Dr. Delany commenced by describing the route he had pursued in his travels in Africa. Starting from the northern extremity of Liberia, he travelled through its entire extent, a distance of 700 miles. He continued his course to the interior of Africa. The first city he visited belonging to Central Africa was Lagos, containing 110,000 of a population; thence to Ijaye, with a population of 75,000; Ilorin, with a population of 120,000, inhabitants. The climate of Africa was very imperfectly known. From observations he (Dr. D.) had made, the average heat during the day excepting from ten in the morning till half past three, which rendered the climate very mild, especially along the coast. Diseases were very simple, the principal being intermittent and bilious fevers. He then alluded to the minerals, vegetables, and animals ofthe country. The people were also very industrious, sociable and polite. They were also very hospitable and benevolent. Every town was also provided with a marketplace, and he had seen himself as many as 15,000 people assembled at one of these markets for the purpose of trading. He then referred to the cotton supply of Africa. It was estimated that there were five millions of people in Great Britain depending directly upon the cotton manufacture. If so, then these people were at their mercy and caprice of four millions of American slaves. But further, it was computed that about three fourths of the population of Great Britain depended upon the manufactures of cotton for a livlihood.
Now, in Africa, there was as much land appropriate to the cultivation of cotton, or capable of raising it, as three or five times the extent of the island of Great Britain. In the whole of the country he visited, cotton was manufactured by the natives, but they only used what was required for their own purposes, because they had no sale for it, and the consequences were that what they did not use was allowed to fall upon the ground and rot. No capital was required for the land there, and none was required for the workers, because the men were free, and they were among the most industrious people known.
Then the Americans had but one crop of cotton in the year, whereas in Africa they had two, or one continuous crop. While in America they replanted it every year, in Africa they only required to replant it every seven years. This showed conclusively that the whole cotton supply necessary for the British market could be obtained in Africa. There was every facility there for producing a sufficient supply of cotton. They could place in Africa five millions of free workers in the cotton fields if necessary (Applause). And what an advantage this would be to the British people!
It was not the Americans who were producing the cotton; they were depending for this upon the blacks, and though they were regarded as slaves, subject to the will of the Americans, they were not always expected to remain so. Supposing a war was to break out between this country and America, which was not improbable, or supposing a movement like that of John Brown's to be successful, what was to become of three fourths of the British people depending on cotton manufactures? There was no other people could raise cotton like the black man, for both his nature and country were adapted for raising it. If the African cotton was at present the best brought into the British market, what would it be when civilization was introduced into Africa? (Applause). Dr. Delany then described the cotton grown there, some of which was as fine as silk, and was produced in great abundance. Dr. Delany concluded a highly interesting lecture, which was listened to with great attention throughout, amidst great applause.
MRD addressing an audience October 23, 1860 at the City Hall of Glasgow, Scotland, as reported in "The Cotton Supply Reporter," (Manchester, England), November 2, 1860.
