A. D. 1777. 605. 



Rhode-ifland fold her whole cargo of rum to the governors for gold and 

 bills of exchange. The governors, having fuch a comm^ind of the 

 flave trade, have availed thenifelves of the fuperior character of the 

 Gold-coaft flaves by buying up others of inferior quality, and pafling 

 them upon unexperienced purchafers as Gold-coaft flaves. 



By the returns of the flaves fliipped off from the coaft, which are 

 tranfmitted by the governors to the African committee, the annual ex- 

 portation of Gold-coaft flaves appears to have been almoft doubled in. 

 the laft fix years : but, notwithftanding the apparent authenticity of 

 thofe returns, the lords of trade are of opinion, that the merchants of 

 London, Briftol, and Liverpool, are warranted in aflerting, that the 

 trade for real Gold-coaft flaves is diminillied, the trade for ivory much 

 leflened, and the trade for gold totally loft ; that the Britifli "manufac- 

 tures have fallen greatly in value on the coaft, while every article of Afri- 

 can produce has rifen prodigioufly *. 



Though parliament has actually made grants for the fupport of the 

 feveral forts on the coaft of Africa, amounting, from the year 1750 to 

 lyydjbothinclufive, to the furaof^343,40o,excluftveof/^i i 2,142 : 3 : 3 

 paid as a compenfation to the Royal African company for the furrender 

 of their charter, forts, and cffcCls ; yet all the forts, except Annamaboe 

 and Dixcove, are in a ruinous condition, and their ordinance totally un- 

 ferviccable. Nor do the forts, if really fortified, afford any protedlion 

 to the free merchant : but, being merely repofitories, or ftore-houfes, 

 for private trade, they operate to the extreme prejudice and difcourage- 

 ment of the general trade. 



It appears, that the public money is every year inverted by the com- 

 mittee in goods fuitable to the African market, which are given to the 

 committee's governors and other fervants in payment of their lalarics 

 and other claims upon the public, and applied by them to the purpofes 

 of their private trade. Thefe payments being often advanced by the 

 governors out of their private ftores before the arrival of the ftore ihips, 

 they take the opportunity of putting off goods of a very inferior quality, 

 for which they charge the price of the beft. * 



No lefs than three different currencies had been eftabliflied on the 

 coaft, and uied in the bool^s kept at the forts, to the utter fubverlion of 

 all perli)icuity in the accounts. The committee, fenfible of fo grols an 

 impropriety, (to call it no worfe) had ordered, that all accounts ftiould 

 be kept in one currency, called Companfs pay, which is ftated to be at a 

 permanent exchange of 50 per cent : but, notwithflanding that order, it 

 was difcovered by Mr. Camplin, the fccretary of the African committee, 

 that the governors ftill found means, by a ftroke of management in the 



♦ Is not fiifli tlie natucal prucrcfs of r.ll tracte« ccntiuuc to be profeculeil, \vi!l a (kin, which is 

 between civili'/.cii niid uncivilizcJ nations i If tlic worth too dollars in China, cuntiauc lu be purckk'. - 

 fur trade on the noi th-wtll coaft of Atr.crica (hall td for a bit of iron hot>p r 



