The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-04-29 00:00:00

SIERRA LEONE PAPERS.

We have been favoured with r series of these
to the 19th of December last. It appears by their
contents, that. notwithstanding the extreme morts-
Ids of the climate, the inhabitants of the colony
are forgetful mother of the religious solaces nor of
the agreeable occupations of life. Its Bible society
has been produriive of much good to the black
popolation, and issued a very iliterr.l isog report of
its first year's 'proceedings. winch :,11pp.v the hope
of much future benefit. At ail amateur theatre,
.iACKI.IN'a Lore a-la-Nude, MURPHY'S Three
Weeks after Marriage, and the //noternitt, hive
been played with great spirit, by some of the colo-
nial officers and their ladies, and similar perform-
ances are contemplated in the next dry season. By
a river view of Free Town, at Snort Leone, taken
by Bowles, General of the Creek nation, which
uccompunies the pipers, its situation seems to be
peculiarly beautiful, but the scenery 'Weill,. only to
allure and then destroy, one in twenty benig the
extent of those Europeaus, who fortunately survive
and return [mule.
An infant settlement hes* been founded at
Bathurst, with the view of encouraging the intro-
duction of the gum trade, a trade likely to he of
mental service to the mother country, as well as
to the surrounding native,. Guiernor Nlacritiarry
bus paid the settlement a visit, when he had au in-
terview with some of the Negro Chiefs. On his
return to Sierra Leone, a public dinner (the fist
ever known in the colony) was given to him, by the
principal European residents, the Chief Justice in
the chair. Among the toasts were, " The Duke of
IVellington"—" The Royal Africa,' Institution"—
" Mr. Wilherforee"—and " The Friends of dfrica,"
with cordial cheerings. In c plinsent to the last-
mentioned Gentleman, one of the streets at Free
Town fuss brris called IVilherforce-street. At an-
other public dinner, on the 26th of June, 1818, the
ever-memorable battle of ‘Vaterlou was celeboated.

The advance of the colony, in point of stone
buildings, has been considerable. In 1814, there
were mile six of that description; there ate 110 W
filly. The burials, however, of their inhabitants
from the same year to November, 1816. have in-
creased in a greater ratio, iu proportion to their gene-
ral number, being 121. The marriages in the same
space of time, including, of course, those of the
black population, were 598, and the baptisms 30!).
The amount of goods imported to Mardi 181 a,
was nearly 11,0001.
It is gratifying to find that churches ace diffusing
themselves over the colony. A spacious one has
been built at Free Towu, to which a beautiful arr.
viceof Communion plate. consisting of two sets of
flagons, chalices, patens, &c. has been pre-:wilted
by his Majesty, together with a magnificent prayer-
book and bible. This church is to be styled the
Metropolitan Church of West Africa. Another
church is building at Gloucester Town, and
another at Kisse, besides other places of worship.
The Colonial Society of Agriculture has judi-
ciously voted rewards for the cultivation of the
casaado (of which suffscieat may be raised in two
months to subsist a family of eight persons for
three years), yam, plantain, tannia. and rice, for
rearing poultry, pigs, cattle, and ►heep, building
the best cottage, and constructing the strongest
fence.

A correspondent, called Africanus, has taken a
most strenuous part in exposing the vile practice of
the slave dealers along the coast, who, in defiance
of she opposition wade to them, both by England
and France, still persist to their atrocities. Gover-
nor Nlacquarry's exertions to extirpate this horrible
tiallic are Ullrellllllllllg.
These papers rowans an excellent Sletnnir of the
highly-di,tinguished Negro Captain, Paul Coffee,
with whom the civilization or Africa was an object
of prominent interest during his whole Ide, and
many other amusing articles; but vie hate oily
room to insert the following bagatere, the mural of
which way not he without its use:—
TUE RICII AND POOR.

A certain chieftain had two sum, one of whom was rich,
the other poor. To the rick cue be was kind and partial,
to the oilier indifferent. Being asked why he slighted the
latter, on ~hum the Almighty had placed • crown of ac-
. omplishownis, whilst " wealth was transitory, it coming to-
day and leaving us to-morrow ?" the old man ceplied. " He
can hr of no use to me; if he ppligeill accomplishments,
they will be of service to him. As for my other sun, lam
patois' to 1' from necessity, and he has no occasion for any
thing of muse. As use Port has justly remarked—
• I have eh •Al that men inthise towards those who are rich,
' But decline all mint siou with those who have uothing.'
On the whole there is something novel, as well as
interesting, in reviewing the columns of a Paper,
published on the I?itgli4ll language. on the western
stile of a coast within the Tropic, and amongst a
community, principally of African origin.