on the development of commercial shipping in the Black Sea. The attention is concentrated on describing the international trade and navigation by Consuls of Great Britain, who perceived the foreign traders as of their main competitors in the region.