1. Accounting for the Traffic in Africans: Transport Costs on Slaving Voyages
- Collection:
- Black Caribbean Literature (BCL)
- Contributers:
- Eltis,David (Author), Lewis,Frank D. (Author), and Mcintyre,Kimberly (Author)
- Format:
- Journal Article
- Publication Date:
- 2010
- Location:
- African American Research Center, Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Economic History
- Journal Title Details:
- 70(4) : 940-963
- Notes:
- Relying mainly on the manuscript records of the Royal African Company, we explore the factors that contributed to the large gap between slave prices in Africa and the Caribbean. Twenty-two voyages from the mid-1680s are analyzed. These were conducted with hired ships and the payments to the shipowners and captains were recorded. In addition to transport costs, mortality and morbidity had a big effect on slave prices; while the earnings from the trade in gold and ivory had a moderating influence. The effect of mortality and transport costs on slave prices during the eighteenth century is also explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR].