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PRECIOUS METALS

chap, xxvir.

CHAPTER XXVII.

On the gold and silver of Africa and Asia.

Attention in this inquiry has been hithertodirected almost exclusively during the few lastcenturies to the gold and silver of Europe andAmerica . These two quarters of the world havebeen so closely connected with each other sincethe discovery of the latter, and the intercoursehas been so incessant, that as far as relates to ourparticular subject they may very aptly be con-sidered in a common view. The case is differentboth with Africa and Asia. The first of thosequarters is in too low a state of civilization to holdmuch other intercourse than that which arisesfrom the sale of human beings ; which, as we haveseen, was the first step towards commerce in theearlier ages of the world. Asia is far more ad-vanced in civilization, and the different countriesthat compose it have abundant intercourse of acommercial nature with each other; an intercoursewhich, excepting in the case of China , is muchgreater than that which it maintains with Europe ,America, and Africa together.

Africa. The g 0 l<l that has reached Europe from Africa has consisted of small grains, stated to have been