The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-02-09

From Liberia.
LATE AND IMPORTANT.

count of the proceedings of orlando, of whom
mention has been already made in our columns,
and of the authorities of the republic of Liberia,
! in suppression of his murderous attack upon
| their terrltones.
! Grando, of the tribe called Fishmen, it ap-
pears, was professedly on terms Of friendship
with the republic when he commenced his de-
predalons, having previously Incorporated him
self with the government and people of liberia,
and subjected himself to their laws lie was
! Joined by Prince Boyer, of Trade-town, who
also is anenab!e to the laws Of the republic. Ii
is also pretty evident that some foreign traders
on the coast were abettors of that attack
Accounts of the outbreak first reached Presi-
dent Roberts on the afternoon of Sunday, No
Vember 23d, by vessel despatched from Grand
Bassa with the intelligence The cabinet was
Immediately summoned. The dispatches set
| forth that Grando and his allies had made q
| fierce attack on the town Of Bassa Cove, and
had been repulsed with considerable loss; but
that the beseged were in need of assistance in
men and ammunition. 1t was resolved TO send
these without loss of time
President Roberts, however, fearing that
another attack would be made before reinforce
ments could reach Bassa Cove, applied to Capt
Pearson, of u. s. ship Dale asking that he
might be taken at once to the scene of war in
the Dale, the presence of which vessel in the
barbor of Grand Bassa would probably act as a
check upon Grando and his company. Capt.
Pearson promptly complied with the request
| On Monday at noon seyenty-fve men well
armed and equipped were sent on board the
government schooner Lark, having with them
also an ample supply of the munitions of war.
On the morning of Monday, November oath,
President Roberts issued proclamation, preyi-
| M tn poiucr hoard tho nalo in, uvbi.h bo 40,
tailed the attack of Grando upon Fishtown,
which was sacked and burned, aud the attempt
upon Basso Cove, which was repulsed; an
nounced that Grando and the chiefs of Tabac-
conee, New Cess and Trade-town were still in
arms that said chief was receiving supplies and
munitions Of war from vessels trading upon that
coast; and concluded by interdctng trade on
the coast between Grand Bassa point on the
NorhW est and Trade-town point on the South
east
Commander Pearson ard President Roberts,
and the government schooner Lark, arrived at
Grand Bassa in time to prevent second attack
upon the town of Bassa Cove. Grando and his
band fled, as already mentioned in our columns.
The President went in the Lark to some other
stations and removed the people, for safety's
sake.
The details of the insurrecton, including the
attack on Fshtown as well as on Bassa Cove,
are given with much mnuteness in the official
Communications of the Hon. Stephen A. Benson
to the President. Mr. Benson resides at Bassa
Cove. The attack upon the former place was
sudden, and was made on the morning of
Wednesday, November 4, at about 8 O'clock,
Grando being at the head of three hundred men
They quickly took possession of the garrison,
which was entirely unprepared for the attack.
There were but five men in the garrison, the
others bein- engaged in working upon houses
erecting for recently arrived immigrants. Three
of the men escaped Two were shot, and a
boy two women and four young children were
ruthessly nassacred. The enemy then fred the
garrison, a lumber yard and ten houses the
whole place was burned to the ground, and all
portable property WAS carried off. The nine
persons killed were horribly cut and mangled.
Capt Preston, in charge Of Bassa Cove, had
heard during the morning that the Fishmen
were moving their property, and that there were
Other suspicious circumstances about their move
ments He went up among them, and rocev
ing no satisfactory answers to his inquiries, BE-
came aware Of impending danger, and hurried
back TO send double guard to the garrison
The enemy, however, had forestalled his move.
ments
Mr. Benson adds that he has lost by this af-
fair, in oil and goods, exclusive of lumber, about
$l500-adding, "But | am Injured to Losses,
and though am but i'll prepared to sustain them,
it appears must, as have frequently had to do
before"
The people of Basqa Cove made nightly ex-
cursions among the Fishermen of The neighbor
hood, which Mr.. Benson commends, and indeed
urges pretty severe reprisals upon the tribe He
displays also considerable feeling about two men,
who we suppose are English traders, Messrs
Lawrence ard Murray, who he thinks prompted
Grando and Boyer to the attack. lie complains
much also OF the inhuer &c which foreign traders
have over the natives generally, upon whom their
goods, he says, have great effect.
! Further communications from Mr. Benson
persist in attbuiing the attack to the instigation
/ of Lawrence, the purpose being so to weaken
| the power of Liberia that she may be compelled
| to relax her revenue aud navigation laws. Mr..
Benson therefore urges the President to have
every foreign factory removed to within certain
defined distances from Bassa Cove.
| On Monday, Nov H. an attack was made on
Bassa Cove, which, however, was speedily re-
pulsed On the morning of Wednesday, the
18th of November, much more serious assault
was made ON the town, fighting having been 90,
ing on in all parts of the Bassa country since The
attack on Fishtown. The assault, which Mr.
Benson says was the fercest he ever knew the
natives to make commenced at seven o'clock
The ASSISTANTS were very numerous. The
Cove had been fortified to the best of the means
at hand, and among their armament were two
pieces of cannon. These, however, for awhile,
produced little effect, the natives rushing up al
most to the mouth Of the cannon and firing
AT lena tn Grando's principal warrior, Tarplan,
was killed. "When he fell and his war horn
ceased, there was general panic, and few
more rounds put them TO fight" Mr.. Benson
says he has the fellows head at his farm" and
intends to preserve the skull for examination,
A." for there must have been something extraor-
binary about the man."
! There were about sixty men only in Bassa
Cove during the engagement occupying three
stations-one at the beach, one at Fort Hill and
the other at Mr.. Benson's farm. The enemy
were very numerous-supposed nearly thous-
and-and in killed and wounded lost from for
! ty to fifty. Of the beseiged only three or four
were wounded
The Liberia Herald of December / tn, says :
No further depredations have been committed
by Graudo and his allies since our last issue.
Indeed, from all accounts, they have had enough
/ ls1A ,V- n