Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1849-01-17


Der of emuerants and re -cap,ured Africans is per-
hape 5000. Its commercial, agricultural and me-
chancal progress indicates active and energetic
population. and the staple commodities of Coffee,
Sugar-cane, Indigo, Rice, Cotton, Arrow Root,
&c, all Indigenous, demonstrate, by the expert
rnents already made, that in no part of the world,
is agricultural labor more literally rewarded. Its
exports for the last fewyears have averaged nearly
$50 to the head of its entire population, while
those ofthe United States have not exceeded 81.
Monrovia, the principal seaport and capital of
tho country, has now 1900 inhabitants who ENJOY
in their houses, furniture, and tables, all the com
forts, elegances, and even iuXurieS OF life, COM
mon to a settlement Of the same size in this or any
other country. It's national existence, as the 'RE-
PUBLIC OF LIBERIA" commenced on the 9th
Aug. lSi7 by formal declaration of independence
and the adoption of a constitution modelled after
our own. The operations Of the government have
since proceeded with the utmost regularity Gov
ernor Roberts, who held his office under appoint
men, the Colonization Society, has been elect
ed President of the Republic. It's independence
has been acknowledged by England and France
and very advantageous treaties formed with both
those nations. lis trade has Tor many years been
valuable and will be of increasing importance to
the commercial world.
AS a religious community. Liberia is unsurpass-
ed. BY reliable statistics, we learn tina, about one
third Of its entire emigraht population mem
bers of the Christian Church. hcnoring fher pro-
fessiOn by their lives. Twenty five church edit
ces, all convenient, and some costly, of stone,
brick, and wood, employ the services of forty
preachers, several Of them pastors well supported
and wholly devoted TO their work, all regularly
indicted into the sacred office and some Of them
not only intelligent but learned and eloquent.
Their School system is. To say the least, much
better than ours. Provision is made by law for
free schools throughout the Commonwealth. A
liberal appropriation of the public lands is made,
and capitation tax imposed for this pUrpos -
And more than this, every man is required under
penalty, TO send his children TO school and edu-
cate them. They have twohigh Schools n i.yce,im
two newspapers. & are providing for a University
The native tribes are cmllivaiing friendly in
tercourse and doing homage 10 this new nation in
Africa. Disputes formerly conducted by bloody
wars, and thus by sale of captives taken on both
SIDES, furnishing victims to the slave trade, are
now settled by reference to The government of Lii
IBERIA. Missionaries and school teachers eager
~ sought by the barbarous interior tribes, who
seek by these means, to become ''n,ericn men"
1t is now probable that Liberia--as fast her en-
1grant population will enable her TO take possess
sion and enforce her laws-may reclaim from bar
barlsm, the entire western coast from Sierra Lee
one to the cape colony, closing all access To
the riratical SLAYER and difiusng civilization and
the christian religion through this whole border
country. From this rim Of light central Africa
will be illuminated its darkness intellectual and
moral, expelled, lis fertile lands, reclaimed from
sterility, its physical resources regencrated, and
Africa-whence civilization and the arts passed into
Greece more than three Thousand years ago. ,hru'
Rome TO England and thence to America-Airica
the land once fruitful of heroes and scholars and
christians, of Hannibal, Hahnu, Jugurtha, Ter
snce, Orgen. Tertullian, Angus iae and Cyprian
of race that wrought the pyramids. chiselIed
the proudest monuments of marble and left i'm her
tombs the evidence that she has done all for the
material boiy but to give il eternal life-tis .4fi-
Gu will be again raised to her place among civiliz-
ed nations, received to the circle oflhe human fam
NY and for the civilization she has, centuries ago
impaired to others-repaid by civilization and
CHRISTIANITY, TOO
There on the coast Of Africa, you now see the
beau tdedt of your great statesman--a eolonu for
our free colored people. There you see precisely
that which your predecessors in Assembly propos
ed IN the first year Of the present century, and sub
sequent legislatures repeated and urged by reitera
ted decimosexta action in 1916 and 1882 s. The
periodic time has again arrived, and in l549 you
ARE called on to consider these precedenis and TO
DO what remains TO be done-to use The colony sue
ceesfully founded, and now rpened into nation
las place ofdeporaton for your free colored pop
uaiion who are awaiting your action, and in their
comparative dependence, reaching to take YOUR
counsel and your helping hand