The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-10-14
CULTIVATION OF COTTON IN AFRICA.

To the Editor Of the Ne,0 York Times -
1t is no longer a matter of doubt Ii at cotton
can be largely cultivated in Central Africa. The
Rev. J. I. Bowen, the indefatigable VISIONARY
and explorer of that region, has set the question
at rest. Not onlyis cotton of SUPER )r quality
gtown there, but it is so well adapted to that
soil that 1t springs up spontaneously. 1t ia also
perennial, and requires much less labor than
it does in our own country. From the,sccounts
which have recently been published, Il appears
that it has become an article of export to Great
Britain. If this culture should be g4eatIy en-.
larged there, we see no reason why the slave
trade may not thus be peacefully extiaguished
If this result can be thus reached, the civilized
world will rejoice. 1t seems that al.eadv the
cultivation of cotton and the trade in palm oil
have extirpsted the slave trade from napy dis
tries in Central Africa. The exports of palm.
oil from the Blight of Benin last yea were TO
the value of SI0,0O0,000. 1t is, then, by the
development of lawful commerce thas the traf
6c in slaves will cease.
This truth is gaining access to the minds of
intelligent colored men at the NORTH, and an
organization has been already formet5 to carry
out their views. An expedition "A explore
Yoruba will start this fall, and it ia hoped that
ere long civilized community of enterprisinp
colsred Americans will be engaged IL the cui
tivation of cotton, sugar, rice, Coffee &c. and
the production of palm-oil, in that hea3thfuI and
fertile country. All will rejoice at 81 Oh mani.
feststons OF enterprise among our co ored pop
ulstion. Yorubs is situated west of she Niger
znd north of the Blight of Benin.
A description given by the Rev. Mr.. Bowen.
who has been five years a resident ard Baptist
missionary in Yoruba, is as follows.
Between Abbeokuts and the Nsger-that
is, within distance of l60 miIes-sthere are
more than q dozen large towns, some of which
are more populous than Abbeokutaa Central
African houses are built in Moorish 8. vile. large
and low, with many rooms opening Into an in.
terror court. The walls are made of casy. which
bakes hard in the sun, and the roofs are pener.
ally matched with grass
Insome respects the Soudanese art consider.
ably advanced from mere barbarisu.. Whether
heatbens or Mohammedans. thew se clad in
trousers and tunics. They are remarkable
courteous in their social intercourse, Several
rude arts are commonly practiced, as the smell.
ing OF iron, and in some places of copper and
lead; the manufacture of hoes, axes, AIDES.
knives, and swords; the spinning of otton and
Six weaving and tailoring, both of which are
regular professions dyeing blue, yellow. and
RED soap-making; brewing corn a ID millet
making palm and grass hats, also ssddles. bri.
dies, aud sandals, and a sort of shoes and boots
Three towns in Nufe have the art IF WORKING
on glass. But the great business ofthe peon,e
is,agriculture, in which they are far more skil.
ful and industrious than we have supposed
The principal crops are Indian corr the same
as our own, and the tropical yam. But thew
also plant cotton, sugar-cane, beans. and peas,
sweet potatoes, cassava, ground ptas, ginger
red pepper, &c, and the country is admirably
adapted to coffee and other tropical reductions
of great value to the civilized world. a
"Yoruba is a healthy and fertile region
that it is well adapted to the cotton and suga,
culture that it ia the key to Cent al Africa
and the yet unvisited gold regions If Soudan
that it is vide open to missionary inauences
and that there is room for hundreds Of thousand
OF enterprising colonists-the mere enunciatior
OF these facts opens out a vast field for contem
platlon. We wonder that enterprising men o
color do not perceive the directing hand o
Providence in all this. Here is Geld for tn
development of Anglo African ne.gy and Ia
ent; Why should not the inexhaustible richie
OF Soadan be brought into use at ome futur
Tuner The natives would soon supply any de-