_Impediments to our Intercourse with Africa_.
When we consider the maritime strength of Great Britain; her
command of the ocean; the vicinity to Europe of West Barbary, one
of the finest countries in the world; the rich and valuable produce
which is cultivated in this country;--when we consider that our
garrison of Gibraltar is in its vicinage, and but a few hours' sail
from it, we are naturally astonished that our communication with
this country is so limited. That we have less commercial
communication with Barbary, than we have with countries that do not
open to us any thing like the commercial advantages that this
country offers, though they are thousands of miles from us. It
appears relevant, therefore, to inquire, whence originates this
impeded intercourse? There are two great impediments to our free
intercourse with Sudan through Marocco: viz., a general ignorance
of the Arabic language, as spoken in the latter country; and the
repugnancy of the Muhamedan religion to that of Christ. With
respect to the first of these impediments, it is remarkable that
this learned language is so little known in Europe,--this language,
267 the most prevalent in the world, a language which is spoken or
understood almost without intermission from the western shores of
Africa on the Atlantic ocean, to the confines of China,--a language
understood, wherever Muhamedans are to be found, throughout all the
populous and commercial regions of Africa, from the Western Ocean
to the Red Sea, and from the Mediterranean to the country of
Kaffers,[178] in the vicinage of the Cape of Good Hope. With
respect to the second of these impediments, the repugnancy of the
Muhamedan religion to that of Christ, it may justly be observed,
that this is not really so great as we are apt to imagine; the
moral principles of Muhamedans being not unlike those of the former
Christians, being in fact a composition of Hebrew and Christian
morality. They acknowledge Jesus Christ to be a prophet, and tell
us, that, in this respect, they are on the safe side, as we impute
no Divine authority to Muhamed. But a most violent repugnance to
Christians has been propagated by the (_Fakeers_) Muselmen saints,
or holy men. They have industriously circulated the belief of an
old superstitious prediction which they have on record, viz. that
the Christians will invade the Muhamedan countries, take their
268 cities and towns, and establish the Christian religion on the ruins
of that of Muhamed, and take possession of the country. These
reports, propagated, as before observed, by the (_Fakeers_)
Muhamedan saints, among the lower orders, have kindled a high
degree of rancour and animosity, (equal to that which the Catholics
formerly indulged towards their protestant brethren,) which will
never be extinguished until a friendly alliance and extensive
commercial intercourse be established with them; which alone can
soften this rancour and animosity into peace and amity. This
animosity has been increased also by the rancorous anti-christian
disposition manifested towards these people by the writings of
Roman catholic priests and others.[179] If these uncharitable
opinions of each other could be eradicated, the blessings that
would result to the Africans would be incalculable; a reciprocal
exchange of good offices might pave the way to purchase of the
Emperor of Marocco the port of Agadeer or Santa Cruz, aptly
denominated, from its contiguity to the Sahara (_Beb Sudan_) "the
gate of Sudan," which, in the hands of the English, would be the
key to the whole of the interior of Africa, and an effectual link
269 in our chain of communication with the interior of that
undiscovered continent; it would moreover secure to us the entire
commerce of those extensive and populous regions, to the exclusion
of our Moorish competitors of Cairo, Alexandria, Tripoli, Tunis,
Algiers, and other ports of Barbary, who supply the people of Sudan
with European merchandise at the fourth, fifth, and sixth hand.
[Footnote 178: _Kaffer (or Caffre_) is an Arabic word which
signifies infidels or unbelievers (in Muhamed); the very name
has been given by Muhamedans, and therefore it is to be
presumed that the Muhamedans approximate the countries
contiguous to the Cape.]
[Footnote 179: See Martin Martinius. Abraham Ecchellensis.
Maccarius, Theolog. Polemic. Peter Cevaller. Robert de Retz,
translator of the Koran. See also the support of this assertion
in Jackson's Account of the Empire of Marocco, enlarged
edition, published by Cadell and Davies, Strand, from p. 196.
to 208.]
The abolition of the slave-trade cannot be effected until we shall
have substituted some commerce with the Negro countries, equivalent
at least, or that shall be more than equivalent to it, otherwise
the negro sovereigns of Sudan will never be induced to relinquish
so great a source of profit. Every naval officer in His Majesty's
service knows, that if we were to have thirty sail of the line
continually off the coast of Guinea, it would not be sufficient to
annihilate this abominable traffic, or to deter people from
embarking in a trade that yields such extraordinary profits. This
being admitted, as it certainly will be by every intelligent man,
it follows, that the system now in operation by the British
government for the abolition of the slave-trade, will be attended
only with an unnecessary expense to this country, without the
possibility of effecting the desired object; but, on the contrary,
judging from recent events, there is every reason to presume, that
this detestable commerce will increase, as it has continued to
increase, these last two or three years, in spite of all our
270 operations to prevent it; the Spaniards alone having imported into
the island of Cuba more slaves in 1818 and 1819, than in the four
preceding years. The result has been, that that island has
produced, in 1819, more than double the produce of the former year;
their waste lands, accordingly, are in progressive cultivation,
and, if they go on thus improving, that island, in a few years
hence, will produce coffee and sugar sufficient for the supply of
all the markets of Europe.
Finally, Slavery will never give way to any thing but civilisation;
the civilisation of Africa can never be accomplished but through a
great and extensive commercial intercourse, a commerce that will
_enrich the negroes, and enable them, by a supply of arms, to
contend with and gain an ascendancy over their Muhamedan
oppressors_, who want no other pretext for attacking them, than
that of their being idolaters, which idolatry, it is asserted,
authorises the Muselman to make them slaves. Thus, _the abolition
of slavery must depend on the Africans themselves_; and although it
is in our power to supply them with the means for _their
emancipation_, yet it is absurd to suppose that we can effect it by
our naval operations. If all the great sovereigns of Europe were to
agree to make the trading in slaves piracy, they would not prevent
it. WE cannot emancipate them; _that only can be accomplished by
their own energy_, awakened in them by commercial intercourse, and
its accompanying civilisation.
271
Much might be done if all the African societies were to unite their
interest, knowledge, and abilities for this desired object. If the
African Company would unite their energies with the African
Association, and with the African Institution, such an union would
promote the civilisation of the African continent, and the
conversion of the Negroes to Christianity.