e should, by opening a communication through
Tripoli. There would be a present or douceur to the king of
Ashantee; others to the princes of the adjoining territories; and,
finally, (taking the character of this king to be as represented by
the late traveller in that country, Mr. Bowdich), might we not
reasonably anticipate that, on the first dispute respecting the
division of the profits, the king of Ashantee would order all the
English out of his country, and, to terminate the dispute, plunder
them of their property? But, perhaps the establishment of a colony
in Ashantee, _conjoined_ to one in Sahara, might not be
250 objectionable. We should then have two routs to the grand emporium
of central Africa: if one failed, the other would remain open for
our countrymen to recover their property and to return by; and
thus, in establishing a commercial intercourse with the interior of
Africa, through two routes, we should secure, at the same time, our
retreat, by one of them, and not remain at the mercy of the
barbarous king of Ashantee, or any other African potentate, who
might be urged, from jealousy or avarice, to sacrifice our people,
when once he had them in his power!

251

PROSPECTUS OF A PLAN
FOR FORMING A
NORTH AFRICAN OR SUDAN COMPANY,

To be instituted for the purpose of establishing an extensive
Commerce with, and laying open to British Enterprise, all the
Interior Regions of North Africa.

* * * * *

OBJECTS OF THE SOCIETY.

1_st_. To lay open the interior regions of North Africa to British
enterprise--to supply those vast and unexplored countries with
British manufactures, with East-India goods, and with colonial
produce.

2_dly_, To encourage our manufactories, by opening a new market
calculated to improve the revenue of the country, to provide
employment for the labouring poor, and to enrich the mercantile
community; _the genial influence of which sources of prosperity
will necessarily diffuse itself through all classes_.

3_dly_, To facilitate, through the medium of commerce (_the only
medium by which it can possibly be effected_), the exploration of
the interior regions of Africa, (_which have remained to this day a
sealed book, notw