144 •^' ^* 1788. 



* yond the reach of imagination. This 1 conceive to be a theory 



* founded upon fails ; and therefor an infallible one. If the blacks 



* were permitted to remain in their own country, they would double 



* themfelves every fifteen years ; in proportion to fuch increafe would 



* be the demand for manufadures*.' 



Captain Hills of the navy, Captain Heatly in the flave trade, and Mr. 

 "Dalzell, chief governor of tlie fettlements under the direftion of the 

 African committee, were of opinion, that a colony could never intro- 

 duce habits of induftry among the natives, who are incurably indolent"}", 

 and have no idea of property in the foil. But Mr. Devaynes, formerly 

 a governor of one of the African forts and at this time a diredtor of the 

 Eafl-India company, gave it as his opinion, that ' They have capacity 



* and natural parts enough to learn whatever might be taught them, 

 ' and would become induftrious, if properly encouraged. They have 



* many virtues, and great courage and attachment to their mailers and 

 ^ benefadlors. They are healthy and robufl people. It has been an ob- 



* je6l of European policy to prevent the Africans from arriving at perfeBion 



* in thefe articles from a fear of inte?fering with ejlablifhed branches of com- 

 ' merce elfewhereX.^ ' At prefent the Africans have no knowlege of the 



* methods of preparing cotton, tobacco, fugar, indigo, and other dying 

 ' plants, fo as to make them fit for exportation. If the African com- 

 ' pany were to give dire6lions to their fervants there, and to give them 

 ' a little encouragement, they might certainly induce them to under* 



* take the preparing fome of thefe articles for exportation, particularly 

 ' cotton and indigo.' 



The flaves are brought down to the coafl, fome of them from a dif- 

 tance of feveral months' journey, by the traveling traders, who fell 

 them, either to the refident traders, or diredly to the flaving captains. 

 The payments are made partly in gold, but chiefly in Britifh and Eafl- 



* I apprehend, this gentleman is rather two be induftrious ; as their dayly food, which con fti>. 



fanguine in his calculations. But admit that the tutes almoft their only want, can be obtained from 



Negroes in Africa may double their uumbtrs only fo fertile a foil with fcsrcely any labour. They 



in thirty years (for which there is room enough, as, are aflive enough, when they are going upon the 



•it is luppofed that not a fiftieth part of the conn- infamous errand of kidnapping their brethren for 



tiy is at prefent cultivated) and that Great Britain the white traders. 



may fupply only one tenth part of the demand, at ;{: ' A fugar plantation was cRablifhed 9 Englilh 



«Ki'/)oa7;(/, inflcad of^yfi'f/ioji/^/f, per head, receiving ♦ miles from the foit of Butra in the year J 707, 



the returns in raw materials for manufaftures, ' but was difcouraged by the flave trade.' — -'The 



which can be brought fevcial hundred miles from ' Dutch were onct inclined to eftabliih fugar plant- 



•the interior country bythe great rivers, the pro- « ations on the.coaft of Guinea, and aftually be- 



fpetl is prodigioufly great, and prefents advantages • gan to clear the land with 200 Negroes; but 



far fuperior to thofe of a hundred colonies in « being.foon aware that this undertaking would be 



iflands : and fuch a commerce would coft nothing « hurtful to the flave trade, and to the trade in, 



for protefting it, as no enemy can take pofTcfiion ' gold duft, they abandoned it.' [/?(?/JV Dejcrip- 



of a great continent. tlan of the coajl of Guinea, p. 46. — Nordenjkiold's 



\ Are there no inftances in this country of Tre'attfs on commerce and colonization, p. 29 — both 



people indulging in indolence, who are not obliged quoted in Wadjlrom's EJfuy or. colonixjtion,pp. ^t$, 



to labour ? It ought to be coufidercd, that the Ne- 327.J 

 '^roes have no incentive, and fcarcely any need, to 



