APPENDIX. flave-captains themselves; and that the near agreement of the two abftracis of them made out, for different periods, by order of the Privy Council and of the House of Commons, is at once a proof of their accuracy, and of the fyftematical deftruction of seamen in this moft iniquitous traffic.—It is alfo worthy of remark, that in the fhips of the S. Leona Company, the mortality, under all the past difadvantages, appears not to have exceeded what takes place in the W. Indian trade, which is generally allowed to be a nursery for seamen; and, there can be no doubt, that the health of the Company's failors will improve with that of the colony.-For a full and accurate statement of the mortality of feamen in different trades, efpecially in the flavetrade. See Mr. Clarkfon's Effay on the Impolicy, &c. Compared with mortality at S. Leona. Climate im proves with cultivation. Reafors for refuming the confideration of money. NOTE U. See 419. 725. Of thefe obfervations of the Directors all the modern European colonies afford examples, more or lefs appofite; and every eftablishment of the kind, made or attempted, in the W. Indies, gives the ftrongeft evidence of their truth. The climate of Barbadoes, in particular, now justly reckoned (that of Bridge-town excepted) one of the most healthful tropical climates in the world, was extremely fatal to it's early inhabitants.-When I came to the mortality experienced at Bulama, I intend, if adequate materials can be procured, to fhow, by a comparative view, of the infant and mature ftates of different colonies, that neither that island nor Sierra Leona have been peculiarly fatal to human life; and that, as the Directors intimate, their climates may be confidently expected to improve, in the fame proportion as the foil is cleared and cultivated.-See in this Append. Note GG. No. 18, et feq. NOTE W. See § 408, 424. 726. I must confefs myself pleased with every opportunity of drawing the reader's attention to the opinions which I wish to inculcate refpecting money; and very little attention feems neceffary to convince every thinking man, that the fubject is of the highest importance to mankind. In conformity, therefore, with what has been already intimated in § 122, 142, (especially in qu. XXVIII.) I beg leave to offer a few candid remarks, fuggefted by the following paffages where money is mentioned by the Directors, as connected with the affairs of the Sierra Leona colony.--But firft it may be proper to obferve, that in entering on a plan of no lefs magnitude than the civilization and confequent happinefs of the inhabitants of a whole quarter of the globe, we should ferioufly labour to avoid thofe evils which are found to concur in rendering our prefent focial connections fo difagreeable. "The first ftep," fays a great author, " to do good, is to leave off evil." It is plain, therefore, that we cannot too carefully invefligate the nature of all focial abufes, if we really mean to avoid the infemination of them into a new and uncorrupted community. Well Well apprized, however, of the pure intentions of those who are now exerting APPENDIX. themselves in this great cause, I muft repeat my conviction, that the Directors of the S. Leona Company, earneftly wish to introduce real civilization into Africa, and to exclude thofe focial abuses, which too many mistake for civilization itself. They and I aim at the fame end: we only differ as to fome of the means. 727. The wages, fuy the Directors, given to the Nova Scotians, were at least the double of thofe given to the natives. ( § 408.) If it be allowed that our wants impel us to feek the means of fupplying Caufes for inthem, and that those wants increase as we advance in civilization or refinement, Scotian's creafing the N. then it will appear, that as the Nova Scotians had adopted more European cuftoms wages. than the natives, they had more wants to fatisfy; or, in other words, were more civilized. But this is not all: thofe people must have been used to money before they came to Sierra Leona; and thus had imbibed the defire of accumulating money, for the fole purpose of fatisfying their artificial wants, independent of their natural ones*. From these causes combined, they could not but be continually ftriving, against the interest of the Company, to increase their wages. 728. "The Directors truft they have gone to the root of another evil, by introducing a confiderable quantity of coin into the colony, thus fubftituting the plain and certain medium of dollars, in place of the former one of bars, which having been a medium of calculation that was extremely variable and confufed, and merely nominal, has occafioned much trouble and difpute, and given the opportunity of practifing perpetual frauds in the African commerce." (§ 424) Bars a confufed medium to the whites, as is money to the blacks. If this paffage should be closely examined, I fear it's contrary would appear to be the true state of the cafe. For the African idea of bars is founded on an article (iron) which is of primary and indifpenfible neceffity to the negroes; whereas dollars are founded on an article (filver) which is neceffary only to thofe who deal with thofe negroes: confequently the confufion, trouble, difputes, and frauds, here attributed to the calculation by bars, must be on the fide of the white people. But we ought also to take into the account, the confufion, trouble, difputes, and frauds, which the changing of bars into dollars, (money) muft neceffarily occasion to the African inhabitants. But perhaps we are not so ready to confider the consequences of our measures, to thofe poor ignorant people, as the convenience of our commerce. 729. If ever it should happen, (which may Heaven avert) that the nature of Eu- European money would be ropean money, (artificial credit,) fhould be permanently established in any new injurious to African colony, and money fhould become the only object of industry, independent the Africans¿ Civilization neceffarily produces wants. But, in my opinion, there are two kinds of civilization and two kinds of wants,-the artificial and the natural. The leading principle of artificial civilization is diffimulation, and it's consequences a selfish activity, and an increase of artificial wants, in an undue proportion to natural wants. The leading principle of natural, or innocent, civilization is integrity, and it's confequence, a focial activity, and an increase of natural wants, prior to and independent of artificial wants. APPENDIX. of commodities, as has been unfortunately the cafe in Europe, then it appears to me, that the feeds of the fame abufes and corruptions will be fown, which have led Europe, and are now leading America, with a celerity proportioned to her progress in fpeculation commerce, from focial to felfifh interefts. From that moment, I would give up all hopes of real civilization, or moral improvement. On the con. trary, I fhould not be furprized to find a flourishing commerce introduced, at the expenfe of the morals and civil happiness of the poor Africans, who, inftead of being carried as flaves to the W. Indies, would be subjected to impofition and fraud, and would virtually become flaves in their own country, to the fame Europeans whofe fole object, at prefent is, the accumulation of money, whether it be in Africa or in the W. Indies. dollars. - 730. That the demand for bars is derived from the natural want of the commodity (iron) will scarcely be disputed; and that the value of this natural money rifes or falls, as it is more or lefs wanted, will appear equally true*. 731. But coined money has an artificial or arbitrary value; inafmuch as it is founded on a commodity, (gold, filver, copper, &c.) which, if allowed to circulate, uncoined, by it's weight and standard, would certainly not be demanded nearly fo They fell the much as (iron) bars. Indeed, that coined money is not demanded at all, by the Africans, but obtruded upon them, appears evident from their expreffion, "felling the dollars," (§ 427.) that is, they get rid of a commodity they do not want, in order to re-introduce their old bars, which they confider as a representation of one of their real wants, and which, as a money medium, the Directors are taking so much pains to difcredit and eradicate +. European mo- 1 732. From what has been faid, it is evident that coined money will be much more productive of confufion and difputes with the negroes, than ever were bars; efpecially when it is confidered that thofe fimple nations are not nearly fo expert in fine mercantile calculations, as the Europeans. 733. Before a nation attain that degree of moral improvement, which qualifies it to partake of luxuries without endangering focial order, it appears extremely impolitic to introduce an article of luxury, which no man can procure without fubjecting himfelf to a kind of flavery., 734. That fpecies of luxury, (or fuperfluity, gold, filver, &c.) which is premasurely introduced, in any character whatsoever, and even that of money, previous to articles of primary neceffity, and left to the arbitrary difpofal of individuals, ought The reader may recollect Qu. XXVI. § 142. "Is not the real want of any commodity in a community, the only natural basis of the intrinfic value of that commodity?" If so, it's value can never be fixed. + I grant that the present African bar is nominal; but it is demonftrable that the dollar is also nominal. Who cannot fee that the prefent pound sterling, or livre Tournois, does not convey the idea of a pound Troy of filver, which however it originally contained ? to to be checked by the whole community, through its government. For this liberty, APPENDIX. independent of any check or order, appears to tend directly to deftroy the useful and moral character of individuals, and, paradoxical as it may feem, to reduce them which tends to ultimately to slavery. This pofition refts on that irrefragable principle, drawn from enflave mankind; uniform experience, namely, that luxuries, when once they get firm root in a community, change their nature, and partake so much of the nature of neceffaries, that they cannot be eradicated without doing violence to liberty, and bringing human nature into fome degree of fuffering *. 735. The difpofition of man, naturally tends to DESPOTISM, not only in accumulating power, to influence and govern others, which too often leads to the deprivation of life; but also in accumulating money or wealth, which too often terminates in the forcibly depriving others of their property; in both cafes unchecked by the community in which he livest.—This kind of independence is at prefent generally called liberty, and is aimed at and fought after by all those, who do not wish to be subjected to any focial check. But this inclination is diametrically oppofite to order, which, it were easy to prove, requires each individual, in every focial respect, to be governed by the will of the whole, or of the majority, and not vice verfa. 736. For the foregoing reafons, I cannot but think, that real, iron in bars, fhould but real iron have been introduced even into the colony. They would have had all the effential bars have not that tendency. ufes of a money medium, without being liable to the abuses of European money, the nature of which they would have kept out of fight, as being themselves compofed of (iron) the most useful of all metallic commodities. They would therefore have tended to keep the production of commodities conftantly in the view of both the natives and the colonists. But, perhaps, it would not be yet too late to change the colonial money fyftem, before the selfish fpirit, encouraged by European money, has entirely debauched the minds of innocent Africans. and artificial. 737. It is evident that the Company wishes to establish a certain credit in the co- Credit natural lony; and that is as right and neceffary as that they fhould endeavour to give a proper energy and firmness to the colonial government. All that I wish to obferve ́is, that they cannot be too much on their guard against the introduction of an ARTIFICIAL CREDIT, which will as certainly end in an unlimited credit, as the inveftiture of the colonial government with an UNCHECKED POWER, will terminate in defpotifm. • I do not mean that kind of luxury, which a man produces by means of his own labour or industry, either for the neceffaries, the conveniences, or the enjoyments of life, but fuch luxuries only as are procured by means of money. + It has been hitherto confessed, that abuses and tyranny spring from an arbitrary or unchecked power of governing, and I think it is not less certain, that an arbitrary or unchecked power of difpofing of wealth leads to abuses of another kind. Both terminate in a species of personal slavery. To prove this affertion, plenty of inftances might be produced. APPENDIX. 738. "But as the valuing of the bars produced fome altercation, the price of 3 dollars a month, or about 3s. 6d. a week, is now fubftituted." (§ 426.) Price, dependcannot be fixed Three objec tions answered To what has been faid, I need only add here, this fimple question.—Is it posfible to fix the price of any article whatever, without deranging the natural proportion between commodities, which arifes from the natural and variable want and demand of them, in a community? 739. I fhall pafs over feveral other parts of both the Reports, which are connected with money matters. But, before I difmifs the fubject, it may be proper to add a few words to justify and elucidate fome opinions advanced in the firft part of this work. For, as men at this day commonly infer their objections and arguments, on fuch fubjects, from facts and particulars, and cannot be expected to contemplate the (civil evils) caufes of diforder in the communities of the prefent age, from the fame identical point of view, I may very naturally fuppofe that the following objections will be made to the opinions implied in § 142, qu. XXXVII, LI. (1.) It may be asked, How bufinefs can be conducted in fociety, without credit, that is to fay, without coined money? 740. I answer, that fuch credit, being only an artificial credit, ought to be entirely banished and removed; but not that kind of credit which is founded on a real knowledge of useful ability and activity of men. This laft kind of credit, which may be manifested in any form whatever, may be fafely fubftituted for money, and will never disturb or diminish any business of real utility in fociety*. An industrious, active, and ufeful farmer, for example, will be known and accredited by his labourers; a tradefman or a manufacturer by his customers, and the merchant by those who entrust himn with their orders for fupplying their wants +. Thus a character for ability, industry, fobriety and integrity, is the true ftandard for all natural credit, which needs not the barbarous and impolitic fupport of arrefts and imprifonments for debt; but directly tends to encourage the excellent moral qualities on which it is founded. In a word, artificial credit tends to diffolve, or enflave, civil fociety; and natural credit to confolidate and improve it. (2.) If gold and filver, were to circulate according to their weight and fandard, would not many be impofed upon by base metals? 741. But are not gold and filver, even at this day, bought and fold, in every pos. fible shape, both ftamped and unftamped, and confequently are not base metals current, even on the prefent fyftem ?—It is true, that if money were altered from coin (or credit) to weight and ftandard, the buyer would be obliged to examine the If the reader will confult Mr. Sharp's "Sketch of temporary Regulations for S. Leona," he will find that a currency of any extent, and for the largest community, may be most advantageously founded on day labour, registered in a public bank. In the prefent order of things, however, the contrary is the cafe. quality |