In the meantime Admiral Hughes was repairing his squadron and taking in provisions and ammunition at Madras; but having obtained intelligence of the departure of Suffrein from Cuddalore, for Ceylon, he sailed, as soon as it was possible, for Trincomale, where he arrived on the 2d of September, and was astonished to find that the forts had been taken, and the French squadron was at anchor in the bay, consisting of fifteen ships of the line, while he had only twelve; but he did not hesitate to prepare for an immediate engagement; nor was Suffrein averse to abide the issue of a contest, for he came out the next morning, and the action commenced at noon, with great fury on both sides. The conflict was continued with equal obstinacy by both squadrons, till about seven o'clock, when the French Admiral, having lost his mizzen and main-mast, and several of his ships being essentially damaged, he withdrew; and the British squadron was so much shattered, that it was not in a condition to pursue them. During the night Suffrein returned to Trincomale, but one of his ships, of seventy-four guns, was wrecked, in entering the harbor.

In this action the French loss in killed and wounded was nearly eleven hundred; and that of the British about three hundred and fifty; but among the slain were Captains Watt of the Sultan, Wood of the Worcester, and Lumley of the Isis.

While Suffrein was enabled to repair his ships in safety at Trincomale, Hughes was obliged to bear away to Madras for that purpose; but in con. sequence of the setting in of the monsoon, he was compelled to repair to Bombay, and as the weather was continually boisterous, he was not able to reach that place before the close of the year.

The beginning of June, 1783, Cuddalore was besieged by General Stuart, while Admiral Hughes, with seventeen sail of the line, lay off the harbor to prevent al! communication by sea. On the 20th, Admiral Suf frein, with fifteen sail of the line approached, in order of battle, when Admiral Hughes drew up his squadron in the same manner. The engage. ment began at four in the afternoon, and lasted three hours. During the night the French squadron returned to Pondicherry, and the British sailed the next day for Madras. The loss of the British was five hundred and thirty, and that of the French amounted to a greater number.

This engagement ended the naval operations of England and France in the East Indies. Six battles had been fought between Sir Edward Hughes and Admiral Suffrein, and five of them within the brief space of seven months. There is not an instance, in the annals of maritime warfare, of such a signal and obstinate competition for victory, as was exhibited by the officers and crews of those two squadrons; and it is equally honorable to them, that so brave and determined were the commanders of every ship, that not one was captured, on either side; while the number and duration of the engagements, and the immense slaughter resulting from each, evinced that indomitable perseverance and desperate courage, which will render the battles of the rival fleets of Hughes and Suffrein ever memorable in naval history.

Congress passed a resolution, in 1776, directing that three ships, of seventy-four guns, should "be immediately undertaken in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania ;" but only one of them-the America— was built. She was constructed at Portsmouth, and Captain John Paul Jones having been appointed commander, he was launched in her, on the 3d of September, 1782; but the Magnifique, of seventy-four guns, having

been sunk in Boston harbor, the America was presented, by Congress, to the king of France, to replace that ship, in the fleet of the Marquis de Vaudreuil, "in testimony of the sense they entertained of the generous exertions of His Most Christian Majesty, in behalf of the United States." Preliminary articles of peace having been concluded, between the United States and Great Britain, on the 30th of November, the marine operations of the belligerent European powers were so far suspended, that neither of them prepared a naval expedition, after the return of the fleets which had been employed in the attack and defence of Gibraltar. Although several brilliant victories were achieved by the small national squadron; and the officers and crews, on many occasions, evinced great gallantry, energy and skill; still, so inferior in size were the vessels, that they were unable to contend with the numerous large ships of the enemy, which covered the Atlantic; and all, but eleven, of the thirty-six sail of ships, brigs and schooners, which were fitted out, during the war, were either taken, blown up, or lost at sea.

The enterprise and success of the letters of marque and privateers, must be regarded as very remarkable, when the vast maritime force of England is taken into consideration; for it has been estimated, that over eight hundred vessels were captured, the value of which, including their cargoes, exceeded eleven millions of dollars.

After eight years' contest, the revolutionary war was gloriously concluded, and the independence of the United States established, by the definitive treaty of peace, which was signed at Versailles, on the 3d of September,

1783.

NEARCHUS.

Art. II.-COMMERCE WITH THE EASTERN COAST OF AFRICA.

THE highlands included betwixt Abyssinia and the equator are unquestionably among the most interesting in Africa, whether viewed with reference to their climate, their soil, their productions, or their population. When the Ethiopic empire extended its sway over the greater part of the eastern horn, they doubtless supplied myrrh and frankincense to the civilized portions of the globe, together with the "sweet cane," mentioned by the profits Isaiah and Jeremiah, as being brought " from a far country. The slave caravan still affords a limited outlet to their rich produce; but the people, ignorant and naturally indolent, are without protection, and they possess no stimulus to industry. Vice alone flourishes among them, and their fair country forms the very hot-bed of the slave trade. Hence arise wars and predatory violence, and hence the injustice and oppression which sweep the fields with desolation-bind in fetters the sturdy children of the soil, and cover the population with every sorrow," with lamentation, and mourning, and wo."

In early times, as early probably as the days of Moses, the authority of Egypt extended deep into the recesses of Africa, and there is reason to believe, at later dates, far into those countries to the southward of Abys sinia, which are accessible from the shores of the Indian Ocean. The eastern coast, from beyond the Straits of Bab el Mandel, in all probability as far south as Sofala, the Ophir of Solomon, was well known to the enterprising merchants of Tyre, and to the sovereigns of Judea, from the days of the wise son of David downward. In still later periods, the con

quering Arabs, when they had become followers of the false prophet, extended their sway over all this coast as far as the twenty-fifth degree of south latitude. The remains of their power, of their comparative civilization, and of their religion, are found throughout to the present day; and notwithstanding that their rule had greatly declined when the Portuguese discovered these parts four hundred years ago, it was still strong and extensive, and constant commercial intercourse was maintained with India.

No portion of the African continent has, however, excited less modern interest than the eastern coast; and this singular fact must, in a prin. cipal measure, be attributed to the extreme jealousy with which the Portuguese have guarded its approach, and withheld the limited information gained since the days of Vasco de Gama. "The treasure and the blood of the metropolis have been wasted in wars with the native powers, and the relations of commerce on every occasion postponed for those of conquest and dominion."* The illiberal spirit of the government, the monstrous cruelty of the traffic, and the nature of the system pursued, both civil and ecclesiastic, have had the natural effect of degrading those maritime tribes placed in immediate juxtaposition with the white settlers, and of effectually repelling the more spirited and industrious inhabitants of the highlands, whose prudence and independence have baffled attempted inroads. Many a fair seat of peace and plenty, vitiated by the operation of the slave trade, has been converted into a theatre of war and bloodshed; and the once brilliant establishments reared by the lords of India and Guinea, now scarcely capable of resisting the attacks of undisciplined barbarians, here, as elsewhere, exhibit but the wreck and shadow of their former vice-regal splendor.

Although free to all nations, the eastern coast, from Sofala to Cape Guardufoi, has in later years been little frequented by any, save the enter prising American, whose star-spangled banner is to be seen waving to the breeze in parts where others would not deign to traffic; and who, being thus the pioneer to new countries, reaps the lucrative harvest which they are almost sure to afford. English ships from India have occasionally visited the southern ports for cargoes of ivory and ambergris, but the trade being yet in its infancy, admitted of little routine; and in the absence of any rival, the Imam of Muscat is, with his daily increasing territories, fast establishing a lucrative monopoly, from Mombas and Zanzibar.

In most of the interior countries lying opposite to this coast to the south of Shoa, the people unite with an inordinate passion for trinkets and finery a degree of wealth which must favor an extensive sale of European commodities. In Enárea, Caffa, Gouráguê, Koocha, and Susa, especially, glass-ware, false jewelry, beads, cutlery, blue calico, long cloth, chintz, and other linen manufactures, are in universal demand. That their wants are neither few nor trifling may be satisfactorily ascertained from the fact that the sum of $500,000, the produce of the slave trade from the ports of Berbera, Zeyla, Tajúra, and Massowah, is only one item of the total amount annually invested in various foreign goods and manufactures, which are readily disposed of even at the present price of the monopolist; who, being generally a trader of very limited capital, may be concluded to drive an extremely hard bargain for his luxurious wares.

It would be idle to speculate upon the hidden treasures that may be in

* Lord Brougham's Colonial Policy.

store for that adventurous spirit who shall successfully perform the quest into these coy regions-for time and enterprise can alone reveal them. But it is notorious that gold and gold-dust, ivory, civet, and ostrich feathers, peltries, spices,* wax and precious gums, form a part of the lading of every slave caravan, notwithstanding that a tedious transport over a long and circuitous route presents many serious difficulties; and that the overreaching disposition of the Indian Banian and of the Arab merchant, who principally divide the spoils on the coast of Abyssinia, offer a very far from adequate reimbursement for the, toil and labor of transportation.

No quarter of the globe abounds to a greater extent in vegetable and mineral productions than tropical Africa; and in the populous, fertile, and salubrious portions lying immediately north of the equator, the very highest capabilities are presented for the employment of capital, and the deve lopment of British industry. Coal has already been found, though at too great a distance inland to render it of any service without water communication; but the fossil doubtless exists in positions the most favorable for the supply of the steamers employed in the navigation of the Red Sea. Cotton of a quality unrivalled in the whole world, is everywhere a weed, and might be cultivated to any requisite extent. The coffee which is sold in Arabia as the produce of Mocha, is chiefly of wild African growth; and that species of the tea-plant which is used by the lower orders of the Chinese flourishes so widely, and with so little care, that the climate to which it is indigenous would doubtless be found well adapted for the higher-flavored and more delicate species so prized for foreign exportation.

Every trade must be important which will absorb manufactured goods and furnish raw material in return. Mercantile interests on the eastern coast might therefore quickly be advanced by teaching the natives to have artificial wants, and then instructing them in what manner those wants may be supplied through the cultivated productions of the soil. The present is the moment at which to essay this; and so promising a field for enterprise and speculation ought no longer to be neglected or overlooked. The position of the more cultivated tribes inland, the love of finery displayed by all, the climate, the productions, the capabilities, the presumed navigable access to the interior, the contiguity to British Indian posses

* Ginger is exported in great quantities from Gurague; and among other indigenous spices, the kurarima, which combines the flavor of the carraway with that of the carda

mon.

+ Chaat is a shrub very extensively cultivated both in Shoa and in the countries adjacent. It is in general use among the inhabitants as a substitute for tea, which in all its properties and qualities it closely resembles. The plant is said to have been brought originally from the western mountains, of which the elevation being from five to eight thousand feet, agrees with that of the Chinese tea districts, while the average temperature does not exceed 60° Fahrenheit. In a light gravelly soil it attains the height of twelve feet; and the leaves being plucked during the dry season, and well dried in the sun, fetch from one penny to two pence the pound. They are either chewed, or boiled in milk, or infused in water; and by the addition of honey, a pleasant beverage is produced, which, being bitter and stimulative, dispels sleep if used to excess.

The virtues of the chaat are equally to be appreciated with those of the yerba mate, recently introduced into England from Brazil and Paraguay. It is already known under the appellation of "Celastrus edulis," and belongs to Pentrandia Monogynia Linne, and to the natural family of Celastrineæ, or to that sub-family of the Rhamneæ, which have in the flower the stamens alternating with the petals. The family of Rhamneæ, namely, the genus Rhamnus itself, supplies to the poorer classes in China a substitute for tea, and is known under the name of Rhamnus Theezaus L.

sions, and the proximity of some of the finest harbors in the world, all combine inducements to the merchant, who, at the hands even of the rudest nation, may be certain of a cordial welcome.

If, at a very moderate calculation, a sum falling little short of $500,000, can be annually invested in European or American goods* to supply the wants of some few of the poorer tribes adjacent to Abyssinia; and if the tedious and perilous land journey can be thus braved with profit to the native pedlar, what important results might not be anticipated from well-directed efforts, by such navigable access as would appear to be promised by the river Gochob? The throwing into the very heart of the country now pillaged for slaves a cheap and ample supply of the goods most covet. ed, must have the effect of excluding the Mohammedan rover who has so long preyed upon the sinews of the people; and this foundation, judiciously built upon by the encouragement of cultivation in cotton and other indige. nous produce, could not fail to rear upon the timid barter of a rude people the superstructure of a vast commerce.

At a period when the attention of the majority of the civilized world, and of every well-wisher to the more sequestered members of the great family of mankind is so energetically directed toward the removal of the impenetrable veil that hangs before the interior, and fosters in its dark folds the most flagrant existing sin against nature and humanity, it could not fail to prove eminently honorable to those who, by a well-directed enterprise, should successfully overcome the obstacles hitherto presented by the distance, the climate, and the barbarity of the continent of Africa. But lasting fame, and the admiration of after ages, are not the only rewards extended by the project. A rich mercantile harvest is assuredly in store for those who shall unlock the portals of the Eastern coast, and shall spread navigation upon waters that have heretofore been barren.

Although peopled by one hundred and fifty millions of souls, the present exports of Africa do not equal in value those of Cuba, with only twelve hundred thousand inhabitants. This limited commerce, and the nature of the commercial system, have long been, and still are, among the chief causes of her misery and thraldom. Few, if any, of the cominodities bar

* The following statement from the "United Service Journal," touching the introduction of American and British cotton manufactures into Africa, will be read with interest by friends of free trade, and domestic industry in the United States.-[Ed. Merchants' Magazine.]

"Barburra, the place where the great annual fair of Northeastern Africa is held, is situated on the African side of the Arabian Gulf, and in lat. 10° 30' North. It is not a permanent town, but merely a low, sandy peninsula. Here the great Kufalahs or caravans from the interior and unexplored regions of Africa come to exchange their articles of merchandise for the production of the civilized nations. Cotton goods are the principal article given in exchange by the Bunyans from Porebunder, Cutch, Surat and Bombay, (who monopolize the principal part of the trade at the Fair,) to the natives. The manufactures of England were almost entirely excluded from the market by American cloth; which is brought here from Mocha and other ports of the Red Sea visited by American traders. This cloth can be purchased at a considerably less price than the English cloth. Indeed the American trade in cotton is fast superseding the English, both in the ports of Yeman, and also Muscat and the Persian Gulf; and should the British government of India in their wisdom declare Aden a free port, the merchants of Bombay may say farewell to British commerce with Arabia, as in that event Aden, as well as Mocha and Muscat, will form an entrepot for American cottons, which will afterwards be circulated in the interior, to the exclusion of British manufactures."