British Colonies.
201
WEST AFRICAN SETTLEMENTS.
Sierra Leone, Gold Coast, Gambia, and Lagos.
The total population of these settlements, which are held by Great Britain principally with a view of putting an end to the Slave Trade, amounts to 513,370 persons.
The revenue of each separate Settlement from 1866 to 1871 was as follows:—
1866. !
1867.
l868.
1869.
iSjO.
1871.
Sierra Leone.
Gold Coast.
Gambia.
Lagos .
£
62,263
",053
19,079
23,823
£
64,871
10,839
22,415
30,195
£
59,272
15,404
22,088
33,896
£
69,617
24,127
15,518
40,622
67,135
30,851
18,969
42,875
£
80,486
28,609
17,490
45,612
Total revenue of H.M. ) AVest African Settlements j
116,218
1
j 128,320
130,660
149,884
159,830
172,197
The expenditure has generally been kept well within the revenue, as may be seen from the following figures :—
Expenditure.
I i860. |
1867.
1868. I
1869. |
187O.
1871.
£
£
£
£
£
£
Sierra Leone.
70,984
55,694
70,465
68,033
76,130
Gold Coast.
11,589
10,993
11,651
18,836
35,609
29,094
Gambia.
.. , 17,681
18,664
17,082
20,236
21,937
16,662
Lagos .
3 o,i 95
33 , 7 n
39 , 43 i
i 42,379
45 , 6 h
Totals ..
, .. , 11341 1
j 130,836
118,138
148,968
167,958
167,497
The following Table is a summary of the Trade returns in the four Blue Books for 187 r. It shows, at a glance, the value of the commerce of the British Settlements :—
Imports and Exports.
j Imports. j Exports.
Vessels j Vessels * Tonnage Entered. J Cleared, j Entered.
Tonnage
Cleared.
I £
Sierra Leone. 305,849
Gold Coast. 250,671
Gambia. 102,064
Lagos .j 391,653
£
467,755
295,207
153,ioo
589,802
411
343
229
278
1
409 ! 110,646
315 I3C553
211 51,853
275 1 125,776
110,919
119,494 47,994
125,168
Totals.i 1,050,237
Total commercial movement 2,55c
1,505,864 j 1,271 ! 1,210 I 419,828
i,lOi 1 ! '
403.575
Thus, over twelve hundred vessels entered and cleared with cargoes exceeding two millions and a half in value.
These are the actual results of the year 1871. Since then two changes have been made, the effects of which arc becoming already manifest, namely, the addition of the Dutch possessions in Guinea to the British Settlements, and the general revision of the tariffs, with a view of encouraging trade and shipping. Owing to these changes, it is probable that the exports from Her Majesty’s West African Settlements will exceed