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SINCE the activity of commerce, and the necessity of understanding
its relations, induced the maritime powers of Europe to attempt
fresh discoveries, all their efforts have been directed towards
the new world. When the most fertile parts of that continent, and
its still more productive isles, were discovered and explored,
the enterprising spirit of navigators carried them even to the
south pole; in short, the most distant and hazardous expeditions
were undertaken, and immense sums were disbursed to find out a few
corners of the earth which were uninhabited.
While, however, those navigators were pursuing their adventures, the
discoveries which had long before been made, and the establishments
which had been formed in the richest country in the world, a country
most proper for producing colonial goods, and one situated nearest
to Europe, were neglected. That country would probably have been
abandoned altogether, if the necessity of obtaining for other regions
its robust cultivators, had not drawn many vessels towards the part
which exclusively afforded such a resource.
I allude to the western part of Africa, which, whether on the
shores of the sea, or in the interior districts, is of the greatest
importance in the double respect of agriculture and commerce. It
appears that the ancients were only acquainted with the northern
coast of Africa, which extends from the straits of Gibraltar to
the isthmus of Suez, and with the eastern coast, contiguous to
the Red Sea. The southern part was totally unknown to them; while
their notions of the western coast were very confined, and they did
nothing but sail along it: even this route, which is now so easy,
was to them a dangerous adventure: the Phenicians, Persians, Greeks,
Carthaginians, and Romans, successively attempted to reconnoitre
in this direction; and it is said, that the Phenicians cleared the
pillars of Hercules, passed the straits, and established colonies and
factories on several parts of the coast. But the accounts which we
have received of all those expeditions, are so replete with fables,
and evident contradictions, that it is difficult to place in them
any degree of confidence.
According to Herodotus, a few Phenicians left the Red Sea during the
reign of Necas, king of Egypt; and after a three years’ voyage,
returned to their country by the straits of Gibraltar, but they saw
only the coast. Eudoxia, to avoid the wrath of Ptolemy Lathyrus,
succeeded in the same enterprise; but no advantage was derived from
her voyage. Satas, in the time of Xerxes king of Persia, and Hanno
and Himilcon, by order of the republic of Carthage, made similar
attempts at discovery, by proceeding from the pillars of Hercules;
but they failed in their undertaking. The Nasamones, or ancient
inhabitants of the kingdom of Tunis, undertook a similar voyage,
though without success. Hence, all those navigators, and many
others who might be mentioned, far from affording us information,
only gave rise to doubts, and prove the general ignorance and fear
which pervaded the ancient sailors. Certain it is, that if such
expeditions did take place, the ships kept at a great distance
from the continent: for we have no proofs of the appearance of
these people, much less their residence, on the coast of the
Atlantic Ocean.
The Romans, who were so ardent in extending their empire, did not
succeed in fixing it on the western coast of Africa. It is believed
that they penetrated from the isthmus of Suez as far as the Niger,
and thence to Mount Atlas. But if they reached this famous mountain,
it certainly stopped their discoveries in that part of the world:
for they thought, that under the torrid zone, the lands burned, and
the rivers were torrents of fire; an opinion which was long credited,
even by the learned men of those times: and when the Christians,
who were the first that presumed to suppose, the countries under
the torrid zone to be inhabited, expressed such an opinion, they
were looked upon as heretics.
The Spaniards, in more modern times, pretended to have examined all
the coasts of Africa, several centuries before the birth of the
Messiah; but they said nothing of the interior, and we must give
them credit for their reserve. They pretended to have conducted to
America the vessels of Solomon and Hiram, when they went in search
of the treasures mentioned in scripture; but this pretension was
seriously combated by the Portuguese, who insisted on the honour of
having made the first discovery of those countries; and with such
obstinacy did the latter maintain their opinions, that the subject
was brought under legal discussion, and a verdict given in their
favour. At this period, some Frenchmen of Dieppe interfered in the
famous dispute, and proved, that they were the first navigators who
had entered the Senegal, and that they had formed establishments
on that part of the coast, long before the Portuguese and other
navigators had made their appearance.
These expeditions of the merchants of Dieppe, took place at the
commencement of the fourteenth century, and from that time they
established themselves on the Senegal, and along the coast as
far as Sierra Leone. In September, 1365, they engaged with some
merchants of Rouen; and the next year they undertook the strongest
maritime expedition which had till then been seen on the African
coast. They formed factories at certain distances, which served as
an asylum for their merchandise and the persons in their employ,
by which the Africans always found a ready market, and the French
vessels constant cargoes. From this beginning were produced the
establishments of the Senegal, Rufisque, Goree, the river Gambia,
Sierra Leone, and two others on the coast of Malaguette, one of which
was called “Little Paris,” and the other “Little Dieppe.” In
1382, they erected forts at the gold mine on the coast of Guinea,
at Agra, and at Cormentin. The consequences of these discoveries,
were immense wealth, and the best profit was probably that afforded
by ivory. In 1392, owing to the violent agitation of France, in
consequence of the civil war and the illness of Charles VI. the
commerce of Africa was entirely abandoned; and the factories for
which such great sacrifices had been made, fell into the hands of the
Dutch, the Portuguese, the English, and the Spaniards. The Portuguese
were the most ardent plunderers, as they were authorised by the
Popes, who conceded to them in perpetuity all the territories which
they might discover from Cape Bojador to the Indies inclusively;
they therefore made several fortunate expeditions, and for a long
time enjoyed a decisive superiority.
Pope Martin V. in the plenitude of his divine authority, very
liberally granted to Portugal, the right of seizing and confiscating
all the property of infidels, in order that they might have the
opportunity of becoming converts, to which he added a plenary
indulgence for the souls of those who might fall in such pious
expeditions. This donation, which was made in 1432, was afterwards
confirmed and augmented by Popes Eugene IV. Nicolas V. and Sextus
IV.; and the kings of Portugal assumed the title of “Lords of
Guinea and the Coast of Africa.”
Spain now became anxious to have a share in the acts of temporal
authority of the sovereign pontifs; and in 1492, Alexander
VI. divided his liberalities, by investing Spain and Portugal with
the territories of the East and West Indies.
The English were slow in their courses, and were restrained by the
express orders of their court, which, out of respect for the Popes,
and consideration for Portugal, would not permit its subjects to
proceed towards the western coast of Africa; nor did they emancipate
themselves from this restriction, till the middle of the sixteenth
century, when being at war with Portugal, they directed their arms
against her establishments, and gradually succeeded in destroying
their power.
The French, who were the legitimate proprietors, recovered their
rights, and regained several of their ancient possessions; but
as these events took place gradually, and at different periods,
I shall not here describe them, though I ought to say, that we
maintained for a long time by force of arms, the possessions which
we had acquired from Cape Blanco to the Cape of Good Hope; and
that the French have always considered that vast extent of coast,
as dependent on their commercial operations.
It will be equally needless to trace the progress of our commercial
companies in Africa down to the present period. It is known, that in
1664, the merchants of Dieppe and Rouen sold their establishments
to the West India Company, for the sum of 150,000 livres; and that
the new owners, by the extent of their speculations, had more than
they could manage, and were crushed beneath the weight of their
own projects.
The English captured isle St. Louis and Senegal in 1758; the French
regained them twenty years afterwards, and had the possession
ensured to them by the treaty of peace with England in 1783, which
also guaranteed to France, the isle of Goree, all the coast between
Cape Verd and the river Gambia, and the factory of Albreda, situated
at the mouth of that river; which, however, as well as fort James,
is in the possession of England.
From the left bank of the river Gambia, which forms Cape St. Mary,
as far as the river of Sierra Leone, the coast belongs exclusively
to no foreign nation; but the French share with the English, the
Portuguese, and all commercial people, the right of frequenting,
and that of forming new establishments on such points as are not
occupied.
Soon after the peace of 1783, it was proposed to create a company
for the Senegal; when the king granted to the Guiana company the
exclusive privilege of the gum trade for nine years; and this
company ceded its new privilege in 1785, to a body of merchants,
who assumed the title of the Gum Company. By a decree of the council
on the 10th of November, 1786, the king subjected the company to
pay the colonial expences, which were fixed at 260,749 livres; and
granted them in return, the exclusive right of the slave trade, with
an extension of the commerce in gum for three years longer. It then
took the name of the Senegal Company; but being badly organised,
it met with little success, and was abolished by a decree of the
Constituent Assembly in 1791.
Previous to this time, I belonged to the naval department, when the
marshal de Castrées appointed me principal director of the company
at Isle St. Louis. I therefore left Havre on the 13th of March, 1785,
and arrived at my new destination on the 10th of April following;
at which time, M. de Repentigny was governor-general, and to whom
I was particularly recommended by M. Vergennes, the minister for
foreign affairs. This wise and modest officer received me with
the greatest kindness; and we lived together in the most perfect
harmony, till he was succeeded by M. de Boufflers, whose talents
and celebrity were of the greatest advantage to the country.
My memoirs were begun at Senegal, and terminated at Paris. I have
shewn them to several persons; and the two great authors, Lalande
and La Harpe, have published reflections on my journey to Galam;
in consequence of which, and at the urgent desire of many friends,
I have submitted my manuscript to the press. I shall only observe,
that all the people of Africa are so much alike, that I have found
it impossible to give a just and precise idea of them, without
making what may be deemed repetitions; and as to the style of my
work, I declare that I have no literary pretensions: I have only
occupied myself in describing facts with accuracy and truth; while
my object is to promote the power and riches of my country, with the
hope that the inhabitants of Africa may thereby become more happy.
VOYAGE
TO
_SENEGAL._
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