Robert Torrens (economist)
Encyclopedia
Colonel Robert Torrens (1780, Ireland
– 27 May 1864) was a Royal Marines
officer, political economist
, MP, owner of the influential Globe newspaper and prolific writer.
Born in Ireland, son of Protestant Robert Torrens of Hervey Hill.
against superior Danish forces. On the 200th anniversary of the battle of Anholt, the sword presented to Torrens was purchased by the Royal Marines Museum. After divesting the island in August 1812, the garrison was redeployed to Northern Spain in the winter of 1812 with Major James Malcolm
, alongside Spanish forces. Torrens returned to London on 31 August, however, and was ordered to report to Woolwich Divisional Headquarters.
Although the 'Biographical Dictionary' makes reference to his being 'appointed Colonel of a Spanish Legion', this claim has yet to be substantiated by other sources. There is a letter dated 16 January 1813, co-signed by Torrens and Edward Nicolls
, requesting that Torrens is not to be seconded to the Spanish army, but that Nicolls should take his place. The outcome is unsure, but it appears that a Capt Baillie went instead. Torrens was subsequently appointed the officer commanding the Marines on HMS Blenheim, and performed this duty from 23 June 1813 to 11 January 1814. His final deployment was off the Low Countries during the winter of 1813-4, at the siege of Antwerp. He was in Portsmouth in March 1814. Torrens saw no further active service but he remained in the Royal Marines until 1834, spending the period 1823-30 on half-pay.
in international trade
, which principle is usually attributed to David Ricardo
although Torrens wrote about it in 1815, two years before Ricardo's book On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation
was first published. He was a strong advocate of Catholic Emancipation
, publishing a tract and a novel on the subject.
Torrens was a founder member of the Political Economy Club
. He was also one of the first to theorize about the optimal tariff
, predating J. S. Mill's thoughts on the subject by 11 years. His advocacy of reciprocity rather than unconditional free trade
in the 1840s was highly controversial, and he was later cited as a precursor by supporters of Joseph Chamberlain's tariff reform
campaign.
Torrens was a strong advocate of state-sponsored emigration to relieve population pressure in the United Kingdom
(particularly in Ireland; he argued that Irish living standards
could only be improved by making Irish agriculture more profitable, but that at the same time this would lead to massive short-term displacement of laborers who must somehow be supported during the transition period.) He took a prominent role in the foundation of South Australia
as a colony, and chaired the first commissioners set up to oversee it; he was sacked in 1841 for financial mismanagement
and conflict of interest
(he had bought land in the colony). The River Torrens
, which runs through Adelaide
, is named after him.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in December 1818.
as a Whig in the House of Commons in 1826, Ashburton, Devon
in 1831 and, as its first MP, the new constituency of Bolton, Lancashire
from 1832 to 1835.
says: "He was an indefatigable writer; the productions of his pen, which include a great variety of tracts on subjects of political economy, some able pamphlets on the currency, and some literary efforts of a lighter class, extend over a period of fifty years. For some time Colonel Torrens was a part proprietor and editor of the Globe newspaper. He was a skilful and lucid writer, and succeeded in throwing considerable light upon some of those abstruse questions connected with monetary science which are the stumbling-block of economical students."
His son Robert Torrens
, the colonial Premier of South Australia
, invented the Torrens title
system of registering land titles, which is widely used in the British Commonwealth
and other states (e.g. Iowa
) and countries.
On half-pay of the reduced Establishment of the corps 1823-30
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
– 27 May 1864) was a Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
officer, political economist
Political economy
Political economy originally was the term for studying production, buying, and selling, and their relations with law, custom, and government, as well as with the distribution of national income and wealth, including through the budget process. Political economy originated in moral philosophy...
, MP, owner of the influential Globe newspaper and prolific writer.
Born in Ireland, son of Protestant Robert Torrens of Hervey Hill.
Military career
Torrens entered the Royal Marines in 1796. He achieved renown in 1811 by overseeing the defence of the Baltic island of AnholtBattle of Anholt
The Battle of Anholt occurred during the Gunboat War, a war between the United Kingdom and Denmark-Norway. It was an attempt by the Danes to recapture Anholt, a small Danish island off the coast of Jutland, which the British had captured in 1809...
against superior Danish forces. On the 200th anniversary of the battle of Anholt, the sword presented to Torrens was purchased by the Royal Marines Museum. After divesting the island in August 1812, the garrison was redeployed to Northern Spain in the winter of 1812 with Major James Malcolm
James Malcolm (Royal Marines officer)
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir James Malcolm, KCB, was a Scottish officer of the British Royal Marines who served in the American Revolutionary War, in the Napoleonic Wars, and with noteworthy distinction in the Americas during the War of 1812...
, alongside Spanish forces. Torrens returned to London on 31 August, however, and was ordered to report to Woolwich Divisional Headquarters.
Although the 'Biographical Dictionary' makes reference to his being 'appointed Colonel of a Spanish Legion', this claim has yet to be substantiated by other sources. There is a letter dated 16 January 1813, co-signed by Torrens and Edward Nicolls
Edward Nicolls
General Sir Edward Nicolls, KCB was an Irish officer of the Royal Marines. Known as "Fighting Nicolls", he had a distinguished career, was involved in numerous actions, and often received serious wounds. For his service, he received medals and honours, reaching the rank of General...
, requesting that Torrens is not to be seconded to the Spanish army, but that Nicolls should take his place. The outcome is unsure, but it appears that a Capt Baillie went instead. Torrens was subsequently appointed the officer commanding the Marines on HMS Blenheim, and performed this duty from 23 June 1813 to 11 January 1814. His final deployment was off the Low Countries during the winter of 1813-4, at the siege of Antwerp. He was in Portsmouth in March 1814. Torrens saw no further active service but he remained in the Royal Marines until 1834, spending the period 1823-30 on half-pay.
Economist
He was an independent discoverer of the principle of comparative advantageComparative advantage
In economics, the law of comparative advantage says that two countries will both gain from trade if, in the absence of trade, they have different relative costs for producing the same goods...
in international trade
International trade
International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories. In most countries, such trade represents a significant share of gross domestic product...
, which principle is usually attributed to David Ricardo
David Ricardo
David Ricardo was an English political economist, often credited with systematising economics, and was one of the most influential of the classical economists, along with Thomas Malthus, Adam Smith, and John Stuart Mill. He was also a member of Parliament, businessman, financier and speculator,...
although Torrens wrote about it in 1815, two years before Ricardo's book On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation
On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation
On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation is a book by David Ricardo on economics. The book concludes that land rent grows as population increases...
was first published. He was a strong advocate of Catholic Emancipation
Catholic Emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws...
, publishing a tract and a novel on the subject.
Torrens was a founder member of the Political Economy Club
Political Economy Club
The Political Economy Club was founded by James Mill and a circle of friends in 1821 in London, for the purpose of coming to an agreement on the fundamental principles of political economy...
. He was also one of the first to theorize about the optimal tariff
Tariff
A tariff may be either tax on imports or exports , or a list or schedule of prices for such things as rail service, bus routes, and electrical usage ....
, predating J. S. Mill's thoughts on the subject by 11 years. His advocacy of reciprocity rather than unconditional free trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
in the 1840s was highly controversial, and he was later cited as a precursor by supporters of Joseph Chamberlain's tariff reform
Protectionism
Protectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between states through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, and a variety of other government regulations designed to allow "fair competition" between imports and goods and services produced domestically.This...
campaign.
Torrens was a strong advocate of state-sponsored emigration to relieve population pressure in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(particularly in Ireland; he argued that Irish living standards
Standard of living
Standard of living is generally measured by standards such as real income per person and poverty rate. Other measures such as access and quality of health care, income growth inequality and educational standards are also used. Examples are access to certain goods , or measures of health such as...
could only be improved by making Irish agriculture more profitable, but that at the same time this would lead to massive short-term displacement of laborers who must somehow be supported during the transition period.) He took a prominent role in the foundation of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
as a colony, and chaired the first commissioners set up to oversee it; he was sacked in 1841 for financial mismanagement
Financial mismanagement
Financial mismanagement is management that, deliberately or not, is handled in a way that can be characterized as "wrong, bad, careless, inefficient or incompetent" and that will reflect negatively upon the financial standing of a business or individual....
and conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
(he had bought land in the colony). The River Torrens
River Torrens
The River Torrens is the most significant river of the Adelaide Plains and was one of the reasons for the siting of the city of Adelaide, capital of South Australia. It flows from its source in the Adelaide Hills near Mount Pleasant, across the Adelaide Plains, past the city centre and empties...
, which runs through Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, is named after him.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in December 1818.
Politics
He represented Ipswich, SuffolkIpswich (UK Parliament constituency)
Ipswich is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
as a Whig in the House of Commons in 1826, Ashburton, Devon
Ashburton (UK Parliament constituency)
Ashburton was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament at Westminster, for one Parliament in 1298 and regularly from 1640 until it was abolished for the 1868 general election. It was one of three Devon borough constituencies newly enfranchised in the Long...
in 1831 and, as its first MP, the new constituency of Bolton, Lancashire
Bolton (UK Parliament constituency)
Bolton was a borough constituency centred on the town of Bolton in the county of Lancashire. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons for the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system....
from 1832 to 1835.
Writer
The Annual RegisterAnnual Register
The Annual Register is a long-established reference work, written and published each year, which records and analyses the year’s major events, developments and trends throughout the world...
says: "He was an indefatigable writer; the productions of his pen, which include a great variety of tracts on subjects of political economy, some able pamphlets on the currency, and some literary efforts of a lighter class, extend over a period of fifty years. For some time Colonel Torrens was a part proprietor and editor of the Globe newspaper. He was a skilful and lucid writer, and succeeded in throwing considerable light upon some of those abstruse questions connected with monetary science which are the stumbling-block of economical students."
Family
He died 27th May 1864, aged 84.His son Robert Torrens
Robert Torrens
Sir Robert Richard Torrens, GCMG was the third Premier of South Australia and a pioneer and author of simplified system of transferring land.-Early life:...
, the colonial Premier of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, invented the Torrens title
Torrens title
Torrens title is a system of land title where a register of land holdings maintained by the state guarantees an indefeasible title to those included in the register...
system of registering land titles, which is widely used in the British Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
and other states (e.g. Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
) and countries.
Works of Robert Torrens
His works, numbering twenty-six in Allibone's list, are on divers subjects- The Economists Refuted, 1808. ["Economists" in this context refers to supporters of the French Physiocratic theory that agriculture was the only real source of wealth.]
- Celibia Choosing a Husband (1809), a novel
- An Essay on Money and Paper Currency, 1812.
- An Essay on the External Corn Trade, 1815.
- An Essay on the Production of Wealth, 1821.
- Letters on Commercial Policy, 1833.
- On Wages and Combination, 1834.
- The Colonization of South Australia 1835
- The Principles and Practical Operation of Sir Robert Peel's Bill of 1844, 1844.
- Tracts on Finance and Trade, 1852.
Military promotions and distinctions
- 2nd Lieutenant H.M. Marine Forces, appointed on 1 February 1796
- 1st Lieutenant H.M. Marine Forces 18 November 1797
- Captain Royal Marines 26 July 1806
- Brevet Major Royal Marines 12 April 1811
- Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Royal Marines 12 August 1819
On half-pay of the reduced Establishment of the corps 1823-30
- Major Royal Marines 4 June 1831