TREATIS E

TR

A

UPON THE

A DE

BY

FROM

Great-Britain to Africa;

Humbly recommended to the

ATTENTION

O F

GOVERNMENT.

AN AFRICAN

AFRICAN MERCHANT.

LONDON:

Printed for R. BALDWIN, No. 47, Pater-noster Row.

M DCC LXXII. 1772

W

HOEVER is thoroughly acquainted with the true intereft of Great Britain, muft know, that to her foreign commerce she is indebted for her prefent greatnefs, it's fupport and preservation. The very land of England depends upon the fea; to commerce we owe the encrease of our national treasure, the breed and excellency and plentiful fupply of feamen; the fecurity of our public credit; the regular payment of the funded intereft, and in short, every advantage which can excite a fpirit of industry to acquire the

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comforts

comforts of life, and will at the fame time raife in the poffeffors, a bravery of foul to protect and defend that country, from which they derive a folid property in so acquifitions.

many valuable

It must therefore be an undeniable maxim, chat we are bound in prudence and duty to encrease this commerce to to the utmost, especially between the mother country and her colonies, fince thereby many. mutual advantages will arife to both; and it is equally clear, that it is our interest to reftrain the trade of France, our natural enemy, as much as we poffibly can; actively, by preventing their encroachments; paffively, by encouraging and enabling our merchants to rival and oppofe, if not exceed them at foreign markets.

CHA P. I.

The IMPORTANCE of the TRADE from GREAT BRITAIN to AFRICA.

F the benefits of foreign commerce are fo great, and fo

I effentially neceffay

f

her Colonies, and the improvements therein so restrictive of our enemies power, if difpofed, to hurt us, how vaft is the importance of our trade to Africa, which is the firft principle and foundation of all the reft; the main fpring of the machine, which fets every wheel in motion: a trade which arifes almost entirely from ourselves, our exports being

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chiefly

chiefly our own manufactures, or fuch as are purchased with them; and the returns gold, ivory, wax, dyeing woods and negroes the four firft articles of home confumption, or manufactured for exporting; the last affording a most prodigious employment to our people, both by fea and land : without whom our plantations could not be improved or carried on, nor should we have any fhipping paffing between the colonies, and mother country; whereas by their labours our fugars, tobacco, and numberless other articles are raised, which employ an incredible number of fhips, and these ships in their turn muft employ a much greater number of handicraft trades at home; and the merchandizes they bring home and carry out, pay fuch confiderable fums to government, that of them confift the most flourishing branches of the revenue; fo that both for exports and imports, the improvement of our national revenue, the encouragement of industry at home, the fupply of our colonies abroad, and the increase of our navigation; the African trade is so very beneficial to Great Britain, fo effentially neceffary to the very being of her colonies, that without it neither could we flourish, nor they long subfift.

There is also one very peculiar advantage in this trade, which is this; we need never fear that Africa will rival us, for it produces no one commodity fimilar to the productions of Great Britain, and confequently fhould any colonies be eftablished there, they can never through any oppofition of interests be under the neceffity, or have the leaft defire to throw off their fubordination to their mother country.

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