The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-29 00:00:00

Liberia, the Land of the Free

Liberia is a small republic on the west coast of
Africa, founded by the American Colonisation So-
ciety, as an asylum for the free people of colour in
the United States who could notlive happily in their
native land. It is now also becoming the refuge of
the recaptured Africans taken out of the slave ships,
and is growing into an interesting and important
community. The inhabitants consist of negroes
from Virginia, Ohio, the Carolinas, Pennsylvania,
Maryland, and other States of the Union, and
number some 500,000 souls ; about 484,000 are
aboriginals, and about 16,000 Americo-Liberians.
The republic consists of an elected President and a
Legislature of two houses, Senate and House of Re-
presentatives. The President and Vice-President
are elected for two years and the Senate for four.
Eight members compose the Upper House, thirteen
the Lower ; each county sends two members to the
Senate. Hereafter, on increase of population, one
additional representative will be added for every
10,000 persons. The Vice-President must be 35
years of age, possess real property to the value of
$6OO, and in case of the death or absence of the
President he acts as President. He is also Presi-
dent of the Senate, which constitutes, among other
functions, a council for the President of the Re-
public ; he being required to submit treaties for
ratification, and the appointments to public offices
for confirmation. The President must be 35 years
of age, and possess property to the amount of $6O.
The judicial power is vested in a Supreme Court, an
such subordinate courts as the Legislature may from
time to time establish.
Liberia is situated on the grain coast of Guinea.
Its south-eastern boundary is the San Pedro River,
78 miles east of Cape Palmas, and runs along the
coast 125 miles north-west of Monrovia, to the
mouth of the Shebar river. It has about 600 miles
of coast, and extends back on an average 100
miles ; but the natives in the interior manifest the
greatest desire that treaties should be formed with
them. The chief object has been to purchase the
line of sea-coast, to exclude the slave trade, which
formerly was most active at Cape Mesurado, Trade
Town, and other places within the Republic, but
now most happily excluded, except at Gallinas,
under peculiar circumstances. The original settlers
landed and hoisted the American flag on the 25th
April, 1822, at Cape Mesurado, the capital of Mon-
rovia, where they continued till the 24th August,
1847, a period of 25 years. They were then pro-
claimed a free and independent State, and regularly
installed as the Republic of Liberia. England and
France recognised, and made treaties of amity,
commerce, and navigation with the small State,
and these friendly examples were followed by other
powers, including the United States, Italy, and
Holland. Treaties have since been made with
Sweden and Norway, with Hayti and Portugal,
and negotiations are on foot with other powers.
In the treaties with Hayti and Portugal there are
articles to assimilate the slave trade to piracy, and
to punish it accordingly. It is hoped that in all
future treaties this article will obtain. Many slaves
have been emancipated expressly for emigration to
this settlement, and have changed under the genial
influence of freedom from the careless, listless
beings they were in America into painstaking,
industrious, energetic citizens. The white Go-
vernor sent out by the American Colonisation
Society chose the most respectable of the coloured
people to aid in the affairs of the infant colony,
and the training of LOT CARFv, ELIJAH JOHNSON,
JOHN B. Itussw cr,m, and J. J. ROBERTS was so
good that on the death of the last white Governor,
the late lamented BUCHANAN, in 1841, it was re-
solved that all in authority should be coloured per-
sons. Mr. ROBERTS was made Governor, and con-
tinued so six years, and on the proclamation of the
independence of the State he was elected PRESI-
DENT, thus serving eight years as Chief of the
Republic, and six years previously as Governor,
making a total of fourteen years a chief magistrate
of Liberia. His successor, STEPHEN ALLEN BEN-
SON, came from Maryland at the age of six years,
and having experienced varied vicissitudes became
a successful merchant, and passed through various
offices to the rank of PRESIDENT of the Republic.
He had served three terms of two years each, and
was inaugurate& for a fourth, when he died January,
1865, aged 53 years. The actual President, Mr.
D. B. WARNER, is a negro from Maryland, but re-
sided in Liberia from early infancy. Mr. BENSON
was also a negro, but Mr. ROBERTS a mulatto. Mr.
WARNER was elected PRESIDENT Ist January, 1864,
and re-elected January, 1866, to serve a further
period of two years. The self-government of the
Liberias has proved cheap and successful, as the
blacks, living in a congenial climate, are long-
lived, healthy, and economical administrators of
their simple laws. All tropical produce thrives.
Rice is abundant. Indian corn and fruits of every

kind afford ample supply for the inhabitants and for
shipping. The exports are coffee, sugar, cotton,
ginger, pepper, indigo, ground nuts, arrow-
root, palm oil, ivory, cam-wood and other
woods for dyeing
I for ship and h purposes, as well as
ouse-building., The civilised
portion of the inhabitants is so small that important
exports cannot be expected till greater capital and
a larger amount of skilled settlers shall have arrived
from the United States, who will find plenty of
native labourers at the rate of $3 per month, ex-
clusive of rations. Liberia is prepared to receive
7,000 to 8,000 negroes per annum, and every year
will give increased ability to receive a larger num-
ber, until 25,000 to 30,000 per annum will not be
inconvenient. The American Government has
lately made an arrangement to allow the Liberian
Government $lOO per head for all landed re-cap-
tives over eight years of age, and $lO for all under
eight years. Already some of the Congoes landed
from slavers have become useful and successful
citizens ; some being even magistrates, members of
the Legislature, and missionaries. The climate is
The negroes from the United
warm, but equable.
States do not find the heat oppressive at any sea-
son ; even white people can land at 6 or 8 o'clock
in the morning and remain till 6 or S in the evening
with safety, if they sleep on board their ship at
night. If detained on shore at night, the room
should be shut and a fire lighted to expel the damp.
The rivers, St. John Junk, St. Paul, and Cavallay
run through the most fertile and cultivated
countries. On the banks of the St. Junk and
St. Paul sugar is cultivated. On those of the St.
John coffee is grown as well as sugar. Cotton
is spontaneous in its growth over Liberia.
Its quality is good, and the country will probably
become a large exporter of this staple, being well
situated for forwarding it at a low freight to the
exhaustless market of Liverpool. Monrovia, the
capital of
.Liberia, named after Mr. MONROE, the
fifth President of the United States, is beautifully
sciututiavtee,
d onCape Mesurado in 6-19 north latitude,
and
11 west longitude. It is the seat of the Exe-
f air,iy Judicial, and Legislative Government, is
furnished with churches, schools, missionary
establishments—has
anewspaper, called the Liberia
Herald--a populatio
some 4,000 souls, and gives
evidences of advancingnof
tongue,civilisation and refinement.
English is the motherand is rapidly ex-
tending into the interior.
te fine college has been
co by the natives
Terectedunderstand
English liberality
is of
considered people of Boston.
an accomplishment, and an advantage they are eager
to give their children. The Liberians are looked