PRECIOUS METALS CHAP. XXVII. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 



On the gold and silver of Africa and Asia. 



ATTENTION in this inquiry has been hitherto 

 directed almost exclusively during the few last 

 centuries to the gold and silver of Europe and 

 America. These two quarters of the world have 

 been so closely connected with each other since 

 the discovery of the latter, and the intercourse 

 has been so incessant, that as far as relates to our 

 particular subject they may very aptly be con- 

 sidered in a common view. The case is different 

 both with Africa and Asia. The first of those 

 quarters is in too low a state of civilization to hold 

 much other intercourse than that which arises 

 from the sale of human beings ; which, as we have 

 seen, was the first step towards commerce in the 

 earlier ages of the world. Asia is far more ad- 

 vanced in civilization, and the different countries 

 that compose it have abundant intercourse of a 

 commercial nature with each other ; an intercourse 

 which, excepting in the case of China, is much 

 greater than that which it maintains with Europe, 

 America, and Africa together. 



Africa. The gold that has reached Europe from Africa 

 has consisted of small grains, stated to have been 



