Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-01-21
MEETING OF THE COLONIZATION SOCIETY

The Thirty-Seventh Anniversary Meeting of tn
Colonization Society took place last Tuesday eyenn
in Trinity Church.
Soon after o'clock the meeting was called t
order by the President, JOHN H. B. LATRoBE
Esq. He announced that the President of tn,
United States had been invited to be present, bu
that communication had been received from him stating
that important official business would deny him thu
pleasure.
Prayer was then offered up by the Rev. DR.. BAIon
when the Secretary Of the Society read abstract of thu
Annual Report
The opening paragraphs of the report pay tribute OF
respect to four of the Vice Presidents Hon. Judge BUR
NET, Hon. SIMON GREEsLEAr, Rev. JAMES LAURIE, D. D.
and ANsoN G. PHELPS, Esq.
The receipts Of the Society for the past year wer,
$s, ,45425. The expenditures have been more SO that
the Society is upwards Of $50 in debt The re-
port proceeds follows:
We have sent 1888 emgrants to Liberia during the year
The most interesting part of them family by
Montgomery Bell ofNashville, Tenn, in the Gen. Pierce
which sailed from Savannah December 6h consisting OF
man and his wife and thirtysix children and grand
children. Mr.. Bell gave them good outfit paid their
expenses to Savannah and gave So 600 toward their
colonization. He has large number more of whom he
wants to send in our next vessel about CO. and he is will
port Of embarkaon and one-haf the amount necessary
to transport them Liberia and support them there six
months. And we are looking out for some generous
friend to give US $2 400 to pay the other half that
this interesting company sail in vessel April ls
They the "iron men " Of Tennessee Gen. Bell has
long been known Of the largest manufacturers Of
iron, and his slaves have been his only workmen They
thoroughly understand the business hieh
moral chareosor who would be acquisition to any
try Thomas Scott the patriarch Of the family who sail
cd in the Gen. Pierce helped to make the cannon balls
koI:. Al A.
tie of New Orleans and he is yet of great activity
and energy Of character.
If we not entirely mistaken in calculations this
family Of Mr. Bells will be an element in Liberals his
tory and operations of the most valuable characer for
iron is found there great abundance and of remark
able purity.
The history of Liberia the past year has been such
should encourage press forward in the work Peace
with the natives has prevailed schools have been multi
piled the churches have been blessed the great law of
progress is manifest Liberia is not exactly what it
at any period you may select in its past history
The commerce Of Liberia has been increasing. The
fact has been clearly demonstrated that this young Re-
public weak and feeble though it is, will hereafter
direct and control to vast extent the of the
western coast Of Africa The rich products Of that i'm
tract Of country lying interior of Liberia will find
their way through her ports and the natives
in the scale Of being appreciate the blessings
and feel the wants consequent on civilization, they WILL
through some channel obtain the products and manu-
factures Of other countries So that is quite evident
that whatever the foreign Of Western Africa
may be- Liberia will control it, Her position the
coast and her relations with foreign nations necessarily
confer upon her this advantage. Her independence
having been formally honorably acknowledged by five of
the leading Governments Of the word-England France,
Prussia, Belgium, and Brazshe is fairly entitled
form treaties and establish international relations which
shall regulate the trade between her interior and the
markets Of the world
Already has this opening field for commercial enter
prise attracted the attention Of other nations The
lar merchantmen engaged in that trade being INSULT
oia fns
with her Maesys Government has been established and
runs once month from London, touching at Liberia.
Four powerful steamers of nine hundred to thousand
tons each the ne-the Forerunner Faith, Hope,
and Charity-names appropriate and significant. Ano-
ther line from Liverpool has just been started So that
now Liberia has steamer from England twice month.
Capt Rudd U. S. N, in letter just received from him
on board the frigate Constitution, off Monrova, says
enclose you paper giving the route Of the English
steamers this coast They doing rsrae business,
running full of freight both and Of cutting up
trade Uery much and believe in years they will get all
Of Steam is the only thing on this coast" ..~
The English Government, with wise reference to the
extension OF her commerce on that coast admits
wood, palm OIL and its other great staple products free Of
duty. Consequently the English trader always give
higher price for these articles than the Americans can
The Lberian order by the British steamers what
ever goods he wants from London Liverpool and have
them in his store in six eight weeks after the order is
sued while to obtain the like goods from American
port requires at least the same number Of months
Under these circumstances is to be wondered at
that British is increasing on that coast with
unexampled rpdity and that American has to
even maintain its present limited existence
England may be bold, she may be grasping in her
efforts to spread her abroad over the face Of
the whole earth. Who can blame her! Is it not well
that she should extend civilized customs of trade and
christian commerce along that once covered with
barbarous traffic in human blood There is tremen-
dous moral power in commerce which tends to civze
the barbarous Liberia has her hands in this respect
work so mighty to demand all possible encourage
ment and assistance from other nations For many years
she struggled for mere existence, without the power
means to regulate commerce Atlength but remblingy
she declared herself to be, and actually became inde-
pendent nation England noby came forward with the
courteses of recognition, and welcomed Liberia to the
family of nations France soon followed; then Prussia
Belgium, and Brazil. England and France have, from
time to tme compimented her in the most marked and
distinguished manner
And yet the harbors and ports Of Liberia are open
alike to British steamers, French merchantmen, and
American traders Her camwood, palm oil, coffee and
her spices, and all the rich productions of her sunny
CLINE she is ready to exchange for the manufactures
dn other nations on equal terms Thus far Liberia has
shown no favorsm, has exercised selfish Partially.
Her treaties OF commerce with England and France give
them no advantage whatever the United States of
America. In all the commercial relations into which
she has entered thus far she has kept the field wide open
to all, giving peculiar advantages to none This surely
is all that could be asked all that any body had right
to expect But now suppose that those nations which
have acknowledged her independence should endeavor
obtain for themselves the privilege Of introducing their
manufactures free Of duty and the exclusive right trade
in camwood and palm-o, who else could complain If
any other Governments have neglected to improve the
opportunities which her existence has presented to them
is there not ground to apprehend that they may be ul
mately deprived Of them
Liberia is in certain the United States. By
private benevoence provided among citi-
who hadn