312 COMMERCE AND CHRISTIANITY. 



should have a wife and four children ; and many a joke took 

 place upon that subject. I used to say, " Is it not better to have 

 children with than without a wife ? " Englishmen of education 

 always command respect without any adventitious aid. A Por- 

 tuguese governor left for Angola, giving out that he was going 

 to keep a large establishment, and taking with him quantities 

 of crockery, and about five hundred waistcoats ; but when he 

 arrived in Africa he made a " deal " of them. Educated Eng- 

 lishmen seldom descend to that sort of thing;. 



A prospect is now before us of opening Africa for commerce 

 and the gospel. Providence has been preparing the way ; for 

 even before I proceeded to the Central basin it had been con- 

 quered and rendered safe by a chief named Sebituane, and the 

 language of the Bechuanas made the fashionable tongue, and 

 that was one of the languages into which Mr. Moffat had trans- 

 lated the Scriptures. Sebituane also discovered Lake Ngami 

 some time previous to my explorations in that part. In going 

 back to that country my object is to open up traffic along the 

 banks of the Zambesi, and also to preach the gospel. The na- 

 tives of central Africa are very desirous of trading, but their 

 only traffic is at present in slaves, of which the poorer people 

 have an unmitigated horror ; it is therefore most desirable to en- 

 courage the former principle, and thus open a way for the con- 

 sumption of free productions, and the introduction of Christianity 

 and commerce. By encouraging the native propensity for trade, 

 the advantages that might be derived in a commercial point of 

 view are incalculable ; nor should we lose sight of the inestima- 

 ble blessings it is in our power to bestow upon the unenlightened 

 African by giving him the light of Christianity. Those two 

 pioneers of civilization — Christianity and commerce — should 

 ever be inseparable ; and Englishmen should be warned by the 

 fruits of neglecting that principle as exemplified in the result 

 of the management of Indian affairs. By trading with Africa, 

 also, we should at length be independent of slave-labor, and 

 thus discountenance practices so obnoxious to every Englishman. 



Though the natives are not absolutely anxious to receive the 

 gospel, they are open to Christian influences. Among the Bech- 

 uanas the gospel was well received. These people think it a 

 crime to shed a tear, but I have seen some of them weep at the 



