vast, so fertile, so magnificent a territory! Take the case of central Africa; the insignificance of our trade with it is forcibly exhibited by contrasting the whole return from thence, with some single article of no great moment which enters Great Britain. The feathers received at Liverpool from Ireland reach an amount exceeding all the productions of central Africa; the eggs from France and Ireland exceed one-half of it; while the value of pigs from Ireland into the port of Liverpool is three times as great as the whole trade of Great Britain in the productions of the soil of central Africa.* What an exhibition does this give of the ruin which the Slave Trade entails on Africa! Can it be doubted that, with the extinction of that blight, there would arise up a commerce which would pour into Africa European articles of a vastly superior quality, and to a vastly superior amount?

If it be true that Africa would be enriched, and that her population would enjoy, in multiplied abundance, those commodities, for the acquisition of which she now incurs such intense misery, the one needful

* Eggs, total amount unknown, but into London, Liverpool, and Glasgow, from France and Ireland alone

Feathers from Ireland to Liverpool (Porter's

"Progress of Nation," p. 83)

£.

275,000

500,000

Pigs from Ireland to Liverpool (Porter, Ibid.) 1,488,555

Total imports, productions of the soil of Central

Africa (Porter's Tables, Supplement, No. 5)

456,014

thing, in order to induce them to unite with us in repressing the Slave Trade, is, to convince them that they will gain by selling the productive labour of the people, instead of the people themselves.

My first object, then, is to show that Africa possesses within herself the means of obtaining, by fair trade, a greater quantity of our goods than she now receives from the Slave Trade; and, secondly, to point out how this truth may be made plain to the African nations. I have further to prove, that Great Britain, and other countries (for the argument applies as much to them as to us), have an interest in the question only inferior to that of Africa, and that if we cannot be persuaded to suppress the Slave Trade for the fear of God, or in pity to man, it ought to be done for the lucre of gain.

The importance of Africa, as a vast field of European commerce, though it has been frequently adverted to, and its advantages distinctly pointed out by those who have visited that part of the world, has not hitherto sufficiently engaged public attention, or led to any great practical results. It is, perhaps, not difficult to account for the apathy which has been manifested on this subject-Africa has a bad name; its climate is represented, and not altogether unjustly, as pestilential, and destructive of European life; its population as barbarous and ignorant, indolent and cruel—more addicted to predatory warfare than to the arts of peace; and its interior as totally inacces sible to European enterprise. With the exception of

a few spots, such as Sierra Leone, the Gambia, the Senegal, &c., its immensely extended line of coast is open to the ravages and demoralization of the Slave Trade, and the devastating incursions of pirates. The difficulties connected with the establishment of a legitimate commerce with Africa may be traced principally to these circumstances; and could they be removed, by the removal of their cause, the obstacles arising from climate-the supposed character of its people and the difficulty of access to the interior, would be easily overcome.

Legitimate commerce would put down the Slave Trade, by demonstrating the superior value of man as a labourer on the soil, to man as an object of merchandise; and if conducted on wise and equitable principles, might be the precursor, or rather the attendant, of civilisation, peace, and Christianity, to the unenlightened, warlike, and heathen tribes who now so fearfully prey on each other, to supply the slave-markets of the New World. In this view of the subject, the merchant, the philanthropist, the patriot, and the Christian, may unite; and should the Government of this country lend its powerful influence in organising a commercial system of just, liberal, and comprehensive principles-guarding the rights of the native on the one hand, and securing protection to the honest trader on the other, a blow would be struck at the nefarious traffic in human beings, from which it could not recover; and the richest blessings would be conferred on Africa, so

long desolated and degraded by its intercourse with the basest and most iniquitous part of mankind.

The present condition of Africa in relation to commerce is deplorable.

The whole amount of goods exported direct from Great Britain to all Africa is considerably within one million sterling.

In the year 1835, the declared value of British and Irish produce and manufactures exported to the whole of Africa was £917,726.

Central Africa possesses within itself everything from which commerce springs. No country in the world has nobler rivers, or more fertile soil; and it contains a population of fifty millions.

This country, which ought to be amongst the chief of our customers, takes from us only to the value of £312,938 of our manufactures, £101,104* of which are made up of the value of arms and ammunition, and lead and shot.

I must request the reader to fix his attention on these facts; they present a dreadful picture of the moral prostration of Africa,—of the power of the Slave Trade in withering all healthy commerce,-of the atrocious means resorted to, in order to maintain and perpetuate its horrors,—and of the very slender sum which can be put down as expended in fair and honest trading.

The declared value of British and Irish produce * Parliamentary Returns for 1837.

and manufactures, exported in 1837, was, according

to parliamentary returns—

Deducting from this last sum the value of arms, ammunition, &c., the remnant of the annual trade of this country, so favoured by nature, and endowed with such capabilities for commerce, is but £211,834.

There is many a cotton spinner in Manchester who manufactures much more; there are some dealers in London whose yearly trade is ten times that sum; and there is many a merchant in this country who exports more than the amount of our whole exports to Africa, arms and ammunition included.

The imports from Africa into this country, though they have, undoubtedly, increased since the year 1820, are still extremely limited; and it is observable that they scarcely embrace any articles produced from the cultivation of the soil. Their estimated value, in 1834, was £456,014* (exclusive of gold dust, about £260,000); they consisted chiefly of palm-oil, teak timber, gums, ivory, bees'-wax, &c.,

* See Porter's Tables.