A Treatise on the Commerce and Police of the River Thames

Written by Patrick Colquhoun and published in 1800, The Treatise on the Commerce and Police of the River Thames was an in-depth analysis of the trade that was carried out on the River Thames at the end of the eighteenth century and the methods and types of criminals that threatened that commerce. It also contained the early history of the Thames River Police, then known as the Marine Police, who were established in 1798 by the West India Committee working with Colquhoun and James Harriot, which was based on a revolutionary model of preventative policing which in the space of two years totally changed the nature of trade and crime on the river. To learn more about the history of the Thames River Police, please visit our Topics Page.

Preface, Contents & Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Appendices & Index