A SHORT ACCOUNT OF WEST AFRICA'S GOLD COAST AND ITS NATURE - Tecno-Libro

This book s very existence is significant, since the material is that of the end of the seventeenth century, the period when the dramatic changes that took place in the eighteenth century were beginning to materialize. Transatlantic slaving was to become the chief interest and the use of firearms was to become much more widespread. Tilleman s time on West Africa s Gold Coast came just after Jean Barbot s and coincided with that of Thomas Phillips and Willem Bosman. It is of interest to compare and contrast their reports to give us a fuller picture of events, practices, and allegations. Tilleman s text allows for a comparison of the areas in which they agree and where there are discrepancies, especially considering that these four men represent different European backgrounds, colored by their particular national interests. It is also important to note that the Europeans headquarters on the coast were in different places and among different cultural groups and polities: Barbot and Phillips used Cape Coast, a