New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-02-15
ExpIorntiO on of the Interior of Africa.

Exploration of the Interior Of Africa.
From the Liberia Advocate
One of the missionaries to Liberia lately made
an exploring tour Of 253 miles on foot into the in
terror. He passed through thirty villages of the
Goulas, Deys, Queaks, and Condoes. In his re-
port he says:
Such country as we passed through in that
missionary tour, l have not seen surpassed IN
either of the fifteen West India Islands which L
have visited, from Trinidad to Tortola and the
Virgin Island. 1t is an elevated, mountainous
country. Ranges of mountains, running most
generally parallel with the line OF coast-from
Northwest to Southeast-rise up before the de-
lighted eye Of the traveller, convincing him that
he is no longer in the land of burning sands and
deeterious swamps, such as are encountered IN
proximity with the shores, but in quite another
region. And such are the gradual undulatlonS OF
its surface as would greatly facilitate the objects
Of agriculture. There are few, if any, very steep
acclivities-nOthi like the bold, PERCEPTIONS
mountains Of our Eastern States. Beautiful and
extensive valleys lie at the base OF these noun
tsiDs, which gently slope down to the level coun-
try lying between them.
alt is a well watered country. During the
eight hours travel which we were frequently
obliged to perform in day, we never walked
more than two hours or two and half at one
time, without coming to some beautiful stream Of
cool and very pure water, either tributary oil
the ST. Paups or some other of the many smaller
rivers which intersect that African Canaan. And
here it may be proper to add, that my attention
was directed to an examination of the adaptation
of these streams to the purpose Of machinery sites
for mills, &c, and hesitate not to affirm, that
within the Gaulah country especially, any num-
Der of the most eligible situations may be found,
where, at any time during the year, good water
power may be obtained, for any OF the purposes
which an enterprisng community agrcultursts
NJ
performed in the very middle OF the dry season.
and yet we found plenty of water in the different
streams.
"Itisawell timbered land. Through an ex.
tensive forest of acres of miles which lay in our re-
of inmense hight vUhisl. feared their towering
heads and united their luxuriant foliage In form.
ing above US one dense and rich canopy, that
called the attention of the coored ministers oil
the Liberia Annual Methodist Conference who &C.
cempsnied me, TO this evidence OF the richness oil
the country which God had given to the Africans,
and TO which their exied brethren were invited
by so many powerful considerations. measured
several trees, and my journal, kept ut the time
with scrupulous exactness, records %, a. 20 ieet
as the circumference Of many OF them within SIX
feet of the ground Let me remark that the va
riety and superior quality OF the wood found In
these forests and indeed all along the borders
al around the settlement OF Liberia, from Grand
Cape Mount to Cape Palmss, or Maryland cannot
be excelled any where within the Torrld Zone:
From q species Of poplar, soft and adapted TO all
the purposes for which the white pine is used IN
America Up to the teak, n variety OF mahog any,
"A beautiful species Of hickory very abundant at
Cape Palmss, the iron wood, the birthstone sus-
ceptble Of polish for furniture Of surprising
beauty, and many Others an almost endless sup
ply may be found
1T is an exceedingly fertile soil. The i'm.
merse underground of shrub and vine lnterWoyen
around the giants Of the forest 80 thick, 50 lmPen
etrable, without much effort and through Whica
q foot path only conducts the traveller IS the best
proof OF this. But the grains roots, fruits, vines
Of the tropics. all concentrate here, and may be
raised with degree of comparative ease, a r.
pidity Of growth and an abundance almost lncred
ible. | have stood erect under the branches oi
cotton tree in GoulGh village, as they spread
forth from the main trunk, laden with bous, aud
supported by forked sticks 10 prevent their being
broken down by their own weight and found, on
measuring that the tree covered a space oil ten
feet in diameter. On examining the staple, as
the ripened bolls burstinto maturity II was found
as good and equal ia the iineness OF It's hbre TO
the cotton of any country. AS to coffee, will
only borrow the words of the report as comment
On themselves Coffee OF quality superior 70
the best Java Mocha is raised in Liberia, and can
be cultivated with great ease to any extent IL
is country where tobacco, that great article OF
commerce, may be cultivated IN any quantity with
great success. ru :;
one of great mineral wealth. This remains for
Science to fully develop, but we may confidently
arrive at this conclusion from what has been dis
covered Oftbe gold coast your Committee says
right when they assert that England mas re-
ceived altogether S2o0,0OOOOO OF gold from AFRICA
Liberia is adjacent to the gold coast But
would speak of what is better than god-iron.
And such is the purity of the iron ore obtained by
the natives of Africa Immediately in the vicinity
of Liberia. which they describe as being abundant,
that they have no furnaces; they need none. All
their rude agricultural and warlike instruments
are made by them of ore so pure that when heat
ed il becomes at once sufficiently maleable to ad-
NIT of being wrought into any shape or form.
They make knives, bill hooks, war c1tlasses'
spears, axes hoes, &c out Of this ore, without the
process Of smelling"
TIE THREE BEST DocToRs.-A Judicial officer