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THE

AFKICAN REPOSITORY.

VoL. XXXI.] WASHINGTON, AUGUST, 1855. [No. 8.

Letter from a friend — Sentiments worthy of notice.

Heartily concurring, as we do,

^ in the sentiments expressed by our friend, in the following letter, we take the liberty of publishing it, hoping that.it may encourage some of our readers, who may wish to aid us in carrying on the great work of colonization, to be their own almo- ners— the distributors of their own charity, so far as is practicable or expedient; and not to leave this important “ work and labor of love ” to be done by others, after their decease ; or, as in many cases in which this Society is interested, to be delayed, and perhaps frustrated, > by tedious and expensive litigations, which sometimes absorb large estates and leave nothing for the legatees.

In our May number, we published the letter of our friend in which he proposed to be one of one hundred to give twenty-five dollars each to this Society by the 1st of July. To this generous proposition we re- ceived only two responses ; though we doubt not that we should have received many more had not our

own proposal preceded it.

1.0

July 10^/i, 1855.

I Rev. W. McLain,

: Sec’ry Am. Col. Soc.

! Although the conditions of the 1 promise of $25, made in April last, have not been complied with in full, yet 1 cannot withhold the amount; j knowing how much you want aid, j and two parties having accepted the ! offer. Your expressions of sur- ! prise, in your last number, at the I failure of this little effort to advance 1 your cause are very natural. Is it not strange that persons professing to be regardless of worldly wealth should hold on with such tenacity to it.? The system of legacies on a death-bed is well enough sometimes, on the principle of the old adage, “ better late than never;” but how much more natural to such profes- I sors would it Ue to give as they re- ceive, whilst they can themselves I see the good effected by a little i proper action, (I will not say liber- I ality,) and not hold on until death forces a release of the stored-up treasure. This appears to me to be the proper principle of action, and the one affording the most satisfacf tion to all parties, both the giver and the recipient.

; Inclosed I send the twenty-five I dollars.

J A Friend.

\

226

America and Africa.

[August,

[From the Virginia Colonizationist.]

America and Africa.

THEIR PROVIDENTIAL RELATION THE LESSON IT TEACHES.

Dr. Brethren: — Our daily prayer |1 is, “thy kingdom come; thy will |j be done on earth as it is done in i Heaven.” We are not to relax our ! efforts until “ all the kingdoms of , the world have become the king- ' doms of our Lord and of his Christ.” This is the sublime end of our labors and of our prayers. Charity begins at home, but it does not stay there. Every converted heart is a centre whose circumference is the end of | the earth. But while the field is ' the world, D'vine Providence may by unmistakeable indications point ; out some particular part of the field as the special scene of our labors. : This is just what w’e suppose he has j done in our case. No American Christian can shut his e\es to the j relations which God has established ; between America the mosi highly : favored and Africa the most degrad- i ed nation on earth.

'When the “Sun of Bighteous- | ness” made his sun-like circuit of I the earth, he did not shed a ray : upon the land of the black man. i| Millions in Central Africa had ;i (through long centuries) lived with- ! out God and died without hope. ii When at last the church of Christ i: awoke to a consciousness of its ij responsibilities and made the dis- i| covery of the melancholy state of|| this people, it sent forth missionary | after missionary to plant the stand- || ard of the cross within this camp of|| Satan. |j

Every white missionary fell a vie- ji tim to the deadly night dews of that'' inhospitable clime, and the bones i; of a “noble army of martyrs” h bleached the burning sands. |;

To human view the land seemed ; doomed. In the meantime God had | permitted large numbers of Africans !|

to be transplanted in America and placed in contact with our Christian civilization, undei the wholesome discipline to which they were sub- jected they have been rising steadily in the intellectual and moral scale until they have attained a stature far higher than those whom they left in their native seats. Thousands of them have been made acquainted with “ the truth as it is in Jesus,” and have died in the triumphs of the Christian faith. Thousands more are rejoicing in the hope of glory. This is “ the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.” No think- ing man can deny the significance of facts like these, and no consci- entious man can be indifferent to the questions of dut} which they revive. We have only to deal with these facts in their bearing upon the question of the evangelization of Africa. Some years since while Christians were consciously ponder- ing the problem ot planting the gos- pel in Africa, the happy thought u'as suggested to their minds (by the spirit of God as we believe) of returning to the land of their fathers, christianised Africans, carrying w'lth them the ark of God and all the in- stitutions of modern civilization. — Happily there was a class of these persons (the free negroes) to whose going no objection would be op- posed. Indeed, all interests, social and political, conspired to favor the suggestion. The experiment was made, and considering the poverty of the materials has succeeded be- yond our anticipaiiotis. Our civil and religious institutions have been transplanted in the African wilder- ness which has become vocal with the accents of prayer and praise. L'nder the shadow of tlie Liberian

i855.J

America and Africa.

government, the white missionary ' «an now live, and the centre of Af- j ricaii barbarism has become the j centre of Christian influence. Af- I rican colonization has thus pushed i the base of our missionary opera- i tions acrossthe Atlantic, 4,000 miles I in p^ivance of its former position. Now ought this vantage-ground, ; gained at such expense, to be main- tained or abandoned. The colony is yet but an experiment. It needs still our nursing care. Cherish it i| and Christianity will have a home in Africa. The colonist and the mis- :■ sionary must stand or fall together Missions and colonization,” says ' Bishop Payne, “ have ever been i God’s great scheme for spreading ij Christianity over the world,” and :| again he says it is generally agreed [. among Christians “ that colonization n is one of God’s plan.” !l

Bishop Scott after visiting the j; Methodist churches in Liberia, calls ' the colonial settlements bright spots | raying out light upon the surround- ' ing darkness.” Of the same import i is the testimony of Mr. Bowen and i the Baptist missionaries, and Mr. i Wilson and the Presbyterians. If * we compare for a moment the ji present state of American missions in Liberia with their condition be- I fore the establishment of the colo- : iiies, the comparison will be most j! instructive. The Methodist Con- jl fererice consists of tw'enty-one ) preachers, all of whom are colored. \\ They number 1,301 members, ofij whom 116 are natives. Fifteen !| Sunday schools and 839 scholars,!; of whom fifty are natives. Twenty j week day schools and five hundred ' and thirteen scholars ; seven native , schoolsand one hundred and twenty- ■ seven scholars. They have a semi- || nary at Monrovia for the higher |j branches wdiich cost $10,000. jl

The Baptist Board (whose pioneer was Lot Cary of Viro-inia) hr.ve fifteen |

227 jl

stations, twenty colored mission- 4 aries, seven teachers, four native assistants, thirteen day schools and ■

1 four hundred and thirty-six pupils — » ;

six hundred communicants.

The Presbyterians have two or- !; dained ministers, one licentiate, yi three churches, one hundred and f sixteen members and three Sunday schools. They have also day schools “p for natives and colonists. At Mon- rovia they have an excellent school , > of from fifty to seventy- five scholars, - and at the same pla^e the Aiesandetr > ' High School, under the care of the Rev. D. A. Wilson, a fine scholar. !

The Episcopal mission, begun an i 1836, has stations at Cape Palmas, ! Monrovia, Bassa, Sinou and Clay- Ashland on the St, FauPs. They gy have a stone Church at Cape Fa&- mas and also an Orphan Asylum, a brick church on Che St. PatiPs and a stone one at Monrovia. ■

Among the Colonists it has four settled ministers and one caadidatB for orders, four common schools, one high school, five teachers and assistants, and 150 scholars. * f'

Among the natives they have five stations. The language of one frilKi • ^ has been reduced to writing. About ;/.? one hundred native children ate in the boarding schools of the mission. ; J. There are eight to tea native teach- ers, three candidates for the minis- f’ try, and two ordained native minis- . ters.

In view of these facts what Amec- f j; ican Christian can fail to see that he is under obligation to follow the f ^ leadings of God’s Providence. He ; ^ seems to have committed Africa to !; I our keeping. Her destiny is (hu- manly speaking) in the hands of X, Americanchristians. God be praised ‘

that so many Christians in Virginia look at the subject in this light, and i that Baptist Associations, M ethodist J J Confeiences, Presbyterian Synods and Episcopal Conventio ns have'|H

228

What has it done.

[August,

acknowledged the obligation and i commended it to their constituents. ‘ Brethren, the real strength of this' cause is the Christian hearts that are beating at the bottom of it. Cheer- ed by the unanimous voices of chris- , tians and wafted by their prayers we | cannot fail. Commendatory reso- ; lutions and kind words are very : pleasing, particularly when they are the forerunners of corresponding ■ deeds as in some cases they are. i

But in other cases, hope deferred from so many years maketh the heart sick. Shall we whose lots are cast in the pleasant places of the Ameri- can field turn a deaf ear to the voices for help that are borne to us on every breeze from where

Afric’s sunny fountains Roll down their golden sands.

Your affectionate brother,

Philip Slaughter.

[From the Nashville Christian Advocate.

What has it Done.

This question has been asked in ' reference to the American Coloni- ; zation Society. It may be briefly answered : it has done a vast amount of good. To mention a few items: '

1. It established a colony in Af- rica which has grown into the flourishing Republic of Liberia, the independence of which has been acknowledged by several of the pnn- cipal Governments of the world, France, Brazil, Belgium, England and Prussia. Surely there is honor in building such a temple from such materials.

2. It has been the means, under Providence, of establishing Christi- anity on a permanent footing in Africa, and may thus become the principal agency in sending it abroad over that dark and populous continent. The different denomi- nations are already there represen- ted : the Methodists have an An- nual Conference of twenty-one circuits and stations, twenty-four itinerants, nineteen local preachers, and one thousand three hundred and nine members in Society. This may be regarded as a little fire : but behold! how great a matter it is likely to kindle !

3. Civilization is planted in Af- rica, American civilization. A con- stitution like our own, and laws,

and schools, and arts, and language, and newspapers, are found there. A college edifice, costing eight thousand dollars, is there and a public library of great value. Says Gov. Dutton of Connecticut, in ref- erence to Liberia : “ Not a colony which was planted on our Atlantic coast, made such rapid progress.”

4. Thousands of the so-called free people of color have there been furnished with a home. Here they were poor, disheartened, down-troa- den, oppressed and disfranchised :

1| by means of the American Coloni- al zation Society, they have been es- i| tablished in a land where they enjoy II freedom, and may aspire to all the I offices of trust and honor, even to || the Presidency: where hope ani- jj mates them to noble exertions, and where they no longer labor under the disadvantages heaped upon them as an inferior caste.

5. The Society has sent from Tennessee about ten per cent, (one in ten) of the free colored population among us, of which class there yei remain 6,271 in the State, according to the last census. Surely a So- ciety which has done all this, and a great deal more, deserves the favor- able consideration and friendly aid of all good people.

As Agent of this Society for Ten-

1855.]

Liberia — Its onward March.

229

nessee, may I not hope that my fellow-citizens will lend this cause a helping hand ? I am glad to know that some are contributing their means and influence, while others are bequeathing a portion of their property, to aid in carrying forward t lis truly glorious work, a work of which the Westminister Review

! speaks as follows: “ The Americans ; are successfully planting free ne- ' groes on the coast of Africa : a , greater event probably in its conse- I quences than any that has occurred ; since Columbus set sail for the New I World.”

i John H. Bruner.

Hiwasse College^ June, 1855.

[From the Maryland Colonization Journal.]

Liberia — Its onward March.

The Editor of the Journal being! absent from the city, requests the ; travelling Agent to get out the | present number of our little monthly, j

Now who that has had anything I to do with the lights and shadows ofj editorship does not know that it is comparatively easy to cull from other | papers, interesting extracts in abund- ; ance, but the “ leader,” that is the question ; the editorial, the some- thing original — aye, that is the ques- tion.

Well, what better topic than Li- i beria This is the main question ! after all. It is for'the advancement | of the African race, in everything | that is good and great, that Liberia ! sprang into existence. It is for its i continued growth and prosperity , that Colonization Societies were i formed, and kept up, and perpetu- j ated. It is to add to its population, j to its commerce, to its literature, to ! its religion, that the entire corps of agents, general and special, travel- ling and stationary, secretaries and others, are at it, all at it, and always at it. It follows that whatever re- lates to Liberia must be always suit- able for a colonization paper, nay more than suitable, its very legiti- mate matter, the very thing the j reader looks for, and is disappointed j if he does not see. Well we take j pleasure in announcing that, in ad- j dition to the news by the Estelle, i given in our last number, the Barque |

! Shirley has lately arrived at New , York, and brings later intelligence ; from the Republic, and from Mary- ! land in Liberia. E\erything seems I to progress finely. Irue, some of I the emigrants die — die on ship : board — die soon after they arrive I in Liberia. But what of this. Com- I pare it with the mortality attending jthe emigrant vessels which come to our country from Ireland, Germany, and other parts of Europe. The 1 comparison will tell favorably for I African emigration and Coloniza- tion.

Its march is onward. Our hearts beat with laudable exultation as we read the lots of letters received from ! old friends in Liberia, or talk with those who have lately been there 1 and returned. But recently, while j attending the New York Annual I Conference of the Methodist Epis- 1 copal Church, held at Sing Sing, we had the pleasure to listen to a few remarks from Rev. Mr. Pinney, who has just returned from his fourth visit to Liberia. His de- scription of the progress of the Re- public, in various points of view, was most encouraging, and partic- ularly his account of the farms, the plantations, the beautiful coffee plantations, some of them owned by men who were slaves, only a few years ago, in Kentucky and Virginia.

So too with commerce. The im- mense internal resources of the in-

^230

Yoruba — Central JJfrica.

[August;

lierioF of that country must find a market ie the seaports of the six or seFen hundred miles of coast alrea,dy occupied by Liberia, Colored men go there^ and with a few hundred dollars to begin with^ in a few years aiBass a handsome fortune.

So with education. The mis- sionary Societies of the different churebes, who have patronized Lp beria, are busily engaged. Schools, Semmariesj, spring up in every di-

I rection. Even a College is talked ij of as a crowning point on Cape j Mesurado. Let it be erected and I endowed forthwith. Let there be I no want of means to give the next ' generation of Liberia a sound, das- j ical, religious education, and no S one who has ever advocated our i noble enterprise of African Colon i~ I zation, will in a future day be I ashamed of having done so.

[Frcd the Home and Foreign Journal.] Yoruba — Central Africa.

lETTER FROM REV. T. J. BOWSN.

Ws have received bo intelligence 1 from YoTuba since our last issue, j The letteirs from the brethren then | pjabiished, will doubtless have great- ! Ij cheered the hearts of all our jeaders. We now present a com- loimieation from Bro. Bowen, hav- 3Rg a reference chiedy to the people aod naioral history of the kingdom of Yonaba. The valuable informa- tion it contains will be read with inteirest. Let us still plead with OiDcij, to make the truth effectual in the oonversion of the people of that mieiesimg country.

GEOGRAPHY.

This country is commonly but improperly called Yaniba on our maps, li is reckoned by geogra- phers a part of Central Africa, al- though the soatbem line is within sixty miles of the Bight of Benin. This classification is just, for ihe character of the country asad the people is decided!]? that of Central Africa, and very unlike anything found in the other regions near the coast.

I.ASG1JAGE OF TORtJBA.

Several independent tribes speak Ihe Yoruba language, and, in fact, are the same people in ougm, char- acter, religion, The principal

of these are Ijeba and 3feh, on the

1 coast of Yoruba, and Ijebu, Egba, Otta and Iketu on the south. The same language is spoken at Lagos, i Badagry and on the coast. The I people of ElFong (Ka-Kanda,)speak a similar longue. The Nufi is quite different yet evidently belongs to the same family of languages, A part of Nufi lies on this side the Niger, so that Yoruba does not ex- tend to that great river at any point.

The various tribes who speak the Yoruba language probably number a million of souls. They occupy a country about as large as the State of Georgia. In former times they were much more numerous. But f/vunfkeds of towns have been de- stroyed by war. I have counted eighteen sites of depopulated towns in a journey of sixty miles. That district is now a desert, or ratiier a huge forest. Most of the towns visited by the Landers are now m ruins, including Awyow, (Katunga or Eyeo,) the capital. The slave trade has done this. Yast numbers of Yorubas have been exported, and vast numbers have perished in the battle and the siege. Many are now in Brazil, Cuba, Sierra Leone, &c- Sometimes they purchase their freedom in America and come home* Others have beers sent to the Bar*

1855.]

Yoruba — ; Central Africa.

231

bary States. They are almost as nu- j merous in Sokoio, &c., as in Cen- i tral Africa. Very lately a man re- j turned to Tjaye from Sokoto, where | he had been a slave fourteen years. | He brought me a fowl, as a present, i which I delicately refused to accept, j and he listened with apparent won- j der at the gospel. !

FACE OF THE COUNTRY. |

The surface of Yoruba is chiefly an elevated, gently undulating plain, i In this country the Kong mountains are not a continuous chain, but are broken in detached masses with plains around and between them. Their greatest height is probably two thousand fret. In many places they are quite rugged, being com- posed of granite.

Yoruba is a prairie country, and resembles Texas. Timber is scarce. The scenery is often most beautiful, but I cannot attempt to describe it, my object being to state^ frxts as | briefly as possible.

The country is well watered, being j everywhere traversed by streams of I clear water, flowing over rocky j beds. The largest rivers are the j Ogun and the Osshun, which are ' less than one hundred yards in j width. They never overflow and ! there is not an acre of swamp in I the country, so far as I have ever i seen or heard. i

SOIL AND VEGETATION. |

The soil is of second quality, as | we would say in America, but in j many places it is poor, and often j gravelly or rocky. The rocks are ; almostentirely granite, gneiss, quartz ' and iron conglomerated. There is ; no lime in any form. Iron is the ! only metal known to exist. |

Vegetation is very luxuriant. The :| grass on the prairies is often tw^elve | feet high, and some of the forest | trees are immense. They are never i fit for house logs, being too short ij when small enough, and too large P

when long enough. Their trutiks arc invariably nearly white. All the sapplings are crooked. There is no fine wood for exportation, and but little camwood, that is a kind of logwood. Coarse, strong timber is common enough in the forest. There is one tree, the wood of which is exactly like white hickory, but the leaves, fruit, &c., are very dif- ferent. Showy flowers are numer- ous on the trees, but very scarce in the fields and prairies. Scarcely any of the wild fruit is fit to eat.

During the dry and hot season, vegetation has a period of repose. This begins in November, and ends in February. By the middle of January, the grass in the prairie, is brown and dry, and a good many trees shed their leaves.

My limits will allow me to de- scribe but fe w of the trees and herbs which are worthy of notice. The oil palm is the most valuable tree in Africa. The palm oil trade, like the cotton trade, is destined to en- rich nations. This yellow oil is an important article of food in Africa. The hard nuts, when burnt and ground, aflbrd another oil, which is used for lamps in all Yoruba, where the palm grows. The foot stalks of the leaves are 15 or 20 feet long, and are used for rafters in thatching houses.

On the high plains of the interior, the palm does not flourish ; but here its place is supplied by the butter tree. This tree is no way related to the palm. It bears fruit as large as an egg. The seed is a large stone, or nut, with a soft shell. From this is made an oil of a- bluish yellow color, as hard as but- ter, and slightly aromatic. The people call it butter, and use it to fry in.

The seeds of the African locust are exclusively used in palaver sauce or hash. Locust seeds, like kola

•23*2

The Couniries of Soudan.

[August,

nuts, are an important article of traffic throughout the country. The ; butter trees and locust trees grow on the prairies, giving them a pic- turesque appearance. The kola tree prefers the forest. It does not bear till about twenty years old.

In the forests, there is a species of black pepper. High botanical au- thorities say it is not cubebs, but in this they are doubtless mistaken ; perhaps the plant they speak of is not Yoruba plant.

In the east of the country, are a few trees called ashori, of which the natives tell wonderful stories. No plant grows near such a tree, and any bird or insect which flies near it, falls tlead. The wood is black, and so heavy, they say, as to sink in water. A piece, an inch long, which I have seen, was valued at two dollars. It is used as an amu- let, and appears to be very scarce. To scolp a piece from this tree is said to be a very dangerous exploit. The man who attempts it runs rap- idly by the tree, making but one blow with a cutlass ; another fol- i lows to pick up the chip, but some- 1

times one or both falls dead by the tree. I must regard this tree as fabulous, though everybody believes I there are such in Ijebu.

The people have most of the cul- , tivated plants known among us. Corn and yams are the principal crop. Yam vines are prickly, and have to be stuck like beans. Cas- sava is not poisonous, as botanists pretend. The root is eaten cooked, and raw, and is commonly given raw to goats and sheep. Cotton is cultivated, but the yield is poor. They have both the black seed and white seed varieties, also, nankin cotton and another kind, which has red blossoms. This surpasses all in fineness, but does not wear well. Sweet potatoes, beans, cow peas, okra, 5i.c. &.C., are commonly planted.

The weeds and grasses in the field are much the same as our own, to wit : purslain, cerebs weeds,

Jamestown weeds, crab grass, &c. j Coffee, pepper, and other culti- i vated plants are not indigenous, as ; some have reported. They never

(grow in the woods, except when once planted in fields or gardens.

[From Bayard Taylor's Journey to Central Africa.] The Countries of Soudan. Afriea.

Until within a recent period but little has been known of the geo- graphy and topography of the east- ern portion of Central Africa. Few i English travelers have made these ! regions the subject of their investiga- ; tion, their attention having been | principally directed towards the countries on the western coast. The ' Niger, in fact, has been for them a more interesting problem than the Nile. The German travelers Rup- pell and Russegger, however, by their explorations within the last twenty- five years, have made important contributions to our knowledge of tastern Soudan, w'hile D’Arnau, |

Werne, and more than all, Dr. Knob- lecher, have carried our vision far into the heart of the mysterious regions beyond. Still, the results of these explorations are far from being generally known, or even repre.-eu- ted on our maps. Geographical charts are still issued, in which the conjectured mountains of the Moon continue to stretch their ridges across the middle of Africa, in lati- tudes where the latest travelers find a plain as level as the sea. A few words, therefore, concerning the character and relative position of the different countries of which 1 have occasion to speak, may make these

1855.]

The Countries of Soudan.

233

sketches of African life and land- ! scapes more intelligible to many , readers. |

As far as southern Nubia, with | the exception of the oases in the I Libyan Desert, the Nile is the only i agent of productiveness. Beyond i the narrow limits of his bounteous i valley there is little except red sand and naked rocks from the Red Sea to the Atlantic. On reaching lati- tude 19°, however, a change takes place in the desert landscapes. Here the tropical rains which are ! unknown in Egypt and northern | Nubia, fall every summer, though in diminished quantity. The dry, gravelly plains, nevertheless, exhibit a scattering growth of grass and thorny shrubs, and springs are fre- quently found among the mountain ranges. As we proceed southward, the vegetation increases in quantity ; the grass no longer keeps the level of the plain, but climbs the moun- tain sides, and before reaching Khartoum, in latitude 15° 40' north, we have passed the limits of the desert. The wide plains stretching thence eastward to the Atbara, and westward beyond Kordofan, are savannas of rank grass, crossed here | and there by belts of the thorny I mimosa, and differing little in aspect from the plains of California during the dry season. The Arabs, who inhabit them are herdsmen, and own J vast flocks of camels and sheep. I The Nile here is no longer the sole river, and loses histitle of ‘The Sea,” which he owns in Egypt. The Atbara, which flows down to him from the Abyssinian Alps^has many tributaries of its own : the Blue Nile, between Khartoum and Sennaar, receives the large streams of the Rahad and the Dender ; and the White Nile, though flowing for the greater part of his known course through an immense plain, boasts two important affluents — the Sobad

! and the Bahr-el-Ghazel. The soil, climate, productions, and character of the scenery of this region are therefore very different from Egypt.

Before the conquest of Soudan by Mahomed Ali, little was known of the country between the Ethiopian Nile and the Red Sea, or of Central Africa south of the latitude of Kcr- dofan and Sennaar. The White Nile, it is true, was known to exist, but was considered as a tributary stream. It was extremely difficult j and dangerous to proceed beyond I Nubia and then only in company with the yearly caravans which pas- sed between Assouan and Sennaar. Ibrahim Pasha, Ishall Pasha, and Mahommed Bey Defterdar, between the years 1820 and 1825, gradually subjugated and attached to the rule of Egypt the countries of Berber, Shendy and Sennaar, as far as the mountains of FezogI, in latitude 11° on the south-western frontier of Abyssinia, the wild domains of the Shueorees, and Bisharees, the Hal- lensas, and Hadendoas, extending to che Red Sea, and embracing the sea-pori of Sowakin, and the king- dom of Kordoran, west of the Nile,

! and bounded by the large and pow- I erful negro kingdom of Dar Fur. The Egyptian possessions in Soudan are nearly as extensive is all Egypt, Nubia not included, and might be- J come even richer and more flourish- 1 ing under a just and liberal policy of government. The plains on both sides of the Nile might be irrigated to a much greater extent than in Egypt, and many vast tracts of terri- tory given up to the nomadic tribes, could readily be reclaimed from the wilderness. The native inhabitants are infinitely more stupid and degra- ded than the Fellahs of Egypt, but that they are capable of great im- provement is shown by the success attending the efforts of the Catholic priests in Khartoum, in educating

234

The Countries of Soudan.

[August,

children. — The terrible climate Soudan will always be a drawback I to its physical prosperity, yet even j this would be mitigated, in some } measure, were the soil under culti- | vaiion. I

As 1 follow the course of the Nile, I from the northern limit of the trop- I ical rains to Khartoum, my narrative | will have given some idea of the I country along its banks. The terri- ; tory to the east, towards and beyond | the Atbara, is still in a great meas- I ure unexplored. Burckhardt was j the first European who visited it but his route lay among the mountain ! range, near and parallel to the coast of the Red Sea. The long chain of I Djbel Lahgay, which he crossed, is I three to five thousand feet in height, i and like the mountain spine of the i island of Ceylon, never has the same I season on both sides at once. When ! it rains on the eastern slopes, the ! western are dry, and the contrary, j There is another and still higher chain near the coast, but the greater j part of this region consists of vast ; plains, tenanted by the Arab herds- , men, and rising gradually towards j the south into the first terraces of i the table land of Abyssinia. The | land of the Shukorees and the Hal- j lengas, lying on both sides of the I Atbara, is called Belad el Takka. \ Dr. Reitz visited during the summer of 1851, in company with the mili- tary expedition under Mousa Bey, and traveled for three or four weeks \ through regions where no European j had been before him. |

Leading the town of Shendy, he traveled east.vard for nine days over unbroken plains of grass, abounding j with gazelles and hyenas, to a village | called Goz Rabjeb, on the Atbara | River. This belongs to the Shukor- ees, against whom the expedition was in part directed. — He then crossed the river, and traveled for two or three weeks through a broken

and mountain courftry, inhabited by the wandering races of the Hallen- gas and Hadendoas. Themountains w hich were from two to three thou- sand feet in height, were crested with walls of naked porphyry rock, but their lower slopes were covered with grass and bushes, and peopled by myriads of apes. Between the ran- ges were many broad and beautiful valleys, some of which were inhab- ited. Here the vegetable and animal world was far richer than on the Nile. The Consul was obliged to follow the movements of the expe- dition, and therefore, could not trace out any regular plan of exploration. After seeing just enough to whet his curiosity to penetrate further, Moussa Bey returned to Goz Radjeb. His route then followed the course of the Atbara, for a distance of one hundred and twenty miles, to the town of Sofie, on the Abyssinian frontier. The river, which is a clear and beautiful stream, has a narrow border of trees and underwood, and flows in a winding course through a region of low, grassy hills. By using the water for irrigation, the country, which is now entirely un- cultivated, might be made very pio- duciive. The Shukorees possess immense herds of camels, and a hegin, or trained dromedary, which the Consul purchased from them, was one of the strongest and fleet- est which I saw in Africa.

Near Sofie the savannas of grass give place to dense tropical forests, with a rank undergrowth, which is often impenetrable. Here, in addi- tion to the lion and leopard, which are common to all Soudan, the expe- dition saw large herds of the ele- phant and rhinocerous. — The woods were filled with birds of brilliant plumage, and the vegetable world was rich and gorgeous beyond des- cription. The Consul remained but a short time here, and then traveled

1855.]

The Countries of Soudan.

235

westward to the town of Abon -Haras, || on the Blue Nile, visiting on the ; way a curious isolated mountain, j called Djebel Attesh. — Near Abou- | Haras, are the ruins of an ancient Christian town, probably dating from , the fourth or fifth century, about!! which time Christianity, previously i planted in Abyssinia, began to ad-j vance northward towards Nubia, j The Consul obtained from the gov- 1 ernor of Abou-Haras, three iron | crosses of a peculiar form, a num- 1 ber of beads which had belonged to ^ a rosary, and a piece of insense — all of which were found in removing the bricks used to build the Pasha’s palace and other edifices in Khart- oum. The room which I occupied during my stay in Khartoum was paved with the same bricks. — These remains are in curious contrast with the pyramids, of Meroe and the temples of Mesowurat. The Chris- tian and Egyptian faiths, advancing towards each other, almost met on these far fields.

The former kingdom of Sennaar include the country between the two Niles — except the territory of the Shillooks — as far south as lati- tude 12°. It is bounded by Abys- sinia on the east, and by the mountains of the savage Galla tribes on the south. The Djezeereh (Island) el Hoye, as the country between the rirers is called, is for the most part a plain of grass —Towards the south, there are some low ranges of hills, followed by other plains, which ex- tend to the unknown mountain re- gion, and 'abound with elephants and lions. The town of Sennaar, I once the capital of this region and ! the residence of its Meks oi Kings, i is now of little importance. It was described to me as a collection of! mud huts, resembling Shendy. The | Egyptian rule extends ten days’ | journey further, to Fazogl, where i the fine timber in the mountains <1

and the gold-bearing sands of Kasan have given rise to the establishment of a military post. Sennaar as well as Kordofan, Berber and Dongola, is governed by a Bey, appointed by the Pasha of Soudan. It is only two weeks’ journey thence to Gon- dar, the capital of Amhara, the principal Abyssinian kingdom. I was told that it is not difficult for merchants to visit the latter place, but that any one suspected of being a person of consequence is detained there and not allowed to leave again. I had a strong curiosity to see some- thing of Abyssinia, and had I been quite sure that I should not be taken for a person of consequence, might have made the attempt to reach Gondar.

Kordofan lies w’est of the White Nile, and consists entirely of great plains of grass and thorns, except in the southern part, where there is a mountain range called Djbel Dyer, inhabited by emigrants from Don- gola. It is not more than two hun- dred miles in breadth, from east to west. Its capital, Obeied, lies in latitude 13° 12' north, and is a mere collection of mud huts. The soil of Kordofan is sterile, and the water is considered very unhealthy for foreigners. Capt. Peel gave me such a description of its endless thickets of thorns, its miserable population, and its devastating fe- vers, that I lost all desire to visit it. There is a caravan route of twenty days between Obeid and Dongola, through a wild region called the Beyooda, or Bedjuda. A few de- grees further north, it would be a barren desert, but here it is an al- teration of wadays or valleys, with ranges of porphyry mountains, af- fording'water, trees, and sufficient grass for the herds of the wapidering Arabs. It is inhabited by two tribes — the Kabahish and the Howo- weet, who differ strongly from the

236

Colonization in Maine.

[August,

Arabs east of the Nile, in their f appearance and habits. The latter, by their superior intelligence and their remarkable personal beauty, j! still attest their descent from the | tribes of Hedjez and Yemen. Thei tribes in the western desert are more j allied to the Tibboos, and other ten- 1 ants of the Great Zahara. The car- 1 avans on this road are exposed to | the danger of attacks from the ne- groes of Dar-Fur, who frequently! waylay small parties, murder the | individuals, and carry off the camels ; and go»ds. i

The great kingdom of Dar-Fur: offers a rich field for some future j explorer. The extensive regions it j encloses are supposed to furnish the I! key to the system of rivers and |i mountain-chains of Central Africa, ij Through the fear and jealousy of|j its rulers, no stranger has been al- 1| lowed to pass its borders since the j

visit of Mr. Browne, half a century ago. Of late, however, the rela- tions between the Egyptian rulers in Soudan and the Sultan of Dar-Fur have been quite amicable, and if nothing occur to disturb this har- mony there is some hope that the ban will be removed. Lattif Pasha informed me that he had written to the Sultan on behalf of Capt. Peel, who wished to pass through Dar- Fur and reach Borhon. — He had at that time received no answer, but it had been intimated, unofficially, that the Sultan would reply, giving Capt. Peel permission to enter the country and travel in it, but not to pass beyond it. There is an almost continual war between the Sultan of Bornou and Dar-Fur, and the Pasha was of the opinion that it would be impossible to traverse Africa from east to west, in the line of those States.

To the Ministry and Members of

The State Colonization Society, at its late meeting in Portland, the proceedings of which will soon.it is hoped by the courtesy of the newspaper press, be spread before our entire community, resolved to call attention to the old custom of taking collections, on some Sabbath near the 4th of July fer an object so in accordance wiih the spirit of our national birthday. An accordance it may be added, still more com- plete, now that the Pilgrim Fathers of the future Christian Nation of Africa are no longer like ours at Plymouth, a feeble provincial band, but form an independent Republic.

The day has, we trust, nearly passed by, for friends of the colored race to be enemies of this friendly agency, indirectly promoting the emancipation of many, and directly tending to the elevation of more, among that oppressed people.

all Religious Societies in Maine.

We should be happy to send on, through our Treasurer, Mr. Eben Steele of Portland, a joint contribu- tion from all congregations in the I State, to meet the expenses of ; scores of men, women, and children i| waiting to exchange slavery in Am- : erica for freedom in Liberia. Where : a public collection is for any reason : deemed inexpedient, it is hoped, that some individual, friendly to the I cause, will prepare a subscription i paper on the day of American In- li dependence in aid of Liberian lude- ! pendence, and adding, as many ; names as possible to his own, trans- ! mit the proceeds as above.

: J. W. Chickering,

j Cor. Sec. Me. Col. Soc.

I As the lime is short, all Maine I editors are requested to insert the I above in their next issue ; also the I following Resolutions of the E. j Maine Methodist Conference:

1855.]

Meeting of Conn. Colonization Society.

237

Whereas, The American Coloni- 1 zation Society in its practical ope- j ration has wrought effects favorable : to the abolition of slavery, in de- 1 veloping the capabilities of the col- j ored man ; and jj

Whereas, It affords facilities for the suppression of the slave trade ! on the coast of Africa, and the facili- ties for civilizing and Christianizing the colored race and redeeming the entire continent of Africa from hea- then idolatry and pagan supersti- tion ; Therefore

j Resolved, That we are gratified that an Auxiliary has been formed in this State.

Resolved, That we commend it to the sympathies and prayers of the I Christian public, and that we give it our cordial support.

Resolved, That we choose two delegates to attend the Annual Meeting of the Auxiliary to be held in Portland on the 26th inst.

P. Wiggins, ^

N. Webb, > Committee. F. Spraigue, )

[From the Religious Herald.]

Meeting of Connecticut Colonization Society.

The Annual Meeting of the Con- necticut Colonization Society was held according to previous notice in the lecture room of the Center Church, on Wednesday evening, 6th inst.

Rev. W. W. Turner, called the meeting to order and introduced the President of the Society, Pro- fessor Silliman, Senior, who re- quested the Rev. Mr. Beadle to ad- dress the Throne of Grace.

Minutes of the last Annual Meet- ing were then read by the Secretary, Rev. Mr. Turner, who excused him- self for not having prepared an ex- tended report of the Society’s doings for the past year, on account of his varied pressing duties, and then, saying he was aware he should not retain any office whose duties he could not, for any reason, perform, he tendered his resignation as Sec- retary, with the assurance that his interest in the Society remained still unabated, and that hi& resigna- tion was offered with no intention i of withholding any endeavors he could make, or any donations he might be able to bestow.

Rev. Mr. Orcuit, Agent of the Am. Col Society, then made a brief statement of the work the last twelve months.

done during !i masters

The amount paid over to Am. Col. Soc. from Conn, during the year ending May 15, 1855, is $6,43S 11 — $1,000 of this being a legacy left the State Society by Mrs. Hannah Bigelow ol East Hartford, deceased. Exclusive of this legacy, the amount of our subscriptions to the cause exceeds that of the year previous by some $900.

This increase of funds, in these “ hard times,” said Mr. Orcutt, is most pleasing evidence that the idea of African Colonization is not dying out in this community, that it is re- garded by many, not as an abstract theory, but as a practical reality, the demonstration of a truth in the Di- vine economy intimately connected with the welfare of two continents, and two races.

I The whole amount of receipts of I the Am. Col. Society for the year I 1854 was $65,433 93, a falling off I from receipts of the preceding year j of several thousand dollars, attribu- table in part to the financial embar- rassments of the country.

Five hundred and fifty-three emi- grants were sent to Liberia during the same year, of whom 363 were gratuitously emancijiated by their and 29 purchased their own freedom.

238

Meeting of Conn. Colonization Society.

[August,

Mr. Orcutt also stated some facts illustrative of the beneficial effects of the moral atmosphere created by the christianizing of the colony of Liberia. The Sabbath was in con- sequence becoming known and re- specled amongst those who came from a distance to trade in Liberia ; and along the coast and in the in- terior that holy day was now rever- enced, and in one tribe its obser- vance even required by law.

The Rev. Mr. Pinney, recently returned from his fourth trip to Li- beria, then addressed the large and attentive audience at considerable length, giving narrative incidents of his late visit to that Republic, and Sierra Leone, which he also visited.

Mr. P.’s last visit to Liberia was to investigate the causes of an un- usual mortality amongst the emi- grants who were sent out during the previous year, and its result con- vinced him that the Society had been too sparing of their means, and for the purpose of sending so i many emigrants and at as low a rate as practicable, had devoted too large ! a portion of their funde^ to the pas- sage and expenses of the trip, to the neglect of suitable preparation for the emigrants up(>n their arrival in Liberia. Lack of proper build- ings in which to remain during the acclimanng process had been the cause of some suffering amongst emigrants, and Mr. P. therefi>re thinks it desirable to have two or three large receptacles for emigrants erected at the respective principal ports of debarkation, in which they may remain and be properly cared for until thoroughly acclimated. This change with some caution as to use of proper water casks, and as to crow'ding the passenger vessels, will, he thinks, correct the evils heretofore apparent. In view of this, therefore, more money must {)e provided by frieinhs ol’ the So-

ciety, or less emigrants must be for- warded.

Mr. P. then spoke at some length of the climate, soil and productions of Liberia, assuring his hearers that nothing had been promised regard- ing the fertility and advantages of that country which was not more than realized. He referred to the large farms owned by colored men on St. Paul’s and St. John’s rivers, which produced v/onderful crops of sugar, coffee, &c., with little care, but great profit to their owners. On I one farm, trees of but four years growth were' producing 10 to 15 lbs. of coffee each, whilst the whole farm would bring perhaps 1,000 lbs. of coffee to its owner, who was a free colored man formerly having charge of a gentleman s garden on the banks of the Hudson river.

The coffee is found in great abundance and variety ail over Af- rica, said Mr. P., and even the fine Mocha coffee, so highly valued in j this country, grows wild in great abundance, and being gathered for i one or two cents per pound by the natives, is taken over the Red Sea into Arabia, from whence it is ex- ported as Arabian Mocha coffee.

On St. John’s river Mr. P. found a party of colored men, from Hart- ford, with their families, some eigh- teen in all, and they were very pros- perous. Parker, Adams, Williams and Anderson left this city together with their families, and Seymour had preceded them a short time previous.

Seymour was now a member of ihe Legislature of Liberia, and the others were holding responsible situations, or respectable station in the community where they reside.

Mr. P. met on this river some slaves from Kentucky whose eman- cipation he had procured in 1844, and amongst them one whose free- dom had been j)urchased, imniedi-

1855.]

Meeting of Conn. Colonization Society.

239

ately, upon an appeal from Mr. P. in

a church in Louisville to the citi- zens of that place, most of them slaveholders.

During his travels Mr. P. found but in one instance any real discon- tent with their condition in Liberia, and that was amongst the slaves of Mrs. Reed of Mississippi ; they feel- ing that it w'ould be belter for them to have a master to care for them, than to be obliged to provide for themselves.

The only serious danger to be | apprehended, Mr. P. thinks, is from I the eas3 of procuring a livelihood. There is so little necessity for labor there that nothing but Christian prin- ciple will make emigrants energetic, active and industrious.

A. Washington, who w^ent from this city, Mr. P. found at Monrovia a successful merchant, he having discontinued his daguerreotype busi- ness when his first stock of material was exhausted, as he could do bel- ter in oiher ways, although he re- ceived upwards of $l,000for daguer- reotypes thefirst year of his residence there. He has now a fine sugar farm on the St. Paul’s river, is doing a good wholesale and retailbusiness in his Monrovia store, has purchased two boats to commence a regular line of packets up and dowm the river, has built one house which he rents to the Colonization Society for the reception of emigrants, and is now erecting another.

One evil which is not confined to Liberia Mr. P. found prevailing there, viz. extravagance in dress and living. Love of display was shown in the rich silks and expen- sive dresses almost universally worn I in the churches, and also in the i' splendid houses erected by the col- i ored men from this country. Two 1 houses were instanced costing $10- j 000 and upwards, built by a physi- i cian. Dr. Ford McGill and his brother .Tames. f

Those already at Liberia are anxi- ous that more of the free colored men from the North should leave this country for that Republic, as one free colored man who has been accustomed to providing for himself is worth five slaves who have been dependent upon others Mr. P. thinks they may pass a law for the purpose of repressing the large im- portation of emancipated slaves un- less more free men go out from here.

Mr. P. stated some interesting facts concerning Pres’t Roberts of Liberia, who went from Petersburg, Va., about the year 1830, where he had been for some time a barber’s boy. By his own exertions, aided 1 by his natural abilities, he rose to I become the first President of the Republic, which post he has occu- pied for four successive terras. Me is now about to retire, ^nd a spirit- ed contest is going on betw^een the two candidates nominated to suc- ceed him.

The moral condition of Liberia seemed very good to Mr. P. and although he was much amongst the common people while there, he heard no profaneness, saw' no drunk- enness, and even met no grog-shop in the Republic. Their churches are in a healthy state, and their sabbath schools well attended and prosperous.

In answer to a question w'ith re- I gard to the English Colony, Sierra Leone, Mr. P. stated that it was mostly composed of re-captured Af- ricans, who haa been sold as slaves, and being retaken by English crui- sers, had been sent to this Colony, w'here they were supported fur three years by the British govern- ment and then furnished with a house and lot and left to themselves. Many of these, after having been under Christian influences for a time, return to their old homes in the interior, and thus carry thf' seed <)fGodh> imih and the light of r.hvis-

240

Meeting of the Conn. Colonization Society.

[August,

tian civilization into the darkest portions of poor benighted Africa. It is not improbable that ere long, Sierra Leone will become united to Liberia' as the beginning of a con- federacy of States which may exist when the American Union will have been broken in fragments.

Mr. P. concluded by giving some facts with regard to the ship Morgan Dix, whose passengers had suffered an unusual mortality, concerning , which various unfounded rumors had been circulated. This vessel left a Southern port where the cholera was raging, and through mistake was supplied with poor wa^ ter casks, and reached Liberia just after the reception houses had been burned down by an infuriated native chief and his men. These ^things with others, combined to work against the passengers by that ves- sel, and yet, instead of but six sur- vivors, as was reported, Mr. P. had the names of some seventy-five who were alive when he was there.

In answer to a question from Judge Terry, Mr. P. expressed an opinion that the mortality was not greater in Liberia than in New York City, and in our Southern and Wes- tern States.

Rev. Mr. Beadle was then called upon for some remarks, but declined making a speech at so late an hour of the evening. He re-echoed the sentiments of the Secretary, Mr. Turner, as to the preciousness of the colonization cause. He felt that it was the cause of God and would prevail. “ If God is for us,” said he, “ who will be against us ?”

Judge Teiry being called upon, expressed his gratification that the colonization cause was so upon the increase. He was the first Secretary of the State Colonization Society, and attended its first annual meet- ing, when the only officers, mem-

bers, audience and speakers present, were the lamented Gallaudet and himself. Although alone, however, they organized their meeting, trans- acted their business, elected their officers, and the Society is still alive.

The President then called upon Rev. Dr. Hawes, who was glad of an opportunity to define his posi- tion on the colonization cause, as he had been misunderstood with regard to it. He felt a deep interest in the cause itself, and desired its prosperity, but as it had often been supported on wrong grounds and with improper arguments, he had not always sympathized with its friends. He could tolerate nottiing that furnished any excuse or pallia- tion for African slavery. As a means of christianizing and civili- zing Africa, however, he bade the cause God speed.

Rev. Mr. Pinney then read a let- ter from Chester E. Fairchild, a young colored man at school in Vermont, defending Liberia and President Roberts from the asper- sions of a Mr. George S. Dowming, a free colored man of New York City.

He also mentioned incidents showing the kindness of some slave- holders to their slaves who had left for Liberia, and affirmed that some of God’s best servants in Virginia were slaveholders, and have proved their benevolence and Christianity by their course with regard to their slaves even after they had passed over the ocean from their masters.

Professor Silliman then reassured the audience of his interest in the cause of colonization, and to those who desired reliable information of the Republic of Liberia, &c., he commended a little book recently prepared on the subject by Com- mander A. H. Foote of the U. S.

1855.]

«

African tribes about Gape Palmas,

. 24t

N^vy. Iri connection with this he j; reTened to the ch;tracier of Ca|>t. Foote, and stated that the British , Admiral on the African coast assured !| Capt. Foote that unless he used || spirits on board ship, his men jl would surely die; and yet, said ji Prof. S., after two years’ cruising on i that coast, Capt. Foote had not lost || a man, while the British Admiral n had lost 24. i;

The meeting w^as then adjourned :j sine die, ||

The following officers were elect- j! ed for the ensuing year : !j

President, jBenjamin Silliman, LL. | D.: Vice Presidents, Rt. Rev. Thos. i C. Brownell, D. D., LL. D., Hon. Thos. S. Williams, Hon. Ralph I. j

Itigersoll, James Brewster, Esq., Hon. Thos. W. Wiliiams, Hon. Ebenezer Jackson, Hon. Origen S. Seymour, Hon. John H. Brockway, Hon. Thomas Backus, Hon, Thos. B. Butler; Corresponding Secre- tary, Rev. John Orcutt ; Recording Secretary, H. Huntington, Esq.: Treasurer, Charles Seymour, Esq.: Board of Managers, Rev. N. S, ' Wheaton, D D., Rev. W. W. Tur- ner, James B. Hosmer, Esq., Hoa. A. Blackman, Hon. Henry White, Austin Dunham, Esq., Hon. Eben- ezer Flower, Calvin Day, Esq., Frederick Crosweli, Esq., Wen. S. Charnley, Esq., Timothy Bishop, Esq., H. H. Barbour, Esq., Cyprian Wilcox, Esq., Seth Terry, Esq.

[From the Cavalla Messenger.] African tribes about Cape Palmas.

Some account has been given in former numbers of the “ Messen- ger,” of African customs. It will be interesting now to say something of the tribes in the neighborhood of Cape Palmas.

To the distance of two hundred | and fifty miles north w^est, north | north east, these tribes closely re- 1 semble each other in physical ap- pearance, manners and customs. The prevailing color perhaps is black, but the brown is very general, and in many families very light brown, almost the Indian red, pre- dominates ; in the color of the hair and features too, there is much di- versity. All the shades between jet black and red are to be seen. The features commonly attributed to Af- ricans predominate, but on this part of the coast the exceptions are very numerous. Thus, oval, even long and delicate formed face, black piercing eye, small mouth, with cherry-red lips, tall and erect figures are by no means uncommon. The Orebo people, who inhabit the sea 16

coast, and go much to sea, are ta physical developmenfi; much supe- rior to the interior tribes with whom they have intercourse, and in gen- eral intelligence, and energy of character, the comparison is get^r- ally in their favor.

In their political and social con- dition there is but little difference.

I'hey average not above fifteen thousand in number. They ace di- vided into separate towns and cor- porations, seldom long united even by the loosest confederation, and the petty jealousies, quarrels and wars, are no less common, amongst towns of the same tribe, than be- tween these aliens.

The most fruitful causes of dis- I pute are land boundaries, women, and ; traffic. No surveys or formal fixing I of territorial limits are knowu. In ! the numerous migrations which have taken place, the parties who cleared the original forests are held to be the rightful proprietors ; but as ! in a tropical country, land if left un- i disturbed is speedily overgrown, it

242

Yoruba,

[August,

is easy to see how such titles may come to be disputed. For women or wives, betrothment money, to the amount of about twenty dollars in i cash; is given to the father or Patri- arch of the wife’s family, each man procuring as many women, or rather females of all ages, as he is able. This of course leads to most ill assorted marriages, and the run- ning away of women with those whom they may chance to like bet- ter than their husband, is of frequent occurrence. In such cases, the money originally paid, with interest, is demanded, and extreme, means are taken to compel its immediate payment. The seizure and confine- ment of parties belonging to the

offender’s town or family, to stop- ping of all intercourse, are the com- mon expedient.

Traffic is the source of many dif- ficulties The coast people, and those of the interior, are mutually dependent. The former do not pro- duce enough to supply their own immediate wants, while the latter must have salt, and all articles of foreign production from the coast. The people in this region beg the agents for this supply to take care to levy very high duties; and the strife to lower them on the one hand and raise them on the other con- stantly produces disputes and in- terruption of intercourse.

Yoruba.

Ibadan is an African town in Yoruba, containing about 60,000 souls, a hundred miles inland from the west coast of Africa. The only missionaries there are Mr. and Mrs. Hinderer, and the Rev. J. T. Refer. Mr«. H. has written home a journal of the mission, from which I have now given our readers a few ex- tracts.

Let us lo'ok into her dwelling house :

“ The scene,” she says, “ would be amusing, in our little native dwelling, with its mud walls and thatched roof, with no ceiling, no doors or windows ; and yet we feel as secure as if we had bars and locks. People are too much afraid of us to steal, even if they were so inclined. Many comforts surround us, and we are quite as happy as though we were in a palace, though not perhaps quite so comfortable. For instance, it is raining : patter, patter, it comes on your head, and you must move : it is soon put to rights again, and as soon you find it coming down in another place.

But it is a variety, and often affords a little amusement. It has not spoiled anything yet, and when the roof gets thoroughly soaked — which it will soon do now, as the rain comes in good earnest — we shall not have these disturbances. Now and then a frog hops in to take a survey— but, being taken by sur- prise, it is generally glad to hop out again, after a little scream from me, and some long, worm-like looking things, with at least a hundred legs. But my greatest enemies are the mosquitos ; they are too fond of biting.”

The cruelties practised by the chiefs are most horrible. “ My hus- band,” says she, “told us a sad story. A cruel chief once lived in a house we saw. One of his wives having committed a trifling offence, the rest of his wives were called out — at least many of them — and had to stand in a circle ; he then cut oflT the offender’s head, and made them all drink of her blood. My hand trembles as I write of such cruelty; but I could tell you of far

1855.J

243

Funeral of an African Chief

more barbarous ads. We went to the son’s house : the cruel father is dead. The son is not so bad. My husband pointed out a spot where an immense ditch had been dug, and kept open fordead bodies killed in this way. This cruel man was head chief — a perfect tyrant: no one could conquer him. His house

Funeral of an

Extract from the Journal of Rev. H. R. Scott, Episcopal missionary at Cape Palmas, taken from the Spirit of Missions.

Weir, the King of the Cavalla towns, died to-day. He was a man of great weight of character, a friend to our mission, and an advocate for peace. He believed the gospel to be true, but said it was too late for him to attend to it. Great prepara- tion is bein^ made for his funeral, which comes off day after to-mor- row. Went to his house this after- noon, where I witnessed a scene which can better be imagined than described. As is the custom on such occasions, the women related to the deceased were collected around his body — to the number of forty or fifty — rolling in the sand, and making the air resound with such lamentations as I have read of but never before heard. Some doubtless felt what they expressed but with the great majority it was the expression, with very little if any feeling of grief.

December 15. — A great number have come to-day from various di- rections to attend the funeral. Guns are being continually fired and a drum beat.

December 16. — The body of the deceased king ^vas taken this morn- ing to an open plain in the vicinity of the town, where an arbor was erected over it, and a table placed near it on which was his hat, two

was fortified. His own death was awful, like that of Herod, and more horrors than we have recorded in scripture of Herod. But now the blessed gospel has entered this bar- barous place, and what may it not effect ? Oh ! God, send out Thy light and thy truth !”

African Chief.

umbrellas, a stool, a bottle, and a few other articles from his posses- sions. Then the regular exercises commenced, by some one or two hundred of the men, in full war- dress, performing around the body military evolutions peculiar to the heathen, and keeping up a constant firing over and upon the body, dan- cing and hallooing, and making ad- dresses to the deceased — all seem- ing to be striving to drive away everything like serious reflection. These warriors were smeared all over with a species of black paint, and had a great number of skins of wild animals hanging around their waists, and a frightful head-dress made of feathers, skins, deer horns, &c. Altogether, they presented such an appearance as we might imagine to belong to fiends, rather than to human beings. Besides these, there were collected perhaps a thousand persons, of all ages and sexes — all, with few exceptions, manifesting the greatest delight at theexhibition. About twelve o’clock the naiive schools from Rocktown, Mt. Vaughan and Cavalla, being all at this place, to attend a cele- bration— all marched down in pro- cession, with their banners, when Bishop Payne delivered an appro- priate address to the large audience assembled. After this they con- tinued firing, and playing around the body, and having mock battles, for about two hours. They then

244

African Pic-nics,

[August,

sent word to the Bishop that they ] were about to inter the body, 'and ! requested that he should come and | address them again. Being engaged | in the examination of the schools, j he sent the messenger to me, and 1 j went down and delivered them a short address. After which, a broth- er of the deceased made him an ad- ; dress ; in w hith lie alluded to the i difficulties which had occurred be- ! tween them, and said they were all ! settled now, then concluded by | pouring water on two or three;

sticks of wood, whi'ch were burning at one end, and throwing them away. The body was then conveyed to the grave, and interred with a quantify of rice, jialm oil, beef, and I rum, for the use of the spirit on his visits to the grave.

From this dark scene I returned to my home, feeling that there is nothing better calculated than a heathen funeral to lead the Christian to realize and cherish the blessings of the gospel.

Central African Pic-Nics.

I arose at sunrise, and leaving :j a cloud of dust that little except red Achmet to have my baggage re- ;| caps and horses tails w^as visible, un-

moved, walked through the town '| til we came out upon the open plain.

(Khartoum) to my head quarters at the Consular residence. I found Dr. Reitz^s horses saddled in the

where our cavalcade made a show'y and picturesque appearance.

The company consisted of Abd-

court, and himself walking in I he gar- | el Kader Bey, Mousa Bey, Musaker den. He was greatly surprised to see i Bey, Ali Bey, Khasib, Abou-Sin and

me, not having expected me for an- other week. After the first greetings : were over, he informed me that Abd- el Kader Bey, the Governor of Kor- ■ dofan, w'as about leaving for Obeid, ^ and his friends intended to accompa- ■ ny him as far as the island of Mous- ^ sa Bey, in the White Nile. During my absence, Mahommed Kheyrhad

Owd-el Kerim, the Shukoree Chiefs, Ali Effendi Mahommed Kheyr, Dr. Reitz, Dr. Peney and myself, besides a number of injferior officers end at least fifty attendants ; in short, every body of consequence in Khartoum, except the Pasha, who was represen- ted by one of his Secretaries. The Beys w’ere mounted on fine Arabian

presented Dr. Keitz with a fine Don- j stallions, Dr. Peney on a tall drom- golese horse, which he offered to i edary, and the Arab chiefs on mules that I might participate in the ;j and donkeys, while tin

me,

festivities. While I was at the Cath olic Mission, relating my adventures to Dr. Knoblecher, a messenger came to annouce that Abd-el Kader’s boat had left, and that he, with other chiefs of Khartoum, were ready to set out on horseback for the White Nile. We rode at once to the house of Moussa Bey, who had quit recov- ered from his illness. The compa- ny was already mounted in the square

grooms and pipe-bearers ran behind on foot, i I shall long remember the brilliant I picture of that morning. The sky I was clear and hot, and the palm rus- I tied their shining leaves in a light ! wdnd. The fields of beans lay spread : out before us and the river, their j»ur- I pie blossoms rolling in long drifts ' and flakes of color, and warm, vo- I luptuous perfume. The red caps, the green and scarlet housings of the

before the house, and only awaited horses, the rich blue, brown, purjile our arrival. We dashed through the i and violet dresses of the Beys, and lanes ofthe slave quarter, raisingsuch i the snowy robes of the Arabs, wiili

1855.J

African Pic-nics.

• 245

their crimson borders thrown over tlie shoulder, j)rojected against the tawny hue of the distant plains, aiUi the warm blue of the sky, formed a feast of color which, in iis entire richness and harmony, so charmed my eye that the sight of it becante a luxury to the sense, as palpable as that of an exquisite flavor to the pal- ate.— Away we went at full gallop, the glittering array of colors dancing and interchanging to the rapid mu- sic, as our horses hoofs tore the bean- vines and flung their tniling blos- soms into the air, until we reached the banks of the White Nile, where the B -y’s vessel was just coming to land. Here the Arab shekhs and the greater part of the inferior offi- cers embraced Abd-el Kader and re- turned to Khartoum.

The rest of us crossed over to the island of Mo*u?s I Bey and walking over the thick green tmf to a large mimosa tree, of the variety called araz, where the carpets were spread on the ground for us and the slaves were ready with our pipes. We lay there two or three hours, in the pleas- ant shade, talking, smoking, and la- zily waiching the motions of the at- tendants, who were scattered all over the island. An Albanian in a scar- let dress shot a wild goose, and Dr. Reitz tried to bring down an ibis, but failed. Finally the showrmeh — an entire sheep stuffed with rice — appeared, garnished with bread, onions, radishes, and grapes. We bared our right arms and buried our hands in the smoking flesh ‘vithsuch good will, that in half an nour the dish contai^ied nothing but a beau- tiful skeleton. Abd-el kader Bey honored me by tearing off a few choice morsels with his own fingers and preseniing them to me. A bowl of rice cooked in milk and sweeten- ed, completed the repast. At noon we went on board the sandal, and

[ after being shipped to the other side,

; look leave of Abd-el Kader with an embrace and “God grant you a pros- perous journey!'’ to which he re- plied : “ God grant it !” He sailed off”, up the White Nile, for Tura, with a fine breeze, and we turned j homeward. The wind which blev I across the plain in our faces, was I as hot and dry as the blast of a fur- : nace and my head reeled under the ; terrible intensity of the sunshine. —

S The Beys took every opportunity I of displaying their horsemanship,

I dashing over the bean-fields, in wild I zig-zags, reining up in wild career,

; thro\v'ing their crooked canes into ! the air after the manner of a jereed, j and describing circles and ellipses at i full gallop. The finest of all was my I handirome Albanian friend, Musa- ! ka Bey.

I I called upon the Pasha the same I afternoon, to give him an account of I my voiage up the White Nile, and I was obliged to remain and dine with liim. He w’as very much interested ! in my adventures wdth the Shillooks, i but gave me to understand that the I negroes had great fear of his power,

I and that if they had net known I i was under his protection they would l! certainly have killed me. When I I spoke of the giant statue of the Shil- I looks he confirmed what I had al- I ready heard, that the Kyks and Baris j| are full seven feet in height. He al- ii so stated that his predecessor, Ach- I met Pasha Menekleh, had captured I in the regions beyond Fazogi thirty jj blacks, who were nine feet high and j! terrible to behold. They were i brought to Khartoum in chains, he I said, but relused to eat, howling like j beasts and died in paroxysms ofsav- i age fury. When 1 remembered that the Pasha had already told me that there was a subterraneous passage from Alexandria to the Fyoom (a dis- tant of two hundred miles,) made by

•24U

African Women.

[Auf,'ust,

Alexander the Great, and that the Sultan at Constantinople had an ape which grew to be twenty feet in height,

I received this last communication with a grain of allowance. He fully believed in the existence of the N'yam N’yam,(a horribly suggestive name ) or cannibals, who [ have no doubt, are a fabulous race. Dr. Barth heard of them in Adamowa, south of Lake Tsad, and Dr. Knoblecher in i the Bari country, but no one has ever yet seen them.

The expedition of Lattif Effendi had met with many delays, but on Monday, the *2d of February, every- thing was ready for its departure. It consisted of two large nekkers or trading vessels, each armed with a cannon, and carried six soldiers in addition to the crew. It was also pro- vided with interpreters, who spoke the language of the different tribes. Fat Abou-Balta, who was the own- er of one of the vessels. Dr. Peney, Dr. Reitz, and myself, made up a par- ty to accompany Lattil Effendi the first stage of his voyage. We took the same little sandal in which I had sail- ed, and pushed away from Khartoum at sunset, followed by the nekkers. The relatives of the sailors were crowded on the bank to bid them good-bye, and as the vessels weigh- ed anchor, the women set up the - &\\n\V‘lu-lu-lu-lu-luf which they use to express all emotions, from rapture down to despair. We had a light, but favoring wind, and at 9 o’clock reached a long, sandy beach about

five miles above the mouth of the White Nile, where we came to a halt. The vessels where moored to the shore, fires kindled, pipes light- ed and coffee made, and we gaiher- ed into groups on the sand, in'lhe light of the full moon. At midnight the customary sheep made its ap- pearance accompanied by two bot- tles of claret, whereat Abou-Balta affected to be scandalized, so long as any Moslem attendants were in i he neighborhood. When the coast was clear, he sprawled out like another Falstaff, his jolly face beaming in the moonlight, and took a sly taste of the forbidden beverage, which he liked so well that he no longerresent- ed the wicked nickname ^'gamoon elhahrf (hippopotamus,) which we bestowed upon them. We tried to sleep a little, but although the sand was soft, the night air was chilly, and I believed nobody succeeded but Abou-Baito, whose enormous belly shook with the force of his snor- ing, as he lay stretched out on his back. By three in the morning everybody was tired ; the fires had I burned out, the meats of the banquet had grown cold, and the wind blew ! more freshly from the north. — Lattif I Effendi called his sailors on board, and we took leave ofhim. The two nekkers spread their huge wings and sailed off in the moonlight for the land of the Baris, while we made our slow way back to Khartoum, where j we arrived at day Journey

1 to Central Jifrica^ by Bayard Taylor.

[From the Cavalla Messenger.]

African Women.

It is commonly said that in hea- then countries woman is ever degra- ded to the level of slaves. This can- not be said in strict propriety of wo- man in this part of Africa. It is true, that a certain sum is given as betroth- meni money, by every husband to the '

ii wife’s father or headman. But the li wife repels indignantly the idea of, being bought : and it is a remarkable fact, that the oldest son of every wo- man, claims from his mothey^’s farnWy^ a wife or her value, in return for be- trothment money received on her.

1855.]

Maine Colonization Society.

247

account. The influence of woman ; is far from unimportant. In the j disposition of her daughters she , must be always consulted. Thehus* | band too must see to it that he pleas- | es her, if not altogether for /ove’^sake, j yet to save himself from the potent ] spells, or sorceries, which woman is I supposed especially to wield. Her j| supposed power in this respect, || causes her to be consulted in case of || war, the idea being, that if she is not ji favorable to the war, she has the pow- er of causing the death of her hus- j band or friend in battle. i

Vanity, too, in the husband often , contributes to the good treatment of woman. Each man is ambitious, especially in the dancing season, to have his wives make as much dis- j play of dress and ornament as possi- j ble. Gay colored clothes, and a | profusion of beads and trinkets on | the legs and arms, .are given accord- j ing to the ability of the husband, at j this time. Nor is it the wives only j who must thus be conciliated. Fe- | male cousins, relatives even the most | distant, make large drafts u^onAta, | or else by common consent he is a ! bad man. |

The labor, too, is more equally dis- | tributed between the men and wo- 1 men, than is generally supposed. , The men prepare f^rms, in all ! cases for cultivation, and assist the j women, in their cultivation. The 1 men also build houses, make canoes, | and do most of the trafficing. |

But the woman has her share of }

labor. She chiefly cultivates the soil, after the rice and cassada crops have been planted. She makes salt by evaporatingsea water in brassor cop- per vessels,^and has to make fre- quent journies to exchange this and other things, to supply food for her household. When the rice has been harvested, it is put in the upper part of her house in the straw, and she must beat it out, and cook it daily as needed.

At the close of day, she must have w'ater ready for bathing, and food for her husband to eat. She must be ever ready to receive, and pro- vide in a similar manner for stran- gers.

But “ troubles must and will be- fall” the best, and much more poor heathen African women. Even a slight impropriety often draws down upon them the rage of their lords, and the rod, or fire, or the cutlass, or the more dreaded gidu, ('sassa- w'ood,) at his discretion, can alone appease. But, indeed, African wo- men are habitually guilty of more than improprieties. They are un- principled, and often very vicious. Not more so than their husbands, perhaps, but this is only to say that they are wicked heathen, after all. And although in their outward ap- pearance they are in general light- hearted and pleasant, at heart they are without principle, and indulge in all manner of vices peculiar to heathenism. This is their misery.

[From the Christian Mirror.]

Maine Colonization Society.

The official account of the first annual meeting is given below by the Secretary. W e regret there is no report of the speeches, so full of reason, humanity, life and point, as they were. It certainly was not the least interesting of the meetings held du- ring the week. The sentiments uttered commended themselves to the philanthro- pic and Christian heart. It is a matter of

real congratulation that the interest in this cause has begun to revive among us. We trust It will take strong hold, and spread till it pervades the community throughout the entire State.

Rev. Messrs. Robinson and Farrington appeared as delegates from the West Maine Conference of the Methodist Epis- copal Church,

248

Hems from the Liberia Herald.

[Augitsi,

Resolutions, expressing cordial sympa- j; tby, were presented from the East Maine ji Conference. j

('Published on page 236. 'I jj

T he first annual meeting of the Coloni- J zation Society of the State of Maine, was !j held at the rooms of thf^ Young Men’s ;j Christian Association in Portland, June |; ^th, 1855. Rev. J. W. Chickering, one ij of the Vice Presidents, in the chair. The ji meeting was opened by prayer by Rev | W. F, Farrington. On motion of Rev. W. |i F, Farrington, |i

Vbied io amend the constitution of this 'i »ocie5y,so that the Executive Committee, ! and the Corresponding Secretary and |' Treasurer shall be chosen by the Society at the annual meetings. Ij

that Rev. C. W. Morse, George j Barker and Samuel Tyler be a committee to nominate officers.

Adjourned to meet at the High Street i •church this evening. j!

Thursday evening met at the High | Street church pursuant to adjournment. j;

PIoK, Etheh Sheplet, the President, on taking ihe chair, addressed the meeting, ^ and vras followed by Rev. Mr. Gurley of | Washington City, Rev. J. W. Chickering, i John T^eal, Esq., and Rev. H. S. Carpen- | ter of Portland, Rev. Mr. Copp of Chel- |i sea, Mass., and Rev. J. Maltby of Bangor, jl Rev. Mr. Morse from the Committee on BomiTintions, made a report which was i; accepted, and therefore the following per- j, sons were chosen officers for the ensuing | year : |

PIo3f. Etser Sheplet, of Portland, ,

President. I

flee Fresidenis and Jlfanagers : Hon. j Albion K. Parris, Portland; Rev. Leonard "Woods, D. O., Brunswick ; Hon. George jj Downs, Calais ; Nathan Cummings, |j Portland ; Rev. John Maltby, Bangor ; j Hon. Josiah Pierce, Gorham ; Rev. W. T. Dwight, D. D., Rev. A. Burgess, of i| Portland; IJon. W. P. Heines, Bidde^ord; j Hon. Thomas Robinson, Ellswoi ih; John j Ham, Esq., Bangor ; Rev. W. H. Shailer, 1 D. D. , Rev. H. S. Carpenter, Phinehas 1 Barnes, Esq., Portland ; Hon. Edward i; Robinson, Thomaston ; A. H. Boyd, Esq., i Saco ; Rev. Caleb Hobart, North Yar- j mouth, Rev. E. Robinson, Saecarappa ; A. Masters, Esq., Hallowell ; Hon Joseph ij Tiicomb, Kennebunk ; Dr. Moses Gould, i!

Bridgton; Rev. Phinehas Fliggins, Hamp- den; FVeeman Clark, Esq., Bath; Ed- ward Fenno, Augusta ;‘'Rev. J. A. Doug- lass, Waterford ; H. C. Busw'ell, Esq., Fryeburg ; Nathan Nye, Esq., Fieeport ; John Kelley, Esq., Dennysville ; H. J. Libby, Esq., Portland; "Woodbury S. Dana, Esq., Portland ; Rev. J. W. Chickering, Portland, Cor. Secretary^ Philip Eastman, Saco, Recording Secretary; Eben Steele, Portland, Treasurer.

Executive Committee : Rev. James Pratt, Rev. W. F. Farrington, Nathan Cum- mings, Esq., Samuel Tyler, Esq , Byron Greenough, Esq., Portland ; Freeman Clark, Esq., Bath; A. H. Boyd, Esq., Saco.

The following Resolutions were unani- mously adopted :

Resolved That in view of the truly patriotic and benevolent character of the American Colonization Society in seeking by the wisest means the highest good of the greatest number of the African race, we deem it worthy of generous and uni- versal support ; and that it be earnestly recommended to all Christian societies or congregations in this state to take up col- lections for this Society on the fourth of July, or on some sabbath as near as con- venient to that day annually ; and that where this cinnot be done, some friend of the cause is earnestly requested, by pri- vate solicitation to procure a subscription to this sc worthy tribute to humanity on that national birth day.

Rtiolved, That inasmuch as it is under- stood that the American Colonization So- ciety is in want of a suitable vessel or ship of proper dimensions and construction to be exclusively under its control, and in its service for the safe and comfortable con- veyance of emigrants to Liberia, a Com- mittee of seven be appointed to devise and secure the means, and by building or purchise to obtain a suitable ship for the Society.

Geo. F. Patten of Bath ; Samuel Tyler, of Portland ; Joseph Titcomb, of Ktnne- bnnk ; John Ham, of Bangor ; A. R. Stetson, of Damariscotfa ; William Chase, of Portland ; and Thomas Harwood, of Bath ; were appointed this Committee.

Adjourned,

Philip Eastman, Ree. Sec.

Items from the Liberia Herald.

Thf. New Tear." — We Lave fairly en- |l has passed away, and is now, “ with tl’e tered upon a new portion of time. The Ij years beyond the flood.” We are at the year iS54 with all its joys and sorrows — i[ threshold of 1855, whose contingencies all its expectation's and disappointments, Ij lie stil! in the unknown and mysterious

1855.]

Hems from the Liberia Herald.

24P

future. We may live to see its close, and we rr>ay not. Who can tell the changes and revolutions that may be produced by a year, a single year? But no matter what occurs, let us endeavor to be found among the uncompromising adherents of truth and righteousness, and we shall | assuredly enjoy, what we wish all our ; readers — a happy vew year. i

In reviewing the past year, we find , abundant occasion for praise and thasks- i giving to the sovereign of nations by i whose kind guidance and protection our ! little Republic has been preserved, and I still continues to maintain a national atti- j tude.

While disease with its poisonous breath j has carried devastation into various parts , of the earth, depopulating in its dreadful ] march, cities, towns and villages ; while j destructive and sanguinary war has caused j the blood of thousands to irrigate the soil, i laying its ruthless hands upon the beauti- i ful and magnificent works of art, and I desolating in an hour the productions ofj the industry a)id labor of many years ; | while infernal commotions, insurrections i and political 'dissensions have disturbed j the harmony and arrested the progress of | various nations, Liberia has enjoyed a remarkable and grateful immunity. We ! have been protected from the “ pestilence j that walketh in darkness, and from the j destruction that wasteth at noonday.” | Peace has been tlie boundary line r^f our i habitation, and prosperity its pleasant in- j mate. i

In the various departments of our moral ! and social organization we have been on j the advance. Churches have been erected in different localities ; new fields for evan- 1 gelical labor have been opened, and the ■ spiritual laborers have entered upon their | work of mercy ; while several portions of i the Lord ’s vineyard have enjoyed a season ; of refreshing from His presence.

Our educational facilities have not di- minished. The school master is abroad, and our youth are enjoying the wholesome influences of those whose “delightful! task ” it is,

“To rear the tender thought

And te.ach the young idea how to shoot.”

The Press has received a valuable aux- | iliary in a new periodical — the Liberia { Sentinel f whose publication reflects no little credit upon the enterprise of its proprietor. While we do not endorse all | the .sentiments that have been advanced in Its columns, we hail its appearance among ;i us, and wish it success and perpetuity as ; another vehicle of instruction and intelli- ii

gence to the people of Liberia ; hoping that the effect of more than one element in our moral and political atmosphere will be to purify it.

The scenes to be witnessed on our rivers and the growing interest so generally manifested in the enlargement of agricul- tural operations, afford encouraging evi- dences of the advancement of Jigricullure — the only true basis and unfailing source of national prosperity.

The vessels of various nations that con- tinually arrive in and depart from our ports evince the thriving state of our com- mercial department.

This branch of industry, so essential to the life and activity of a community, so necessary to our country, for the stimula- : tion of our people to the developement of the natural resources of the country ; so important to our enjoyment of the advan- tages derivable from regular intercourse with the civilized and enlightened world, is obviously not behind the other improve- ments.

Upon the whole, a retrospect of the past year cannot fail to excite within us emo- ; tions of gratitude to the Divine Ruler for such manifestations of mercy and goodness. But while the aggregate of our affairs shows a gradual and general advancement we are not without cause to quicken our steps in order to keep i ace, in a moral point of view, with this progressive age. In the various reformations now on foot I in the civilized world we have taken but I comparatively little part. In the temper- ance reform, for instance, it cann it be said that there has been any decided progress ' during the past year. In some places 1 there has been an advancement ; but gen- erally there have been painful indications j of non-action, notwithstanding the dire I effects of intemperance often witnessed among us. We are not without encour- . agement however, in this respect ; our ; people are now awaking to their duty, and i strenuous efforts are makingforthe suppres* I sion of the demoralizing influence of alcohol j Let us go on from one improvement to another until a pure and permanent refor- mation shall be effected in our midst; and the benighted natives around, coming un- I der its salutary influences, shall be recov- ered from their ignorance, superstition, and degradation, and standing on a level with the most favored portions of mankind, enjoy with them “ par value and consid- eration.” Januai'y 3. B.

The Ladies’ Dorcas Society of this city celebrated its anniversary on Thuisday the 11th inst. at the M. E. bhurch. The

250

Items from the Liberia Herald.

[August,

annual report of ilie Society, read on the occasion by F. Payne, Esq., showed that it has not been negligent during the past year, in carrying out the object to which It professes to be devoted. Its expendi- tures had exceeded by far its receipts, and yet there was a good amount remaining in the treasury. The Address, highly inter- esting and instructive, was delivered by Rev. J. W. Horne, Principal of the Mon- rovia Academy.

A peculiar interest attaches itself to this Society, Its charities, while they have not been ostentatious have been eminently beneficial to the community. Through its exertions and benevolence the first asylum for the poor, was erected in this city ; and i it has, since its erection, though never destitute of inmates, been sustained by them. It IS now in a state of delapidation and the inhabitants, beneficiaries of the ; Society, are subject to great exposures. — The ladies, we learn, intend giving a “ Subscription tea ” in order to raise suf- ficient money to place the asylum in a habitable condition — We wish them abun- dant success in this effort. Jan. 17.

Temperance, — We take pleasure in J stating for the encouragement of the ! friends of Temperance throughout the Re- i' public, that a law for the suppression of ;| the use of all intoxicating drinks has been passed by the Legislature. A duty of one dollar per gallon has been imposed upon all spirituous and malt liquors, to take ef- fect next May.

This is surely the beginning of better days, and the lime is near, we trust, when the monster Alcohol shall not be seen among us. When he “ Shall no more stalk with footstepsgory ;

No more trample down and slay ;

And the blooming and the hoary.

No more fall beneath his sway.”

^ Fire. — On the evening of the 9th inst. our little city was the scene of a melan- choly catastrophe. About 7 o’clock, P. M., a lire accidentally broke out at tlie resi- dence of Rev. Alexander Crummell during the absence of all but the children, and a servant girl. The alarm being given, per- sons from every direction — men, women, and children — flocked in eager crowds to the spot ; but before any assistance could be rendered the fire had made extensive progress, it spread with amazing rapidity over the building, nor ceased in its des- tructive course until the large and valuable edifice was reduced to ashes.

By the magnanimity and exertions of our

fellow citizens, ever ready to sympathize with the sufiering, a good portion of Mr. Crummell ’s effects wer# rescued from the devouring element. We learn, however, that Rev. Mr. Green, and Mr. Samuel Williams, residents in the family, have sustained severe losses.

This is indeed a sad occurrence ; but it has, no doubt, impressed upon the minds of our citizens a lesson as to the necessity of extreme carefulness in the use of that dangerous element, which they will not soon forget. The generosity and gallantry manifested by our citizens on that distress- ing occasion are worthy of high commen- dation ; and we take pleasure in giving a .«!pace in our columns, to the following tes- timonial, and expressions of gratitude from Rev. Mr. Crummell, which appeared early on the next morning after the fire :

“ The Rev. Alex. Crummell and family take the earliest opportunity of returning their heartfelt thanks to their fellow citi- zens and townsmen, for their generous, self-devoted conduct and bearing amid the sad catastrophe of the last night :

To the “Johnson Guards,” for their prompt appearance on the ground, and for their zeal and watchfulness :

To the gentlemen of the Town Council for their early presence, and for their earn- est hearty exertions :

To his fast friends — “The Wardens, Vestry, and the active sympathizing mem- bers of his Congregation,” both male and female ; their kindness and labors can never be forgotten :

To the “ Young men of the town ; gen- erous, gallant, self-forgetting, self-sacri- ficing— they performed prodigies !” “ may the Lord remember them for good forever. ” Never have we witnessed more noble da- j ring, more real heroism, more generous j enthusiasm. The young men of this town are made of the stuff, which, if rightly used, will make them Patriots for their country and Heroes for C H R I S T.”

The Gold Medal Again. — We took i occasion some time ago to inform our lite- rary fellow citizens of the liberal proposal made by Martin F. Tapper, Esq., a well known English poet, and an unwavering friend of Liberia, for the encouragement of science and literature in our land. We stated that it was proposed by him to pre- sent a gold medal to Liberia to be award- ed annually to the author of the best lite- rary production in prose or verse. The medal is now ready and awaits competi- tion.

As Mr. Tapper wishes to make the first award himself, copie? of the compositions

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Hems from the Liberia Herald.

251

will be transmitted to him at Albury, Guildford. England. Several manuscripts have already been forwarded by President Roberts ; but some have unfortunately been lost in transit, as Mr. Tupper writes that he has only three in his possession.

It is not absolutely necessary that com- petitors shall sign their names to the man- scripts they send ; they may, if they see fit, sign by a cypher or motto.

All copies may be sent to the Herald Office until the 15th of April next, whence they will be forwarded ; after that date we shall give further notice.

We hope our aspiring fellow citizens will avail themselves of this fine opportu- nity, and that many will enter the field of competition : so that, whether successful or not, they may show that they are not indifferent to the kind proposal of our lib- eral friend, or insensible of the importance of the spread and diffusion of science and literature in our land.

January 17.

American Squadron — Shall the .Ameri- can Squadron on the Jifrican Coast be with- drawn or not ? This is a question of no little interest, and is at present engaging to a considerable extent the attention of the American public. It is said that the matter was taken up by Congress during its last session, and that the committee on foreign relations of the Senate reported in favor of its discontinuance ; but we do not think that this is the general feeling of the American public; on the contrary, judging from the earnestness with whicli the subject has been discussed in various quarters, it would seem that the great importance and necessity of the squadron on this coast are strongly felt ; and any one at all acquainted with the state of things here, cannot fail to see, that its withdrawal would be followed by the most disastrous consequences. If it be with- drawn, and the American Government continue to deny to other nations the right of searching vessels bearing the American flag, the English and French Squadrons on the coast would be greatly crippled in their operations, and rendered inefficient. The American flag' would certainly be resorted to as a protection in the nefarious traffic ; and in the presence of these squadrons, the cruel trade would be resuscitated with all its horrible con- comitants of wars, robbery, bloodshed and death. This would cause the utility of their continuance to be questioned by their respective governments, and they would perhaps be withdrawn also ; hand- ing over the entire coast to the tender mercies of practical slave-traders.

I Perceiving the diminution of the risk j attending the traffic, unprincipled persons ! who now have not the remotest idea of ; engaging in it, may be induced on account j of the enormous profits arising therefrom,

I to enter into it. Legitimate commerce I will be left unprotected, and piratical I crafts may take the places vacated by the • men-of-war, and be the means of disturb- ing and injuring the Christian settlements j along the coast, by whose salutary and j growing influence, the slave trade must > and will be effectually suppressed. Libe- ! ria has done something towards the des- [ truction of the commerce in human flesh,

I “upon that curse of curses a deadly blight I has fallen, as far as her influence extends,” j but she has been receiving “aid and I comfoi’t” either directly or indirectly from I the squadrons. She is yet feeble, the : number of her citizens is small, her re- i sources are limited, and should she at this time be deprived of the powerful protection I and encouragement o^ armed vessels, she j would certainly suffer great annoyance and j detriment, from the thousands of aborigines , in her vicinity, and their foreign abettors,

I anxious to revive the sanguinary traffic.

I It is indeed difficult to tell whence the idea of the withdrawal of the American Squadron from this coast has arisen.

The Commodores, and most of the : officers of the Squadron, as well as intelli- j gent visiters who have been on this coast,

; have invariably insisted on the importance I of its continuance, urging the American ; authorities to increase its efficiency by the j addition of steam vessels. Commodore Lavalette, in a letter dated July 17th, 1852, addressed to a gentleman in Phila- delphia, says :

“I trust the squadron may not be with- drawn, but that it will be kept up, and instead of half a dozen sailing vessels being employed in this service, there may be sent to the station three or four steam vessels, that will more effectually protect our commercial interests in this quarter, as well ! as more certainly suppress the slave trade. ’ ’

' Commodore Mayo, now in command of the squadron, wrote in December 1853.

“The withdrawal of the American Squadron, would be attended with most injurious results. Our trade on this coast would certainly be destroyed, our flag would be prostituted to the purposes of the slave trade, and the Liberian colonies would lose the valuable influence which the presence of our ships of war exercises upon the minds of the natives.”

Commander Lynch, who about two years ago paid an official visit to this coast, on his return to the United States, said in his report •

252

hems from the Liberia Herald.

[August,

“Apart from the supression of the slave trade, our commerce with the west coast of Africa needs the protection of an efficient force — efficient more in its power of locomotion than in the number of its guns.”

It is to be sincerely hoped that the squadron will not be withdrawn ; the motives and arguments in favor of its continuance are numerous and weighty ; and no advantage real or imaginary, that may arise from its discontinuance, will ever be efficient to atone for the evil there- by done and the amount of good prevented.

B.

Mr. Editor : — Will you allow your humble servant a place in your colum.ns to make a few remarks on politics

1 deem it not improper in addressing young men, to make a few observations respecting politics. It is well for the stability of our Republican Institutions, that the people are divided into parties. This leads to a strict scrutiny of our public function- aries ; to the exposition of their faults and a commendation of thei.*- wisdom and virtue, and all this has a tendency to keep them faithful in the discharge of their duties.

There are two prominent evils in regard to politics, against which young men should be upon their guard. The first is tiie changing from party to party for the purpose of obtaining popular applause, or office of endowment ; such conduct be- trays an entire destitution of moral prin- ciple and rectitude. If you adopt these motives as the basis of your political bias and proceedings, it is quite certain, al- though you may be successful for a sea- son, that your object will eventually be discovered, your character and influence wall be lost, and all parties will despise and neglect you. A shuffling time-serving demagogue,;or political weather-cock, veer- ing in the direction of every wind that blows, without regard to principle, is a most despicable character ; unworthy the privilege of a freeman.

The other evil to which I allude is upon ^ the contrary extreme, a blind and servile adherence to party ; an infatuation by which every measure, however dangerous, is supported that is dictated by the leaders ; the wire pullers of the party, and every principle however valuable and salutary, | opposed and condemned whenever they I give the signal ; an infatuation under the i degrading influence of which, men aban- don their birthright, of freedom of opin- - ions, are willing to see with the eyes, and J hear with the ears, and understand with \ the judgment, of those whom they permit j to lead tiiem ; this servility to party tactics, :

party measures, and party men, is an evil greatly to be deprecated, it is rife with danger ; dangers that reach the very vitals of our fi-ee Institutions; should the 'day ever arise when this degrading party servi- tude becomes general when it winds its enslaving chains around the great mass of the people, the sun of this Republic will wane to the horizon, and early set in clouds and darkness.

Mr. Editor, the strife and clamor, and bitter acrimony that convince society of the approach of important elections, are caused mainly by the struggle between the “ins” and the “outs,” between those who are in office and wish to keep in, an 1 those who are out and desire to get in ; were it not for the contention of these two classes, the clangor of political battle would be hushed ; and the people would calmly and peaceably adopt the proper measure to con- tinue our institutions in their purity, and keep the wheels of government in well balanced motions ; young men should be aware of these things, that they may i “see through” the sophistical and bom- i bastic declaiationsof political Demagogues, i “Measures and not men” was the motto ; of the founders of this Republic ; and it ; still remains the popular cry of all parties.

; But it requires only a single glance at the , proceedings of politicians at this present 1 day to discover that with too many of , them, this maxim has become reversed and their great object is men, not measures.

I Young men, avoid all party measures,

I that are not plainly and strictly for the I benefit of the whole body of the people ;

, understand me, I do not object to political ! parties in a Republic like this ; there must I be parties while men continue to differ I honestly in opinion. But 1 object to that ; degrading attachment to party, by which ! the judgment is so blinded as to consider I the interest of the party paramount to all I oilier interests, that dai gerous infatuation, i which says “ the party must be sustained, at all hazards !” Let it be your highest ambition to be a Republican, in the broad ' and true acceptation of that word, a lover of enlightened and well regulated liberty ; of equal rights and privileges, a supporter of the rise or fall of parties, or none. When measures are brought to your con- sideration ask not by what party are they I elevated or overthrown ; but only ask, are I the proposed measures called for by ex- i isting exigencies — are they consistent with ! the genius of our free institutions — are ' they compatible with republican principles j — are they calculated to enhance tlie pub- i lie welfare } If, after strict and candid ex- j aminations, you can answer these inqui- : ries in the affirmative, support the mea-

1855.]

Interesiing donation from Jifnr.

253

pures ; but if not, reject them entirely. And when an individual is held up for public station, let not the question be by whom was he nominated — or to what party does he belong, but ask, what are iiis piinciples, his abilities.? ^pply of the patriot Jefferson, is he capable, is he honest, is he faithful .? Never give him your support until you are perfectly satis- fied upon these points. Let the young men of this Republic free themselves from all debasing manacles, from every im- proper bias, and pursue an upright, man- ly, independent course in regard to poli- tics, and the evils that are now sapping the foundation of our Republic will be- come annihilated.

It devolves upon the young men of this Republic who are now coming upon the sta^e of action, to diffuse abroad a love for political independence and purity.

I am yours, W. M. C. Monrovia, Januarxj 12tli, 1855.

Politics — We invite the attention of our readers to the communication of W. M. C. on our second and third pages. There is hardly any subject of more im- portance to the people of Liberia, and on which they^need more instruction than that on which our correspondent has writ- ten. When the reflecting and patriotic mind contemplates the present condition of

affairs, it sees just cause for apprehension. The desire for office and the spirit of elec- tioneering seem to be advancing with rapid and fearful progress. And many seem to think that the majority of our people exercising the right of suffrage, are not the most enlightened in the world, not most wealthy, not the most morally culti- vated, and that it is, therefore, no diffi- cult matter for any cunning and design- ing aspirant, to obtain their votes ; and in order to do this they suppose that he need only like Craessus the ambitious Roman, lavish thousands of dollars upon them ; he need only spread sumptuous tables and invite them to partake freely of his boun- ties. Let him make them promises to do great things for them should he obtain an influential position in the government, let him apply the “So/’t Soap” of adulation and they are certain he will meet with entire success. We should take care, fellow citi- zens ; we should see to it that men of prin- ciple and integrity are placed in positions of trust and responsibility in the Republic, “men capable, honest, faithful.” If at this crisis we make a mistake in our advance- ment on the road to national lability and respectability, it may require a long time before we recover. Let us then with a uni- ty of feeling, and as far as possible a con- centration of effort, endeavor to perpetuate our glorious institutions. Feb. 21.

Interesting- Donation from Afar.

In our receipts will ‘be found the ac- knowledgment of a donation from some English ladies on the Himalayah moun- tains in North India, amounting to §56 40, which was forwarded by the Rev. Joseph Owen of Allahabad in Hindostan, from whose letter we make the following ex- tracts :

Allahabad, ^pril 20, 1855.

To the Secretary of the Jim. Cvl. Soc.

My Dear Sir : — Some months back, a ; pious lady, wife of a Judge here in the ; East India Company’s civil service, was ! conversing with me about the slaves in ! America. She very sensibly remarked j that talking alone would not help them — that something should be done, and that | she and her sister, the wife of an officer ! in the Company’s army, were in corres- 1 pondence with each other on this very i point. I took occasion to speak to her of | the venerable Colonization Society, whose j labors on behalf of the African have been so abundant and so successful. She ap- , peared very much pleased ; and wondered ' that she had never heard of tins excellent

Society before. Shortly after, she left the station where she was then residing, and went to live at a station on the Himalayah mountains. You may judge of my agree- able surprise on receiving a letter from her the other day, inclosing an order for 120 rupees, contributed by herself and sister and a few other ladies at the station of Mussorie on the Himalayah mountains, who appear to have formed themselves into a society for this purpose. I am sure it will gratify you and all the friends of the American Colonization Society to hiow that your labors are appreciated in this distant land.

The contribution thus forwarded is from Mrs. Christopher W. Fagan and other ladies in North India. I have seldom had greater pleasure in the performance of any duty than of the one which the.se ious, excellent ladies have given me the onor of discharging. 1 heartily wish this example might be followed by many others of our English friends.

Wishing you, my dear sir, and all the friends of the African every encourage- ment, and abundant success in your laoor of love, I remain, your.s very truly,

JosEi'H Given.

254

Receipts.

[August,

Receipts of the American Colonization Socie'tys

From the of June to the 20th of July, 1855.

MAINE.

By Capt. George Barker ; —

Yarmouth — Cash, Cash, each 50

cents 1 00

Searsport — Capt. Jeremiah Meri- thue, to constitute himself a life member of the Am. Col.

Soc 30 00

KennebunJc — W. B. Sewall 3 00 i

Portland — Rev, W. T. Dwight, i

an. donation, ^5 ; Rev. Ezekiel Robertson & Rev. A. Cum- mings, each $1 7 00

Fryburg — Rev. Carlton Hurd.... 1 00

42 00

VERMONT.

Montpelier — Vermont Col. Soc.. 40 00

West Milton — E. Herrick 1 67

41 67

MASSACHUSETTS.

Falmouth — Miss A. Lewis 5 00

Mwburyport — Part of legacy left the Am. Col. Soc. by the late Wm. B. Banister, deceased... 80 00

85 00

CONNECTICUT.

By Rev. John Orcutt : —

Bridgeport — Mrs. Thos. C. War- din, |30, to, constitute herself a life member of the Am. Col.

Soc. ; Rev. G. S. Coit, Mrs.

Silvanus Stirling, Eben Fair- child, each ^10 ; Mrs. Wm. P.

Burrall, ^8; T. C. Wardin,

Mrs. Allen Porter, Mrs. Sam- uel Simons, Mrs. Ira Sherman,

F. Wood, S. B. Jones, Mrs.

P. T. Barnum, Mrs. N. S.

Wardin, H. Lyon, each $5 ;

S. J. Patterson, J. C. Loomis, each f3 ; E. Birdsey, Misses Ward, H. Brewster, Isaac Sherman, Dr. Judson, Mrs. G.

F. Hussey, E. J. Staples, each ^2 ; S. B. Ferguson, Cash, R.

Lewis, P. E. Lockwood, Thos.

Lord, D. H. Sterling, S. B. Ferguson, Jr., J. H. Wash- burn, R. B. Lacy, J. Gregory,

N. D. Birdsey, Cash, Mrs.

Eliza Sterling, S. M. Middle- brook, Rev. W. Preston, each $I ; Mrs. Abby Lewis, H. F.

Hatch, each 50 cents 149 00

East Bridgeport — Collection in M.

E. Church 4 00

Stratford — Mrs. Mary Bronson ,

$10, in full to constitute her- self a life member of the Am.

Col. Soc. ; L. H Russell, $5 ;

Mrs. S. B. Linsley, Mrs. J. R.

Sands, each $2 ; A. T. Curtis,

50 cents 19 50

Stonington — N. B. Palmer, $10 ;

A. S. Palmer, C. P. Williams, each $5 ; Mrs. Gen’l Williams,

Mrs. Dr. Hyde, Jr., J. F. Trumbull, D. S. Hart, C. G. Williams, each $2 ; Mrs. Jon.

States, Oliver York, H. Smith,

N. Smith, C. T. Stanton, each $1 ; E. Chesebrough, 50 cts.,

Mrs. Dawes, 10 cents 35 60

Greenwich — Jonathan A. Close.. 2 12 Winsled — Dr. Lyman Case, E. Beardsley, each $5 ; Norman Adams, $3 ; J. J. Whiting, P.

W, Smith, Cash, L. Clark, R.

Cook, Charles Cook, J. R.

Cook, R. L. Beecher, G. Hall,

Mrs. W. S. Holabird, M.

Camp, Mrs. W. H. Phelps, , Samuel Shepard, Cash, W. S.

Phillips, Dr. Welch, C. J.

Camp, each $1 ; Cash, 25 cts.. 30 25

240 47

NEW YORK.

Cazenovia — Collection in the First

Presbyterian Church 22 00

DELAWARE.

Wilmington — Collection in the Hanover street Church, July 1st, 1855, $60 ; James Mor- row, Rev. A. D. Pollock, Geo.

Bush, each $1 ; Judge Hall,

$10 ; old balance, $1 ; by Geo.

Jones, Esq., $74 ; Chas. Bush, to constitute himself a life member of the American Col.

Soc., $30 104 00

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. Georgetown — “A Friend,” $25;

J. Ramsburg, $5 ; H. L. Of-

futt, $2 ; Cash, $1 33 00

Washington — By Rev. J. N. Dan- forth : Ladies of Trinity Ch., to constitute Rev. George D. Cummins, a life member of the Am. Col. Soc., $30 ; Col. Tull,

T. Blagden, Chas. Mason, J. Atkinson, each $10 ; Com.

Skinner, Com. Morris, Gen’l Jessup, each $5 ; members of • McKendree Church, $5 90 00

123 00

1855.]

/

Receipts.

255

VIRGINIA.

By Rev. J. N. Danforth : —

Alexandria — O. W. Fairfax, $10 ;

Messrs. Shinn, $10 ; F. Mar- bury, J. B. Dangerfield, each $5 30 00

NORTH CAROLINA.

Marion — Rev. Thos. N. Paxton. 5 00

Watson’s Bridge — Rev. Samuel Paisley 10 00 !

15 00 j

GEORGIA. i

Eatonton — A. Cuthbert, Jr 20 00

FLORIDA.

Madison — Mrs. Ann B. Reed.... 10 00 LOUISIANA.

By Col. J. G. Richardson : —

St. Mary’s Parish, — Wm. Kil- gore, $30 ; F. D. Richardson,

John Moore, Marshall Sorrell,

Benjamin Hudson, each $20 ;

Thos. H. Thompson, J. G. Richardson, Eugene B. Oliver,

Charles Oliver, W. T. Palfrey,

Mrs. Porter, each $10 , Nich- olas Loiselj Ursin Provost,

Friend, Octave De Lahousaye,

Alexander De Clouette, Appo- line Pattout, J. A. Frere, W.

S. Harding, J. A. Dumastrait,

R. A. Wilkins, J. J. Rice, R.

C. Caffery, J. E. Lacy, Oc- tave Corney, Mrs. N. P. Bra- shear, Mrs. A. Harris, 0.

Carlin, E. Carlin, J. B. Mur- phy, Henry Gibbon, G. L.

Fusilier, each $5 ; M. C. Ren- Irope, $4 75 ; Adelaide Carlin,

M. S. Robins, each $3 ; J. H.

Thomas, Archille Bernard, J.

Levy & Co., T. D. Hine, C.

M. Charpentier, Isaac Bow- man, J. N. Waford, A. Como,

D. Como, J. Bateman, Mr.

Bonte, A. L. Fields, ea. $2 50 ;

J. H. Duminel, L. De Lahou- saye, Cash, J. Millott, J. B.

Bernard, L. Grevensburg, H.

H. Smith, E. Devlin, Wm.

Porter, Thos. Wilcoxon, Eu- gene Smith, Amicus, J. H.

Bedell, A. J. J. Barns, Mrs.

Parkerson, Ursin Perret, Mos- sy, Cosimer, M. C., each $2 ;

Mr. Hays, $1 50 ; T. J. Fos- ter, N. E. Dicks, W. H.

Cook, J. M. Charpentier, A.

Dargus, Eugene Payrent, W.

H. Baskenville, A. Felterman,

Friend, each $1 362 25

TENNESSEE.

By Rev. John H. Brurner : — Hiwassee — Collection in the fol- lowing places, viz : Athens —

$10 50 ; Loudon — $5 50 ; Cleve-

land—$2. 18 00

Lebanon — T. C. Anderson 5 00

23 00

OHIO.

Columbus — Pinney & Lawson.. . 10 00

Enon — Mrs. Mary Galloway.. . 10 00

Dallasburg — Union Colonization Society, collections by Thomas Dickey & David Morgan, viz : Thos. Dickey, $2 50 ; George Shields, David Morgan, each $1 50 ; F. G. Hill, Joseph Smith, Wm. Ramsey, James

] Hill, James Walker, John

I Spence, each $1 ; Wm. Hill,

j Wm. Swank, Thos. D. Wal-

[ ker, Margaret Coburn, each

50 cents, Mary J. Shields, 25

cents 13 75

Cincinnati — Cash 25

Cedarville — Collection in Rev. H. McMillan’s Chui ch, 2d July,

1855 :. 15 00

College Corner — John Buck, $5 ;

Rev. Peter Monfort, $5 10 00

Lebanon — John F. Gould 60 00

119 00

INDIANA.

Jeffersonville — Thos. Stevenson. . 5 00

MISSISSIPPI.

Louisville — Mrs. D. G. Godden. 40 00 Centreville — Collection at a cele- I bration, on the 4th July, at I Midway Ch., by Rev. Wm. j Winans, D. D 50 00

; 90 00

MICHIGAN.

! Battle Creek — Collection by Rev.

John A. Schultz 4 00

MISSOURI.

Jefferson City — Martin D. Noland. 10 00 CALIFORNIA.

San Francisco — Edward P. Flint & George H. Kellogg, each $5; Rev. E. W. Syle,$10.... 20 00

INDIA.

Allahabad^ Hindostan — Donation from Mrs. Christopher W. Fa- gan and other ladies, at the Mussorie Station on the Hima- layah Mountains, North India, by Rev. Joseph Owen 56 40

Total Contributions $1,342 79

Receipts.

[August, 1855.]

•2n6

FOR REPOSITORY. Maike. — Caltds-X. McCullough, ^2, to July, 1855. Js'orth Wclerford — Amos Gage, $3, to September, 1857. By CapL George Barker : — Yarmouik — Otis Brown, Capt. J. C. Hill, each §1, to' June, 1856 ; Capt. Levi Blanchard, S2, to June, 1857 ; Capt. Thaxter Prince, $1, to June, ’56. Gorham — Hon. Toppan Robie, §1, for 1855. South Windham — X. Burnett, ^1, for 1855. Free- port— Dr. John A. Hyde, §,2, for 1855- ’56 ; Ambrose Curtis, $6, to January, 1857. Sears- port — Capt. J.Merithue, Capt. David Xichols, each ^3, to January, 1856. iS'orth Yar- mouth— Hon. W. Buxton, 81, to January, ’56. Bangor — E.

Coe, §2, to August, leo5

New Hampshire. — J^Iount Ver- non— Timothy Kittredgp, ^2, to January, ’56. Suncook — ti. A. Osgood, to July, 1855. .

Vermont. West J\lill07i — -E.

Herrick, Si >33, to Jan 1856..

AIassachusetts Oxford E.

E. Harwood, s2, to July, 1856. CoxxECTicur. — Derhy — Dr. J. J. Howe, $5, to October, 1855. Winsted — Dea. T. Watson, SL to July, 1856. Stoningtoji — O. B. Grant, Si, to July, 1856.

Xew York. Oicego J. L,

Pinney, SL to June, 18.55. Albany — John N. L. Pruyn,

$10, to January, 1855

Pen'nstlvakia. J\'etcba7'gh — J.

M. Means, $2, to Jan. 1856. Ckntkam-OlWer Alison, slO 50, to July, 1855. J^Iarrietta-Ylrs. 8. A. SlcCahon, $1, to Jan. ’56.

Delaware. Wilmington — -A.

Stephens, $5, to August, 1855. V iRGiNiA. — PuUonsburgh — J. An- thony, SlO, to January, 1855. Fredericksbur gh — J. L. Alarye, $8, to January, 1856. JUartins- hurgh — D. H. Conrad, SlO, to January, 1855. Abingdon — T. S. Harris, $3, to January, ’56. Tye River Warehouse — Mayo Cabell, S5, to July, ’56. Berry- ville—Mi's. S. E. T. Stribling, $5, to January, 1857. Hatnp- sftad — Mrs. J. B. Alexander, $1, to April, 1855. Waterloo — S R. Marshali, SlOjto Jan. ’55. North Carolina. — Salem — Dr. A. F. Zeverlv, $3, in full.

j Gold Hill — Dr. Hugh' Kelley,

$4, to August. 1855 7 OO

Georgia. — J\Iacon — J. J. Gres- ham, $3, to January, 1856.

Savajinah — Samuel Bolds, ^1,

to July, 1856 4 DO

Alabama. — Blakeky — 0. Sibley,

55, to January, 1856 5 UU

j Kentucky. — Hai'rcdsburg — Mrs.

Maria Davis, $1, for 1852, by Rev. A M. Cowan ; James j; Taylor, $2, to August, 1855.

E.klon — .1. A. McReynolds,

S4, to^ January, 1856. Lex- |i i?tglon— John Ward, SlO, to |i January, ’55. Louisville — W.

I Richardson, S3, to March, ’55 20 00

I Tennessee. — Straicberry Plains —

I Daniel Meek, $3, to June, ’56. Durhnmville — Maj. R. F. Mac- lin, $5) to September, 1855.

Lebanon — T. C. Anderson, $5,

30 00 'i to January, 1855 15 00

Ohio. — Cincinnati — J. W. Shep- pard, $3, to January, 1858.

Finley — F. Henderson, §2, to

4 00 1 January, 1856. Kenton — R.

Aloodie, $2, to January, 1856.

1 33 Columbus — Pinney & Lawson,

56, to January, 1356. Union-

2 00 tovm Rev. Wm. Taggart,

$10, to Jan. 1855. Xenia —

Daniel Holmes, $1, to July,

1856. Chillicothe — Wm. B.

Franklin, $10, to Jan. 1859.

7 00 Dallasburgh — Geo. Shields, $2,

! toAlay,le55. X'orth Kenton —

Jacob Best, $1, to July, 1856. J^liddltbury — John S. Gilcrest,

11 00 $3, to January, 1856. Woos-

ter— Levi Cox, $5, to January,

1856. Bolivar — D. Y'ant, $5,

to January, 1856... 50 00

Indiana. Greensburgh Wm.

13 50 Speer, $3, to May, 1856

Illinois. — Princeton — Rev. A.

5 00 B. Church, $3, to June, 1856..

AIississippi. Columbus Mrs.

Elizabeth B. Randolph, $2, to January, ’55. Woodvillt — E.

H. Wailes, $5, to Alarch, ’56. XTatchez—S. R,. Marshall, $9,

to January, ’56 16 00

Missouri. — Cravensville — Lewis

3 00 3 00

%

52 00

H. Witten, $1, to July, 1856..	1 00 i:
Michigan. — BeUtle Creek — Alon-	^ A
zo Hill, $1 to July, 1856	1 00 -
Total Repository	250 33 ‘ V
Total Contributions	1,342 79 M: ‘
Total Legacies	80 00 '

Aggregate Amount $1,673 12

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