CHAP. XXVI.
317
years, and though large quantities have beentransported there in some years, other quantitieshave been again returned to Europe , not, indeed,of the same species of metal, nor in equal quan-tities. Silver has been conveyed to Asia , andgold has been exported from thence.
The account in the Appendix , No. 1 4s, showsthe value of the imports and exports of gold andsilver into the dominions of the East India com-pany and into China both by the company andthe Americans. As far as it goes, being drawnfrom the official sources at the India House, itsaccuracy may be implicitly relied upon; but thereare some omissions which must be supplied fromcalculation, or rather from conjecture. In theaccount is not included the treasure which wascarried by the Americans to any part of Asia except China . It is well known that in some ofthe years their trade to the English settlements,to the islands in the eastern Archipelago , and toother parts of India , was extensive. After thepeace of 1815 some of the other nations ofEurope, the French, Dutch , Danes, and Swedes,formed commercial expeditions to India andChina ; and though we have no specific returns,it may be safely assumed, from their supplyingfew goods which those countries needed, that theymust have carried the precious metals with whichto purchase their cargoes.