A considerable trade is carried on in the Malay archipelago from Prince of Wales Island, which, since it was settled by the English, has become the emporium of this trade.—­Batavia, Bencoolen, and Achen; the principal articles of export from these islands are cloves, nutmegs, camphire, pepper, sago, drugs, bichedemer, birds’ nests, gold dust, ivory, areca nuts, benzoin, tin, &c.:  the imports are tea, alum, nankeens, silks, opium, piece goods, cotton, rice, and European manufactures.  Manilla is the depot of all the productions of the Philippines, intended to be exported to China, America, and Europe.  The exports of these islands are birds’ nests, ebony, tobacco, sugar, cotton, cocoa, &c.  The commerce of New Holland is still in its infancy, but it promises to rise rapidly, and to be of great value:  a soil very fertile, and a climate adapted to the growth of excellent grain, together with the uncommon fineness of its wool, have already been very beneficial to its commerce.

The external commerce of Persia is principally carried on by the foreign merchants who reside at Muscat, on the Persian Gulph:  into this place are imported from India, long cloths, muslins, silks, sugar, spices, rice, indigo, drugs, and European manufactures; the returns are copper, sulphur, tobacco, fruits, gum-arabic, myrrh, frankincense, and all the drugs which India does not produce.

The Red Sea, washed on one side by Asia, and on the other by Africa, seems the natural transit, from this consideration, of the commerce of the former quarter of the globe to that of the latter.  Its commerce is carried on by the Arabians, and by vessels from Hindostan:  Mocha and Judda are its principal ports.  The articles sent from it are coffee, gums and drugs, ivory, and fruit:  the imports are the piece goods, cotton, and other produce of India; and the manufactures, iron, lead, copper, &c. of Europe.

Egypt, in which anciently centered all the commerce of the world, retains at present a very small portion of trade:  the principal exports from Alexandria consist in the gums and drugs of the east coast of Africa, Arabia, Persia, and India; rice, wheat, dates, oil, soap, leather, ebony, elephants’ teeth, coffee, &c.  The imports are received chiefly from France and the Italian States, and England; and consist in woollen and cotton goods, hardware, copper, iron, glass, and colonial produce.  The commerce of the Barbary States is trifling:  the exports are drugs, grain, oil, wax, honey, hides and skins, live bullocks, ivory, ostrich feathers, &c.; the imports, colonial produce, (which indeed finds its way every where,) cutlery, tin, woollen and linen goods, &c.  The exports of the rest of Africa are nearly similar to those enumerated, viz. gums, drugs, ivory, ostrich feathers, skins, gold dust, &c.  From the British settlement at the Cape are exported wine, wheat, wool, hides, &c.