to each other, and to endeavour by bribes and other artifices to allure them to their feparate interests. These diffenfions, my lord, are manifeftly detrimental to the trade, and even endanger the fafety of the British subject. For the natives taking advantage of them, not only enhance the price of flaves, but are become so arrogant and daring, that there are very recent inftances of their seizing and beating the governors themselves. When they, who affume the particular distinction of having the British flag carried before them whenever they travel, tamely fuffer for their private trading interest such difgraceful infults-your lordship may cafily judge how the dignity of the British flag is fupported; and what protection the British traders (being their rivals) are to expect from trading governors in that distant part of the world. and To explain the method of paying the committee's fervants, it is necessary to observe, that the governors, or chiefs of forts, in that service, have the advantage of, what is there called, furnishing for their forts; that is, advancing goods of their own for the pay of the garrifon, repairs, many other charges allowed by the committee for the support of the forts. These expences they defray with rum, tobacco, and coarse cloth: articles in no demand, and only fit to purchase provifions; but are repaid in the very best trading goods, as India filks, and other valuable articles which come out among the fupplies; so that this emolument amounts to double their falary, which will evidently appear from the following inftance, viz. a governor iffues on pay, to his garrison, one gallon of rum at 6s. it cofts him but is. 8d. and is now fo bad an article on the Coast, that even for provifions it fcarcely goes for 2s. 6d. 6s. is transferred to the governor's credit, for which he draws goods that are really worth what they are charged on pay; fo for 1s. 8d. he gets 6s. and the perfon paid with the rum has but 2s. 6d. for 6s. of his pay. By this method of furnishing, the committee is always in arrears to the governors; who, therefore, upon the arrival of the annual fhip, claim the privilege of felecting for themselves the very best goods for trade. Thus they take their salaries, as well as arrears; and by that time the governor of Cape Coaft (whose share is by far the greateft) and the other governors have chofen chofen out their quotas, the whole annual fupplies are nearly exhausted : A very good reafon for paying the reft of the committee's fervants with what goods they please. The council on that coaft has, in reality, the difpofal of the whole parliamentary allowance (except what is referved for the committee's expences at home;) they make out the annual indent, which is always implicitly complied with by the committee; whereby they never fail to have out a prime affortment of goods fit for trade; and, to accomplish this private purpose, they are not only fparing of ftores for public utility, but alfo curtail thofe articles of the supplies which are not advantageous: for this last reason, they do not order above half the quantity of English brandy that might be ufed among the forts. In lieu of the other half they have prime goods, and a very great advantage by fupplying the deficiency of that fpirit with American rum; which, as beforementioned, they now buy for is. 8d. and always iffue on pay at 6s. per gallon. It is averred, that not lefs than ten thousand gallons are thus annually fupplied; if fo, this advance of 4s. 4d. per gallon amounts to a confiderable fum. The chief motive that induced me to give your lordship the trouble. of this addrefs, was to reprefent the unhappy fituation of the poor foldiers in this part of Africa: but as a minute detail of their wretched circumftances would take up too much of that time which your lordship can fo ill fpare from weightier affairs, permit me only to obferve, that if the forts were well fortified, (which is quite the reverse) they could not, though but feebly attacked, be defended by the prefent garrifons; for the miferable foldiers on that coaft are originally the refuse of every fervice inlisted for in London; many of them afflicted with incurable disorders, and almost all of them unfit for duty when fent to Africa: where, not to mention the climate, they find themselves, in a great measure, deftitute of every neceffary of life; are ill paid, ill clothed, and totally undisciplined. The very fight of them excites pity, and is a national difgrace. To be explicit on this fubject would far exceed the bounds of a letter ; but if honoured with permiffion to wait on your lordship, I hope to be able to fet in the clearest light any thing herein hinted at, either relative to the trade, or the system of government on the Gold Coast. 7 Should this be thought rather out of the road of my duty, I hope the misfortune of Captain Tonyn's death having prevented its coming to your lordship's knowledge through a proper channel, will be some apology for my prefuming to lay it before you. I have the honour to be, with the utmost respect, February 28, 1772. MY LORD, Your Lordship's, &c. That these grievances ftill continue will appear from the following extract of a letter from the Gold Coaft of Africa, to a merchant at Liverpool, dated 30th of March, 1772, by the Weazel floop of war. THE times fince the Ingram failed are infinitely worse than when she lay here; for these three months, I will take upon me to say, there has not been three hundred slaves fold amongst all the shipping in this road of Annamaboe, and we have feldom had less than from twelve to eighteen fail of top-fail veffels in it. They have at last got the price of the flaves up to eleven ounces for men, and nine ounces for women; therefore, I would not have you, by any means, be concerned to Annamaboe for fome time. There is no buying flaves now without you give two ounces of gold on each; to procure which, you must fell your goods 20 per cent. under prime cost, and you may think yourself happy to get it even at that rate. The black traders are now got to fuch a pafs, they will not take the primest smoak taffaty, as they call it, but will oblige you to give feven ackies of gold in its ftead, and they will have gold also for any article that is not ready fale in the market; in short, the nature of the trade is fo much altered, that a man who was here but two years ago would be at his wit's end to make a purchase. Another great disadvantage every veffel must labour under, that comes here is, that Mr. Mill, governor of Cape Coast Castle, and Mr. Bell, governor of Annamaboe, are both determined to go home with the next annual ftore fhip*, and till then you may be affured, they will not only fell Probably thefe gentlemen were alarmed at the attempt laft year to call the committee-men to account; but, when they hear the bill did not pass the House, may lay aside their fears, and wait till justice overtakes them by an act of parliament this winter to fuperfede and bring them to a proper examination. fell the shipping no flaves, but all the forts will be kept employed in purchasing slaves for them, and, I dare fay, will carry off between them at least one thousand flaves: I therefore leave you to judge what prospect a fhip can have, till those two gentlemen are gone; for flaves they must and will have in spite of fate. [ I. ] THE HE importance of the trade from Great Britain to Africa, may be thus briefly and fully evinced: It furnishes annually to her colonies from forty thousand to fifty thousand labourers; who, with those already there, by cultivation are enabled to fend to the parent country every year, as appears by an average taken of the last eight or ten years, 400 150,000 hds. fugar 20,000 puncheons rum 44,859,963 lb. tobacco 150,000 casks of rice 40,230 cwt. coffee 889,739 lb. indigo 1,941,094 lb. cotton 400 ton gum fenega 4,000 Add to this the shipping employed in } 50,000 carrying gold, wax, ivory, negroes Tons of shipping employed duty 196,278 producing 1,687,499 Revenue. And employing at least thirteen thousand feamen. Many of these articles, which pay no duty in their first state, do on exportation and manufacturing; and befides thefe returns, through the labour of the Africans they raise annually in the colonies food fufficient to supply four millions of inhabitants, and fend a vaft furplus to Europe, to which America is now become the only granary that can supply her wants. 6 The The benefits arifing to Great Britain from the employ of near two hundred thousand ton of shipping and thirteen thousand feamen, and the advantages accruing to the revenue of above one million and an half of money annually, will fhew the African Trade to be an object worthy the strictest attention, both of the legislature and the community. FIN 1 S. ERRATA in the TREATISE. P. 18. l. 21. for ar read far. p. 33. l. 3. for direction r. distinction. ERRATA in the APPENDIX. P. 22. . 10. for nor r. not. p. 83. l. 28. for greaty r. greatly. remains . remains. p. 104. 1. 26. for a flave r. buying a flave. r. taffaties. p. 104. 1. 25. for buying p. 104. 1..29. for taffats |