Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-09-12
TRADING-LIFE ON THE AFRICAN
COAST.
Il. WHITMOKE,
Publiaher and Proprietor.

idea of trading-life in the Gaboen. My
friends factory is house all ground.
floor, built of palm vulgarly called
bamboo. Behind the veranda is the par
lor and beyond that again the store,
which is deliciously cool and dark, and
fragrant with native spices, placed
therein TO keep away the moth. In this
deep, cave.like recess may dimly be des-
cried strings of beads hanging down
from the rafters in festoons, huge piles
of cotton cloth, chiefly romats and satin
stripe, crates of earthenware, bundles Of
American tobacco in the leaf, as smokers
bought 1t in the Elizabethan age, boxes
of pipes, casks of Coast-o Guinea rum,
barrels of coarse powder, bags of hints
and Birmingham trade guns, long as the
ancient matchlocks, with shining barrels
and stocks painted bright red. At six
o clock the store keeper opens the wide,
folding-doors, and the natives throng in
to make small purchases, and imbibe
their morning dram. The clerk sits
down to his accounts. The factor exam
ines his books or writes letters to his
employers, or bargains with the native ira,
ders. or superintends the sturdy Krumen
az they row to and fro from the ship to
the shore. Canoes cons sailing down the
river with the land breeze OF the early.
morn. bringing their petty cargoes OF
prodnce from the bush, while Others are
being filled With European goods ready
to start for the interior. Commerce lere
is carried on by means Of Hlddlemen.
The Europeans purchase, the bush tribes
produce, and the Mpongwe, or coast
people, monopolize the trade between
the two. If the natives Of the interior
come down to the seaside, they are not
allowed to go on board ship, to visit the
factory, or in any way to tratlc directly
with the white man. AS rule, they re.
main quietly at home, and are visited
by some Mponxve trader, who, having
obtained goods on credit from factory,
sails IN the river to bush-yiiisge, where
he is boarded and lodged at the public
expense. He shows the villagers his
goods; not till they have seen them will
thew begin to work. They then go into
the Forest they cut ebony and camwood
into billets; they pluck the golden nuts
of the palm-tree, boil them, crush them,
and squeeze out the oil; collect bees
wax; they bleed creeping plant, the
creamy sap Of which dries into cakes Of
an inferior India-rpbber, or caoutchopc;
the inhabitants of other villages are
sometimes allowed to bring their con-
tributions; while elephants tusks, which
descend from the interior, bought and
rebought from tribes, at length arrive
into the hands of the Mpongwe. As
soon as his goods are bartered away, he
fills up his canoes, sails back to the tac-
tory, and reoeiYes a large commission IN
cloth, rum and tobaopo-the money of
the Gaboon. Followed by slaves carry
ing his barrels and his bales, he returns
no his own house, and is at once sur
rounded byrelatives and hostile friends.
He is treated to his face as if be were
a rich IN an suddenly become defnnct.
Women dance in his honor and sing
verses complimentary as epItaphsi
council of the next Of kin Is held for the
division Of bis goods, over which they
quarrel bitterly, and fElt display is made
Of those emotions which Gro felt, but
concealed, at the reading of will. yet
ven IS the character Of the negro that
s. ~ould rather give up all that he has
ne thRn to run the risk OF being
esIpeu stingy fellow" That epithet
ealeo > ~ple such as the Mpopgwe is
among va. pen, oDnr, @briOus of all; coward,
Ia, ana diet being eompssspysely terms
of endearment and es,SSH. noseseI,
The unforhInate rich man IS allowed 20
Lsen something for himself, thst ne may
be encouraged to 90 and trade aga'u,
this money he eKpeDds on NiEes anu
dawes. builds house With . deck OF
,,Ianked floor, in imitation Of the iaeto'
rTeg: makes q collection Of crockery-
ware, as we do of old china, and oeea-
sionally gives a champagne breakfast 10
the traders.
There are many people in England
who suppose that the treacherous ma
lives" are always in a state Of latent
hostility. regarding white men as M
trnders. and yearning to shake OF the
fore;gn woke. Il would, however, be
;rst as reasonable TO imagine a con-
sD;rsev of landlords TO drive away the
Enplish from Paris and the hhine.
WLetber We are beloved on either con
,in-nt Is srdently desired. The negroes
are . dependent upon us for the clothes
which they wear, the rum which they
drink, the tobacco which they smoke,
the weapons and powder which they use
"a war, hunting and festivities our
beads are their jeWelry; We import iron
for their spear heads; even the iaols
wbielf they worship are often mahuiae-
turel ~ Birmingham. In out Of the way
rarts. .kere trade is intermittent aud
uncertain. a5e natives have recourse 20
The back ari 10 draw vessels TO Their