Speech of the Hon. Henry Clay, before the American Colonization Society : in the hall of the House of Representatives, January 20, 1827 : with an appendix, containing the documents therein referred to

?9

SPEECH

OF THE

m©m^ ms^mws: ©asAm

DEFOHE THE

OIERICAN COLONIZATION SOCIETY,

IN TEB

ISAXIi OF THE HOUSE O^ BJtiPIUSSZnrFATZVSff;

January 20, 1827o

WITH AN APPENDIX,

CO'HtAiytTslG THE DOCUMENTS THEasiM REFERRED TO.

WASHINGTON :

yaiNTED AT THE COLUMBIAN OFFICE, NORTH E STREET.
1827,

Printed at the request of the Society.

Mr. Clay rose. I cannot (said he) withhold the expression of my con.-
gratulations to the Society on account of the very valuable acquisition which
■we have obtained in the eloquent gentleman from Boston, (Mr. Knapp,) who
has just before favoured us with an address. He has told us of his original
impressions, unfavourable to the object of the Society, and of his subsequent
conversion. If the same industry, investigation and unbiassed judgment,
which he and another gentleman, (Mr. Powell,) who avowed at the last
meeting of the Society, a similar change wrought in his mind, were carried,
by the public at large, into the consideration of the plan of the Society, the
conviction in its favour would be universal.

I have risen to submit a resolution, in behalf of which I would bespeak
the favour of the Society. But before I offer any observations in its support,
I must say that, whatever part I shall take in the proceedings of this Society,
whatever opinions or sentiments I may utter, they are exclusively my own.
Whether they are worth any thing or not, no one but myself is at all res
ponsible for them. I have consulted with no person out of this Society ; and
I have especially abstained from all communication or consultation with any'
one to whom I stand in any official relation. My judgment on the object of
this Society has been long since deliberately formed. The conclusions to
which, after much and anxious consideration, my mind has been brought,
have been neither produced nor refuted by the official station the duties of
which have been confided to me.

From the origin of this Society, every member of it has, I believe, looked
forward to the arrival of a period, when it would become necessary to invoke
the public aid in the execution of the great scheme which it was instituted
to promote. Considering itself as the mere pioneer in the cause which it
had undertaken, it was well aware that it could do no more than remove
preliminary difficulties and point out a sure road to ultimate success ; and
that the public only could supply that regular, steady, and efficient support,
to which the gratuitous means of benevolent individuals would be found in-
competent. My surprise has been that the Society has been able so long
to sustain itself, and to do so much upon the charitable contributions of good
and pious and enlightened men, whom it has happily found in all parts of
our country. But our work has so prospered, and grown under our hands,
that the appeal to the power and resources of the public should be no longer
deferred. The resolution which I have risen to propose contemplates this
appeal. It is in the following words : —

•' Resolved, That the Board of Managers be empowered and directed, at such
time or times as may seem to them expedient, to make respectful application to
the Congress of the United States, and to the Legislatures of the diffci-ent States,
for such pecuniary aid, in fur herance of the object of this Society, as they may
respectively be pleased to grant."

In soliciting the countenance and support of tlie Legislatures of the Unioti
and the States, it is incumbent on the Society, in making out its case, to show,
1st. That it offers to their consideration a scheme which is practicable.—-
And 2nd. That the execution of the practicable scheme, partial or entire,
will be fraught with such beneficial consequences as to merit the support
which is solicited. I believe both points to be maintainable. 1st. It is now
a little upwards often years since a religious, amiable and benevolent resi-
dent* of tins City, first conceived the idea of planting a Colony, from the
United States, of free peoj^k of colour, on the Western shores of Africa.
He is no more, and the noblest eulogy which could be pronounced on him
would be to inscribe upon his tomb, tl-c merited epitaph, " Here lies the
projector of the American Colonization Society." Amongst others, to whom
he communicated the project, was the person who now has the honour of ad-
dressing vou. My first impressions, iilie those of all who have not fully inves-
tigated the subject, were against it. They yielded to his earnest persuasions
and my own reflections, and 1 iinally agreed with him that the expeiiment
was worthy of a fair trial. A meeting of its friends was called — organized
as a deliberative body, and a Constitution was formed. The Society went
'into operation. He lived to sec the most encouraging progress in its exer-
tions, and died in full confidence of its complete success. The Society was
scarcely formed before it was exposed to the derision of the unthinking ;
pronounced to be visionary and cliimerical by those who were capable of
adopting wiser opinions, and the most confident predictions of its entire
failure were put forth. It found itself equally assailed by the two extremes
of public sentiment in regard to our African population. According to one,
(th<.t rash class which, without a due estimate of the fatal consequence,
would forthwith issue a decree of general, immediate, and indiscriminate
emancipation,) it was a scheme of the slave holder to perpetuate slavery.
Tlie other (that class which believes slavery a blessing, and which trem
bles with aspen sensibility at the appearance of the most distant and ideal
danger to the tenure by which that description of property is held,) declared
it a contrivance to let loose on society ail the slaves of the country, ignorant,
uneducated, and incapable of appreciating the value, or enjoying the privi
leges of freedom.! The Society saw itself surrounded by every sort of
embarrassment. What great human enterprise was ever undertaken with-

* It has been, since the delivery of tlie Speech, suggested that the Rev. Rob-
ert Fiuley, of New Jevst-y, (wlio is also unfortunutely dead,) contemplated the
format on of a Societ . , with a view to the establishment of a Colony in Africa,and
probably first commenced the project. It is quite likely that he did; and .Vlr C.
recollects seeing Mr. Finley and consulting with him on the subject, about tne
period of the -formation of the Society. But the allusion to Mr. Caldwell was
founded on the facts well known to Mr. Clay of Ins active agency in the organi-
zation of the Society, and his unremitted subsequent labours, which were not
confined to the District of Columbia, in promoting the cause.

+ \ Society of a few individuals, without power, without other resources than
those which are supplied by spontaneous benevolence, to emancipate all XIk
slaves of the Country !

out difficulty ? What ever failed, within the compass of human power, ^vhen
pursued with perseverance and blessed by the smiles of Providence ? The
Society probecutcd undismayed its great work., appeali:;g for succour to the
moderate, the reasonable, the virtuous, and religious portions of the public.
It protested, from the commencement, and throughout all its progress, and
it now protests, that it entertains no purpose, on its own authority or b) its
own means, to attempt emancipation partial oi- general ; that it knows the
General Government ha-s no Constitutional power to achieve such an oijject ;
that it believes that the States, and the States only, which tolerate slavery,
can accomplish the work of emancipation ; and that it ought to be left to
them, exclusively, absolutely, and voluntarily, to decide the question.

The object of the Society was the colonization of the free coloured people,
not the slaves, of the country. Voluntary in its institution, voluntary in its
continuance, voluntary in all its ramifications, all its means, purposes, and
instruments aire also voluntary. But it was said that no free coloured per*-
sons could be prevailed upon to abandon the comforts of civilized life and
expose themselves to all the perils of a settlement in a distant, inhospitable
and savage country ; that, if they could be induced to go on such a quixotic
expedition, no territory could be procured for their establishment as a
Colony ; that the plan was altogether incompetent to effectuate its professed
object ; and that it ought to be rejected as the idle dream of visionary
enthusiasts. The Society has outlived, thank God, all these disastrous pre-
dictions. It has survived to swell the list of false prophets. It is no longer
a question of speculation whether a Colony can or cannot be planted from
Ihe United States of free persons of colour on the shores of Africa. It is a
matter demonstrated ; such a Colony, in fact, exists, pror>pers, has made
successful war, and honourable peace, and transacts all the multiplied busi-
ness of a civilized and Christian community.* It now has about five hundred
souls, disciplined troops, forts, and other means of defence, sovereignty over
an extensive territory, and exerts a powerful and salutary influence over the
neighbouring clans.

Numbers of the free African race among us are willing to go to Africa,
The Society has never experienced any difficulty on that subject, except that
its meansof comfortable transportation have been inadequate to accommodate
all who have been anxious to migrate. Why should they not go <• Here they
are in the lowest state of social gradation — aliens — political — moral — social
aliens, strangers, though natives. There, they would be in the midst of their
friends and their kindred, at home, though born in a foreign land, and elevated
above the natives of the country, as much as they are degraded here below
the other classes of the community. But on this matter, I am happy to
have it in my power to furnish indisputable evidence from the most authentic
source, that of large numbers of free persons of colour themselves. Numer
ous meetings have been iield in several chnrciies in Baltimore, of the free
people of colour, in which, after being organized as deliberative assemblies,

• See the last Annual Report and the highly interesting histoiical sketch of the
nev.Mr. Ashmun,inthe Appendrr,
<9.

by the appointment of a Chairman (if not of the same complexion) presiding
as you, Mr, Vice President, do, and Secretaries, they have voted memorials
addressed lo the white people, in which they have argued the question witli
an ability, moderation, and temper, surpassing any that I can command, and
emphatically recommended the Colony of Liberia to favourable considera-
tion, as the most desirable and practicable scheme ever yet presented on
this interesting subject. I ask permission of the Society to read this highly
creditable document.

[Here Mr. C. read the Memorial referred to— See Appendix.}

The Society has experienced no difficulty in the acquisition of a territo-
ry, upon reasonable terms, abundantly sufficient for a most extensive Colony
And land in ample quantities, it has ascertained, can be procured in Africa,
together with all rights of sovereignty, upon conditions as favourable as those
on which the United. States extinguish the Indian title to territory within
their own limits.

In respect to tlie alleged incompetency of the scheme to accomplish its
professed object, tlie Society asks that tliat object should be taken to be, not
what the imaginations of its eneimes represent it to be, but what it really
proposes. They represent that the purpose of the Society is to export the
•whole African population , of the United States, bond and free; and they
pronounce this design to be unattainable. They declare that the means oi
the whole country are insufficient to effect the transportation to Africa of a
mass of population approximating to two millions of souls. Agreed ; but
that is not what the Society contemplates. They have substituted their
own notion for that of the Society. What is the true nature of the evil of
the existence of a portion of the African race in our population ? It is not
that there are some, but that there are so many among us of a different
caste, of a different physical, if not moral, constitution, who never can
amalgamate with the great body of our population. In every country per-
sons are to be found varying in their colour, origin, and character, from the
native mass. But this anomaly creates no inquietude or apprehension,
because the exotics, from the smallness of their number, are known to be
utterly incapable of disturbing the general tranquillity. Here, on the con-
trary, the African part of our population bears so large a proportion to the
residue, of European origin, as to create the most lively apprehension;,
especially in some quarters of the Union. Any project, therefore, by which,
in a material degree, the dangerous element in the general mass, can be
diminished or rendered stationary, deserves deliberate consideration.

The Colonization Society has never imagined it to be practicable, or withio
the reach of any means which tlie several (iovernments of the Union could
bring to bear on the subject, to transport the whole of the African race
within the limits of the United States. Nor is that necessary to accomplish
the desirable objects of domestic tranquillity, and render us one homo-
geneous people, rhe population of the United States has been supposed to
duplicate in periods of twenty-five years. That may have been the case
hwetotore, but the terras oi duplication will be more and more protracted

as we advance in national age ; and I do not believe that it will be found, in
any period to come, that our numbers will be doubled in a less term than one
of about thirty-three and a third years. I have not time to enter now into
details in support of this opinion. They would consist of those checks
which experience has shown to obstruct the jirogress of population, arising
out of its actual augmentation and density, the betiltnient of wusle lands,
&:c. Assuming the jieriod of thirty-three ;iiid a third, or any other numbc
of years, to be that in which our population will hereafter be doubled, if,
during that whole term, the capital of the African stock could be kept down,
or stationary, whilst tliat of European origin should be left to ;ui unobstruct-
ed increase, the result, at the end of the term, would be most propitious. —
Let us suppose, for example, that the whole population at present of the
United States, is twelve millions, of which ten may be estimated of the
Anglo-Saxon, and two of the African race. If there could be annually
transported from the United States an amount of tlie African portion equal
to the annual increase of the whole of that caste, whilst the European race
should be left to multiply, we should find at the termination of the period
of duplication, whatever it may be, that the relative proportions would b«
as twenty to two. And if the process were continued, during a second term
of duplication, the proportion would be as forty to two — one which would
eradicate every cause ot alarm or solicitude from the breasts of the most
timid. But the transportation of Africans, by creating, to the extent to which
it might be carried, a vacuum in society, would tend to accelerate the dupli-
cation of the European race, who, by all the laws of population, would fill
up the void space.

This Society is well aware, I repeat, that they cannot touch the subject
of slavery. But it is no objection to their scheme, limited as it is exclusively
to those free people of colour who are willing to migrate, that it admits of
indefinite extension and api)lication, by those who alone, having the compe-
tent authority, may choose to adopt and apply it. Our object has been to
point out the way, to show tliat colonization is practicable, and to leave it
to those States or individuals, who may be pleased to engage in the object,
to prosecute it. We have demonstrated that a Colony may be planted in
Africa, by the fact that an American Colony there exists. The problem
which has so long and so deeply interested the thoughts of good and patri
otic men, is solvecl — a country and a home have been found, to which the
African race may be sent, to the |)roinotion of their happiness and our own.

But, Mr. Vice President, I shall not rest contented with the fact of the
esta'ilishment of the Colony, conclusive as it ought to be deemed, of the
practicability of our purpose. I shall proceed to show, by reference to in-
disputable statistical details and calculations, that it is within the compass
of reasonable human means. I am sensible of the tedionsness of all arith-
jnetical data, but 1 will endeavour to simplify them as much as possible.—
It will be borne in mind that the aim of the Society is to establish in Africa
a Colony of the fiee African population of the United States ; to an extent
which shall be beneficjal both to Africa and America. Tk© whole free erf-

cured population of the United States amounted in 1790, to 59,481 ; in 1800,
to 110,072 ; in 1810, to 186,446; and in 1820, to 233,530. The ratio of an-
nual increase during the first term of ten years, was about eight and a half
per cent, per annum ; during the second, about seven per cent, per annum ;
and during the third, a little more than two and a half. The very great
difference in the rate of annual increase, during those several terms, may
probably be acccounted for by the effect of the number of voluntary eman
cipations operating with more influence upon the total stnaller amount of
free coloured persons at the first of those periods, and by the facts of the
insurrection in St. Domingo, and the acquisition of Louisiana, both of which,
occurring during the first and second terms, added considerably to the num
ber of our free coloured population.

Of all descriptions of our pojjulalion, that of the free coloured, taken in the
aggregate, is the least prolific, because of the checks arising fronn vice and
want. During the ten years, between 1810 and 1820, when no extraneous
•causes existed to prevent a fair competition in the increase between the slave
and the free African race, the former inciTased at the rate of nearly tluee
per cent, per annum, whilst the latter did not much exceed two and a half.
Hereafter it may be safely assumed, and I venture to predict will not be
contradicted by the return of the next census, that the increase of the free
black popuLition %vill not surpass two and a half per cent, per annum.
Their amount at the last census, being 233,530, for the sake of round num-
bers, their annual increase may be assumed to be 6000, at the present time.
Now if this number could be annually transported from the Uniied Slates
during a term of years, it is evident tliat, at the end of that term, the parent
capital will not have increased, but will have been kept down at least to what
it was at the commencement of the term. Is it practical>le then to colonize
annually six thousand persons from the United States, without materially
impairing or affecting my of the great interests of the United Slates ? This
is the question presented to the judgments of the Legislative authorities of
our country. This is the whole scheme of the Society, From its actual
experience, derived from the expenses which have been incurred in transr
porting the persons already sent to Africa, the entire average expense of
each Colonist, young and old, including passage money and subsistence, may
be stated at twenty dollars per head. There is reason to believe that it may
be reduced considerably below that sum. Estimating that to be the expense,
the total costoftransportmg 6000 souls, annually to Africa,would be Sl20,000.
The tonnage requisite to effect the object, calculating two persons to every
five tons (which is the provision of existing law) would be 15,000 tons. But
as each vessel could probably make two voyages in the year, it may be
reduced to 7500. And as both our mercantile and military marine might
be occasionally employed on this collateral service, without injury to the
Hiain object of the voyage, a further abatement might be safely made in the
aggregate amount of the necessary tonnage. The navigation concerned in
she commerce between the Colony and the United States, (and it already

begins to supply subjects of an interesting trade,) might be incidentally em

ploved to the same end.

Is the annual expenditure of a sum no larger than Sl20,C0O, and the an-
nual employment of 7500 tons of ship])inJ!;, too much for reasonable exertion,
considering the magnitude of the object in view ? Are they not, on the con-
trary, within the compass of moderate efforts ?

Here is the whole scheme of the Society — a project which has been pro-
pounced visionary by those who have never given themselves the trouble to
examine it, but to which I believe most unbiassed men will yield their
cordial assent, after they have investigated it.

Limited as the project is, by the Society, to a Colony to be formed by the
free and unconstrained consent of free persons of colour, it is no objection,
but on the contrary a great recommendation of the plan, that it admits ot
being taken up and applied on a scale of much more comprehensive utility.
The Society knows, and it affords just cause of felicitation, that all or any
one of the States which tolerate slavery may carry the scheme of coloniza*
tion into effect, in regard to the slaves within their respective limits, and
thus ultimately rid themselves of an universally acknowledged curse. —
A reference to the results of the several enumerations of the population
of the United States will incontestably prove the practicability of its appli-
cation on the more extensive scale. The slave population of the United
States amounted in 1790, to 697,697; in 1800, to 896,849 ; in 1810, to il91,364;
and in 1820, to 1538.128. The rate of annual increase, (rejecting fractions
and taking the integer to which they make the nearest approach,) during the
first term of ten years was not quite three per cent, per annum, during the
second, a little more than three per cent, per annum, and during the third, a
little less than three percent.* The mean ratio of increase for the whole
period of thirty years was very little more than three per cent, per annum.
During the first two periods, the native stock was augmented by importa-
tions from Africa in those States which continued to tolerate them, and by
the acquisition of Louisiana. Virginia, to her eternal honour, abolished the
abominable traffic among the earliest acts of her self-government. The
last term alone presents the natural increase of the capital unafiected by
any extraneous causes. That authorizes, as a safe assumption, that the fu-
ture increase will not exceed th/ee per cent, per annum. As our population
increases the value of slave labour will diminish, in consequence of the
superiour advantages in the employment of free labour. And when the
value of slave labour shall be materially lessened either by the multiplica-
tion of the supply of slaves beyond the demand, or by the competition
between slave and free labour, the annual increase of slaves will be recluced,
in consequence of the abatement of the motives to provide for and rear the
offspring.

Assuming the future increase to be at the rate of three per cent, per
annum, he annual addition to th« number of slaves in the United States.

* See a table in the Appendix.

calculated upon the return of the last census (1,538,128) is 46,009. Applying
the data which have been already stated and explained, in relation to the
colonization of free persons of colour from the United States to AtVica, to
the aggregate annual increase both bond and free of the African race, and
the result will be found most encouraging. The total number of the annual
increase of both descriptions is 52,000. The total expense of transporting that
number to Africa, (supposing no reduction of present prices) would be
one million and forty thousand dollars, and the requisite amount of tonnage
vrould be only 130,000 tons of shipping, about one-ninth part of the mercan-
tile marine of the United States. I 'pon the supposition of a vessel's making
two voyages in the ypar, it would be reduced to one half, 65,000. And this
quantity would be still further reduced, by embracing opportunities of inci*
dental employment of vessels belonging both to the mercantile and military
aiarines.

But, is the annual application of gl.O'lO.OOO; and the employment of 65 or
even 130,000 tons of shipping, considering the magnitude of tlie object,
ieyond the ability of this country ? Is there a patriot, looking forward to
its domestic quiet, its happiness and its gloiy, that would not cheerfully
contribute his proportion of the burthen to accompUsh a purpose so great
and so humane ? During the general continuance of the African slave trade,
hundreds of thousands of slaves have been, in a single year, imported into
the several countries whose laws authorized their admission. Notwith-
standing the vigilance of the po\*er3 now engaged to suppress the slave
trade, I have received information, that in a single year, in the single island
of Cuba, slaves equal in amount to one-half of the above number of 52,000,
have been illicitly introduced. Is it possible that those who are concerned
in an infamous traffic can effect more than the States of this Union, if they
were seriously to engage in the good work ? Is it credible — is it not a libel
upon.human nature to suppose, that the triumphs of fraud and violence and
iniquity, can surpass those of virtue and benevolence and humanity ?

The population of the United States being, at this time, estimated at
about ten millions of the European race, and two of the African, on the sup-
position of the annual colonization cf a number of the latter equal to the an-
nual increase, of both of its classes, during the whole period necessijry to
the process of duplication of our numbers, they would, at the end of that
period, relatively stand twenty millions for the white and two for the black,
portion. But an annual exportation of a number equal to the annual increase,
at the beginning of the term, and persever'yd in to the end of it, would ac-
complish more than to keep the parent stock standing. The Coionists
would comprehend more than an equal proportion of those of the prolific ages.
Few of those who had passed that age v/ould migrate. So that the annual in-
crease of those left behind would coniiiiue gradually, but, at first, insensibly,
to diminish ; and by the expiration of the period of duplication it would be
found to have materially abated. But it is not merely the greater relative
safety and happiness which would, <tt the termination ot that period, be the
condition of the whiles. Their ability to give further stimulus to the cause

11

uf colonization will have been doubled, whilst the subjects on which it woulcl
have to operate will have decreased or remained stationary. If the business
of colonization should be regularly continued during two periods of dupli-
cation, at the end of the second, the whites would stand to the blacks, as
forty millions to not nnore than two, whilst the same ability will have been
quadrupled. Even if colonization should then altogether cease, the propor-
tion of the African to the European race will be so small that the most timid
may then, for ever, dismiss all ideas of danger from within or without, on
account of that incongruous and perilous element in our population.

Further ; by the annual withdrawal of 52.000 persons of colour, there
would be annual space created for an equal number of the white race.
The period, therefore, of duplication of the whites, by the laws which
govern population, would be accelerated.

Such, Mr. Vice President, is the project of the Society ; and such is the
extension and use which may be made of the principle of colonization, in
application to our slave population, by those States which are alone com-
petent to undertake and execute it. All, or any one, of the States which
tolerate slavery may adopt and execute it, by co-operation or separate ex-
ertion. If I could be instrumental in eradicating this deepest stain upon the
character of our country, and removing all cause of reproach on account of
it, by foreign nations — if I could only be instrumental in ridding of this
foul blot that revered State that gave me birth, or that not less beloved
State which kindly adopted me as her son, I would not exchange the proud
satisfaction which I. should enjoy for the honour of all the triumphs eVer
decreed to the most successful conqueror.

Having I hope shown that the plan of the Society is not visionary, but ra-
tional and practicable; that a Colony does in fact exist, planted under it.<?
auspices; that free people are willing and anxious to go; and that the right
of soil as well as of Sovereignty may be acquired in vast tracts of country
in Africa, abundantly sufficient for all the purposes of the most ample Colony,
and at prices almost only nominal, the task, vviiich remains to me of shewinr;
the beneficial consequences which ijWMild attend the execution of the scheme,
is comparatively easy.

Of the utility of a total separation of the two incongruous portions ef out
population, supposing it to be practicable, none Uave ever doubted. The
mode of accomplishing that most desirable object, has alone divided publir,
opinion. Colonization in Hayti, for a time, had its partisans. Without
throwing any impediments in the vi-ay of executing that scheme, the Amer-
ican Colonization Society has steadily adhered to its own. The Haytier^
project has passed away. Colonization beyond the Stony Mountains ha^
sometimes been proposed; but it would be attended v,ith an expense anc',
difficulties far surpassing the African project whilst it would not unite th«J
same ani ating motives. There is a moral fitness in the idea of returning
to Africa her children, whose ancestors have been torn from her by the ruth-
less hand of fraud and violence. Transplanted in a foreign land, they wili
c'arry back to their native sofl th« ri«h fruits of religion, civilUzation, lavvai?^".

in

liberty. May it not be one of the great designs of the Ruler of the XinWerse,'
(whose ways are often inscrutable by short sighted mortals,) thus to trans-
form an original crime into a signal blessing, to that most unfortunate por-
tion of the Globe. Of all classes of our population, the oiost vicious is that
of the free coloured. It is the inevitable result of their moral, political and
civil degradation. Contaminated themselves, they extend tfieir vices to all
around them, to the slaves and to the wljites. If the principle of coloniza-
tion should be confined to them ; if a colony can be firmly established and
successfully continued in Africa \\ hich should draw off annually an amoimt of
that portion of our population equal to its annual increase, much j^nud will
be done. If the principle be adopted and applied by the States, whose laws
sanction the existence of slavery, to an extent equal to the annual incn ase of
slaves, still greater good will be done. This good will be felt by the Atricans
■who go, by the A'ricans who remain, by the white population of our coun-
try, by Atrica and by America. It is a project wiiich recommends itself to
favour in all the aspects in which it can be contemplated. It will do good in
every and any extent in which it may be executed. It is a circle of philan-
throphy, every segment of which tells and testifies to the beneficence of the
whole.

Every emigrant to A'rica is a missionary carrying with him credentials id
the holy cause ot civilization, religion, and free institutions. Why is it that
the degree of success of missionary exertions is so limited, and so dis'cour-'
aging to those whose piety and htncvoitnct prompt them * Is it not because
the missionary is generally an alien and a stranger, perhaps of a difierent
colour, and troiTi a dift'etcnt tribe P There is a sort of instinctive feeling of
jealousy and distrust towards foreigners which repels and rejects them in all
countries; and this feeling is in proportion to the degree of ignorance and
barbarism which prevail. But the African Colonists, whom we send to con-
vert the heathen, are of the same colour, the same family, the same physi-
cal constitution. . V\ hen the purposes of the Colony shall be fully understood,
they will be received as long lost brethren restored to the embraces of their
friends ana their kindred by the dispensations of a wise Providence.

The Society is reproached for agitating this question. It should be recol-
lected that the existence of free people of colour is not limited to the States
only which tolerate slavery. Ihe evil extends itself to all the Slates, and
some of those which do not allow of slavery, (their cities especially,) expe-
rience the evil in an extent even greater than it exists in the slave States,
A common evil confers a right to consider and apply a common remedy.
Nor is it a valid objection that this remedy is partial in its operation or dis-
tant in its efficacy. A patient, writhing under the tortures of excruciating
disease, asks of his physician to cure nim if he can, and, if he cannot, to miti-
gate his sufferings. But the remedy proposed, if generally adopted and per-
severingly applied, for a sufficient length of time, should it not entirely erad-
icate the disease, will enable the body politic to bear it without danger and
without suffering.

We are reproached with doing mischief b;- the a .itation of this question
The Society j^(.'es into no licuseliolu to disturb its aomtstic iraii<iui.!ity ; .i

13

addresses itself to no slaves to weaken their obligations of oi^edicnce. It
seeks to affect no man's property. It neither has the power nor the will to
affect the property of any one contrary to his consent. The execution of its
scheme would augment instead of diminishing the value of the property left
behind. The Society, composed of free men, concerns itself only with the
free. Collateral consequences we are not responsible for. It is not this
Society which has produced the great mora! revolution whiph tlie age ex-^
hibits. What would they, who thus reproach us, have done ? If they would
repress ail tendencies towards Liberty and ultimate emancipation, they must
do more than put down the benevolent cftorts of this Society. They niust
go back to the era of our Liberty and independence, and muzzle the cannon
\vhich thunders its annual joyous return. They must revive the slave trade,
%vith all its train of atrocities. They must suppress the workings of British
philanthropy, seeking to meliorate the condition of the unfortunate West
Indian slaves. Tiiey must arrest the career of South American deliverance
from thraldom. They must blow out the moral lights around us, and ex-
tinguish that greatest torch of all which America presents to a benighted
world, pointing the way to their rights, their liberties, and their happiness.
And when they have achieved all these purposes, their work will be yet
incomplete. They must penetrate the human soul, and eradicate the light
of reason and the love of liberty. Then, and not till then, when universal
darkness and despair prevail, can you perpetuate slavery, and repress all
sympathies, and all humane and benevolent efforts among freemen, in behalf
of the unhappy portion of our race who are doomed to bondage.

Our friends, who are cursed with this greatest of human evils, deserve
the kindest attention and consideration. Their property and their safety
are both involved. But the liberal and candid among them will not, cannot,
expect that every project to deliver our country from it is to be crushed
because of a possible and ideal danger.

Animated by the encouragement of the past, let us proceed under the
cheering prospects which lie before us. Let us continue to appeal to the
pious, the liberal and the wise. Let us bear in mind the condition of our
forefathers, when, collected on the beach of England, they embarked, amidst
the scoffingsand the false predictions of the assembled multitude, for this
distant land ; and here, in spite of all the perils of forest and ocean, which
they encountered, successfully laid the foundations of this glorious Republic.
Undismayed by the prophecies of the presumptuous, let us supplicate the
aid of the American Representatives of the people, and redoubling our la-
bours, and invoking the blessings of an all-wise Providence, I boldly and
confidently anticipate success. I hope the resolution which I offer will be
'inanimously adopted.

APPXSNDIX:.

.Tetrads from the Report of the Board of Managers of the American Colonization
Society, presented at its annual meeting, January 13th, 1827.

The system of Government established with the full consent of the Colonists,
in the autumn of 1824, and which tl e Managers had the happiness to represent
in their last Report, as having thus far fulfilled all the purposes of its institution,
has continued its operations during the year without the least irregularity, and
with undiminished success. The lepublican principle is introduced as far as is
consistent with the youthful and unfcrmed chamcterof the settlement, and in the
election of their officers the Colonists have evinct d sucli integrity and judgment
as afford promise of early prtpai tion for all tiie duties of self government.
*'The civil prerogatives and government of the Colony and the body of the laws
by which they are sustained," says the Coloni 1 Agent, " are the pride of all. {
am happy in the persuasion I have, tliat I l:okl the balance of the laws in the
midst of a people, with whom the fiist perceptible inclination of the sacred scale
determines authoritatively, their sentiments and their conduct. There are indi-
vidual exceptions, but these remarks extend to the body of the settlers,"

The moial and religious character of the Colduy, exerts a powerful influence
on its social and civil c ndition. That pi< ty whic' had gu dtd niost of the early
emigrarts to Libeiia, even before they lett this country, to respectability and
usefulness anong their ass- ciates, prepared tliem, in laying the foundations of a
Colony, to act with a de^free of wisdom aid enetgy which no earthly motives
could inspire Humble, and for the nio.->t part unlettered men ; born and bred
in circumstances the njost unfavorable to mental culture ; unsustained by the
hope of renowr, and unfamiliar with the history of great achievements and heroic
vittues, their's was neverti eless a spirit unmoved by dang' s or by si fferings,
•which mi.sfortunes could not darken, nor death dismay TJiey left America,
and felt that it was forever: they landed in Africa, prssibly to find a home, but
certainly a grave: Strange would it have been lad the religion of every indivi-
dual of these etrly settlers pn ved genuine . but immensely changed as have been
their circumstances and severely tried their faith, most have pres. rved untarnish-
ed the honours of their profession, and to the purity of their morals and the
consistercy of their conduct, is in a great me:isure to be attributed the social order
and general prosperity of the Colony of Liberia. Their example has proveci
most saluta'y ai d while subsequent emigrants have found themselves awed and
restrained, by their regulaiity, seriousness and devo'ioi , the poor natives have
given their confidence and acknowledged the excellence cf practical Christ
tianity. *' It deserves record," says Mr. A-hmnn, " that religioi has been the
principal gent employed in laying and confirming the foundations of the settle-
ment. To this sentiment ruling, restraining, and actuati?ig the minds of a large
proportion of the ( olonists, must be refirred tlie whole strength of our civil gov-
ernment." Examples of intemperance, profaneness or licentiousness, are extre-
mely rare, and vice, wherever it exi.<its, is obliged to seek concealment from the
public eye. The Sabbath is universally respected ; Sunday schools, boti. for the
children of the Colony ;.nd for the natives, are established ; all classes attend re-
gularly upon the worship of God ; some cliaritahle associations have been formed
for the benefit of the heathen ; i.nd though it must not be concealed, th^t Ihf:
deep concern on the subjeirt of religion, which resulted, tow rds the, conclusion
of the year 1825, in the public profession of < hristianity by about fifty Colonists,
has in a measure subsided, and some few cases of delinqm ncv since occured ; and
though there nre faults growing out of the early condition and habits of the
settlers which require amendment ; yet the AJaiagers have reason to believe,
that there is a vast and increasing preponderance on the side of correct pi inciph;
and virtuous practice.

The agriculture of the Colony, has received less attention than its importance.
dem;inds. This is to be attributed to the fact, that the labour of the settlers has
bten applied to objects conducing more immediately to their subsistence and
comfort.

It Will not, the Board trust, be concluded that, because more might have been
done tor the agricultuial interests of the Colony, whai has been tffected is incon-
siderable. Two hundr d and twenty-f.ur i.lantations, of from five to ten ..cres
each, wTre, in June last, occupied by the settlers, an.l most of them are believed
to be at present nnder cultivation. One hundrt d and fourteen of these are on
Cape Moatserado, tuirty three on Stockton creek, denominated the Halfway
Farms, because nearly equi-dist-mt from Monrovia and Caldwell, the St. Paul's
settlemt-ntj and seventy-seven at ihe confluence of Stockton creek with the
St. Paul's.

The St. Paul's Territory iniludes the Halfway Farms, and is rcpresenied as a
beautiful t.act of country, compari ively open, Well watered and fertile, and still
fur-.lier recommende i as hav ng been, forages, selected by the natives on account
of its pr iduttiveness for their ric- and cassada p amations. The agricultural
habits of the present occupants of this tract, concur wi h the advantages uf their
situation, in afi'o ding p onuse of success to their exertions. " Nothini^,'' says
the Colonial Agent, " bui circumstances of the most extraordinary nature, can
prevent them fiom making their way ilireclly to re pcctabdity and abunda .ce."

Oxen were tra.nid t labour in the Colony m 1825, and it was ihen ex.iecied
that the pi -ugh would b. introduced in the course of anothi-r year. AKhiugh
commerce has tlius far taken the lead of agriculture, yet the excellence ot the
soil, tl^e inwll amount of labour required tor us culivatio i, and tiie value and
abuiidance of its products, can 'Ot fail, finally, to r. ider the latter the more
cherished, as it is, certainly, the more important interest of the Colony

The Trade of Liberia las increased v.itli a rajudity almost un xampled, and
while it has supplitd the Colonists nut only «iththe necessaries, but with the
conveniences ind comf ris of life, the good faith with which it has been conduct-
ed, has conciliated the friendship of the natives, and acquiied tbe confidence ot"
forcig. ers.

I'lie regulations of the Colony allowing no credits, except by writt n permis-
sion, and requiring the bartei* to be carried on through f..ctories established for
the purpose, has increased th profits o' the traffic, and prevented numerous
evils wh:ch must have attended upon a more unres.ricted license.

lietween the 1st of January and the 15th of Ju y, lb26, no less than 15 vessels
touched at Monrovia Ziud purchased the produce o. the couniry, to the mount
according to the best probable cstimat , of S43,980, Af ican value. The ex-
porters ot this produce realize, on the s le of tlie goods given in b^rii-r for it, a
profit of S21,990, and on the freight, of $8,786, maki'.g a tc'.al profit of S30,786.

A gentleman in Portland has commenced a regular trade wih the Colony ; and
fbr his last cargo landed in Libena, amounting to ^8,u00, he received payment
in the course of ten days, 'I'he advantages ol this trade to the Colony, are man-
ifest from the higli price of labour, i^that of mechanics being t ^o dollars per day,
an.l that of common labourers from 75 cents to §1 25 cens,) and from the easy
and comfortable circumstances of the settlers. *' An interesting family, twelve
months in Africa, destitute of the means of furnishing an abundant table, is not
knnwn ; and an individual, of whatever age or sex, with ut ample provision of
decent apparel, cannot, it is believed, be found." "Every family," says Mr. Ash-
inun, "and nearly every single adult person in the Colony, h .s the means of
employing from one to four native labourers, at an expense of from four to six
dollars the month ; and several of the settlers, when called upon in consequence
of sudden emergencies of the pubhc service, have made repeated advances of
of merchantable produce, to the amount of 300 to 600 dollars each."

The -Managers are happy to state, that the efforts of the Colonial Agent to
etilarge the ri;niiiTOBY of Liberia, and particularly to bring under the govern-
inent of the Colony a more extended line of coast, have been judicious and en-
ergetic, and in nearly every instance resulted in complete success. From Cape
Mount to Tradctown, a distance of one hundred and fifty miles, the Colonial'

3

giovernment has acquired partial juris lict'rn; Foca of the most impotan-,
STiTJosd on this tract, iicli in Mo i ^er:i )• ng *> 'le -oc nv, t er )y

actual piircnaso, or by ;i de d • p (I'-tuu le " an-l s ich oeg' otiati ns h e
been entered upon with ilic h fs n' tlie ( un v, as HinoinU to a pre'Mi-,on )f
all Europeans tVo.n any possessions within 'hes ■ li nits. The fine Ternt. ry )f
the St. Paul's, now occupied by set'lers, w.is de-scribed m the last annual lep >rt
of the Society.

The reriitory of Young Sesters, recently ceded to the Society, is ninety
miles south of Montserado, in the midst of a very productive rice country, af.
fording also large qua titles of pjlm oil, camwood, and ivory. The tract granted
to the Colony, nchules the bed of the Sesiers river, and all the 1 md on each
side, to the distance of half a league, and extending longitutlina'ly from the
river's mouth to its source. In compliance with the terms of the o, .tract, tlie
Chief of the countrt has constructed a commodious store oiise, and put a U'lm-
ber of labourers sufficient for the cultivation of a rice plantation of f rty acres,
under the direction of a respectable Colonist, who takes charge of the establish-
meni.

The right of use and occupancy has also been obtained to a region of country
on the south branch of the St. John'sriver, north nine "nilesfrom Yowng Sesters,
and the trading factory established there, under the superi 'end. nee of a.
family from Monrovia, has already provided a valuable source of income to the
Colony Rice is also here to be cultivated, and the Chief who cedes the territory,
agrees to furnish the 1 .bour.

The upright and exemplary conduct of the individual at the head of this esta-
blishment, has powerfully impressed the natives with the import nee of inviting
them to settle in their country ; and consequently, the oiler mad^ by the Coloni-
al Agent, for the purch^ise of Factory Is! nd, has been accepted y its proprie-
tor. This Island is in the river St. .loiin's, four milcs from its m utli, from five
to six miles m length, and one third of a mile in bieadlh, and is among the most
beautiful and fertile spots in Africa. A few families are about to take up their
residence upon it, and prepare for founding a settleme t, " which cannot fail,"
says .Mr. Ash lum, "in a few years, to be second to no other in the Colony, ex.
cept Mo rovia.''

Negotiations are also in progress with the Chiefs of Cape Mount, which, if
successsful, will secure to the Colony the whole trade of tha' station, estimated
at g50,000 per annum, and may ultima' eh lead to its annexation to the Territo-
ries of Liberia. " The whole countrv between Cape Mount and Trale Town,"
O^serv s Mr Ashmun, " is r cU in sol and other n itural advuna.es, and capable
of sustaining a numerous i.nd civilized popu'ation beyond almost any othep
country on earth. Leaving the sea-board, the traveller, every where, at ihe dis-
tance of a very few miles, enters up. n a uniform upland country, of moderate
elevation, intersecte. by innum. rable l-ivulets, abounding in springs of unfailing
water, and covied with a verdure which knows no ot er ch nges except those
which refresh and renew its beauties. The country d rec ly on the ~ea, although
verdant nd fruitf 1 to a h gh egree, is found every where to yield, in both
resp c s, to the inieriour '

Much progress ha- been made the last year, in the construction of public,
buildin^-^s and works of def nee, thoutth, wiih adequatf- upplies of lumber,
more might doubtless have b. en accomplished Tv/ handsome cimrches, erect-
ed solely by the Colonists, now adorn the villaire of Monrovia. Fort Stockton
has been rebuilt in a style of strengtii and beauty. A recep'acle eapabi • of
accommoda'ing one hundred and fifty emiurrants, is completed. The New-
Agency House, Marke' Ho 'se, Lanca-terian School, and t'own House in Mon.
rovi.., w. re, some months since, far advanced, and th- finishing strokes were
abouv to be givn to he Government House on 'he St. Paul's. The wing of the
Old A ency House has been "handsomely fitted up tor the Colonial Libr ry,
which now consists of 1200 volumes systematically arranged in uluzed cases,
with aopropriate hanging- All the books ;ire substantially covered, and accu-
rateiy labelU d ; and files of more than ten n- wsp pers, more or less complete,
are preserved. The library la tilted up so as to answer the purpose of a reading
3

rnom, and is intended to make it a museum of all the natural curiosities oi
A'rica, wh ch cun be procin d. '

No eff rts have heen spared to place the Colony n a state of adequate defence,
and while it is regarded as pertectiv secur- from the native forces, it is h ip d
and believed that ii may sustai'i itself against any piratical assault -.. " The esiab-
lishment has fifteen large ca'riaar'- U'uns and three small i)ivot g ins, all fit for
servire " Fort Stockton overlooks the whol - town of Monrovia, and a str ng
battery is now building on t'u- he ght if Thompson Town, near tiie extremity of
the Cape, which it is thought »vill ;ifFord proit-ction to \essels anchor^n;^ in the
roadsti-ad. The miiiiia of ilie Colony consists of two C'rps app'opn.itely uni-
formed, one o- Artillery of abottt fiftv mt.'n, the other of Infantry of forty men,
and on various occasions have they proved themselves deficient neither in disci-
pline or courage.

Extracts from the Rev. J. Ashmiai's Report of the Colovy.

The money expended on these various objects has necessarily been considera-
ble ; but, in comparison with the expense which similar objects in this country
cost European governments, it will he found not merely moderate, but trifling.
Less than has been ejected towards the extension of ou'- limits, 1 could not at-
tempt : and I am certain that where t!ie direction of every other establishment on
the coast, except the Portuguese, would r gard itself not only authorized, but
obliged, to pay away thousands — 1 have m countless instances, spent not a dollar.
But that s()ecics of econ my which sacrifices to itself any object essential to the
succ ss of tins undertaking, 1 am as little able to practice as the Board is to
approve.

The natives of the couiitrj', but particularly of the interior, ifetwithstanding
their habitua indolence, produce, after supplying their owu wants, a considera-
ble surplus of the great staple of this part of Western Africa — rice. The moder-
ate rate at which this gram is purchased by such as deal directly with the grow-
ers ; aiid the various u^es ot which i is susceptible in the domestic economy,
easi.y place liie means if supplying the first necessities of nature in the reach of
every one. Rice, moreover, always commands a ready sale with transient trad-
ing vessels or coasters ; and forms an use ul object of excliange for other pro-
visions an . necessaries, between individuals of the Colony.

To this succeeds, as next in importance, the Camwood of the country; of which
several hundred tons every year pass through the hands of the settlers ; and serve
to introduce, in return, the provisions and groceries of America ; and the dry
goods and wares both of Kuropeand America, which, from the necessary depend-
ence of the members of every society on each other, come soon to be distributed,
for the common advantage of all.

The Ivory .)f Liberia is less .ibundant, and less valuable, than that of other dis-
tricts of Wes-ern Africa. It, however, forms a valuable article of barter and
export, to the settlement ; and the amount annually bought and sold, falls be-
tween 5 a d 8 thousand dollars

No loss than f;ve .-chools for difTerent discriptions of learners, exclusive of the
Sunday Schools, have been supported during the year, and still continues in
operation. — he youths and cliildren of the Colony discover for their age, une-
quivocal proofs of a good degree of mental accompl.shment. The contrast be-
tween clnklren s \eral years in the enjoyment of the advantages of the Colony,
and most others of the same age, arriving from the United States, is sinking —
and would leave an entire stranger at no loss to distinguish the one froni the
other. Shou d emigration, but for a very few months, cease to throw the little
jgnorants into the Colony, from abroad, the phenomenon of a child of five years,
unable to read, it is believed, would not exist among us.

The first successful essay in the con.struction of sn all vessels, has been rrade
the past year. 1 have built, and put upon the rice trade, betv een our factories
to the leew ard, and Cape Montserado, a chooner of ten tons burthen, adapted to
the passage ot the bars of all the navigable rivers of the coast. The sailing

0

qualities of this vessel are so superior, that before the wind, it is believed, few oi'
none of the immeroiis pirates of the coast, can overiake her. She makes a trip,
freighted both wuys, in ten days ; and commonly catries and brings m rch and se
and produce, to the amount of from 4 to 8 hundred dollars eacli trip. Another
craft of equal tonnag-e, but of very indificrent materials, has been budt by one of
the Colonists. The model of the St. Paul's (the public boat) was furnished by
myself; but she was constructed under the superintendence of J. Blake, who has
thus entitled himself to the character of an useful and mg-enious mechanic.

One of the most obvious effects of this Colony, has already been to check,
m this part of Africa, the prevalence of the slave-irade. 'I"he promptness and
severity with which our arms have, in every instance, avenged the insults and
injuries olltrcd by slave ships and factoiiesto the Colony, have, 1 may confident-
ly say, banished it forever from this district of the coast. Our influence w,th the
natives of this section of the coast is known to be so great ;is to expose to certain
miscarriage, any transaction entered into with theni, for slaves Hut there is a
moral feeling at work in the minds of most of our neighbours, contracted doubt-
less, by means of their intercourse with the Colony, winch represents to them the
dark business in a new aspec, of repulsiveness and ai^surdity Most are convin-
ced that it is indeed ;. bud business, — and are apparently sincere in their deter-
mination to drop it forever, unless compelled by their wants to adventure a few
occasional speculations.

In the punishment of offences, the most lenient maxims of modern jurispru-
dence have been observed, by way of experiment on liumun nature, in th^t par-
ticular modification o; it exnibittd by the populatun of this Colony. The result
has been, so far fa ourable to the policy pursued. The pasaion to which corporeal
and other ignominious punisiiments address thei-r arguments, is tertainly one
of the least ingenuous of the human constitution.

Extracts fi-om a Memorial from the Free People of Colour to the Citizens of Bal-
timore.

We have hitherto beheld, in silence, but witli the intensrst interest, th ef-
forts of the wise and philanthropic in o r ijehalf. If it became us to be silent, it
became us also to f el the liveliest anxiety and gra itude. The time has now
arrived, as we believe, in which your work and ui happiness may be proii,oted
by the expression of our opinions. We have ihertfoie assembled for "diat pur-
pose, from ever^ quarter of the City and every denomination, to offer you this
respectful address, with all the we ght and influence which oui number, character
and cause can lend it.

We reside among you, and yet are strangers; natives, and yet not citizens;
surrounded by the freest people and most republican institutions in the world,
and yet enjoying none of tli' immunities of freedom.

It is not to be imputed to you that we are here. Your ancestors remonstrated
against the intn duction of the first i.four race, who were brought amongst you ;
and it was the mother ci>un ry that iisisted on their admission, that her colonies
and she might profit, as she thought, by their compulsory labour. I5ut the gift
was a curse to them, without being an advantage to her.^elf The colonies,
grown to womanhood, bur t from herdomi iion,; and if they have an angry recol-
lection of their union and rupture, it must be at the sight of the baneful institution
which she has entailed vipon them.

How mucl. you regret its existence among you, is shewn by the severe laws you
have I nacted against the slave-tade, and by your employnieni of a naval force
for its suppression. You have gone still further. Not content wit! checking the
increase of the already too growing evil, \ou have deliberated how \ou might
best exterminate the evil itself. This delicate and important subject has pro-
duced a great variety of o])inions ; but we find, even in that diversity, a ci nsol-
atory proof of the interest with which you regard the subject, and of your readi-
ness to adopt that scheme which may appear to be tiie best.

Ltaving' out all onsioerations of £cener"sity, humanity and benevolence, 'you
hav .he strongest reason'* to favom and facilitate the witlirlra al from among
you ofsucli us wish to remove. It ill consists, in tlie first place, w th your re-
pii ilican principles and with the heaith and moral sense of the body politic, that
the e should be in the midst of you an extraneous mass of men, unired to you only
by sol! ai\d c imate, and irrevoc.bly excluded fr m yi.ur institutions. Nor is it
less for your advantage in another point of view. Our places niight, in our
opini'Mi, be better occupied by men of your own colour, who would increase the
fitrengtli of your country. In the pursuit of livehh-.od and the f xercise of indus-
trious h bi s, we ntcessitrily exclude from empliyment m.my of the whiles — your
fell <w citizens, who would find it easier in proportion as we depart, to provide
for tii. irselves and their families.

But if 1/011 have every reason to wish for our removal, how much greater are '
our inducements to remove ! Though we ire not slaves, we are not free. We
do , ot, and ev( r shall p uticipate in Ih enviable pr vileires which we con'inually
■witness. Beyond a utere subs sienc •, and the impulse of religion, there is
rothmg to arouse us to the exercise of our faculties, or excite us to the attain-
ment of eminence.

Of the many schemes that have been proposed, we most approve of that, of
AfncanColoniza'don. If we were able and at liberty to go withersoever we would,
th greater I'um er, .filing to lea>.e ti)is commuinty, would prefer Libeuia, on
the coast of .\fr;ca Others no doubt, would turn them tow rds some other re-
gions: th( worKl is w de. Already, established there in the settlement of the
American Colon iZ.itio> Society, are ni.iny of tir brethren, liie pionet rs of Afri-
can Rest'Tation, who encouragt us to join them. Several were formerly resi-
idents of \\w- < ity, and highly considered by the peop'e of their own class and
colour. They have b-.i n phuited at c;pe Montserado, the most eligible and one
of the most eleVi^ted sites on the western coast of Africa, selected in 1821 ; and
their number has :.tigmentid to five hundred. Able, as we are mformed, to pro-
vide for their own defence and suppor', and capable of self increase, they are
now enioying ..11 the necessaries and comforts and many of the luxuries of larger
and older communitie-. In ^fr ca we sh . 1 be freemen Indeed, and repubhcans
after i he model of this Republic. We shall carry your language, yiuir customs,
your opini'ins and Christianity to that now desolate shore, and thence t;.ey will
gradunlly spread, with our growth, far into the continent. The slave-trade,
both external and internal, can be abolished only by settlements on the co ist.
Africa, if destined to be ever civilized and converted, can be civilized and con-
verted by that means only.

We fo'esee that difficu'tics and dangers await those who emigrate, s«ich as every
infant establishment must encovmter and endure ; such as your lathers suflFered
when first they landed on this now happy shore.

The portion of comforts which they ma\ lose, they will cheerfully abandon,-'
Human happiness does not consist in meat and drink, nor in costly ra ment, nor
in stately habitations ; to contribute to it even, they must be joined with equal
rights and respectabil.ty ; and it often exists m a high degree without them.

That you inav facilitate th'- wit'.idrawal from among you of sucii as wish to
remove, is what we now solicit. It can best be done, we think, by augmenting
the means at the coniniand of the American Colon. zation Society, that the Co-
lony of Liberia may be strengthened anrl improved for the r gradual reception.
The greater the ur.mber of persoi s sent t ither, froni any part of this nation
weatsoever, so much the more capable it becomes of receiving a still greater.
Every encouragetnent to it, therefoic, though it m.ay not seem to have any parti-
cular portion of emigrants directly in view, will produce a fivourable effect
upon all. The migrants may readily be enabled to remove, in considerable
numbers every fall, by a concerted system of individual cuitributions, and still
more efficiently b-, the enactment of laws to promote their emigration, under
the p. tronage of the State. The expense would not bt nearly so great as it
mitht appear at first sight, for when once the current shall have set towards
libcria, ^and intercourse grown ^frequent, the cost will of course diminish

rapidly, and many will be able to defray it .for themselves. Thousands and
tens of tliousamls poorer than we, annually emig'iate from Europe to yonr
country, and soon have it in their power to hasten the arrival nf those they left
behind — Every intelligent and industrious" colomed man would continiialK look
forward to the day, when he or his children might go to their veritable home,
and would accumulate all his little earning for that purpose.

We have ventured these remarks, because we know that you take a kind con-
ceru in the subject to which they relate, and because we think they may assist
you in the prosecution of your designs. If we were doubtful of your good will
and benevolent intentions, we would remind you of the time when you were in a
situ tion similar to ours, and when your forefathers were driven, by religious
persecution, to a distant and inhospitable shore We are not so persecuted, but
we, too, leave our homes, and seek a distant and inhospitable shore : an empire
may be the result of our emigration ; as of their's. The protectioi., kindness
and assistance which you would have desired, for yourselves under such circum-
stances, now extend to us : so may you be rewarded by the riddance of the
stain and evil of slavery, tlie extension of civilization and the Gospel, and the
blessing of our common Creator !

WILLIAM COI^NISH,
Chairman of the meeting in Bethel Church.

ROBERT COWLEY,
Secretary of the meeting in Bethel Church.
JAMES DEAVER,
Chairman of the meeting in the African Church, Sharp street.

REMUS HARVEY,
Secretary ©f the meeting in the African Church, Sharp street.

A TABLE,

Exhibiting the amount oj the African fiortion of the population of the
United States, according to the Returns of the several Censuses^ with
the ratio of increase.

CENSUS OF 1790.

Slaves, 697,'^9>r

All other persons of colour except Indians, not taxed, - - 59,481

CENSUS OF 1800.

Slaves,

All other persons, as above.

896,849
110 j72

Rate of incease of slaves between 1790 and 1800
Do. do. persons of colour do.

CENSUS OF 1810.

Slaves, - - -

All other persons of colour, as abvoe.

Rate of increase of slaves between 1800 and 1810
Do. do. pel sons of colour do.

CENSUS OF 1820.
Slaves, ......

All otiier persons of colour, as above,

Rate of increase of slaves between 1810 and 1820
Do. do. persons of colour do.

2.85442 pr. ct. pr. ann.

8, )054 •

1,191,364

186,446

3.2838861 pr. ct. pr. aim.

6.93654931

2.911
2.525S4246

,538,128
233,53ft

Mean ratio of increase of slaves during' the whole period of 30 years, 3.016435S
Do. of persons of colour, ... . 5.9897639

Present rate of increase of slaves, according to the last Ctnsug„

Do. do. of fiee persons of colour

or a little more than two and a half per cent, per annnm.

2.911
9.52534246