“The only place among the southern islands where a ship can put in and get what it wants in comfort is where the Gospel has been sent to. For my part, I don't know and I don't care what the Gospel does to them, but I know that when any o' the islands chance to get it, trade goes smooth and easy.” ReligionTradeIslandsGospelPolynesiansPolynesiaBloody BillChristian Mission Book:The Coral Island Source: The Coral Island
“The case of Ballantyne's The Coral Island is instructive, for the author had never seen a coral island, or, indeed, a palm tree, or a coconut, and his novel is a construction out of his reading of other books, some of which are pillaged to the point of plagarism. The textual bricolage is matched by the ironic presentation of the imperial values which it is generally assumed the book exists to promote: a pirate by the name of 'Bloody Bill' is allowed to articulate how useful religion is to the advancement of trade (and plunder).” ReligionTradeNovel WritingPlunderPalm TreesPolynesiaBloody BillImperial ValuesRm BallantyneThe Coral Island Book:The International Companion to the Scottish Novel Source: The International Companion to the Scottish Novel