Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1850-12-09
WORCESTER DAILY SPY.
MONDAY DEcEsrBER 9. 1850.
q pinner.s Lcctnre.

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eveaar. az we found 1t highly interesting When We
entered. he vas Speaking If the great river Niger and
the cssa,rv on lis banks. As its naae implies II flows
through tie country Of the negroes. Through all the
vast valley Of hs river with probable population Of
twenty millions Of souls here monuments Of ar
oet civilization, any thing the 5eiiefthat
the people were ever in any higher state Of civilization
than al present. They engaged in the conflicts
ofthe ancient Persaas and Egyptians, came in any
way in contact with more civilized races Of men. II
all this country slavery exists every where. and when
the European ships rst cane 10 their p1rts slaves were
among the first things offered them in the way oftade.
The Portuguese formerly had several settlements on this
coast, but one Of their ships being driven ont of its
c3uiza BY stress Of weather, landed ia Brazil where
they so3a mi. setsne1t and the greater advantages
Of that country induced them finally to abandon their
African possessions. Brazil has always furnished u
great market for slaves and it Is curious fact, thatthe
Portuguese, who were the first to commence the foreign
slgas trade, are the lsstt give it up.
The British have 50 guarded the western coast Of
Africa, with their war-shps that, it seemed if they
would destroy the slave trade, but the slave ships
take large numbers of slaves from the east coast Of
Africa, and bring them round the Cape Of Good Hope.
Africa Is rich 10 various products OF commerce, but
the slave trade pays much better than any thing else
that the natural riches Of the country have been neglect
ed. The vast chains Of mountains which stretch
through the interior are every where rich in gold
From the British trading stations. it is sent to the
amount Of million and quarter of dollars year to
the port Of Liverpool alone, and it is supposed that the
whole amount exported,is less than millions
Munga Park described the process Of getting the gold
much as it is done in California. There is an abun-
dance Of evidence Of the richness Of the gold mines
The rivers all bring down the Ia visit ofthe
British 10 Ashantee they found him seated on throne
of solid gold and his high officers bore golden maces.
There are many Of large quantities of gold being
found in the possession of private individuals. Oas
mountain Africa has given frs TINES much gold as
all that has err been brought from Caforna. Gold IS
found in the eastern as well as in the western portion of
Africa Abyssina is rich in the p.ecious metal. and it
is supposed that the city Of Soia, that kingdom
the ancient Ophir Of the Bible.
But the real wealth of Africa consists in its fertile
soil and the ease with which all vegetation adapted to
the tropics is produced The magnificent river Niger
is equal in and the volume Of its waters to our
Mississippi, and enters the ocean in delta of 500
miles in breadth, with population ia its valley, as
above mentioned, Of twenty millions. The Nile and
the Zaire are nearly equal leagth and magnitude and
traverse some ofthe fertile tracts upon the globe
Among its smaller rivers Senegal has course of 1900
miles. The Gambia Is nobe river, navigabe by t e
largest ships three hundred miles from the sea.
The chief commercial products are IVORY gold gums,
graia palm Gil, hides sc. To these might be added
cotton sugar rigs epes and other tropical prodne-
s.so there Is perpetual grove, oell1g
From twice to three times as much can be raised from
the same ground as can be in this country The ranv
season lasts from April to November This enables
them to raise Rice without irrigation which is neces-
sary il Carolina and Georgia It may be raised in the
dry season by irrigatoo and in this way three crops
may he obtained IN year.
No country in the world is more favorable for the
growth Of Cotton, than Africa, in the vicinity of Liberia
and II is destined, hereafter to become the competitor
of this country in the growth Of that article Il il in
digenous to the country, and is found growing wild in
all parts oft In Liberia alone, not less than twenty
different species of it found, some kinds of which
excel our best upland in the length and frmness of its
staple. 1t here becomes tree, and bears perenaly.
while in the Southern States it must be planted every
year and yields but crop Ia Liberia, trees are
found ten or fifteen years old which will average half
pound Of cotton to a tree. The English are now en-
couraging the growth Of this staple give them new
source Of supply.
Coifee also grows wild, the trees attain large size
and are very productive. have seen coffee tree thir
ty feet in height They are said to average about nine
pounds to the tree-some Of them produce twice that
quantity and, from tree saw seven bushels gath
cred, which, when cleaned, made 25 lbs, and as thew
yield two crops year, this tree would produce fifty
pounds.
The sugar cane attains the highest perfection In
Louisiana and Texas, it takes Is months from the time
ofpanng to get CROP but, in Africa, from the per-
petua warmth Of the season. three cuttings can be made
in the time, and abont twice as many Joints will
be rpened at cutting, in Louisiana It is ready for
the first cutting in eight months from the planting
The Linn bean instead of being an ann ua lasts from
year to year, producing continually. One of the Mis-
sonaries has his house, ten or fifteen wears
DID, the body Of which is several inches through, and
for some distance from the ground is woody like tree
Its branches have spread over and entirely covered
large tree and it yields constant supply of beans for
the family. Lines produced in vast quantities and
at the most trihing expense. Oranges too, bear in
abundance, and in eating eight months in the year.
The trees frequently large the largest apple
trees, and some Of them bear y Blsels in season.
They abundant to be worth little more than
the bare expense Of gathering The Guapa so fine for
preserving, grows spontaneously as to be almost
nuisance. II there other motives for emgra-
ton TO this country, nerica would be abundanty re.