During the tumultuous and often violent election riots of 1861, members
of the Royal Newfoundland Companies opened fire on a crowd of rioters, killing
three and wounding several others. In the sobering aftermath, a compromise
evolved that would shape Newfoundland politics and society into the twentieth
century.
In The Invisibles, James E. Candow provides the fascination back-story
of the Royal Newfoundland Companies while enhancing our understanding of the
role they played in Newfoundland history and the lives of our communities. This
is an important, often overlooked, chapter in the British military's
involvement in the colony at a time when Newfoundlander's fervently sought to
become masters of their own fate - skillfully told by Candow's engaging and
vivid prose.
