The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-01-06
LIBERIA.

LIBERIA.
In 1850, C. Alexander, of Washington, pub
lsbed little work written by Dr. Lugenbeel,
"Io,e Colonial Physician and U. S. Agent in
Liberia" relative to that country, which late
Iy fell into our hands, and which we have
read with much pleasure. tits, indeed, most
interesting subject. though by some strange
oversight il has, heretofore, received but very
| small degre .of attention from the public, even in
the slave States, as we may suppose that IN the
time of J mes !, very few in England troubled
| themselves with the fate of that handful of ad-
yenturers who landed at jamestown and Ply
mouth, and laid the foundation Of the present
United States. 1t is very evident, notwith-
standing, to US, that in Africa has been plant
ed the seed OF mighty nation, and that not
two centuries will have elapsed befJre the
whole of that vast, unexplored continent, will
have become d portion of it. At present, at
ter an existence of thirty years, the republic of
Liberia, including few other settlements from
various paris of the United ST ties, has po-
| pularion of about six thousand. 1t has about
| four hundred miles of sea coast, and extends
1
| back from the ocean about twenty miles. In
| stead of being hemmed in by fiery desert on
one side, and the ocean in trent, Liberia has, n
| its rear, magnificent country, of unbroken
| forest, varegated with hill, dale and mountain,
presenting virgin soil of unrivaled fertility,
and Of such ali extent that, under proper cul-
ture, it might supply the whole earth with
food. Far from retrogradng, as the African
race has done in San Domingo and Jamaica
of Late years, and as it appears to have done in
the countries bordering on Egypt in ancient
times, the colony Tor rather Republic) of Ii
berio, has, from the first, been steadily a. vanc-
ing in intelligence, refinement, and the arts ne
cessary to the happiness of life in a state of
civilization. Their constitution is wise and
moderate, their laws are equal, mild and tem-
perate, and their institutions he best that the
nature of the case could admit Of Crime is said
to be very rare among them, and the disorders
naturally and inevitably attendant upon socie-
ty in every stage Of progress, are uncommon
ly few.
With regard to its productions, Liberia is as
highly favored by nature, as any country of
which we have any account. There is scarce
ly any production natural to either of the In
dies, which, with very small degree of ex-
ertion on the part Of the inhabitants, it will
not yield in the greatest abundance. The cot.
fee tree is indigenous, and is to be found wild
in the woods. The wild African coffee, OF
which we have seen specimens in this city,
sells higher than any other, and is as superior
in strength to the coffee of Mocha and Java, as
the first of these is to all other descriptions
With so much ease is this crop cultivated there,
that the author thinks even with a moderate
degree of industry, single acre might be
made to yield at least $3.50, after the first six
years, and an average of nearly $40 previous
to that time. One tree in Monrovia is recorded
to have yielded, at one time. thirty one pounds,
the largest quantity, the author says, he ever
heard of from a single tree.
But besides coffee, the productions of the We
getable world are unlimited. Indian corn.
sweet potatoes, casada root, yams, Tania, Lii.
ma beans, peas of all kinds, tomatoes, cucun.
bers, waterme Ions, &C., are to be had in abun.
| dance. Oranges, lines, and lemons abound.
and are of the largest size. Pine Lpples grow
wild and besides these, there grow, in great
perfection. the guava, the mango, the plantain,
the the papaw, tamarnd, the pomegran lite, the
African peach and cherry, the bread fruit of
Tahita, and numberless other valuable trees,
Pepper and ginger may be produced in anv
quantity, and enormous sums might be made
| by the cultiva ton of arrow root for sale. The
woods of Liberia are full Of medicinal and
timber trees. Among the former are the palma
christi, the copaiva, and the gum arabic
Among the latter are wistmore, rose wood, ma.
hogany, bastard mahogany, saffron, mangrove.
African oak, and sassn wood, all of which are
ht for cabinet work. The gum elastic tree
grows wild, sometimes TO the height of forty
feet, and the crOton tigliam, from which Gro.
ton oil is extracted, is very plentiful. The
whole country is literally covered with palms.
the OF! extracted from which is one of the most
valuable materials Of commerce. Cows. sbesn
| horses, all domestic animals common here. in
fact, are there TO be found in the greatest album.
| dance. In one word, there is nothing wap,;ng
there which supplies want, or contributes 10
| luxury.
Liberia, in the materials, and the advantages
which we have enumerated, has evidently the
basis OF mighty foreign commerce, as we'll
as OF great domestic prosperity. Enjoying, as
II does a Tree government, with all these ad-
vantages, 1t is a subject 10 US of unalloyed as.
constituent that our entire free colored pops-
lation has not emgrated ,hther, Bur we will