THE SCRAMBLE FOR COLONIES. 3-41 



guese were united under Philip the Second, who closed 

 the port of Lisbon against the heretical and rebellious 

 natives of the Netherlands. The Dutch were not a 

 people to undertake long voyages out of curiosity, but 

 when it became necessary for them in the way of busi- 

 ness to explore unknown seas they did so with effect. 

 Since they could not get cinnamon and ginger, nutmegs 

 and cloves at Lisbon, they determined to seek them in 

 the lands where they were grown. The English fol- 

 lowed their example, and so did the French. There 

 was for a long period incessant war within the tropics. 

 At last things settled down. In the West and East 

 Indies the Spaniards and Portuguese still possessed an 

 extensive empire ; but they no longer ruled alone. The 

 Dutch, the English, and the French, obtained settle- 

 ments in North America and the West India Islands, 

 in the peninsula of Hindostan, and the Indian Archi- 

 pelago; and also on the coast of Guinea. 



West Africa is divided by nature into pastoral 

 regions, agricultural regions, and dense forest moun- 

 tains, or dismal swamps, where the natives remain in a 

 savage and degraded state. The hills and fens are the 

 slave preserves of Africa, and are hunted every year 

 by the pastoral tribes, with whom war is a profession. 

 The captives are bought by the agricultural tribes, 

 and are made to labour in the fields. This indigen- 

 ous slave trade exists at the present time, and has 

 existed during hundreds of years. 



The Tuaricks or Tawny Moors inhabiting the Sahara 

 on the borders of the Soudan, made frequent forays 

 into that country for the purpose of obtaining slaves, 

 exacted them as tribute from conquered chiefs, or 

 sometimes bought them fairly with horses, salt, and 

 woollen clothes. When Barbary was inhabited by 



