Statistical data on international trade in British consular reports from the Sultanate of Zanzibar in the nineteenth century

The article concerns the reliability of nineteenth-century British consular reports as a source for the study of international trade in Zanzibar. The author confronts the statistical data contained therein with reports from France and the United States, as well as with the correspondence of US and German trade companies operating in Zanzibar. The author concludes that the data contained in the reports derives from essentially reliable sources, access to which, however, was only possible in the years of economic downturn. Although few inconsistencies can be found in the statistics, it is likely that they include signifi cant underestimations. However, this does not preclude a signifi cant degree of credibility in terms of the structure and general trends of the trade.