“‘I think I shall trade, also,’ said he, putting his hands in his waistcoat pockets, ‘to the West Indies, for sugar, tobacco, and rum . . .’” (175)

During Dickens’ time, slavery in America was at its peak, resulting in a great fortune available for those who captured and sold these slaves. Accordingly, trade routes across the Atlantic developed to transport slaves between Africa and America – triangular trade. Through triangular trade, many of the slaves exported from Africa made it to the West Indies, where they could be exchanged for, as Herbert states, “sugar, tobacco, and rum . . .” However, obviously not everyone who attempted this was able to succeed in making a fortune. Herbert’s plan to regain his fortune through this method implies that he may not realize what dire straits he is in financially and therefore is not prepared to take adequate efforts to make amends.

Source:

"Triangular Trade." Lyles Web Network. Web. 09 Jan. 2010. http://lylesj.tripod.com/trade/tritrade.html.

EDIT: Herbert's innocence is significant because it is a symbol of the naivety of most individuals of the day. Because it has been easy for Herbert to achieve the social status he has once, he assumes that it will be easy to reach it again once he begins to fall. Just as is being experienced now, the ease with which an individual could climb the social ladder caused many to being living beyond their means and eventually resulted in many being in worse financial situations than they were at the beginning - all because they have never had to work for what they have had. Herbert sees trade as a means to an end or a quick fix so he can resume his lavish lifestyle.