ch, according
to the terms of the treaty, they were permitted to retain. From these
various places factories were settled along the coast, and treaties
made with the native rulers. Furthermore, in the treaty of peace,
August 6, 1661, the Dutch retained the forts and factories which they
had conquered from the Portuguese on the African coast.[4] After the
truce of 1641 and the peace of 1661, therefore, the Dutch regarded
themselves as having succeeded to the exclusive claims of the
Portuguese to a large portion of the west coast of Africa including a
monopoly of the trade to the Gold Coast.[5]

Although it was the Dutch who succeeded in depriving the Portuguese of
the most important part of the West African coast, the interest shown
by the English in this region can be traced back to a much earlier
date. In 1481, when two Englishmen were preparing an expedition to the
Guinea coast, John II, king of Portugal, despatched an ambassador to
the English king, to announce the overlordship of Guinea which he had
recently assumed, and to request that the two Englishmen should
refrain from visiting the Guinea coast. Edward IV complied with this
request.[6] Thereafter no English expedition to Guinea was attempted
until 1536 when William Hawkins, father of the famous John Hawkins,
made the first of three voyages to Africa during which he also traded
to Brazil. Again in 1553 Hawkins sent an expedition to the Gold Coast.
Near Elmina the adventurers sold some of their goods for gold, and
then proceeded to Benin where they obtained pepper, or "Guinea
graines," and elephants' teeth. After losing two-thirds of the crew
from sickness the expedition returned to England.[7] In the following
year another expedition under Hawkins' direction secured several
slaves in addition to a large amount of gold and other products.[8]
Also, in the years 1555, 1556, 1557, William Towrson made three
voyages to the Guinea coast in which his ships were harassed by the
Portuguese, who attempted to prevent them from trading. English cloth
and iron wares were in such demand, however, that notwithstanding this
opposition a lucrative trade was obtained.[9]

Beginning with 1561 Queen Elizabeth lent her influence and assistance
to a series of voyages to the African coast. Not only did she permit
the use of four royal vessels for the first expedition but she spent
five hundred pounds in provisioning them for the voyage. The value of
the goods sent to Africa in thes