... for specific purpose of developing Jamaica, then a British colony, into a lucrative sugar-cane island. Jamaica was fast becoming the leading sugar producer in the world, a position it occupied for more than a century, and which brought unprecedented prosperity to British planters. The demand of sugar exploded in tandem, with the addiction to the new drinks - tea and coffee. These bitter drinks had to be sweetened for Europeans taste and sugar did the trick. Unfortunately, sugar was difficult. It was labour-intensive to harvest and the machinery in plantations was expensive to install, but the climate of the Caribbean was perfect for cultivation and as long as there was enough workers sugar could be processed profitably. However, when Britain's merchant capitalist, challenging the more advanced European rivals, set themselves the aim of amassing as much wealth as possible, conquest took second place to trade. It was gradually being discovered ...

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