Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-07-03
LIB ERIA.

We ind the annexed account of Liberia,
the African colony, in letter from Col. J. B.
DanfOrth, purser in the navy, to his paper in
lllinois-the Rock Island Argus. His state.
ments differ widely from many accounts that
have been published in this country by the
Colonization Society; but Col d. has been
there, and being shrewd observer, ought to
know of what he writes
Monrovia much smaller and less inter
esting town than Freetown, and it gives one a
very good idea of what the negroes can accom-
plish. This is all the town of any inheritance
in the colony Of Liberia. 1t has been petted
by the American Colonization Society for forty
years, the last nine of which it has been an in
dependent government.
The lace Of the country around is fat and
unlnteresting, and the population an idle, lazy
indolent SET slugg sh stream empties itself
into the ocean here, called the Missurado river
1t is not navigable. At its mouth is a large
sand bar, over which very small craft can pass
at higb, tide, and land alongside pile of rocks
they call a wharf
The town is small, and its business smaller
They have streets-that is, an open space be-
tween the line of shanties, which are entirely
covered with grass, except here and there a
path where the negroes cross from one house
to another. They have no teams, no horses or
mules-not one in town. The president of the
! republic. S. A. Benson, did have a mule, but
't dted They say that he has colt up in
the country, and will have a horse when ii
| grows up,
Our Consul, John L. Forney, Esq, accom-
| panied me to "ses the elephant" We first
visited congress which is now in session. The
senate consists of eight fust family niggers
and the house of representatives of eleven
The ex-president, Roberts, is nearly white,
and wears a white mOustache, The present
president, Benson. is full blooded darkey, as
Is also the vice president, Gates. / was also
| introduced to the supreme court, and to the
attorney general Payne. They are all colo
nlsts, .. e., persons born in the United States
and sent out here by the Colonization Society.
They had up great question in the house
OF representatives, viz. the propriety of in
creasing the salaries of the officers, and the
speeches were highly amusing One fellow,
who did not seem to be in the secret had ven
tured to assert that an addition of $50 to the
Judges salaries, might break the colony An
honorable member replied with much spirit as
follows:
Mr.. Speaker and Gemmen De gcmman
last up says Liberia may broke. Gemmen,
you can't de it. Liberia can't broke-only
rich folks broke. Yah. YAH. Great ap-
plause.)
They have four colonies, viz: Missurado.
BasSa, Since and Cape Palmas, the last of
State of Maryland, and was called the - State
OF Maryland in Liberia" Our State of Mary
land had started the colony, and paid annually
SlOOOO for its support. Recently the State of
Maryland in the United States concluded that
she had paid money enough for that purpose,
and she stopped the supplies. The colony
therefore annexed itself to Liberia.
The population of Liberia is estimated to be
about 2OO, O,OO0-nearly all of which are native
"bushmen. The colonists proper number
about $4,000, and east about ] 200 votes Their
counties -four answer to our States and their
government is modelled after our own
They have a Jail, three churches. and a "re-
ceptacle,' house where smigrants are kept
until they can take care Of themselves. Their
detences are four small howitzers mounted on
hill near town; four more which lay un-
mounted and half covered with sand on the
beach, where they were first landed; and one
more which Is In the same conGitiOrs on an unu
slightly place they call 4 government square
Their navy consists of little schooner, the
Lark, which was presented to them by Great
Britain
The whole business of the colony seems to be
controlled by few families, who monopolize
all the Offices, control the funds and tax the
people to the extent of their ability to pay A
fair opportunity, forty years, and under the
ald OF the home Colonization Society has been
given to see what the negro can do What
little evidence Of civilization they do exhibit
Is only that reflected from the whites and
about 20 years more will probably explode the
humbug. L believe now, if the aid afforded
them from abroad was withdrawn, that they
would nearly all take to the bush in a very
short time,