Edited to add: note that this comment refers to the original version of this piece.
What a florid, inaccurate and un-inquiring piece. Repeating colonialist stories of the triumphs of 'explorers' should surely be out of place in 2026? I wonder what this 'hero' was doing in the Caribbean in the late 1700s? Or in West Africa? Is it really the case that the Sahara was unknown, a lonely wasteland, a terra nullius? Where might we have heard that kind of understanding of land before? Was it because this man was a Christian that he was in danger, or perhaps because he was mapping parts of Africa as part of a process of colonisation and conquest? The African continent has histories of Christianity older than Europe after all. The effort to curry empathy and sorrow for the plight of someone bound up in colonial processes, while failing to humanise any of the peoples who found themselves in his orbit, reeks of British Colonialism. While the Guardian is doing brilliantly subtle work in their Cotton Capital series, this is what the Edinburgh Inquirer offers? For shame. I will be cancelling my subscription, unless there is a clear statement withdrawing support for this 'article'.
BTW basic proof reading seems to also be missing. I doubt this man 'found' Timbuktu in 2026.
Thanks for highlighting the important context of Britain’s colonial history here.
The intention of the article was to tell a little of the story of a major public figure from the city’s past who has been largely forgotten, but the historical context of colonialism should have been addressed. We are reviewing the article in order to do that.
As a professional soldier, Laing’s role within British Imperialism was not straightforward, fighting both in support of colonial expansion and in British efforts to suppress the slave trade.
More generally, we are committed to exploring this side of the city’s history, which we have examined in previous articles, including the story of former Lord Provost George Drummond and his links to the slave trade (https://www.edinburghinquirer.co.uk/p/revealed-the-father-of-modern-edinburgh), and will return to in future pieces.
Thank you for this response - I appreciate the changes in the updated version. There is more to debate, but the extra context has added more balance in my opinion.
Edited to add: note that this comment refers to the original version of this piece.
What a florid, inaccurate and un-inquiring piece. Repeating colonialist stories of the triumphs of 'explorers' should surely be out of place in 2026? I wonder what this 'hero' was doing in the Caribbean in the late 1700s? Or in West Africa? Is it really the case that the Sahara was unknown, a lonely wasteland, a terra nullius? Where might we have heard that kind of understanding of land before? Was it because this man was a Christian that he was in danger, or perhaps because he was mapping parts of Africa as part of a process of colonisation and conquest? The African continent has histories of Christianity older than Europe after all. The effort to curry empathy and sorrow for the plight of someone bound up in colonial processes, while failing to humanise any of the peoples who found themselves in his orbit, reeks of British Colonialism. While the Guardian is doing brilliantly subtle work in their Cotton Capital series, this is what the Edinburgh Inquirer offers? For shame. I will be cancelling my subscription, unless there is a clear statement withdrawing support for this 'article'.
BTW basic proof reading seems to also be missing. I doubt this man 'found' Timbuktu in 2026.
Thanks for highlighting the important context of Britain’s colonial history here.
The intention of the article was to tell a little of the story of a major public figure from the city’s past who has been largely forgotten, but the historical context of colonialism should have been addressed. We are reviewing the article in order to do that.
As a professional soldier, Laing’s role within British Imperialism was not straightforward, fighting both in support of colonial expansion and in British efforts to suppress the slave trade.
More generally, we are committed to exploring this side of the city’s history, which we have examined in previous articles, including the story of former Lord Provost George Drummond and his links to the slave trade (https://www.edinburghinquirer.co.uk/p/revealed-the-father-of-modern-edinburgh), and will return to in future pieces.
Thank you for this response - I appreciate the changes in the updated version. There is more to debate, but the extra context has added more balance in my opinion.