Europeans have hitherto made no attempt to extend their commerce to the interior of the country; but, with the exception of slaves, (which must soon cease, it is hoped, to be enumerated among articles of trafEc,) have confined themselves to a very limited coast-trade. The articles of which it consists are chiefly pepper, palm oil, cowries, ivo ry, gold; in exchange for which, they import lead, iron, fire arms, gunpowder, tobacco, spirits, tobacco pipes, vessels of brass, woollens and cottons of British manufacture, and especially East India cotton goods, which are most esteem ed in the country. All the ivory is procured from the in terior, and, in all the inland countries, gold is found in con siderable quantities. The native traders penetrate to a great distance into the interior in quest of these articles, or rather they pass through numerous hands from nation to nation, till they reach the commercial establishments on the coast ; but 'all the people concerned in this inland traffic are ex tremely mysterious in their operations, and very reluctant to communicate the slightest intelligence on the subject. It is only gold-dust that they sell to the Europeans, as they generally convert into ornaments the solid pieces, and even hold them sacred, if tolerably large. The gold of this country, whether in gi ains or in dust, is extremely pale, though very pure ; and greatly resembles the filings of yellow copper, with which it is sometimes fraudulently mixed. This alloy is easily discovered by means of aqua fortis ; but it is sometimes also imperfectly cleaned from the sand, which is of a quartzose nature, and which re quires a keen cyc, a glass, or even the crucible, to detect its presence. The native brokers or gold-takers are ex tremely skilful in this commerce, and know with the ut most precision the value of what they sell; but they are often equally well versed in the arts of knavery, requiring to be trusted with great caution, and only upon good re commendation. In Apollonia, it is said, the trader is more secure, either from exactions or impositions, and his per son is considered as sacred. The gold trade is understood to have diminished considerably of late, in consequence of the more powerful princes having attempted to secure a monopoly for themselves, by compelling the weaker to re nounce the working of their mines. Cowries and gold form
the current medium of exchange, especially the former, as being easily reduced to the smallest sums. Forty cow ries make a string; fifty strings a head, which is equal to one ackey of gold; and 16 ackeys make an ounce, which is valued at four pounds sterling.* The price of gold never fluctuates; and it is commonly estimated to yield in Europe a profit of 25 per cent. Much attention has re cently been directed to the improvement and civilization of this and other tracts on the western coast of Africa ; and a more interesting topic could scarcely be presented to enlightened humanity, than au enquiry into the most effec tual means of promoting the benevolent object. It has been suggested, in general, to extend our trade inland, by forming alliances with the princes, and placing residents in the principal towns; thus reaching the resources of the country, securing the confidence of the natives, and en larging the demand for European manufactures ;—to encou rage the progress of cultivation, by protecting planters from Europe, and directing the industry of the natives to the production of new articles of export ;—to annihilate absolutely every vestige of the slave trade, to establish schools for the instruction of the people, and to exercise, in the vicinity of our settlements, as much controuling power of government as possible, for introducing salutary regulations, and enforcing orderly obedi( nce.t "Thcre exists no country in the world," says the French miner alogist De Montfort, " so susceptible of general cultivation. We know that certain districts of Africa are fertile in corn, and grain of every kind grows there, intermixed with su gar-canes lately introduced, and which protect the grain from hail. The plants of India, Europe, America, Aus tralasia, or the fifth portion of the globe, will flourish there in perpetual spring, and the animals of all climates can be easily naturalized. The negroes, whosa respect for the whites is extreme, notwithstanding what they have suffered from them, will cheerfully give up their lands to be culti vated by us." Philosophical Magazine, vol. xlvi. p. 302. See Meredith's Account of the Gold Coast ; Smith's Voy age to Guinea ; Penclict.'s Diet. De la Grog.; and Play fair's Geography. (q)