What a relief that we're finally on the same track!
 
        I have worked with Dr. Ann McDougall on the African side of the
question but, Dr. McDougall admits to not being as familiar with the West
Indian side of the story.  Nor is there an Atlantic specialist at the U of
A; Dr. Phillip Lawson, who came closest to fitting the bill, unfortunately
passed away late last year.  I've also worked very closely with Dr. David
Johnson on Latin American history.  He, however, recognizes his extreme
limitations in West Indian history and he is also having some difficulty
in trying to unravel the similar issues surrounding alcohol in primary
sources he recently uncovered in Columbia.  These past years, I've worked
under the direct supervision of Dr. John E. Foster, one of the leading
specialists in Western Canadian Fur Trade and Native history, who was the
first to confirm the centrality of what I'm trying to do.  Unfortunately,
Dr. Foster passed away last week.  Despite these setbacks and limitations,
I intend to persist if only to celebrate his daring, his desire to pursue
that which he knew little about, to explore learning from a
non-traditional path and, hopefully, to blaze a new trail.
        Over and out!