Brown sailed to the River Plate in 1809 and established himself as a merchant in Montevideo. He became part-owner of Eliza, carried its cargo inland after the ship grounded, and apparently raised enough money to buy the schooner Industria in Chile. With Industria he organized a regular packet service between Uruguay and Argentina, placing him directly in the regional maritime economy. Spain's destruction of the schooner then linked his commercial career to the revolutionary naval struggle that would make him commander-in-chief.
Chapter · 50:03-52:08
Brown builds a River Plate packet service
Before commanding Argentina's fleet, Brown worked as a River Plate merchant and established a regular sailing service between Uruguay and Argentina.