Volume 1

A new and complete collection of voyages and travels / [John Hamilton Moore].

  • John Hamilton Moore
Date:
[1785?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A new and complete collection of voyages and travels / [John Hamilton Moore]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    607/684 page 537
    1768.] TRAVELS THROUGH DENMARK. ' S3f the inhabitants of all thefe little port towns feem much to want encouragemnt in their trade; they would all flourish very tolerably, if they had a cultivated coun¬ try, with fome manufactories behind them. Many favourable circumftances muft unite in a port to create trade, where the export confifts of nothing but a fcanty product of mere natural commodities: trade confifts of and depends upon exportation reciprocal to the importation; but the general misfortune in the commerce of fuch little ports, is a failure of the ex¬ portation part; all of them, as far as the demand reaches, are free enough, at importing. This is a fure trade to the merchant, as moft branches are, in which gold and filver are the commodities exported for the products and manufactures of other countries. Indeed the Danifh ports have the general misfortune of being deficient in inland navigation, having no¬ thing to depend upon but the mere circulation of the town, which is in general very confined. Trade depends much on manufactures, and not a little on a flourifhing agriculture. Neither of thefe are common in Denmark ; fo that it is not to be wondered, that the general commerce of the kingdom is confined. Kolding is a very pretty town, beautifully fituated ; it contains fome trade, and a royal palace, but it has nothing in it that is worthy of a travellers notice, though the inhabitants make a great matter of it, as if it was the Vetfailles of the north. The king has fome confuierabledemefnes around this town, and raifes a revenue by a toll upon all cattle which pafs the bridge, and which amounts to a confiderable fum ; for moft that are driven from Jutland for the Dutch drovers, which are very numerous, pay here half a dollar a head. The country from Horfens to Weile is tolerably well cultivated. The road from Kolding to Haderfhelbe, is through a country remarkable for its cultivation : moft of their wafte tracks has been of late improved, and many acres, that not many years fsneewere all covered with forefts, are now in a ftate of profit for their owners. This has been totally owing to an emancipation of the peaiants. It was found that the earth would never be well cultivated by mere flaves, and acting confiftently with this juft idea, has had the defired effect. The Danes in the midft of their attention to com¬ merce and agriculture have laid many plans for increaf- ing their Eaft India trade, and among others, there was one, which had actually been fo much approved as to be put partly in execution, and this was to pur- chafe by treaty, the port and territory of Mofambique, on the Coaft of Africa, from the Portuguefe; a Colony which is of little national advantage to that kingdom, fince the declenfion of their affairs in the Eaft Indies, but which would be of infinite impor¬ tance to the Danes, in cafe they fet heartily about an increafe of their India commerce. In fome negotia¬ tions with the court of Lifbon, matters had gone fo far, as fixing the terms, which, though they were too high to conclude on, yet they brought on a farther treaty, relative to other fettlements in the Indies, and which it was evident they were willing to part with, in cafe they could get high terms. Mofambique from its fituation, might be a port and colony of as great importance even as the Cape of Good Hope; all Danifh fhips, going and coming to and from the Indies might water and take in their refrefhments there ; as behind it lie the richeft countries in Africa, and it isopen to the trade of the reft of that vaft coaft, to Arabia, Perfia, &c. fo that there could be no doubt but it would turn out a place of infinite impor¬ tance in the hands of an active, and induftrious nation. The treaty upon this affair with Portugal was broke off, without coming to any conclufion, . but on what account is not known to the world. The fcheme however, was a good one. The beft of all government that ftill belong to the Viceroy of the Indies, is that of Mofambique, already mentioned in the former part of this work. They have a ftrong fort there with four good baftions, which command the chahnel, and in whim there are feventy pieces of brafs cannon, and here is always kept a good garrifon, and in tolerable order. The governor is honoured with the title of General of the River Senna$ where he has his lieutenant, which employment was worth to him feverai hundred thoufand crowns a year 5 there are but a few houfes about the fort, the inhabitants keeping their effects on a neighbouring continent. The merchandife brought to this place by the fhips of the company, are bought at a fet price by the royal factory, which afterwards fends them to Chelimani, the mouth of the River Senna, running 300 miles along the coaft, in gallics and fmall veflels, becaule of the flats from Chelimani; the goods are fent up the river againft the ftream, in almandies, or little boats, which are ten days going up, and about five coming .down. It is very difficult going up for thofe that are not acquainted with the (hallows and windings of the river. Cafras and blacks as has been obferved, refort to this port, from provinces and kingdoms three or four months journey diftant, to buy and take up goods upon truft for fo much gold, which they never fail to bring punctually the next year, unlefs death pre¬ vents them. This trade yields above cent per centj fo that the Portuguefe may be Paid to have another India in Africa. Senna is a little town, on the right hand of the river, inhabited by fifty Portuguefe families, who make it populous enough by the great number of blacks they keep. They till the ground, and dig the mines, and by that means maintain their mafters, inftead of being kept by them. Solfola, where the Portuguefe have another ef- • tablifhment, is but about fifteen days journey from hence; and here a prodigious trade is carried on, of which the Portugufe are or might be mafters. It con¬ fifts chiefly of gold, of which there are greater quan¬ tities here than in any other country in the world, fince the annual produce of this market is computed by the beft judges, at 46,000 ounces. There are vaft quantities of Spanifh and Canary wines, oil, filks, linens, cottons, coral, and other European goods, fold here, which are carried by the inhabitants of the little kingdoms of Solfola, through all the great empire of Monomotapa, which the Portuguefe ftile the Empire of Gold, from the prodigious quantities of that precious metal, which is brought to them from thence. There are likewife fome very rich commo¬ dities, brought hither by the negros, fuch as the moft excellent ebony in the world, great quantities of ivory, abundance of fine mats, which are much efteemed in the Indies, and a great number of flaves ; fo that Goa, and all the reft of the Portuguefe fettlements, are furnifhed from hence. Yet thefe poffeffions are faid to produce fo little to the king of Portugal, that it has been more than once debated, in the council of that prince, whether it would not be to the interefl: of the crown to abandon them altogether, withdrawing their artillery and effects ; it is likewife afferted that it is not any poli¬ tical but purely a religious motive, that has hindered this refolution from being taken, the priefts have fuggefted, that in that cafe a multitude of fouls would be loft to the church. But we fhall the lefs wonder at this, if we confider, that fuch as are beft acquainted with the Eaft India trade, affures us, that not a Angle merchant, and a Angle fhip of a reafonable burden, may carry on as great commerce, as that which at prefent fubfifts between Lifbon and Goa. There are yet a great many fhips employed from Goa, Diu, and Daman, to the Coafts of Perfia, Pegu, Manilla, and China, but they are moftly on account of Indian merchants, there fcarce being a Portuguefe trader at Goa able , to furnifh a cargo of 10,000 Crowns, and it is very much doubted, whether in the whole of their trade they employ above 200,000 crowns; fo that it is no,t at all ftrange, that on* year with another, there are not above two fhips font directly from Goa to Lifbon ; and thofe not
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