The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-19 00:00:00

ANTIDOTE TO THE SLAVE TRADE.

One chapter: in the history of botany still remains to be
written,—that showing the direct and indirect influence the
occurrence of a plant exercises on the moral and physical
condition of a country. A subject more redundant with
interest, a task more grateful to the phytologist, could hardly
be selected. A few leaves from the history of the oil-palm of
Africa will serve to illustrate this idea. The state of debase-
ment of the Negro races of Africa has long been a subject of
great concern to philanthropists, and numerous schemes have
been tried to raise them to the rank of intelligent beings, but
all have hitherto proved an utter failure,—a failure chiefly to
• be ascribed to the fact that the natural resources of that
country were either entirely unknown, or, if known, so little
developed, that legitmate commerce on a large scale could not
.be established. The traffic in slaves was found more profit-
able than that of other indigenous productions, and as long as
that was the case the establishment of society on a more
rational and firmer basis than that hitherto existing was out
of the question. At last a ray of hope seems to glimmer, at
least for Western Africa. A production scattered over that coun-
try with a bountiful hand has been found, the exportation of
which yields returns more ample than those of the abominable
traffic in human beings; and hence it may be fairly expected
that the selfish love of gain will tend to bring about that
reform in the social state of those degraded people, which un-
selfish philanthropy has failed to accomplish. The African
palm-oil, the production here alluded to, has, indeed, long been
sought after by Europeans, but it did not assume that im-
portance, either directly or indirectly, which it now claims,
until the introduction of new processes for manufacturing
stearic candles from it, first applied by Price's Patent Candle
Company, at Vauxhall, near London. By the introduction of
these and similar processes, palm-oil has become an article of
so much demand, and the trade in it has assumed such dimen-
sions, that it employs no less than 20,000 tons of shipping
from Liverpool alone. "The inhabitants of a vast extent of
coast," says Capt. Forbes, "have been led to give up the slave
trade; and why? Because they have been taught the im-
mense increase of the value of the palm-oil trade over that of
slaves."

The growing importance of palm-oil has received a
great impetus since the outbreak of the war with
Russia, which, cutting off to a great extent our sup-
plies of tallow from the North of Europe, has caused
a great increase in the consumption of palm-oil ; and
this article, from the peculiarity of some of its quali-
ties, is found more suitable for some of the purposes
to which tallow was previously applied. The position
it has thus accidentally, as it were, been made to
assume, is not likely to be lost ; on the contrary, it is
more probable that its consumption will continue to
increase as our manufacturers become more familiar
with its many and valuable qualities. In the extract
last given we see glimpses of that moral sunshine
which philanthropists have prayed for the dawn of on
the shores of benighted Africa ; and in a progressive
extension of the palm-oil culture we may look for a
further advancement of the social, the moral, and the
religions condition of the long-betrayed and degraded
negro.
The book under review is one abounding with in-
teresting facts, which are useful and instructive to
every class, but which are peculiarly, important to
a mercantile community like that of Liverpool. It is
well arranged, and judiciously as well as pleasingly
written.

Sinai and Palestine in Connexion with their His-
tory. By Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, M.A. With
Maps and Plans. London : John Murray.

The object sought to be accomplished by the writer
of this book was a verification of Scripture narrative
by a careful study of the localities in which the lead-
ing events of the Israelitish pilgrimage took place.
To effect this object, the author betook himself, in a
great
.degree, to trace the route followed by the
Israelites in their journey from Egypt to Canaan.
The book does not consist of a diary of what its
reverend author did or saw, but it consists of carefully-
digested remarks upon scenes and circumstances
which he had noted and studied with attention. He
says, "the background of the whole history of the
Israelites" is to be found in the land of Egypt ; and
hero he commences his researches. As the children
of Israel themselves did, our author passes on through.
Egypt to Palestine, and on his route he pauses fre-
quently to mark and learn ; and,in all, he so combines
history and geography as to render his narrative and
illustrations consonant with the Mosaic account,

which he does without introducing strained effects or
illogical conclusions. A favourable example of the
calm gravity of his inquiry will be found in the sub-
joined observations as to the spot on which the
Israelites were encamped when Moses received