310 HISTORY OF THE [book iv. 
74,000.* Having an opportunity, a few years ago, 
of consulting a very intelligent person on this point, 
who had visited many parts of the coast, and ap¬ 
peared to be a man of veracity and candour, I recei¬ 
ved from him, in writing, an answer which I shall 
present to my readers verbatim; and subjoin such 
further information as I have been able to collect. 
The answer which I received, was given in the 
words following :—“ In all parts of the coast, and I 
apprehend it to be the same inland, the body of 
the people are in a state of absolute and unlimited 
slavery 3 their children are born to no other inhe¬ 
ritance, and are liable to be sold by their owners 
as they think proper. Most parts of the coast 
differ in their governments; some are absolute 
monarchies, while others draw near to an aristocra¬ 
cy. In both, the authority of the chief or chiefs 
is unlimited, extending to life, and it is exercised 
as often as criminal cases require, unless death is 
commuted into slavery; in which case the offender 
is sold, and if the shipping will not buy the crimi¬ 
nal, he is immediately put to death. Fathers of 
* Besides which, great numbers are supplied from the nations bor¬ 
dering on the rivers of Senegal and Gambia, for the emperor of Mo. 
rocco and the states of Barbary. Caravans also travel from thence across 
the continent to Upper Egypt with considerable supplies of negroes, 
some of which are sent afterwards to Constantinople. A very curi¬ 
ous and interesting account of this traffic is given in the report of the 
lords of the privy council. Great numbers of slaves are likewise 
sent from Mozambique, and the ports on the eastern coast, to Persia, 
Goa, and other parts of the East Indies. Hence it has been calcu¬ 
lated that Africa is drained annually of not less than 150,000 of its 
natives. 
