Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1850-08-20
IMPORTANT ENTERPRISE.

Affairs of the House of Representatives, r T. Stanton
Esq., of Tennessee has lately presented Ia the House very
able report in favor of the establishment OF line OF man
steamers Western of Africa, and thence RIA the
Mediterranean London The report OF the committee Is
in response memorial oi certain gentlemen, amongst
whom we learn esteemed friend Beverley Tucker
Esq., formerly of this city praying the establishment of this
line designed promote the colonization Of free persons o
color TO suppress African slave trade the mails
and 10 extend the commerce of the United States. MIR.
Stanton after giving summary of the action Of the govern
the United States and Great Britain in relation TO
employment of mail Steamers fitted for purposes and
built under the inspection of government officers OF which
ocean steamers Great Britain has already aggregate
number of one hundred and fifteen, that The commit
tee believe ha the increase OF our territory, the
Pacific the Gulf oi Mexico forms additional rra-
son for a considerable augmentation Of our steam navy,
whether by direct addition the navy proper, by the
couragemen of lines of packets To be established by
private enterprise under the auspices OF Government In
asmuch the idea has already been adopted by the General
Government that the expenditures required naval ar
ma,nents might be made s,bscyient 10 the purposes {" com
time of peace the report deyocs but small space
10 its enforcement 1t chiefly in view {" the important
bearing that this movement has upon the removal Z" free
persons of color from this country the coast of Africa,
and of suppresns slave trade, that the committee
commend the favorable attention of Congress. The
committee propose ITO make the line consist of three ships,
which shall make monthly trips to Liberia touching on their
return certain points Spain Portugal France and Eng
land thus ship will leave New York three months
touching Savannah for freight and nails will leave
Baltimore every three months touching at Norfolk and
Charleston for passengers freight and nails and will
leave New Orleans every three months, with liberty
10 touch at any of the West India islands They will
any of the islands or ports of the coast of Africa;
thence to Gibraltar, carrying the Mediterranean mails
thence Cadz other port of SPAIN to be desgna-
by the Governments thence Lisbon thence TO Brcs or
some other port of France be designated aboye and
thence London, bringing mails from all those points to
the United Sates Each ship TO be Of not less than 4UU
BURDEN be built under the supervision of the Navy
Department. to be commanded by officer of the Navy
and be constructed be easily converted into war
steamers The Colonization Society is pay $40 for each
emgrant twelve years of age, and the Government
compensation is 10000 for each and every trip. The
mittce estimate the expense of the three steamers AT
S22 900 per annu of which 900 will be paid by the
Government the transmission of mails &c; S54 900 by
the Colonization Society," estimating 1900 cmgran,s for each
voyage and 50 the nett profit each, thus leaving
S6s7 900 to be made by and the transportation ri
passengers, other than emf grants
We think the merits of this sufficiently weigh
~ to command the of the the whole country While
il commends itself our judgment by the commercial I'D
vantascs arising from it, through which the contractors en-
pect derive by far the larger portion OF income It's con-
necton with the objects of the Colonization Society mns'
link it the sympahies Of all, save mpactcabe
abolonsts Virginia. from her early history the pres
time has been friendly the purposes al the Colonial
ton Society. Whilst n colony her House of Bnrgssses
acted against the foreign slave trade and the Lesisla
ure of the State December, 1916 few months before
the institution of the Colonization Society, adopted
luton requesting the Executive correspond with the
President of the United States for the purpose of obtaining
territory the Coast of frica for free persons of color
ANY plan which, with anything like probability of sue
proposed the evil of free cooed popua
tion diminish has received the careful at
fention of her people. very interesting statement o the
action of Virginia. and Of her most distinguished sons
is be found In the Appendix Mr. Stan,ons report She
has recently shown her interest in this matter by her late
generous annual appropriation in aid of the Colonization
Society.
Whatever incidental aid be rendered BY the General
Government acting within the scope of its acknowledged
powers the objects of this Society," should be cordially Civ
en- The cause of Colonization is longer chimera
the preudces formerly entertained against it. have
disappeared The only opposition violence meets with
now is from the rancor of abooniss The practcabiy
OF the colonization of free negroes the coast Of Africa
may now be considered "fxed fact States associa
tons and individuals are lending Seven thousand
have already emsraed Liberia and eighty thousand ma
lives have become citizens of the Republic Treaty stpuia
have been made by her with tribes numbering %VVoVo
for the suppression of the slave trade and she is gradually
extending her laws and institutions from the British Colony
to the Gold Coast Infant colonies in age OF tue world
have had great difficulties 10 encounter In 1915 the ee
venth year Of the settlement Of Virginia. the colony only
numbered six hundred souls When Sir Walter Raleigh IN
1890 sen, out his relief to his second large expedition
1887, "not vesge of them to be found Where Is
parallel the growth and prosperity of Liberia Does moi
her history trials and reyeses, give to the most
doubling the that hereafter there will be- in west
ern Africa, mighty Republic with laws and language
commanding the respect and confidence OF the world! Is
glorious destiny for us give back the light which
Europe once borrowed from Africa, and make American
Commerce the handmadcn spread liberty and learning
the darkened land of the Ptoemies! That Africa
sustain commercial connections with the world her history
heretofore and the facts stated by Mr. Stanton sufficiently
prove magnificent opportunity, consecrated TOO by most
peculiar reasons offered to the effective
agency of steam developing her Africa
no desolate ghtu desert waste with all her interior
one vast blank as old maps 10 indicate If it has