Santa Cruz, May 5, 1792.
If Great Britain were to purchase the port of Santa Cruz of the
emperor, for a certain annual stipend, we should be enabled to
command the whole commerce of Sudan, at the expense of Tunis,
Tripoli, Algiers, and Egypt; not at the expense of Marocco, because
an equivalent, or what the emperor would consider as such, would be
given in exchange for it; and we should then supply all those
regions with merchandise, at the first and second hand, which they
now receive through four, five, and six. We should thus be enabled
to undersell our Moorish competitors, and thus draw to our
commercial depot, all the gold-dust, gold-bars, and wrought-gold,
gum-sudan, (commonly called in England, Turkey gum-arabic), ostrich
feathers, and other articles the produce of Sudan; besides the
produce of Suse, viz. gum-barbary, sandrac, euphorbium, and
ammoniac, almonds, olive oil, wine, &c., together with the richest
fruits of every kind. These we should take in barter for our
manufactures.
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The road of Santa Cruz is very safe, and the best in the empire of
Marocco; it is defended from the fury of the tremendous gales that
visit this coast in December and January, and which invariably blow
from the south, by a projection of land that extends gradually from
the river Suse to cape Noon, very far westward into the ocean.
During my residence of several years at this summit of Atlas, not
one ship was wrecked or lost; there is plenty of water, and good
anchorage for ships of the line.
A thousand European troops, directed by a vigilant and experienced
captain, might take the place by a _coup de main_; and the natives,
(after a proper explanation and assurance that trade was the object
of the capture,) would probably become allies of the captors, and
would supply in abundance all kind of provisions. They esteem the
English, and denominate them their brothers.[98] They sorely regret
the loss of trade occasioned by the emperor's restrictions, and
would gladly promote the cultivation of commerce if they had an
opportunity. They have been from time immemorial a trading
generation.
[Footnote 98: _N'henna û l'Ingleez Khowan_, they say, "we and
the English are brothers."]
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