The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-11-25

TO GEORGE Law, ESQ.,
The interest which, on various occasions, you have
manifested in the establishment Of trade between
the United States and Africa induces me to address
YOU In this form, in relation to that Important sub
ject.
Having resided for many years in Africa, in an Of
fetal capacity, and having recently visited by your
direction the most interesting parts of that wonder
GUS and prolific country inuupCr.ble opportunities
have been afforded me Of Deserving the manners
and customs of the people, and of investigating the
forms Of government under y hich they live. The
avenues Of their commerce have also been opened to
me in manner so extensive and complete that
propose to avail myself Of the knowledge have &C.
quired thus practically, well as from various re
able resources, to give few hints to my mercantile
countrymen, by which they may improve their long
neglected interests in the valuable trade Of the &C.
cessble portions Of that region.
l have already, in other papers, published in the
HERALD, given several extended sketches embody
ing much that relates to the habits and social life of
many African tribes; principally Of those, however,
inhabiting the so-caled Empire Of Morocco by far
the most interesting and populous Of all the North
ern or Barbary States. 1t is not my intention to
repeat what have heretofore said touching the social
relations Of the people, except far as may fad it
necessary to illustrate my present design of de-
veloping the commerce OF the country, the trade OF
the coasts and its waters. the facilities of approach
to its marts, and the interchange of our own pro-
ducts and manufactures for It's rich and luable
merchandise the rare fruits which are the sponta
neous growth of the SOIL and the vast metallic riches
with which the country everywhere abounds.
It would, however, be doing great injustice to the
subject, in o single paper condensed this must
be, to attempt to embrace the commercial features
of the whole of Africa. passing glance at the
present state of its prominent countries may seem
necessary and proper, in order the more fully to in
vestigate the resources of particular region to
which design shortly to call your attention.
Take, then, the map or chart before you, and ira
verse that great inland sea- the Mediterranean. II
has been big with tue destinies Of commerce Of civil
zation, and Of the world The advent of Christianity
belongs to its Asiatic arm, the Levant. The intro
duction Of commerce and navigation belongs to
the same region; and we arc indebted to the
Phenicians, the daring navigators and merchant
princes Of Tyre for the first impulses which no
only laid the foundation of their own astonishing
nationality and greatness but peopled the shore
Of the sea with colonies, built cities, and
established nations upon its borders, from its
Eastern end even to the pillars set up by Hercules
Indeed that distinguished Tyrean hero, who united
the characters of navigator merchant and dscoyerer
lived to satisfy the deathess motto, Ne Plus Utru'
engraved upon his pillars for, passing through the
Straits Of Gibraltar, which, until the beginning OF
the present century, was called the :" Strait of Her
cues' he not only founded Cadiz, the City Of the
Sea- the Oldest city that has survived to Europe of
all the cities Of antiquity but pushed his enterprises
into the ocean, and exchanged the commodities of
Tyre for the tin and copper of Cornwall, in the
then far off country OF England. Tn that day such
mercantile enterprises were truly Hercuean Ac
cordngly, in the otherwise almost fabulous history
OF surrounding nations, especially in that of Egypt
and Greece, we find them setting up claims to the
birth-right Of the Tyrean Hercules, appropriating
and magnifying his great actions and successes in
cooperating them with their own histories, and
weaving them into their own peculiar annals. So
popular did his name besome that it s recorded by
a comparatively modern historian that no less than
twentyseven distinct nations disputed in after years
for the honor of his nativity rather each one set
up the original hero for its own peculiar pro
perry. In this respect Hercules nearly lnadrupled
the claimants Of Greece for the brsl-right of
Homer, for we are told as near as eau repeat the
verse, that
Seven Grecian cities claimed great Homer lead,
Through which, alive. the poet begged his bread
Cadmus, the inventor of letters was also claimed
by Egypt and Greece; but here, again, the
Ph9nicians are ahead of them. Cadmus was a
native of Tyre and while the sixteen or seventeen
letters invented by him receiving long afterwards
a few Ionan additons-are still extant in the writ
ten literature Of the early or Phgncian Irish, who
were undoubtedly coonized during the career of
Hercules and his followers not particle Of similari
ty Ia discovered in the hierogyphical language OF
Egypt, which, nevertheless, has an nndoabted and
remote antiquity Of its own. The Egyptians and
Greeks were vain and covetous and we may there
fore well imagine why these people sought to APP
propriate The successful labors of others Besides,
the Egyptians were systematically aud super
stitiously afraid Of venturing upon the sea, and
never were maritime race; and il we may believe
their early history at all, we have the recorded
fact that an Egyptian King called Necho, en-
ployed the Pheni clans, or Tyreans to explore the
eastern and southern coasts OF Africa, which they
did in three years voyage, repairing their vessels
and planting and reaping crops the while upon
the coasts, passing down the Red Sea,
doubling the southern extremity, now called
the Cape Of Good Hope, and returning along The
western coast by the way OF the Strait Of Hercules.
And as to the Greeks, iii at least equally authen-
tic, that long before they nayigated any sea
owned had built single vessel, the ships OF
Tyre were found trading in the Grecian ports, and
the TyreaHs were there distributing alike their mer
chandse and their letters. Besides, are assured
that the Tyreans refused to suffer the mysteries OF
their trade and navigation to he pryed into, and we
have noted historical instance recorded in which
the ignorant but ambitious Greeks atem pied TO get
At the secrets of the commercial prosperity Of the
PhGnici ans After the Greeks had succeeded in
building ships, (the ships Of that period were not
larger than the small latteen craft of the present
div ta NQl a n9l UF rntlq
was followed 10y Greek vessel, for the purpose of
ascertaning whittier she was bound, and where she
would discharge her cargo. The ryrcan captain.
either suspecting or knowing the de ign OF his fol-
lower led him among the rocks OF the coast, aud
thus at the cost of his vessel and cargo. the
means Of destroying the hopes of the Greek, for
both ships were fourdsredin the dangerous Arehi-
pelago The city of Tyre, however, afterwards be
slowed high encomium upon its spirited mariner,
and remunerated him for bis sacrifices The secrets
OF the trade whereby they did live were thus