The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1852-12-02

The WESTERN CoA>T or AFRICA An
lMP lRrANr MissIs BY LIEUT.. LYNCH
We learn thai Lieutenant l., ncb, ui lie
United States navy, whose name is famIi
lar Ia the c0untrs IN consequence OF hts
haying he,ded the Exploring Expedition I,
the Dead Sea, Icii NJ. York % Ssiardn,
hast ii the steamer "A retie," lur Liverpool.
he j. charged with highly important
mission /, is To visit the western coast
i Africa to make inquiries aud arrange
preliminaries With reference u an Expio.
ring Expedition ialhat consi and The adI IN
lag country This measure j. tfth de- pes
interest, aud The task could not have been
rnufiIed ~ more capable hands. The re
public Of Liberia l. located on that coast
aud the prnspec, Of an extensive settle.
ment One indeed that will form the ma
rieus of great empire-wss never mere
encouraging Than a, the present time.-
| The population of the colonv consists Of
/ b u, eight thousand individuals Of Amer
4 ic u birth, md one hundred and tittv thou
.and natives They occupy = country a,
hnut five hundred miles along the coast,
with an average depth of thirty miles
The slave trade has been entirely abolish
ed in that region, and he habits and man
uers Of the people have been greatly sof :
| ened and civilized. Formal treaties have
been entered into with several European
powers. and manv If the most distinguish
ed statesmen and philan'hropisis Of The
Old World MS we'll as the New, are watch
ing with the livelis, interest the progress
f this truly laudable enterprise. The
government Of the colony. as is well
known, is thoroughly republican, its mod
81 being The United States Heretofore,
some prejudice has existed among our col
nred population, but this is rapidly passing
away. AT this moment, several vessels
J nre preparing at Baltimore, Norfolk, vii.
/ mington, ~ c., and New Orleans, to car
~ over an aggregate of more ihsn six
hundred emigran's, most Of them emsnc-
pa,ed slaves. The little acorn is indeed
rapidly growing, and should Lieut.. Lynch
return with favorable impressions, new
impulse will no doubt be given TO this iruls
important movement The trip between
The United States and Liberia, in sailing
b vessels, is made in abou, five weeks; b,
steam il could be made in two. The colo
:: nv is indeed but little moro remote from i.
Than Liverpool Mr.. j. j. Roberts, n
bright mnlaito, is President of the repub
lie. md has been for several years lie i,
now about IS yenrs Of age, and isa native
# Petersburg, Va. He is man of IN
doubted character and high intelligence.
nd is much respected by the citizens ofth,
Young republic. We may here add, on tn.
authority Of letter from friend, tina, Mr.
!, Roberts recently visited Paris, where ht
had an interview with Louis Napoleon
who received him in the kindest manner
presented him with a vessel Of war, an
offered him any ammunition, ordnance. ~
military clothing that he might stand i,
need Of The British government. nl,o
some time since, presented him with :;
small vessel of war--and both powers have
'orma'ly recognized the independence Of
he republic Of Liberia. This duty isyet 10
be discharged by the United States
Aside from the social and benevolen, oh
iects TO be accomplished by Lieu,ennnr
Lynch, his mission possesses interes, in +,
; commercial point of view, and will ~
loubt materially tend to the increase oftht
trade between Africa and tho United
st'tes,-- WASH RepnbHc.