New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-01-14
African Commerce.

bleS giving an interesting VIE" VI In0
commerce which England and the United
States carry on with Africa. This csm-
merce is already large, and, more than
any other, is capable of being indeh-
nitely increased. During fifteen years
ending with l84l, the imports Of England
from the West Coast of Africa, amounted
to nearly fourteen millions and half of dol
lars, or nearly one million yearly. The
principal articles were gum senegal and
ivory, of each of which above quarter of
a million of dollars were imported yearly.
Next to these in importance, were bees
wax, palm oil, teak and other woods, hides,
rice, spices and coffee. During the same
period the exports of British goods to the
same region, amounted to little more than
twenty-three and half millions of dollars,
or above a million and half yearly. The
heaviest item of these was manufactured
cottons, of which the average value of
S652,O84 was taken yearly throughout the
whole period. Next to this, arms and am
munition were in demand, the transactions
in them being to the amount of S446,000
yearly. Among the other items, we notice
articles of iron and steel yearly, O,556;
empty casks and slaves, S50'4l9; hardware
and cutlery S48,3l5 haberdasher's articles,
$42,214 brass and copper manufactures,
S4I,461 salt, S26,263 soap and candles,
Sl2,754, &c. &c. At the same time the
British exports of foreign articles amounted
TO near half million of dollars yearly, the
larger portion of which consisted of India
cottons, though near one fifth of the same
was tobacco, produced in Maryland and
Virginia. And since the year l04l the
trade between England and Africa has
become considerably larger. From 1889
to 1914 inclusive, McCulloch estimates
the exports to the Western Coast at S2,-
100000 year and to the whole Of Africa
at S7,000,000 year, and his figures are
probably under, rather than over the truth.
The trade Of the United States looks
small compared with the above. In the
six years ending with l849 we had of Afri-
can products the value of three millions
three hundred thousand dollars, or more
than half million yearly. The largest
item in the list is hides and skins, of which
we have taken yearly $l82,556; next to
this is bullion S66,778; dyewoOd $lS,093;
coffee $l6,2O3; spices $l9,479; nuts
$3.50; copper ore 1924; dates S3'436,
&c, &c. During the same time we have
exported to Africa yearly S643,l36 of our
own products and S6O,933 of foreign mer-
chandize. The chief articles are tobacco
Sl51,195, cotton fabrics S148,998, spirits
SlO7,953, gunpowder S52,997, flour
S43,4l9, &c, &c.
The fact that both Great Britain and
the United States export great deal more
in value to Africa than they receive thence
is striking. The British imports from
Africa during the fifteen years above men
toned were Sl4,421 500; the exports to
Africa 1913, 626, OeG,-the former amounting
TO less than two-thirds the value of the
latter. So with the United States; in the
six years referred to, the exports to Africa
were S4,223 1924, while the imports from
there were but S3,3l7,572, difference of
near a million. In the case of England
this difference may easily be accounted for
by the fact that the bullion brought from
Africa to that country is not included in the
returns, and by the heavy expenditures
made by the military and naval establish
ment kept up in Africa. These expenditures
are made in the form of bills on London
which go back in payment for cargoes of
goods. But in the case ofthe United States
there is not such reason for the discrep-
ancy, which it must be remembered does
not include the profits made by our dealers
on the ventures they send out. Our ships,
no doubt, spend money on the coast but not
enough TO cover the difference in question,
and we are driven to suppose that 1t IS
covered by bills drawn in payment for
slaves sent to Cuba or Brazil.
The facts above set forth indicate very
plainly the extent to which our commerce
with Africa is capable of being developed.
The principal article of British trade with
that Continent is manufactured Cotton,
whose raw material is Of American prOduc-
ton, and in whose fabrication in the rude
forms in which 1t is there demanded, we
are able to compete with the world. There
is no good reason why that business should
rot be enlarged ten-fold. nor why we should