78 



FORESTRY OF WEST AFRICA. 



IV. 

 Rubber. — Rubber has for some time taken a 

 prominent place among the exports of the French 

 and Portuguese Possessions on this Coast, to the shame 

 of our English Colonies, with the exception of Sierra 

 Leone, where a trade in this article has shown marked 

 progress, increasing in value from £17,796 in 1878, to 

 £\26,2>o(y in 1882. 



As the statement of trade already referred to 

 includes, as far as the West African Settlements are 

 concerned, the following particulars as made up of 

 exports from Gambia and Sierra Leone (which is 

 deceptive, the former Settlements having only begun 

 a trade in rubber in 1882), I accordingly furnish sepa- 

 rately the Gambia rubber export after the following 

 return of what has been received as the export trade 

 in the same article from the West African Settlements, 

 composed of Sierra Leone and Gambia, for eight 

 years ended and inclusive of 1885 : — 



Article. 



Caoutchouc . 

 (See note (*), 

 A 79-) 



Quantities. 



Value. 



£. 

 37,796 



31,524 



84,815 



96,634 



126,806 



131,001 



127,283 



62,384 



