约翰斯通家族有四个姐妹和七个兄弟,他们是废奴主义者、投机商人、奴隶主、官员,有时还是政治家。他们见证了18世纪大英帝国的动荡、焦虑和变迁。四姐妹之一加入了叛军,曾被关押在爱丁堡,后乔装逃脱。她的一个弟弟是亚当·斯密和大卫·休谟的好友。另一个兄弟精通波斯语和孟加拉语,并且与一位著名的诗人成婚。他还是一个名叫“贝尔或贝琳达”的奴隶的 The Johnstone family has four sisters and seven brothers, abolitionists, speculators, slave owners, officials, and sometimes politicians. They have witnessed the turmoil, anxiety and change in the 18th century British Empire. One of the four sisters joined the rebel forces, was held in Edinburgh, and posed to escape. One of her younger brothers is a friend of Adam Smith and David Hume. Another brother is fluent in Persian and Bengali, and married a famous poet. He is also a slave named “Bell or Belinda.”