Dutch, which were afterwards ceded to them. In 1685 the French king erected another company to trade from Sierra Leon to the Cape of Good Hope, restraining the former company within Cape Blanco and Sierra Leon. In 1702 the latter of thefe French African companies had the contract for furnishing the Spanish West Indies with fo many flaves yearly, which being transferred to Great Britain in 1713, the French company was abolished and the trade laid open to all their subjects. The English company had fustained many loffes from the French and Dutch encroachments, and in 1695 their fort in the river Gambia was taken by the French, who after the peace claimed an equal right in that river with the English.

In 1697 the parliament laid the African trade open, and impofed a tax for the fupport of the forts, which act remained in force till 1712, though the tax would by no means defray the neceffary expences. Since that time the trade has been free and open to all British subjects; for, the company failing, go¬ vernment, in.1730, allowed ten thousand pounds to support the forts, which were unanimously declared absolutely neceffary for the preservation of the African trade: the fame sum, and frequently more, has fince that been annually allowed by government, and in 1749 and the two following years the claims of the Royal African Company were enquired into, fatisfaction made to them for all their effects, and those effects and the forts vefted in the company of merchants trading to Africa, under the direction of a committee, who were not allowed to trade in their joint capacity (nor perhaps

fhould

fhould have been in their feparate) nor officers or fervants in Africa to export negroes on their own account. They have been allowed annually 13,000l. for the support of the forts, befides frequent grants of fums which they petitioned for; and this very year 2,000%. extra. In 1763 Senegal and its dependencies were vested in this company, and in 1765 they were divefted thereof, and it was vefted in his majesty, and the trade laid open to all his majesty's fubjects, in which state it now continues; that is, the whole trade from Port Sallee in Barbary to the Cape of Good Hope, both inclufive, is free for all his majesty's fubjects ; but that part of it from Port Sallee to Cape Rouge, under the direction of government; and the part from Cape Rouge to the Cape of Good Hope, wherever there are forts, under the direction of the committee: and as they have forts on the Gold Coast only, their attention is confined to that valuable spot.

CHAP. V.

The CONDUCT of the present AFRICAN COMMITTEE.

ROM the foregoing brief account of the African trade,

FR

it appears that the carrying it on by an exclusive company has been tried twice without fuccefs; it remains now to examine what has been the management of the committee, and whether it improves under their direction.

One obfervation is neceffary to be made; that the inAuence of the committee at prefent operating no farther

than

than the Gold Coast, they are accountable for the encrease or decrease of trade within those limits only; for want of which plain direction, perfons who are but little verfed in the African trade are told, with a fort of triumph, of the prodigious encrease of it, and it is held forth as if entirely owing to the direction of the committee. The trade in general indeed is encreased, but that on the Gold Coast confiderably diminished, nay almost ruined; for from 1750 to 1763 at least thirteen thousand negroes were annually purchased, but from 1763 to 1770 not above five hundred at Cape Coast Castle, by which we may judge of the reft. In 1752 Liverpool fent thirty-two ships to the Gold Coast for eight thousand two hundred and thirty negroes, and in 1771 only fourteen fhips for three thousand four hundred. Some years ago above one hundred thousand ounces of gold were annually brought home from thence by the fhipping; but now the committee's fervants get all, and that all is a very trifling quantity in comparison of what ufed to be collected, and the Dutch get most of it for spirits and Brazil tobacco.

But to fhew more clearly how far the committee have conformed to the act of parliament that established their power, and how far they have answered or abufed the purpofes for which they were appointed, it is proper to recur to the plain directions of the act itself. The act paffed in 1749, orders that "the committee-men shall be annually "chosen by a majority of the merchants trading to Africa ; "that they shall not trade in their joint capacity; that the governors of forts fhall not fhip negroes on their own

"account; that the forts fhall protect, not obstruct, the private traders, and that the buildings fhall be publick "warehouses for the fervice of the community and the "protection of their effects."

With refpect to the manner of choofing committee-men, defigning and interested perfons, who had been chosen, availed themselves of a cafual expreffion in the act, "com"mittee-men fhall be chofen by perfons trading or intending “to trade to Africa," to make that office perpetual, which the legislature intended to be annual. The electors being composed of all fuch perfons who paid forty fhillings for their freedom in the company, these defigning men made numbers free* without their knowledge or expence, many of the lowest claffes of the people, and all of them fuch as were their friends or dependents. Accordingly these forty fhilling voters this laft July out-voted the real traders; the poll at the close stood thus, Bourke 573, Beane 512, French 507, Smith 230, Aird 193, Philpot 196, Cleland 91.— Smith, Aird and Philpot were nominated and fupported by the traders. Bourke united his intereft with French and Beane, two of the perfons in the combination, and stood upon that intereft, and that of Rofs and Mill, the latter of whom has a brother governor of Cape Coast Castle. By these means they are self-chofen, and confequently independent of the real African merchants, unattentive to the publick good, and industrious only to raise fortunes for themselves, by means of that publick money annually al

*See letter [G.] in the appendix for Beane and French's agreement, &c.

lowed

lowed them for the general advantage of the whole trade. They make their own dependents the governors of the forts, and carry on their trade by their means, either evading or boldly acting in defiance of the laws of their country; and having the advantage of house and warehouse room, their fervants abroad and freight of their goods out at the publick expence, can afford to overbid the private traders: this naturally raises a competition; the African articles of trade are enhanced, and the value of their own commodities leffened and this has ftill worfe confequences; for if the Africans çan have what they want for lefs of their articles than usual, they will bring the fewer to market, as they are indolent in their difpofitions, and crafty in their dealings, and know very well how to take the advantage of our mismanagement.

:

The governors of the forts though to appearance forbid to ship off slaves for their own use on pain of difmiflion, yet knowing they can depend on the committee-men for their protection, as they are fecretly interested in their trade, do it clandestinely; and when they leave the Coast, always take care to have a noble cargo of the very beft negroes to carry with them. The poor foldiers are obliged to do all their work and labour for them, though miferably fupplied, at the dearest rates, with the common neceffaries of life. The forts are merely an heap of rubbish, overrun with filth and vermin, so far from being capable of awing the natives, that they cannot protect themfelves; fo that for the advantage of their private trade, the governors are generally tributary to