Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1863-02-03
Admiral FOote on Liberia.


The principal speech at the last annual meeting
OF the American Colonization Society was made
by that gallant veteran, Rear Admiral Foote. 1t
abounds in interesting personal observations on
the condition Of Liberia and in some suggestive
remarks on the negro, as will be seen by the fol-
lowing extract:
e" In the first place, have had an experience
Of two years in command OF an African cruiser,
for the suppression Of the slave trade and the
protection Of American commerce on that coast,
and, in cooperation with the British squadron,
under the Ashburton Treaty, when we captured
three sayers and suppressed the atrocious traffic
iu Southern Africa.
Liberia embraces an extent Of COO miles in
Northern Africa and has crushed forever that
trade within its domlin and just so far as Africa
is coIonzed, 50 far the slave trade will be annlhi
lated.
10 the second phce- What is the character
and Influence of Liberia upon Africa and upon its
coIonslsP visited Liberia several times during
my cruise On the African coast, where we found
in foil operation Republic, whose independence
had been acknowledged by England, France,
Prussia, Brazil, and Silce then by our own Gov
erment We visited the p ople il their schools
on their farms, in their workshops, in their reli-
gious assemblies courts Of Justice and in their
Cong ess, and bearing in mind the character and
condition Of their race IN this country, we found
comparatively degree Of order Intelligence and
Ari!t tar surprising that of any Of the colored
people in the Uuiled States, The debates in
Congress, ia many instances, would have done no
dtclsdlt 10 many Of our debating societies, while
lhe m.,.age, oi President Roberts will compare
not uni4tonbly with those Of many Of the Gov
eraor Of our States
As the country becomes settled and the char
actel Of iis diseases better Understood, the &C
ciimaligg fever il ess dreaded 10 fact, it now
rarely proves fatal. The statistics, as President
Roberts informed me, show some three per cent.
smaller number 81 deaths than in New England
and Canada among the same population. The
thermometer seldom rises higher than IS deg,
nor lall. below 70 deg, during tic year.
The products OF the soil arc varied ard abun-
don't, c4pabieoi sustaining an imme1se population.
The want Of agr ulturl industry, rather than
tte luclpcty ot the country 70 yield richly the
fruits ol the earth, has been the difficulty with
the Lbelans WIKI we-drected labor, Of one
half tbe amour, required among the farmers Of
the United States a large surplus OF the earthis
productions, over the demands OF home consump-
.on, might be gathered. The country certainly
po~csse lhe clements Of great prosperity.
lh1 country now belongs to the coloni,ts, they
are lords of the SOIL and IN intercourse with them
it Is soon observed that they are free from thai
oppressive sense of in.eroriy which marks the
c,.l,ei pea.- OF this country
10 religion Liberia compares hyorably with
any country. The number Of Carstian Churches
Is large, aud On sunday quletness prevails rare
ly seen 10 any country. It's true that some Of
The lower forms in the VIVID connection Of spirit
u4i things may characterize the people, but far
preferable is that than the tendency Of our high
er civilization toward attempting to bring the
mysteries Of cur holy faith within the scope OF
human reason. II is true that Liberia, like all
other Places furnishes It's full quota Of people
showing the deprayity Of human nature. You
VII. hld there M who will rob hen-roosts, and
In0rgne Tor office, but this does not arise from
the people be.asl black, but because men are
men.
lt should not be lorgo,lon that the experiment
in respfc. 10 the col0red race Is essentially new
one. he idea that Haun0al, one Of the FIVE
great gener Is Of the world-his enemies being
JIdses-- nd the distinguished Bishops aud learned
fathers OF the church Clpfi4n and ST. Augustine,
Nefs properly speaking, Africans, ought long
since to have been abandoned These men we're
As Atcs or Europeans, rather than Atricans--the
Great Desert being the northern boundary Of the
African race. In fact the African, in bis native
land, has never re cned higher rank than the
King OF Dahomey. No philosopher among them
has caught sigh, Of the mysteries Of nature. No
poet has illustrated heaven, earth, or the life OF
man. No statesman has ever done anything to
tighten Of brighten the links Of human policy.
In fact, II all that negroes in Africa, before the
settlement of Liberia, have accomplished, were to
be oblitemted forever, the world would lose no
great truth, no profitable art, no exemplary form
Of !iie The loss of oil that is African would
cause no remarkable deduction from anything but
the earlhs black catalogue OF crimes
The Republic Of Liberia contains population
OF 200 600 inhabitants not more than one.twen
tieth OF this number are Am rican colonists. Its
growth has been adua and healthy. The gov
erRmeni, from its successful administration by
blacks aor, for the las; fl teen years, appears to
be fully established, and with all It's shortcomings,
would say to the colored man in this country,
who regards the highest interests Of his children,
10 young men Of activity and enterprise, that Ii
5era affords the strongest attractions. presume
that this society considers that the colored man
has bis rights, one OF which is to stay n this coun
Try, the and Of bis birth, if he prefers it the
other is, TO 60 to Liberia il be prefers that, and
better his social, moral and political condition."