The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1848-09-05
The African Continent.

The African Continent
Why cannot we know more of Africa How IS
it that that great continent Is in measure closed 10
the rest of the world What is the nature and
beet of that provdential dispensaton when
drives the white man from a land teeming with such
wealth. grandeur and plenty All that we know
of it is confined to the coast. When shall we
know more of this unknown world, as 1t may ne
called! We owe much to the enterprise OF Eng
land in her efforts to push commerce into unex-
plored regions-we owe little to the enterprise OF
Americans vet we have planted the seed OF a.
glorious tree on the borders of the ocean, which
if literally watered, will produce fruit pleasant
to the eye and to the taste.
The English periodicals., in noticing their settle
mental Alden, near the Red Sea, speak OF river
not laid down on any chart on which they steam
ed three hundred miles without INSTRUCTIONS. FOR
many years England has expended large sums OF
money and many valuable lives IN efforts TO
penetra te into the interior of that continent.
They have found a country of amazing fertility
and beauty-rich in all kinds of mines-the sands
of its rivers filled with gOld-is forests studded
with trees invaluable for dyeing and architectural
purposes-ts ivory and rsacocks," as spoken OF
in Scripture, and tropical vegetation unknown 10
any other part of the world. Through this great
continent sweeps for thousands of miles, river
from three to six miles in width, of clear water ana
great DEPTH with current of two or three miles an
hour and without a rock or shOal to interrupt
navigation. This river, the tributary OF nun
dreds of other rivers pOurs into the Atlantic through
the most magnificent delta in the world, consisting
of hundred mouths and five hundred miles along
the coast Upon il are hundreds OF cities. some oil
which contain a million of souls. Deep IN the
interior from the Niger is nation IN an advanced
state of civilization 1t is land oil milk and
honey. The fields abound with grain OF all kinds;
cattle run wild fruits of every description spring
up spontaneously from every bush and from every
tree from the branches of which tropical birds
pour forth their liquid notes; the lion roams Id
majesty through the Forest and the elephants form
their StapedeS in drOves through the tangled brakes
and chaparrals OF the rivers banks. No trult, no
grain no product known to any part OF the world
is a stranger to this soil or climate. Cotton, thai
great staple of commerce, the sugar cane and to-
bacco are produced with little labor cultivation
| Yet this paradise-tis garden of Eden-thls most
fruitful plentiful and abundantly rich continent is
the Negroes sole possession lie alone Is lord OF TINS
sublime and fertile country, which is apparently
shut cut from the world He fears no hostile army
| from abroad-no expedition for conquest or annex
alton for this abode of natural beauty and fertility
| is to the white man " the valley OF the shadow OF
| death' In all the expeditions sent TO Africa, not
one man in ten has returned to tell the story OF his
! discoveries All have fallen victims to the beautl-
| full but fatal cmate-all have breathed the atnos-
| phere of the deadly upas-all have drank the pol
son of the vegetation and the reptiles OF the SOL
| and forest. The black man only stands erect IN
fearless majesty, placed there by the Aimgnty lor
ms great ana SeClhl PURPOSES W iildih
race with home which cannot be invaded or
| captured by the white man.
| We have planted free republic on that coast, OF
the descendants of men who were brought here Tor
| traffic, and whom we have sent back educated and
civilized but we have yet more to do The United
States should send expedition up the Niger TO ex-
pore it two steam vessels of proper tonnage, with
select crews and volunteer officers of scientific at
| tainments together with medical men of fearless
character the whole carefully arranged, iudicious-
w organized. and literally supplied. The great
difficulty to oyercomeis the danger oil the climate
and if we succeed in that, a country OF great m
terest and value is to be opened to us, tull OF he
deepest, highest, and most instructive character.
Will our medical men endeavOr to devise ways and
means of prevention from the effects of the climate,
and of cure when once attacked Has not the
fatal issue of those attacks resulted from want OF
skill want of proper medicines, and want OF close
study of the diagnostes of the disease If so, the
difficulty is half overcome. We can send men that
England never has sent to Africa-not your robust
Aorid weied, ale drinking travellers, full OF rich
| blood and uices but your thin, acclImated resi-
dents of the swamps, to whom yellow fever, black
fever, and alligators have no terrors-men VINO can
live wherever the black man can live. crew o
such men aud such officers, in two OF our we'll
| constructed steamers-men OF science ana 81 cOur
age-will bring us back rich stores OF knowledge
| from the banks of the Niger
Who at the seat of government will propose II
Who in Congress will offer resolution authorship
the government to fit out such an expedition to eI
! pore the interior of Africa! Nor IS The time. W.
want to know more, and can prOftably know more
| of that country Who knows what may yet be II
; store for us Who knows butthere are many who
standing on the rich banks of the Niger, may e1
claim with the inspired prophet" Hail to the lan'
shadOwing with wings, winch lies neyond tnt
rivers of Ethiopia ~. y. Sunday Tunes