The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-01-18

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and children can perform the whole labor Of crop.
ping and manufacturing II. One acre of canes will
make you independent Of all the world tor the su-
gar you use in your family. One acre Set with
paws, and pine apples, than you will ever tther.
Nine months In the year you may grow fresh vege-
tables every month; and some OF you, who have
low-land plantations, may do 60 throughout the
year"
My observations on the banks OF the rivers of
the repHblic, Especially the ST Paul's, the st
Johns, and the SnOu,) along both sides of Stock
ton creek, and among the gardens OF M0nrOvia and
the plantations in its vicinity, confirmed my belief
in the general correctness Of this statement, though
the agric ultural improvements do not equal all me
expectations which 1t would naturally create The
committee of Montsersdo county fail, however,
think, to do full justice to themselves and their fell
w-citizens when they says In agriculture, little
more Is done than to supply ourselves with the ne.
cessaries and few of the conveniences OF life.
Considering how limited have been the pecuniary
means of the emigrants to Liberia, and the dit
6cules always inevitable to the settlers in coua.
try to the climate of which they are strangers, and
with the products OF which they have 10 make
themselves acquainted, am rather surprised that
they have done SO much in agriculture than that
they have done no more. Substantial farm houses,
surrounded by well cleared and cultivated planta-
tons Of from ten to thirty and fifty or seventy acres,
adorn, on both sides, the banks Of the ST. Paul's
with occasional interrupons) for the distance OF
twenty miles. Several hundred acres are cleared
(,n part out of dense and lofty forest) at Bassa
mes sp hs beautiful rvsT 81 JoSu and at
Greenville, Rossvile, and Readville, on the Snou,
are similar decided evidences of agricultural IN.
dustry and improvement 1t may be confidently
predicted that, whenever adequate capital, skill,
and machinery shall be introduced, the culture of
rice and cotton, the sugar cane and coffee, will
prove successful and profitable as in any region
Of the world. My personal inquiries and OBJ serva-
tons in Liberia have led me to concur ia the OPT.
Mon expressed by the intelligent committee Of
Bassa county, that in internal resources 1t is un.
surpassed by any country OF the globe" This
committee, and that appointed by the citizens OF
Sinou county, both declare that the disposition tor
the cultivation of the soil 10 creaslDg. "We
have" say the committee OF Montserado county,
can extensive territory, which can at any time
be easSy enlarged, by compact with the proprietors
of the soil, to any desirable extent The soil ID of
the hg hest fertility. and adapted to great variety
of articles available in the arts and in commerce.
The forests TEEN with valuable timber for farnl-
ture, house and ship building. The rivers abound
with choice fish, and the woods with game, and
our gardens can be made 10 produce everything In
their kind necessary TO comfortable existence"
The same committee state that coffee Of
superior kind is Indigenous here, and the people
turning their attention TO the cultiva on of it,
and means only are wanted TO bring it in large
quantities into the market; sugar cane also thrivcs
well, though, for the same reason, considerable
quantity has been produced; cotton, ginger, arrow
root, and numerous plants and shrubs employed ia
the nldtefaa medtcd, grow here with the vlgor and
fruitfulness OF Indigenous articles" In addition
to the great staples OF rice, cotton the sugar caue,
and coffee, the Liberians specify corn, cassdda,
yams, sweet potatoes, cabbages, arrowroot tuTnips,
beeIs, carrots, tomatoes, lima and other beans,
peas, cymlings, chiota, ochra, cucumscrs, choice
varieties OF pepper, ground nuts, palma christi, the
India rubber tree the croon- oi-nut, and the palm
tree, ESQ multiplied in its uses,) among their
productions; and among their fruits, oranges, le
mons, lines, guavas, pine apples, plantains, ba-
nanas, tamarinds, roseapples, ponegranates, cher
PEI airs, patango, bread fruit, melons, aud various
other valuable vegetables and fruits Of the tropics
Most of these have | myself seen growing iuxu-
riantly in the gardens and farms OF the republic.
According TO the late Mr.. Buxton, whose re-
searches on the subject Of the agricultural and
commercial resources o. Africa were very acsu
rate and extensive, OF dye woods there are an
abundance, yielding carmine, crimson. red, brown,
brilliant yellow, and blue; of gums there are
copal, senegal, mastic, and sudan or Turkey gum
The shea or butter nut is hardly less valuable than
the palm.nut The tree producing 1t is said to ex-
tend over large portion of the continent Park
thought the butter made from 1t superior to IN II
made from cows milk. The same gentleman
quotes, from report on Sierra Leo.e, the opinion
OF Mr. Mccormack, that the delta of the See
ing Broom, kiIism, and Galienas rivers could
grow rice enough for the supply of the whole OF
The West Indies"
Mr.. Darymple, in 1779 found three different
kinds OF cotton at Goree, and states that II grows
spontaneously every where, and that the samples
superior TO that from the West Indies. According
TO the testimony Of Colonel Denham, Gas qcoted by
Mr.. Buxton.) cotton OF three kinds-wnite, bro gn,
and plnk-grows wild about Sierra Leone. The
hrst is excellent. Mr.. Ashmun states; 81 is be-
lieyed that none of the varieties of the American
cotton shrub answers in all respects to the midi
genous African tree. The cotton OF this coun ry
Is on all hands allowed 10 be Of good quaiIy,
and the mode OF growing, curing, ana manutac-
turing the article pursued in America may be
adopted here, making due allowance Tor the much
greater size and duration oil the African tree. The
same tree bears succession of crops for great
number OF years.
IL is known TO all who have visited Liberia, that
large substantial Gotten cloths, spun, woven, and
dyed by the natives Of intenor Anica, are brought
IN great numbers for sale 10 the merchants OF
Monroyia and the neighboring settlements and
are purchased by the Atncans on the coast.
From what | saw of the growth of the sugar
cane on several plantations on the St Paul's it Is
impossible for me to doubt that II will soon prove
among the most valuable productions Of that rich
country. The Lboia Herald stated more than a
year ago, that Mr. Cyrus Willis, of Misburg, had
made IN one season more than 5000 pounds OF
beautiful sugar, and quantity OF excellent syrup
From the appearance of his cane fields, it was
thought his subsequent crop would produce eight
thousand pounds. Though the death, recently,
OF tins enierprising man IS TO be regretted II Is
hoped and expected that his experiment will be
prosecuted successfully by others. Beaver says:
:" Of the vegetables that are wild, the sugar cane,
cotton shrub, and indigo plant seem The most
valuable. No country IN the world is more amply
enriched than this 10 with the chief productions of
the animal and vegetable kingdoms The ground
nut yields pure golden colofed oil, of a pleasant
taste, and has been sold as high as ESQ per ton.
The castornut grows wild the banks Of the
Gambia and elsewhere. The ginger of Africa is
particularly fine and high fAvored it yields about
sixty for one aud the people only want instruction
IN the method Of preparing It tor the EIropsan
arkets.
1.-The woods OF this continent are extremely
valuable. Travellers eHumerdte not Tess than
forty species Of timber, which grow in vast ab1n-
dance, and are easily obtained-such as mAhOga-
ny, teak, ebony, lgnumvItp, rosewood, NC.
with few considerable exceptions the whole
line OF coast IN western Africa, accessible to trading
vessels, presents Immense tracts OF lands OF the
moot iefule character, which only require the
hand OF industry and commercial enterprise 10
turn into inexhaustible mines Of wealth"
The tea plant IS reported by MsQuren, on the
authority Of an Arabian traveller, ana Others more
recent, TO grow spontaneously and abundlntly IN
the interior Of Ainca.
MARYLAND COLONY.
OF the Maryland colony, at Cape Palmas with q