Sugarcane is cultivated in the West Indies in the colonies of both the British and Spanish Empires. The labor intensive work is performed by slaves imported from Africa.
Sugar is a sweet crystalline substance obtained from various plants, such as sugarcane and sugar beet.
Molasses is a thick syrup obtained from sugar in the resining process, and rum is a distilled alcoholic drink.
History[]
Background[]
At least eight large slave owning sugar plantations exist on New Providence Island, including the Underhill and Edwards estates.
The British colonies of Barbados, Carolina, Jamaica, St. Kitts, and Nevis grow sugarcane.
The Spanish colonies of Cuba and Santo Domingo on Hispaniola also grow sugar, as does the French colony of Martinique.
The Guthrie Trading Company transports sugar from the West Indies to the mainland colonies. However, this business is also used as a front to sell the plunder of the pirates of Nassau to legitimate markets.
James McGraw tells Lord Thomas Hamilton that to rebuild New Providence Island as a viable colony, among the things they would need is farmers skilled in the cultivation of sugar and tobacco.
Season One[]
Richard Guthrie meets with a sugar factor from Carolina in his home on Harbour Island. Later, when members of the Royal Navy arrive, Richard pretends that Flint and Billy Bones are sugar merchants rather than pirates.
Season Two[]
After capturing a Spanish Man O’ War, Dufresne leads the Walrus crew in boarding a merchant ship carrying sugar out of Kingston. The boarding is a disaster however, with the crew attacking the pirate vanguard after having surrendered. The ship is then sunk on Flint’s orders.
Jack Rackham tries to split the prize cargo of the True North with Linus Harcourt, another pirate captain. Harcourt snorts a pinch of snuff during the dealing. However, while Harcourt splits the tonnage evenly, he takes the sugar and tobacco, which is worth roughly four fifths of the value, for himself and leaves Jack with pots and pans.
Flint, Eleanor and Richard Guthrie and Miranda Barlow engineer a plan to reconcile Nassau with the British Empire after they return Lord Peter Ashe’s daughter Abigail to him unharmed and without conditions. Before Flint leaves to set sail, Eleanor tells him that he and Governor Ashe will be greeted by the lawful citizens of New Providence Island, who after decades of struggle, finally have a way to sell their sugarcane to honest markets.
After Richard Guthrie’s funeral, Eleanor negotiates a deal with Underhill, the owner of the largest plantation on the island, to sell his sugar using her Consortium’s ships.
Season Four[]
During the Sack of Nassau, the Spanish attack the pirates at the Underhill Estate, and use the cane fields as cover to launch a surprise attack led by their mounted lancers, forcing the pirates to retreat into the sugar mill.
While negotiating a deal with Marion Guthrie, her man Mr. Oliver observes that Max oversees cargo operations, transportation of sugar, building, and all sorts of other manual labor that is all done without slave labor.