A Chapter on Slavery/Section 4

by Oliver Prescott Hiller

 

SECTION IV.

 

THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA.

THE great work of African restitution has already begun. Silently and unobtrusively, — like all the great doings of the Divine One — and almost un-observed by many and by most, has the work been steadily going on, now for nearly forty years. It had, like all great things, a small beginning. A single benevolent individual, the Rev. Robert Finley, of New Jersey, United States, was the first who conceived (or at least, the first actively to carry into execution) a plan for restoring the negroes in America to the land of their fathers. "For years," says an interesting writer, "this eminent Christian had viewed the condition of the free colored population in the United States with sympathizing interest, and the whole vigor of his intellect was aroused to form plans for their relief. Among the exiled children of Africa, this good man saw not merely the heirs to a temporal but to an eternal existence; not those possessing merely the virtues of natural and social affection, but also capacities for the high improvements and joys of an immortal state. Early in the year 1815, he expressed himself to a friend as follows: The longer I live to see the wretched of men, the more I admire the virtue of those who devise, and patiently labor to execute, plans for the relief of the wretched. Under this view, the state of the free blacks has very much occupied my mind. Their number is increasing greatly, and, as it appears to me, their wretchedness also. Everything connected with their condition, including their color, is against them; nor is there much prospect that their state can ever be greatly ameliorated while they continue among us. Could not the rich and benevolent devise means to form a colony on some part of the coast of Africa, similar to the one at Sierra Leone, which might gradually induce many free blacks to go and settle, devising for them the means of getting there, and of protection and, support till they are established? Could they be sent back to Africa, a threefold benefit would arise. We should be cleared of them; we should send to Africa a I population partly civilized and Christianized, for its benefit; and our blacks themselves would be in a much better situation. Mr. Finley was satisfied of the practicability and utility of the project; and encouraged by the opinions of others, resolved to make a great effort to carry his benevolent views into effect In making preparatory arrangements, he spent a considerable part of the fall of 1816; and, determining ti test the popularity and in some measure the practicability of the whole system, he at length introduced the subject to public notice in the city of Washington. For this purpose he visited several members of Congress, the President, the Heads of Departments, and others. His conversation and zeal are said to have done much in drawing attention to the subject, and in conciliating many who at first appeared opposed. He proposed a special season of prayer in reference to the object, and several pious persons met him for the purpose of spending an hour in such an exercise. When told that some were incredulous, and that some ridiculed the plan proposed, he replied, ‘I know this scheme is from God’”^[1]

It was from God. Begun thus in a spirit of humble dependence on the Divine blessing, it was upheld by the Divine support, and succeeded. In furtherance of the great object, a society was formed at Washington, in December, 1816, under the name of the “American Colonization Society.” It was composed of some of the best and wisest men of the nation, north and south. Soon, also, the cause attracted attention in England; and some of the truest friends of Africa and of the slave interested themselves in it, foreseeing in these small beginnings a great future. The venerable Clarkson, speaking of it some years afterwards, thus wrote: “For myself, I am free to say, that of all things that have been going on in our favor since 1787, when the abolition of the slave-trade was first seriously proposed, that which is going on in the United States is the most important. It surpasses everything that has yet occurred No sooner had your colony been established on Cape Montserado than there appeared a disposition among the owners of slaves to give them freedom voluntarily and without compensation, and allow them to be sent to the land of their fathers; so that you have many thousands redeemed, without any cost of their redemption. To me this is truly astonishing. Can this have taken place without the intervention of the Spirit of God?" A distinguished British nobleman, Lord Althorp, publicly pronounced the foundation of the Colony of Liberia "one of the greatest events of modern times." A society in aid of the cause was formed in England, headed by persons of the first distinction, denominated the "British African Colonization Society." The framers of this Association, it was declared, "consider the plan of the American Colonization Society as admirably adapted to introduce Christianity and civilization among the natives of Africa, and to extirpate the slave-trade, which the moral efforts of Great Britain and other powers have been unable to suppress."^[2]

The cause, it is true, met with opposition in some quarters, — as what good cause ever did not? The violent defenders of slavery were opposed to it, because it tended towards the emancipation of the slaves; while, on the other hand, the over-zealous opponents of slavery attacked it, on the ground that its tendency was to check emancipation — an astonishing assertion, in view of the fact stated above by Clarkson, namely, that the effect of it had already been to cause numbers of slaves to be voluntarily emancipated. This opposition of extremities on both sides proved the cause to be one of those truly wise and moderate ones, which, respecting all interests, and just to all, move on calmly but firmly, under the God who leads them, to ultimate triumph and glory. This very opposition, moreover, will have been of the greatest service to the final success of the cause, and a signal proof of the watchful care of Divine Providence. Had there been, at the commencement of operations, one general voice of praise, approbation, and encouragement, on all sides — from whites and from blacks, together — the cause would probably have been ruined. Such a mass of emigrants, such a flood of the colored population, would have been poured on the infant colony, as would have overwhelmed it. The whole history of colonization shows that this would have been the result. The French attempted to colonize Cayenne with a grand body of 12,000 men — and a great part of them miserably perished of starvation. But the pilgrims of New England, few in number, landing in the depth of winter on an inhospitable shore — yet managed to maintain themselves, and prepared the way for others to follow, till a great nation sprang into existence. So the African colony, beginning with a few emigrants, and these preparing the way for more, had time to take firm root in the soil,-— and growing little by little, has now, after nearly forty years, become so strong and flourishing, as to be able to receive an immigration of. large numbers without injury.

The first effective settlement was made in the year 1822, at Cape Montserado or Mesurado, a lofty promontory on the African coast, about 250 miles south of Sierra Leone. The colony was aptly named LIBERIA, the land of the freed. The chief settlement received the name of MONROVIA, after President Monroe, then at the head of the United States Government. The soil and climate are described as most rich and delightful, and the scenery, in many parts, beautiful and picturesque even to grandeur. "A more fertile soil," says Mr. Freeman, "or a more productive country, I suspect it would be difficult to-find on the face of the earth. Its hills and plains are covered with a verdure that never fades; the productions of nature keep on in their growth through all seasons 'of the year; and even the natives of the country, almost without farming tools or skill, with very little labor, raise more grain and vegetables than they can consume, and often more than they can sell. Mr. Park, the traveler, says 'All the rich and valuable productions both of the East and West Indies might easily be naturalized, and brought to the utmost perfection in the tropical parts of this immense continent — It was not possible for me to behold the wonderful fertility of the soil, the vast herds of cattle proper both for labor and for food, and a variety of other circumstances favorable to colonization and agriculture, — and reflect, withal, on the means which presented themselves of a vast inland navigation, — without lamenting that a country so gifted and favored by nature should remain in its present savage and neglected state.’

"The colonists," continues the writer above named, "have all the domestic animals which are found in this country. They raise a great variety of vegetables and tropical fruits. Coffee grows spontaneously and of an excellent kind. The attention of some of the most respectable colonists has been turned to its cultivation, and twenty thousand coffee-trees have been planted by a single individual. The indigo plant is indigenous, and grows wild almost everywhere on the coast. Cotton is easily cultivated, and the crops are productive. The sugar-cane is found on many parts of the coast, and may be cultivated in Liberia. Rice is easy of cultivation, and has long been the principal article of food to the natives. Bananas, of an excellent and delicious kind, plantains, oranges fine-flavoured and very large, and limes, are common; maize or Indian — corn ripens in three months, and succeeds well; pine-apples are very good and in great abundance; cocoanut-trees flourish there; pumpkins, squashes, cucumbers, water-melons, and musk-melons, arrive at great perfection in that climate. Cassada and yams are found in all parts of the coast, and are much used for food; palm-oil is produced in abundance; also tamarinds of various kinds; gum-senegal and copal are articles of export in great quantities; pepper, and a variety of other spices, as cayenne, ginger, nutmegs, and cinnamon, are common on the coast; several valuable dye-woods are found, of which camwood and barwood are exported in considerable quantities; gold abounds in many parts of Africa, and the amount exported may be greatly increased; ivory is also a great article of commerce, and timber of almost every quality. All these and many other productions are found in Africa, and are or may become sources of advantage and profit to the Liberian colony."^[3] With such resources, the commerce of Liberia. is already very considerable: indeed, it seems to have become such at a very early period, — thus presenting great prospects for the future. As long ago as 1826 — in six months, from January to June, of that year — "the nett profits on wood and ivory alone, passing through the hands of the settlers, were upwards of thirty thousand dollars (£6,000). In 1829, we find the exports of African produce amounting to sixty thousand dollars. In 1831, forty-six vessels, twenty-one of which were American, visited the colony. During the year ending May 1, 1832, fifty-nine vessels had visited the port of Monrovia, and the exports during the same period amounted to one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars, and the imports to eighty thousand dollars. A portion of the colonists are continually and actively engaged in trade with the natives, disposing of English, American, and other goods, and receiving in return dye-woods, ivory, hides, palm-oil, tortoise-shell, rice, and gold, which become articles of exportation, affording great profit. Even now the harbor of Monrovia presents, at times, a most animating scene of commercial-activity and enterprise. One may often see there the harbor‘ whitened with sails — vessels anchoring or taking their departure, loading and unloading; you behold warehouses stored, with rich cargoes; you hear the busy hum of industry; you observe the alert movements of active men, once most of them sluggish slaves! Freedom has transformed them."^[4]

The climate of Liberia is tropical, and therefore well adapted to the condition of the colored race, who seem indeed intended by nature for such a climate and for no other. Where the white man sickens and dies from the heat, there the negro sports and rejoices, and is the most strong and vigorous. "The city of Monrovia," says Mr. Freeman, "is seventy feet above the sea; and the temperature is mild and agreeable, the thermometer not varying more than from 68 to 87 degrees, and the inhabitants enjoying most of the time a refreshing sea-breeze." Of another settlement, formed at Cape Palmas, called New Maryland, it is stated that "the situation is high, open, far from any surrounding marshes, and most favorable to health." "As to the climate," says Mr. Buchanan, Agent of the ‘Young Men’s Colonization Society of Pennsylvania,’ and late Governor of the Colony at Bassa Cove, "it is entirely a mistake to suppose that it is destructive of health." He went there "with his mind filled with the graphic pictures, drawn by the prolific pencil of the poet, of burning sands, mephitic marshes, and scorching winds, but saw neither." He was "struck with the beautiful luxuriance of the soil; and as to the heat, the result of the regular thermometrical observations taken at Bassa Cove was, that in the hot season the mercury ranged between 80 and 88 degrees Fahrenheit, and in the cold or wet season it seldom falls below 70 degrees. There is besides a continual and refreshing breeze from the sea during the day, and from the land during the nigh "During his residence at Bassa Cove, not a single death had occurred in the colony.^[5] Again he says, in a letter to the Corresponding Secretary of the above-named Society, "You may congratulate yourself on your steadfast affection for Bassa Cove, for indeed it is a paradise. The climate is abundantly good, the soil prolific and various in its productions, the rivers abound in excellent fish and very superior oysters, and the water is pure and wholesome. Our position is somewhat remarkable, having a river in our rear, the ocean in front, and the magnificent St. John’s sweeping past on our right. The luxuriant and various foliage which overhangs the banks of the river, and recedes back into the interminable forests, gives a perpetual freshness to the scene, which ever animates the beholder. In America it is difficult to conceive of African scenery without picturing to our imagination a plentiful supply of burning sand, with here and there a fiery serpent; but what a pleasing reversion the feelings undergo, when for the first time we witness the reality; then the imaginary arid scene, with its odious accompaniments, is exchanged for the broad river of blue waters, the stately forest, and the ever verdant landscape, and all Nature charms with her ever varying, yet ever beautiful and living riches."^[6]

A still grander view of Liberian scenery is presented us in the following extract from the report of Mr. Whitehurst, a commissioner sent by the Colonial Government on a visit into the interior. It is descriptive of a port of the country, about eighty or a hundred miles back from Monrovia. Mr. Whitehurst remarks, — "Everything conspires to render this spot desirable for human happiness, if the propensity for war which the people [the natives] have could be got over. — Groups of cheerful beings were passed through, either planting or grubbing; while at the towns the women were generally employed in spinning cotton. Cotton grows abundantly throughout the country, and every town is furnished more or less with the apparatus for dyeing and weaving. The sugar-cane, too, we observed frequently, while the plantain and banana were in the greatest profusion. The first notice, at times, that we could have of our proximity to a town, would be the dense and beautiful foliage of those trees, giving us notice of human habitations. We approached Talma through beautiful walks of lofty and magnificent trees, very thickly interspersed with those of camwood, whose fragrant blossoms imparted delightful aroma to the atmosphere. The situation of Bo Pore," be continues, "is very obscure, being located in a valley formed by a chain of double mountains, completely encircling it, and giving to their elevation a remarkable similitude to the seats of a theatre. The scenery by which the town is surrounded is magnificently grand; and as far as the eye can see, you discern mountain above mountain, until they are lost in the distance. The chain runs regularly for some miles; then a portion more lofty than the rest towers aloft; whilst from base to summit the eye can behold but one expanse of the greenest foliage. Upon the whole, the scenery is more magnificent than any that I remember seen."

Let us turn now from this brief survey of the soil, climate, and scenery of Liberia, to an examination of the interior and domestic condition of the colony. As long ago as 1831, Elliot Cresson, Esq., the generous and fast friend of the African race, — in an address delivered at the fourteenth anniversary of the Colonization Society, thus spoke of its general condition and prospects: — "Only nine years have elapsed since the little band of colonists landed at the cape [Mesurado], and a nation has already sprung into existence; — a nation destined to secure to Ethiopia the fulfilment of the glorious prophecy made in her behalf. Already have kings thrown down their crowns at the feet of the infant republic; and formed with her a holy alliance, for the purpose of exchanging the guilty traffic in human flesh and blood for legitimate commerce, equal laws, civilization and religion.

'From many an ancient river,
From many a palmy plain,
They call us to deliver
Their land from errors chain.'

They ask for schools, factories, churches. Nearly 2,000 freemen have kindled a beacon-fire at Monrovia, to cast a broad blaze of light into the dark recesses of that benighted land. The annals of colonization may be triumphantly challenged for a parallel. Five years of preliminary operations for surveying the coast, propitiating the natives, and selecting the most eligible site; numerous agents subsequently employed, ships chartered, the forest cleared; school-houses, factories, hospitals, churches, goverment buildings, and dwellings erected, and the many expenses requisite at home defrayed: — and yet, for every fifty dollars (£10) expended by our Society from its commencement, we have not only a settler to show, but an ample and fertile territory in reserve, where our future emigrants may sit under their own vines and fig-trees, with none to make them afraid. During the last year an amount nearly equal to the united expenditures in effecting these objects, has been exported by the colonists; and from Philadelphia alone eleven vessels have sailed, bearing to the land of their forefathers a large number of slaves manumitted by the benevolence of their owners." — Truly may it be said, that the annals of colonization have no parallel to this. The Divine blessing appears plainly to have been with the cause.

"The chief town, Monrovia," says Mr. Freeman (writing in 1837), "contains about five hundred houses and stores [dwellings and warehouses], a court-house, five churches — one Presbyterian, two Methodist, and two Baptist — three flourishing schools, one of which has upwards of a hundred scholars, — a temperance society, numbering upwards of five hundred members, — and about 1,500 inhabitants. The houses are generally well built, and of a pleasant appearance. The city is seventy feet above the sea, and the temperature mild and agreeable. The streets are one hundred feet wide, crossing each other at right angles. The harbor, which is formed by the mouth of the river, is convenient and Spacious for vessels of moderate dimensions.

"Seven miles north of the outlet of the Mesurado is the river St. Paul's, on which is the town of Caldwell This town, after the plan of some American villages, has but one street, which is a mile and a half long, and is planted on each side with a beautiful row of plantain and banana trees. Caldwell is an agricultural establishment, and is flourishing. It has three churches, three day-schools, and three Sunday-schools. It is an interesting fact, that one of the native kings recently applied at one of these day-schools for the admission of twelve children; which request, however, could not be granted, as the school was already full

"Between Caldwell and Monrovia, on Stockton Creek, is a settlement of recaptured Africans, called New Georgia. It was planted in part by the aid of the United States Government. It contains five hundred inhabitants, who, though they were once the miserable tenants, in chains, of the loathsome slaveship, are now living in the enjoyment of the blessings of civilized and Christian life. This place has a church and near two hundred houses. Mr. Buchanan, agent of the 'Young Men's Society of Pennsylvania,' who visited this place, says respecting this settlement, 'The air of perfect neatness, thrift, and comfort, which everywhere prevails, affords a lovely commentary on the advancement which these interesting people have made in civilization and Christian order, under the patronage of the Colonization Society. Imagine to yourself some two or three hundred houses, with streets intersecting each other at regular distances, preserved clean as the best side-walk in Philadelphia, and lined with well planted hedges of cassava and plum; a school-house full of orderly children, neatly dressed and studiously engaged; — and then say whether I was guilty of extravagance in exclaiming as I did, after surveying this charming scene, that had the Colonization Society accomplished no more than has been done in the rescue from slavery and savage habits, of these happy people, I should have been well satisfied.'

"Twenty miles north-east of Monrovia, on the same river, at the foot of the highlands, is another flourishing town, called Millsburgh, containing about five hundred inhabitants, two churches, and one school, and rapidly increasing by new colonists. Millsburgh has peculiar advantages, enabling it to become the commercial medium between the interior and the seacoast. The land is fertile, and the forests abound with excellent timber. The town is represented as very neat and healthy. Another town of recent settlement is Marshall.

"Another considerable settlement in Liberia is the very flourishing colony formed under the patronage of the Maryland Colonization Society, and also fostered by the State — at Cape Palmas — called New Maryland. This colony is advantageously located, and promises to excel in agriculture. Its situation is high, open, free from any surrounding marshes, and most favorable to health. Its inhabitants are described as temperate, intelligent, and industrious; and as giving evidence of mental as well as physical energy, that greatly encourages the confident hope and expectation that they will yet occupy an honourable rank in the civilized world.

"Besides these, there are the flourishing settlements more recently commenced at Edina and Bassa Cove, the one beautifully situated on the south, and the other on the north, side of the St. John's, near its mouth. Also, about eighty miles south-east from Bassa Cove, on the river Sinon, the Mississippi Colonization Society have purchased a territory and commenced a colony. The Louisiana Society propose the settlement of a colony on the opposite side of the same river. Virginia, too, by her State Colonization Society has resolved to plant a colony upon the African coast, within the Liberian territory, to bear the name of New Virginia. Kentucky also has a prosperous colony there. And, indeed, many of the States have in Liberia distinct colonies, lining the coast of Western Africa, for many hundred miles, — thus furnishing a barrier to the approach of the slaver on the one side, whilst on the other they pour the light of civilization and Christianity upon benighted millions."^[7]

Dr. Rainey, surgeon of the U. S. steam-frigate Niagara, which in 1858 was sent to Liberia to convey the slaves taken in the brig Echo, thus describes the country: — "No one can enter any part of the Republic of Liberia without being forcibly impressed with the mighty changes which this little voluntary society has made in that benighted land, and without blessing its founders and supporters, for having effectually redeemed six hundred miles of coast from the curse of the slave-trade. — Monrovia is a city of 3,000 inhabitants, a population as virtuous, orderly, and well conducted, as can be found in any country. The city is not healthily located, and hence bears but little of that impress of prosperity which is everywhere discernible throughout other portions of the Republic. I made a short visit up the St. Paul's river. The first few miles the banks are low and unhealthy, with malaria producing fever, though not worse than in many places on the Missouri in America. But beyond seven miles the country becames high and rolling, on both banks, affording good water and healthful drainage. The river is most densely populated. The whole district is high and healthy. Fine brick houses appear all along the stream. The settlers seem to be thrifty and happy. I have nowhere else seen a place on earth so well fitted for the hopeful development of the colored man, as Liberia. A general remark to me by the colonists was, ‘This, Sir, is a great country for darkies.'"^[8]

We must here introduce an extract from a stirring address made by the colonists of Cape Palmas to their colored brethren in the United States. "We wish," say they, "to be candid It is not every man that we can honestly advise Or desire to come to this country. To those who are contented to live and educate their children as house servants and lacqueys, we would say, stay where you are: here we have no masters to employ you. To the indolent, heedless, and slothful, we would say, tarry among the flesh-pots of Egypt: here we get our bread by the sweat of our brow. To drunkards and rioters we would say, come not to us: you never can become naturalized in a land where there are no grog-shops, and where temperance and order is the motto. To the timorous and suspicious we would say, stay where you have protectors: here we protect ourselves. But to the industrious, enterprising, and patriotic, of whatever occupation or enterprise — the mechanic, the merchant, the farmer, and especially the latter, we would counsel, advise, and entreat to come over, and be one with us, and assist us in this glorious enterprise, — -and enjoy with us that liberty to which we ever were, and to which the man of color ever must be, a stranger, in America. To the ministers of the Gospel, both white and colored, we would say, come over to this great harvest, and diffuse amongst us and our benighted neighbors the light of the Gospel, without which liberty is but slavery, and freedom perpetual bondage."^[9]

In this connection, too, we may present an extract from a speech made in New York by a citizen of Liberia. At a meeting of the colored people held in that city, in June, 1850, Mr. Moore, of Liberia, made the following remarks: —

"Liberia offers, as its greatest gift, a free country. Our own race there are in power and in honor. You have heard of it, we know, and therefore prize it. We are a free and independent State, having a Constitution and Bill of Rights, like that of the United States. We do our own voting, while you, in most of this country, do not. I visited Washington city before I came here, and the condition of the poor people there pained my very heart. I wanted almost to force them to enjoy our privileges. I feel no inclination to return to Washington; but if I do, it will be to induce or almost to compel some to go with me, for we will do them good. We are yet a small people and small population. Much has been done for us, and yet much remains to be done. We are, as it were, on the fringes of Africa. We are free, and rejoice at the present, and hope for the future. Our Republic may yet extend, as do the United States, from. one ocean to the other — from the Atlantic to the Indian. When we recall to mind the short time it has taken America to attain her greatness, what shall forbid to hope for such a future for ourselves, and that a vast emigration will yet take place to Liberia? What may not Liberia become? We expect much; we look and labor for much. Already Liberia, like a young Hercules, has strangled the hydra slave-trade for 300 or 400 miles along the coast, and is destined to complete the work. England is coöperating, and by keeping a blockade of Gallinas with two vessels, will aid in our present negotiations for that slave-mart; and when obtained, there will be none from the Senegal to the Niger, over 1,500 miles. We are proud of our country and its influences, because we enjoy there all the rights of man.^[10] In confirmation of the remarks of the speaker just quoted, in reference to the condition of freedom, equality, and consequent self-respect possessed by the citizens of Liberia — many of them once degraded slaves — we proceed to present a sketch of the political and civil condition of the colony (though the term colony is no longer suitable, as it has now become an independent State). The Colonization Society acted with great wisdom in their management of this important matter. In the year 1824, a form of government was submitted to the assembled colonists, and by them unanimously adopted. By this constitution, it was provided that the agent of the Society should be the Governor of the Colony. This was a wise provision; for it was too much to expect of an assemblage of persons taken, many of them, from the lowest condition, and without education, to be able at once to take the whole management of the affairs of a newly established colony. And the successive agents or governors were some of the most wise, disinterested, and noble-minded men that have ever engaged in the founding of a new state. Many of them — as Mills and Ashmun — fell a sacrifice to their ardent devotion to what they justly considered a great and good cause. Monuments will yet be raised to their memory: one to Ashmun, indeed, has already been raised both in America and in Liberia. The founders of this new thing in the world’s history, a nation of free and enlightened and Christian Africans will in coming ages find their due place in the regard of mankind: their real reward many of them have already found, we may trust, in a higher sphere.

While, however, the Governor or Head of the colony was to. be a white person, the Lieutenant-Governor, Counselors, Judges, Members of the Legislature, and all other officers whatever, were to be men of ‘ color. This arrangement continued for a long time, and worked exceedingly well. A few years since, however — after experience had been gained by the colonists in managing public affairs, and it was found that all things were going on with good order and quietness, as well as efficiency — the Society at home resolved to trust them still further; and, on the death of one of the agents, — a colored person, Lieutenant-Governor Roberts, who had already shown much and wisdom in conducting affairs, was appointed Governor; and the Society had no reason to repent their choice. And still further, when it was thus found that the colonists could be safely entrusted with the whole management of affairs, the Society generously gave them their independence — the first instance, perhaps, in all history, of so noble and disinterested a public transaction.

The organization of the Republic as an independent State took place in July, 1847. The Constitution is modeled after that of the United States. The Government consists of a President, a Vice-President, with a Senate and House of Representatives, the number of members in the former being six, and in the latter twenty-eight. The first President, elected under the new Constitution, was the former excellent Governor, Mr. Roberts.

In 1848, President Roberts visited Europe, and was received by the Governments of both England and France, which Powers acknowledged the independence of the new Republic, and negotiated with it treaties of commerce. From an article on Liberia, which appeared in the London Times about the period of President Roberts’s visit, we make the following extract, which presents some interesting particulars: —

"Since its commencement in 1820 [1822], its population, including the aborigines, who have incorporated themselves with the immigrants, has increased to upwards of 80,000, while the land they occupy extends along 320 miles of coast, and reaches on an average about eighty miles into the interior. The proportion of the population born in America, or of American descent, is estimated at about 10,000;^[11] and such has been the effect of their example and influence, that out of the remaining 70,000, consisting of aborigines, and of captives released from slavers, at least 50,000 can speak the English language, so that any one would perfectly understand them; while their habits are rapidly becoming those of civilized and steady agriculturists. The desire for education is also manifested by the surrounding tribes, and instances are not uncommon of natives sending their children four or five hundred miles from the interior to be instructed in the primary schools established in the Republic. Of these there are thirty-six in operation, and an average attendance in each of about forty aboriginal pupils.

"The whole of the territory of Liberia has been purchased from time to time from the aboriginal owners, and in this way at least twenty petty sovereignties have been extinguished. In its former condition, the coast was the constant resort of slaves; but the traffic is now effectually suppressed as far as the jurisdiction of the Republic extends; and its entire abandonment is an invariable stipulation in every treaty of trade and protection, into which the Republic may consent to enter with neighboring states. The disposition to avail themselves of treaties of this description is plainly on the increase on the part of the surrounding natives; and it is estimated that not less than 2,000,000 of persons in the interior now obtain their supply of European goods from the Republic, and from the kindred colony of Cape Palmas. Last year, eighty-two foreign vessels visited Liberia, and exchanged merchandise for articles of African production to the amount of 600,000 dollars.

"The natural resources of Liberia are immense, and are steadily in process of development. The climate, although more healthy than Sierra Leone, is still deadly to Europeans; but the improvement it has undergone during the last ten years, from the effect of clearing and drainage, is stated to have been most remarkable. The colored immigrants from America, who used invariably to suffer from fever on their arrival, are now able to go to work at once. The duration of life amongst the colonists is considered to be about the same as in England."

An article in Chambers’s Edinburgh Journal, published about the same time, thus speaks of the new Republic:

"Liberia is the most interesting colony in existence, and from its history we may draw some useful lessons in social economics. It is a settlement of pure negroes, speaking the English language, imbued with the Anglo — American civilization, and influenced by Christian belief and ethics. Placed on the African coast facing the Atlantic, it may be said to present a cheering spot on that great waste, — a frontier of intelligence to what has been hitherto a wide-spread and hopeless world of savagery. The success of this experiment at colonizing, is in many respects interesting. In the first place, it is, we think, conclusively shown, that the negro races may be impressed with all the ordinary characteristics of a civilized people, and that they are thus capable of that species of self-government which marks a high state of intellectual advancement. Of their for assuming this condition, after due culture and experience in orderly habits, we indeed never entertained a doubt. It is very pleasing to find that out of the rude and unshapely mass of negroism, there has at length arisen a people, who, in the eye of the world, vindicate their claim to humanity, their full and fair title to be treated as men and brothers. It is true that an experiment of the same nature has been less successful in Hayti, greatly to the damage of arguments in favor of negro self-government; and some may fear that the present effort in Liberia may terminate as ingloriously. But the two cases are scarcely parallel. Hayti commenced its career in blood and violence, and its civilization never appears to have been anything but a French polish, beneath which there was neither intellectual culture nor moral or religious restraints. The basis of Liberian independence is very different. The nation was begun in Christian love, was fostered with the parental tenderness of superior intellect, and, attaining strength and self-confidence, has at last been committed to its own experienced guidance. Its civilization, moreover, is essentially Anglo-Saxon; and with the English tongue and the English Bible, not to speak of a spirit of English industry, we may suppose it to possess a power of endurance, and skill in management, which unhappily never distinguished the imperfect nationality of Hayti.^[12]

To the ability, wisdom, and dignified deportment of the gentlemen (for such they truly are, in all respects) who fill the offices of trust and honor in the Liberian Government, we have many testimonials. In reference to President Roberts, — Commodore Perry, of the United States navy, in a report to his Government, dated in 1844, says: "Governors Roberts, of Liberia, and Russworm, of Cape Palmas, are intelligent and estimable men, executing their responsible functions with wisdom and dignity; and we have, in the example of these two gentlemen, irrefragable proof of the capability of colored people to govern themselves." Mr. Buchanan, late Governor of the Pennsylvania Colony at Bassa Cove, in an account of a Visit which he made to Monrovia, says, "I also attended their courts, and was gratified to observe the perfect good order and decorum with which the proceedings were conducted; the dignity and good sense of the judges, the shrewdness and legal acumen of the counsel, the patient attention of the jury, — all, of course, colored men." — "It is a highly honorable fact," says Mr. Freeman^[13]' (the remark may be quoted in this connection), "that no capital crime has ever been committed in the colony. The crimes usually brought before the court are thefts committed. by natives within the Colonial jurisdiction." There are also Boards of Agriculture, of Public Works, of Health, all the members of which are of course men of color, — and the management of these and other public affairs is conducted with energy and intelligence. Most of the public officers are elected annually by the people.

In reference to the high state of morals in the colony, there is very strong testimony. Governor Mechlin, a former Governor of the colony, remarks, — "As to the morals of the colonists, I consider them much better than those of the people of the United States; that is, you may take an equal number of the inhabitants from any section of the Union, and you will find more drunkenness, more profane swearers and Sabbath-breakers, than in Liberia. You rarely hear an oath,° and as to riots and breaches of the peace, I recollect but one instance, and that of a trifling nature, since I assumed the government of the colony." The Rev. Beverly R. Wilson, an intelligent colored minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, spent fourteen months in Liberia, which he visited, at his own expense, to ascertain whether he could find there an advantageous home for himself and family. He says: "The morals of the colonists I regard as superior to the same population in almost any part of the United States. A drunkard is a rare spectacle, and when,exhibited is put under the ban of public opinion at once. To the praise of Liberia be it spoken, I did not hear, during my residence in it, a solitary oath uttered by a settler: this abominable practice has not yet stained its moral character and reputation, and Heaven grant that it never may. In such detestation is the daily use of ardent spirits held, that two of the towns have already prohibited its sale, or rather confined it to the apothecaries’ shops. In Monrovia it is still viewed as an article of traffic and merchandise, but it is destined there to share the same fate. The Temperance Society is in full operation, and will soon root it out. The Sabbath is rigidly observed and respected: but few cases of disorder occur, and they are confined to the baser sorts, a few of which infest Liberia. Religion and all its institutions are greatly respected; in fact, a decided majority are religionists, and by their pious demeanor are exerting a very salutary influence, not only upon the emigrants, but also upon the natives, among whom a door is opened for the propagation of Christianity." Mr. Wilson, addressing himself to the colored people in the United States, concludes by saying, "If you desire liberty, surely Liberia holds out great and distinguished inducements. Hem you can never be free; but there, living under the administration of the laws enacted by yourselves, you may enjoy that freedom, which in the very. nature of things you cannot experience in this country: —

"Liberia, happy land! thy shore
Entices with a thousand charms;
And calls — his wanted thraldom o’er —
Her ancient exile to her arms.

"Come hither, son of Afric, come;
And o’er the wide and weltering sea,
Behold thy lost and lovely home,
That fondly waits to welcome thee."^[14]

In regard to the state of education in Liberia, — we have already seen, from the article in the London Times, that there are no fewer than primary schools. The author of the Plea for Africa, writing in 1837, remarks: "The subject of education has ever been one of primary importance with the Board of Colonization. In 1830, the Board established permanent schools in the towns of Monrovia, Caldwell, and Millsburgh. They adopted a thorough system of instruction, which is now in successful operation. There are two female schools, conducted on liberal principles, one of which was established by a lady in Philadelphia, who sent out the necessary books and teachers. It is said, there is not a child or youth in the colony but is provided with an appropriate school. Some of these schools have valuable libraries. There is a public library at Monrovia, which contains between 1,200 and 2,000 volumes. A printing press is in operation there, issuing a weekly and well-conducted gazette, the Liberia Herald. It is interesting to look over this sheet, and see the various advertisements, notices of auctions, parades, marriages — together with its marine list — as if the print were issued from the midst of an old and long established community." In addition to the numerous common schools, a plan was some years ago set on foot (and, we trust, carried into operation) by the American Society ‘for the promotion of Education in Africa,’ for establishing a college in Liberia, where all the higher branches of learning might be taught, and where young men might be fitted for the liberal professions.^[15] Lastly, in reference to the state of Religion in Liberia, it is interesting to see how early and how deeply the religious spirit seemed to influence the colonists, giving to the "Pilgrims of Mesurado" (as they have been called), as it did to the Pilgrim Fathers of New England, their strength and power of endurance, their wisdom, and their final prosperity. "The cause of religion in the colony," says Mr. Freeman, "seems always to have been an object of much solicitude on the part of the Colonization Society. The churches are generally well supplied with respectable and faithful ministers. In all these churches there are Sunday schools established, to which the most promising young people in the colony have attached them~ selves either as teachers or as scholars. I have," he says, "in a pamphlet before me, printed in Monrovia, the ‘Minutes of the first Convention of the Liberia Baptist Association,’ by which it appears that there are in the colony six Baptist churches, comprising about 220 members. These ‘Minutes’ represent the Baptist churches as in a flourishing condition; and the proceedings of the Convention, and their circular to the churches, evince talent, judgment, and piety, of a very respectable order. Here is an extract from their ‘Minutes’:

"‘Princes shall come out of Egypt, Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God’ — is the prediction of a holy prophet, uttered ages antecedent to the advent of the Messiah. And when we reflect on the midnight darkness which, from time immemorial, has shrouded this portion of Africa, we hail with rapture the first dawning of that glorious gospel-day, which is signified in this oracle. He with whom a. thousand years is as a day, and a day as a thousand years, works his own sovereign will, and effects his own purposes of grace and goodness, in a manner above the comprehension of men. For ages Africa has been ‘meted out, and trodden down.’Her deep moral degradation seems, by universal consent, to have been justification in regarding her as lawful plunder, and as a land on which a curse rests. But we rejoice that these days are going by. The darkness of ages is yielding to the bright rising of the ‘Sun of Righteousness.’ Idolatry and superstition are retiring before Christianity and civilization; and on the mountain-top, once defiled by sacrifices to devils, the banner of the cross is unfurled, while a voice in the wilderness is proclaiming, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand."‘

This is certainly an eloquent passage; and when we think of its having been written by men who, or whose fathers, were once degraded African slaves, our admiration is greatly increased.

"I have here, also," continues Mr. Freeman, "the ‘Report of the Liberia Mission of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the Minutes of their Annual Conference in Liberia in 1835.' This document is full of interest, and displays the same zeal, energy, and ability which you find generally among the colonists. Of the Conference the Report says: ‘The greatest harmony and peace prevailed during our session; and it is confidently hoped that this little band of ambassadors of Christ have gone to their respective appointments with increasing zeal in the cause of their Divine Master, and holy resolutions to spend and be spent in the blessed work of winning souls to God.’ — It would seem from the Minutes, that the number of ministers of their denomination in the colony, in 1835, was twelve, and the number of communicants upwards of 200. The Report also speaks of the appointment of a ‘Missionary for the interior of Africa, to carry the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ into the dark regions of this benighted land.’ The appointment, it is stated, seems to be regarded by the members of the Conference with the warmest approbation; and one good result already discovered from it is the awakening of a missionary spirit among the preachers. Several are ready to say, ‘Here we are, send us. We covet the privilege of carrying the Gospel to the heathen tribes.’ The Report concludes:‘ If we are to judge from the appearance of the fields around us, which are already white unto harvest, we should conclude that "the set time to favor Zion has come," yea, that "now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation." Men and brethren, help! O help to disenthral poor Africa from the hellish grasp of the enemy of all righteousness! Help to promote the moral and religious prosperity of this infant colony, destined as it is to be rendered "a savor of life unto life" to this benighted continent.’"^[16]

In a number of the Liberia Herald, a newspaper published at Monrovia, is an interesting account of the formation of a body of native Africans, thirty-six in number, into a Christian church. The 'article, as quoted by Mr. Freeman, reads as follows: —

"On Sunday, the 7th inst., thirty-six native Africans, resident at New Georgia, late members of the first Baptist Church in this place [Monrovia], having been dismissed by letters, were brought into visibility as a Church, in the place of their residence. Sermon by Rev. Dr. Skinner, — charge and right hand of fellowship by Rev. H. Teage, and concluding prayer by Rev. A. W. Anderson. The exercises of the occasion were truly solemnly pleasing and impressive. They naturally threw the mind back to the period, when they who were thus solemnly dedicating themselves to God, to be constituted into a ‘golden candlestick,’ from which the Divine light is to chase the surrounding gloom, were themselves in the darkness of nature, without God, without revelation, and consequently without the hope it inspires."

Here, truly, is fruit; here is success; here is effective missionary action. Not often can such results of missionary labors be shown. In truth, Africa is the grandest missionary field in the world: but colored men, Africans themselves, must be the missionaries.

Here follows another item from the same paper. It is a communication from a correspondent of the Herald, in Monrovia, and relates to the dedication of a Presbyterian Church:

"Mr. Editor, as every circumstance which has any relation to the spreading of our blessed religion in Africa, must have a tendency to give satisfaction to every lover and follower of the religion of Jesus Christ — you will confer a favor on one of your constant readers by giving publication to this. Having under — stood that the First Presbyterian Church was to be dedicated to the service of God on the 26th of November, I attended, and was happy to find the principal part of the inhabitants of this town present on so interesting an occasion. Every denomination of saints seemed to rejoice that another temple had been erected and dedicated to the worship of Almighty God. It was enough that the pure religion of Jesus Christ was to be inculcated from that sacred pulpit, and as that servant of God, the Rev. C. Teage, remarked, ‘where he then stood, preaching the dedication sermon, sixteen years ago, the devil’s bush stood.’ — How truly animating it is to see temples arise for the worship of God, where not long since there was nothing to be heard, but the savage yell of the native, or the clanking of the poor slaves’ chains!".

We have thus given a sketch of the physical and moral condition of Liberia. We have dwelt upon it, in some detail, because we consider it, in the language of the writer in Chambers’s Journal, "the most interesting colony in existence," — because we fully agree with the declaration of the enlightened and far-seeing British nobleman, who pronounced the foundation of the Colony of Liberia, "one of the greatest events of modern times:"^[17] and still further, because we hold it to be the key to that problem we have undertaken to solve, — the reason for the permission, by Divine Providence, of the African slave-trade and slavery in the New World. Without this key, all is dark: with it, all is light; and through the door which that key opens, we behold a vista extending far into the regions of futurity, through which we discern in the distance two continents, America and Africa, freed, purified, and happy, — blessed, both of them, with liberty, Christianity, and peace.

But how, it will be asked, is that great result to be brought about through so insignificant an instrumentality as that of the Colony of Liberia, a little State, composed of a few emigrant blacks? Ha! when the wise and knowing king James saw a small vessel, the "Mayflower," push off from the English coast, with a little band of emigrants, fleeing from religious persecution, and bound to the shores of the new western World, — what idea had he, think you, that, led on by Providence, they were going to lay the foundation of a great nation, which would one day extend itself across that continent, from ocean to ocean, and which would at length powerfully influence the destinies of the world? But the prophetic eye reads effects in causes: in the shooting acorn it sees the mighty oak; in the first drooping branch of the Banyan-tree, it perceives a future forest; in Adam and Eve, it beholds a populous world. Show the reflective man but a principle, and he will give you a thousand results, which to the common mind are indiscernible till they are actually produced: from a single fossil bone, a Cuvier will present you the whole form of the animal to which it belonged, tell you its habits and history, and draw you a sketch of the country and scenery through which it roamed.

 

1. Plea for Africa; or, Familiar Conversations on the Subject of Slavery and Colonization. by the Rev. J. Freeman, Philadelphia. We would warmly recommend this book to general perusal: it contains much interesting information on the subjects of slavery, the slave-trade, and the colonization of Africa; and it is written in the best spirit.
2. Freeman's Plea for Africa, Conversation XX. At a later period, Clarkson and many other English friends of African colonization, cooled in their zeal for the cause; but it was through the misrepresentations of its enemies.
3. Plea for Africa, Conversation XXI.
4. Ibid.
5. Plea for Africa,, Conversation XXIV.
6. Plea, Conversation XXV.
7. Plea for Africa, Conversation XXI.
8. New York Herald, of Dec. 11, 1858.
9. Plea, Conversation XXI.
10. New York Journal of Commerce. It may be added that the Gallinas territory has since been purchased and the slave-trade there entirely broken up.
11. This number has now increased to.upwards of 12,000, and the number of aborigines under the Liberian jurisdiction is estimated at 340,000; while the coast-line, including the late purchase of Gallinas, cannot be less than 700 miles — See Chambers’s Repository of Instructive and Amusing Tracts, No. 57, "Liberia."

    This Tract presents a brief, but interesting sketch of Liberia, its history and present condition. It appears, from the same Tract, that the Government of Brazil has recently appointed a Chargé d’Affaires to Liberia, the Chevalier Miteroi, who, in addition to his ordinary duties, is specially instructed to make preparations for the establishment of a colony of Brazilian free blacks. Hence the return of the Africans from the South, as well as the North, American Continent, may soon be expected to commence.

12. Chambers’s Journal of December 16, 1848.
13. Plea for Africa, Conversation XXIV.
14. Plea for africa, Conversation XXIV.
15. From Chambers's Tract, before referred to, we learn, that in 1851 there were three High Schools in Monrovia; and in 1852 an act was passed incorporating a board of Trustees for a College.
16. Plea for Africa, Conversation XXIV.
17. See p. 64.