The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1809-09-28 00:00:00

COMMERCE.

Mt ibeent INT 01, THE COMMENCE 0? ?RA "ICH WITS
•FIICA, AND THE ISLANDS OF FILLNCE AND
111001150 N•

[From rre Unitrsal Magnin.]

The Europeans have not always appeared as cor-
sairs upon the shores of Africa : towards the end of
the fourteenth century, the Normans and Britons
had several establislinierits upon its western coasts,
between Cape Verd unit Guinea; they even pene-
trated into the interior of the country, by means of
the rivers Senegal and Gambia ; and having after-
wards proceeded a short journey laud, they re-
embarked their European merchin.dizes upon the
Niger, and sold them throughout the provinces of
Nigritia, the rich kiiigdoon of Tombut, and that of
Milli. These merchandises principally consisted of
linen cloth, kaives, spi ritunus liquors, salt, and glass-
beads; in return for which were given skins, ivory,
gums, ostrich feathers, ambergris. and gold dust.
The bind wars during the reign of Charles VI.
gradually diminished die Feerich expeditious to
Africa ; so that, by the lith century, of all their
esteblisheients, there only re:liaise d to the French
that of the island of St. Lorife. The discovery of
America having effected a change in the aucient
commercial system, souse Dieppe and Rouen mer-
chants formed themselves into a boil!, under the
name of the Cape Vert! Com ',any, which, in 1621,
began to truffle with the western coasts of Africa,
forming at the saute period a settlement IWO% the
:river Senegal ; which, however, they resigned in
1664, ill favour of the New West India Company.
The latter obtained, at this epoch, amongst its
other grants, the exclusive privilege of trading to
the coasts of Africa lying between Cape Blanco
and the Cape of Good Hope, an extent-of 1500
leagues. The patent of this company having been
cancelled in t67e, Colbert offered a premium of
10 francs for every slave brought by French pri-
vateers from the coast of Africa to the American co-
lomies; but 110011 the moimpolisiug plan was renew-
ed ; for, in 1673, a Senegal Company was formed,
to which 13 francs per head were allowed for *laves.
The African commerce, at this period, was divided
into two parts ; namely, the commerce with Sene-
gal, and that with GuMea. The former comprises
the traffic carried on between the rivers Senegal
and Gambia. The ri;Jit of trading thither was I.
vested in a company, c ilied the Senegal Company, j
in Isip.3. The charter of this coinjouny was re-
newed at three suhserpient periods ; namely, ia
1696, 1704, and 171 e ; but in 1719 it was
sold to the great India Company, which en-
joyed its privileges till 1742, when it was forc-.1 to
eh:uion the western coasts of A fres. The com-
merce with Giiiiieu is that exercised between the
river Sierra Leone, incinsitely, aml the Cepe
of
Good Have. The exclu. ve prii.di.ge of trading to
these parts was giveii, in 10.41, r.i n company which
undertook to furnish the A iierican colonies with
1000 negroes aucii illy; but falling in the fulfilment
of this contract, it Me* I.6li;ed,in 1701, to yield its
patent to a nee aworsation, which undertook to pro-
vide 3,000 negroes annually, on condition of enjoy-
ing the privileges of the former company, with an
additional one, of receiving a mon tv of the duties
laid upon West India produce bronebt into Fr nice.
The affairs of this company throve better than did
those of the former, withowt however benefittioog
the•Freireli colonies of America ; this 'rose from the
liberty which was given to the cowpony, during the
war of succession, of providing the Spanish colonies
with blacks. The putAit of this company (as the
Guinea Company) ought in justice to have expired
in 1705; hut, under the title of the Assiento Coin-
',any, it was prolonged to the peace of Utrecht, in
1713. Finally, during the first yeit.r of the reign
of Louis XV. (1716) the trade to Guinea became
free, and thus it has continued to the present time.
The French merchants in general protitted front the
circumstance of the East India Company's aban-
doning the Senegal trade, in 1743, and enjoyed u
free trade thither till Ine, when a loot-headed in-
dividual persuaded some credulous persons, that
nothing was eamer than to reavh flautbouk by route,
till then unknown ; this delusion was seconded by a
weak Minister, who granted exclusive privileges, and
censiderahie sums of money, for the carrying on of
this chimerical scheme, which, it is almost needless
to add, totally failed. Two years afterwards, the di-
rectinn of the monopoly trussed into better hands, who
confined the traffic to the purchase of slave* only.
Some years subeequentto the peeve of 1733, the Se-
negal Company obtained a prolongation of its patent
(dated November, 1786) to July, 1796, its territo-
rial limits being fixed foam Cape Blanco to Cape
Verd, and the articles of traffic stated to be sieves,
gum, ivory, wax, and camwood ; with this proviso..
that the company shred(' bear the expenses of its
civil amid military esteblishments, and moreover
send annuidiy 400 slaves to Cayenne. Ito tine,
the whole commerce with Africa was pronounced
free, by a decree of the National Assembly, in
January, 17:)I. As to the traffic in +lavas upon the
cistern coasts of Africa, as well near Mozambique
es Madagascar; the French privateers have only
frequented these parts habitually since the middle
of the preseut century, when the colonies of the
isles of France amid Bourbon were established. The
blacks of these coasts serve to augment the culture
and population iii the aforesaid isles ; nevertheless,
since 1783, the Freud' traders carry a vast number
of slaves from Mozambique to St. Domingo; and
there receive a remuneration of 40 francs per ton
upon the measurement of their vessels. At the
end of the reign of Louis XIV. or, rather, dur-
ing the first years of that of Louis XV. the imports
into France, from the western coasts of Africa,
amounted to the sum of 500,000 francs, in gums,
elephants' teeth, and skins, the slaves were in
steadier )2000, at the price of 1000 francs each,
renderiag a sum total of 4,006,1100 francs. At
the same period the total amount of the exports
for Africa was 630,000 francs. At the epoch of
the revolution, France sent to the western coasts of
Africa, goods to the value of 18,000,000 francs, ant
of whirls, foreign articles amounted to 10,000,000.
and those of the growth or manufacture of
France to 8,000,000 francs. The merchandise*
of these parts of Africa brought into France
at the period of the revolution. amounted in
value to 140,000 francs ; and the slaves sent to the
colonies, in number to 36,000, at the value of 1300
francs each, 'tsking a total of 3n,u00,000 francs.
lo treating of the commerce of Africa, it e ill be

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