Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1853-05-05
MISCELLANY Y.



permit it to be, with due Difference, said {,
your Maine readers that, as inhabitants of
State whose maritime advantages exceed
those Of any other in lhis Union, if not Of an!
territory of equal extent on the globe, ant
whose people are fast acquiring for them
selves foremost rank amongst their siste
States, for commercial enterprise let those
readers Of your journal be told, that what
ever relates 10 the vast undeveloped resourc
es of Africa, whatever light may from timt
to time be brought to bear upon those bu
partially explored regions of exhaustes:
wealth, and every new fact and movemen
having reference to that wealth and to The
rude people connected with il, their being
brought, not only to support extensive and lu
crative trade and commerce, but to contrib
ute their due proportion 10 the riches and
happiness of mankind, which they have no
hitherto done, is of especial interest to Maine
To the commerce Of America, the open
ing which is now being made through the
young Republic of Liberia into those exten-
sive, populous and fertile regions, is pecu-
ilarly promising as prospective means OF
profitable trade, which though small now,
must gradually and constantly increase.
But while this subject may be found inter.
esting to the man of trade and commerce,
it may prove no less interesting TO the Chris
tian phianlhropist, Inc philosopher and the
moraIist. FL.
There is an immense region, comprising
the greater part of interior Africa, two thous.
and miles in length and one thousand ia
breadth, nearly equal, therefore, to the whole
of the URited States, which has seldom oE
Rever been tred by the foot Of the white
man. 1t spreads out beneath the tropics,
and is supposed by Humboldt to be one Of
the most interesting and fertile regions on
the face of the earth. Ii must be, he says, a
high table-land, rising into the cooler strata
OF the atmosphere, combining therefore the
qualities of the TERRA cdliente of Mexico, with
its 'cloudlesS ethers, the luxuriaut slopes of
the Andes, aud the pastoral plains of South
ern Asia. Ii cannot be a sandy desert,
though sometimes put down as such upon
the maps, because vast rivers come rolling
down from Il into the surrounding seas. 1t
is the native land of the negro, and he yet
holds /; exclusively as his own. From this
region, sometimes called High Africa the
streams OF migration have probably radiated
10 the surrounding coasts, becoming more
corrupt where they stagnae, upon the plains
or come in contact with the foreign settles
ments along the shores. 1t has long been a
land of mystery, romance and wonder, and
of strange and tantalizng rumors. The
'blameless Ehiopians' of Homer, the favor
ties OF the gods, and the wonderful Macrobi-
ans of Herodotus, are placed by HOeren on
the outskirts of this region, where they
would be most likely TO be offshoots from its
parent stock.
This cOuntry Is guarded from the white
man by forces more potent than standing ar
mics. Around it stretches border on which
brood malaria, pestilence, and death, and
which the English government Tor half a
century have expended lives and treasure to
break through. In one expedition alter an
other, sent out from the island of Ascension,
zine white men out of ten fell victims to the
beautiful but awful climate In alluslOn 10
this, Mr., Everett says, in his late address
that the Anglo Saxon cannot clvllize Africa.
Perhaps he cannot for other reasons. Such
civilization as the white race brings 10 the
whole coast Of Africa, is no way desirable
and so Providence has guarded the fairas'
land of the African with a power that cuts
down the white man as soon as he crosses
its borders.
Nevertheless, news from the interior, more
or less distinct, has found its way over thi:
belt of danger and death. Being land o.
mystery, it should be horne in mind thai
there is a strong tendency to exaggeration il
all that comes from it. The Niger, one o
the noblest Of rivers, skirts this unknown
country for some hundreds of miles, alte
sweeping away through the central portion
of negro land, already described The Colo
nial Magazine, speaking of the exploration
of this river by the English expedition, says
They have found that this whole tract o
country is one Of amazing fertility and beau
tY, abounding in gold, ivory, and all sorts o
tropical vegetation. There are hundreds o
woods, Invaluable for dying and architecture
purposes, not found in other portions of the
world. Through it, for hundreds of miles
sweeps river from three to six miles broad
with clean water, and of unsurpassablt
depth, flowing on at the rate of TWO or three
miles an hour, without rock, shoal, or snag
10 intercept its navigation. Other river!
pour into this tributary waters of such vol
ume, as must have required hundreds of mile
10 be collected, yet they seem scarcely to en-
large il. Upon this river are scattered cities
some Of which are estimated TO contain a
million (O OF inhabitants; aud the whole
country teens with dense population. Fa
in The interior, in the heart Of this continent
is nation in an advanced state of civiZa'
tioH. But all this vast and sublime country
this scene OF rich fertility and romantic beau
ty, is apparently thrust out forever from III,
rest of the world
In 1916, Capt. Tuckey, Of The English N a
Wy, made disastrous expedition up the Con
60. In 1928, Capt. Owen, from the opposite
coast, attempted to penetrate this land o
mystery aud marvel with alike result Bur the,
found a manifest improvement 10 the condi
lion of the people the farther they penetrat
ed. and they met with rumors of powerful
and civilized nation, still farther inward
whose country they attempted in vain TO ex
plore. In 1918, John Campbell, agent 3
the London Missionary Society, attempted
TO reach this country by journeylng from ih
Cape northward; and later still Capt. Alex
.ander-ied an expedition having the same ob
ject. They found popuIous cities situated ,
fertile and cultivated country, but they al
not reach the land of marvel and mystery
though they heard the same rumors respect
ing lis people. a m
We hnd an article quoted from the Edin
burgh Review of July, 1896, to which w
cannot now refer, giving detailed accoun
of the discoveries of two travellers on TN
Eastern and Southern borders Of this I'm
known region. The people are des.r;hod q