Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1853-02-17
Africans not Barbarians.
aY HON. EDWARD EVERETT.

Sir, at the present day Africa is not the
abode ofutter barbarisrn. Here again we do
not discriminate; we judge in The gross
Some oil her tribes are, indeed, hopelessly
broken down by internal wars and foreign
slave trade, and the situation of the whole
continent is exceedingly adverse to any pro
gress 10 culture. But they are not savages ;
the mass Of the population live by agrIcuI-
| ture; there is some traffic between the coas,
and the interior there is rude architecture
| gold dust is collected, iron is smelted, weap-
Ons and utensils Of husbandry and household
uses are wrought, cloth is manufactured and
dyed, palm oil is expressed, and schools are
taught. Among tho Mahomedan tribes the
Koran is read. Ihave seen a native African
10 this city who had passed forty years Of bis
life as slave in the field, wlIO, at the age oi
seventy, wrote tbs Arabic character with the
elegance of u scribe. And Mungo Park tells
us that law suits are argued with as much
ability, fiuency, and at as much length, in the
interior of Africa, as al Ednburg. certain
ly am aware that the condition OF the most
advanced tribes OF Central Africa is wreVched,
mainly ia consequence of the slave trade,
which exists among them 10 the most deplor-
able lorm. The only wonder is, that with
Tins cancer eating into their vitas from age
TO age, any degree Of civilization can exist.
But think il may be said, without exagger-
anon, that. degraded as are the ninety mil
lions OF Africans, ninety millions exist IN Eu-
rope, TO which each country contributes her
quota, moi much less degraded. The differ
ence Is, and certainly an alimportant differ
ence, that in Europe, lntermiDgled with
those ninety millions, are fifteen or twenty
millions, possessed of all degrees OF culture,
up TO the very highest; while ia Africa there
10 not an individual who, according 10 our
standard, has attained high degree of civ
ilzalion. But doabls Of the capacity of the
African race for self-government, aud their
improvabilily under favorable circumstan>
ces, seem 10 me to be removed by what we
witness at the present day, both in our own
country, and on the coast Of that continent.
Notwithstanding the disadvantages OF this
country, specimens Of intellectual ability, the
talent of writing and speaking, capacity for
business, for the mechanical arts, for ac-
counts, for the ordinary branches of academ-
ical learnings, have been exhibited by our
cOlored brethren, which would do DO discred.
it to Anglo-Saxons. Pail Cutter, well recol-
lected in New England, was person OF
great energy. His father was an African
slave; his mother, an Indian Of lhe Elizabeth
Islands, Mass. have already alluded 10 the
extraordinary atlainmerts of fAbderra haman.
A man Of better manners or more respecta-
BILE appearance never saw.
The learned black smith of Alabama, now
in Siberia, has attained a celebrity scarcely
inferior to that Of his white brother, known
by The same designation. frequently at
tended the examinations at a school ia Cam
bridge, al which Beverly Williams was pu-
pill. Two youths from Georgia and son Of
my own were his fellow pupils. Beverly
was born slave in Mississippi, and appa-
renIly of pure African btood. He was one
of the best scholars, perhaps the best Latin
Scholar in his class. These are indications
OF intellectual ability, afforded under discour-
aging circumstances at home.
On the coast of Africa the success of Libe-
ria (the creation OF this Society ought to put
to rest all doubts on this question. The nf-
fairs of that interesting settlement, under
great difficulties and discouragements, have
been managed with discretion, an energy,
and | must say, all things considered, with
success which authorizes the most favorable
inference as TO the capacity oil The colored
races for elf-government. 1t is about thirty
years since the settlement began, and think
1t must be allowed that its progress will COM
pare favoraby with that of Virginia and
Plymouth after an equal length OF time.
They have established well organized
constitution Of Republican Government
1t is administered with ability the Courts
of Justice are modelled after Our own. They
have schools and churches. The soil is titled,
the country is expiored, the natives are civ
iliZed, the slave trade il banished, friendly
intercourse is maintained with foreign pow
ers, and England and France have acknowl.
edged their independent sovereignty. -
Would handful of ngo-Americans from
the humblesl classes of society here do bet
ter than Ghis 2