The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1873-01-02
From Africa

Winchester, Tenn. 1t comprises our
pages Of lorgc-sizc letter paper ana was
written BY William Slater, Il mulatto SER
want, formerly, of JnoT, Slater William
was Il good blacksmith. and could make Us
good Il pockct-kni(c rs ever came from 'he
shop of Wostcnholm, or Rogers ~ SON
William became free under the results OF
the late war, and went to L~iberla-tllat
Mecca OF freedom which comprises about
$4,000 or 10000 square miles OF the yet I'M
explored but historic country called Afri-
ca-a country through which DR.. Living
stone, the celebrated explorer, has been
going for over thirty years, and in search
Of whom Mr.. Stanley lately went and
made himself famous. But OF all sucI
facts rs these every reader of the newspa-
pcrs Is cognizant. We only want to intro
ducc our subject, and that is; a letter
from an old Franklin county negro to his
master. The negro, rs we said before, was
named william. And he never forgot the
kindness he received at the hands of his
bll hllNltls W Nv NuF ~ DNll'l inv Nh" WV
infamous politico-radical masters the ne
grocS have to-day. william left the Uni
ted States. from Nashville, Tenn. ON the
first day ofNovcmbcr, 1869, and landed on
the soil of Western Africa the DIST day Of
December, the same year. lie now writes
from Monrovia, the chieftown and capital
o fthc Republic. Monrovia is Il seaport
town, and contains about 1000 inhabitants
A history Of it, and Africa too, can be
found in Colton's General Atlas, where
details can be found which we have no
room for in the Home journal. We will
take the liberty Of altering somewhat the
photography, %ctymology ana syntaX Of
William Skaters letter, and give it to our
readers without further comment, except
to say that inasmuch as it bears greatly
upon some questions which affect us all
just now-thc black people cspecially-we
may refer to it in future editorials. In
fact we would, if space and time permit
ted, indulge our pen in this issue to an cX-
tent suggested by the thoughts which
creep over rs as we reflect upon william
in Africa and William in Franklin coun-
ty, Tenn. Pro ~tenipore, however. let us
give Il syllabus of what he says in his let
ter from Monrovia, August 18th, 1872:
" ESQ. Hon. john T. SLATER:
81 have long tried to hear from you all,
and to know how you are all doing. |
want to know how many of you are living.
My sister Mariah is dead. and also one OF
her granddaughter. Both died at Mon
royia. | want to know how your health
is. and what has become Of Lilly, Hughda,
Johnny, Mary and Dada. And what has
become of all The black people? heard
that Uncle Frank was dead. What has
become Of John and Priscilla? ! reckon
the children have grown so ! would not
know them. Bette and Peter | left in
Nashville. Paulina-whcrc is she? And
Lizzie and Sunday, and sam and sister?
Can YOU tell lnc what has become of mas
ter'James Slater, and David and William
and Eliza. Many other people about Win
chester. too? Master j. II. Slater, what
Is your health, condition, occupation
&C.? What is the condition ofthe country
around Winchester, and what arc the pco-
pie all doing!'
Now, all this may not be finely express
ed as some person, who had better advan-
tagcs of education. might express it, but
it shows Il servants love for his old master
and his happiness under system whicl
was far more humane and christian-likt
than the meddling abolitionists of tho
\r,.tL ,,,,-,I NFiIltnr, ,r,,, 40, th un,
that Africa is Il great coffee and sugar
co%untry-that palm oil isshippcd to Eng
land and New Iork-that the acclimT.iol
fever has taken away his strength-that he
does net eat heavy dict as he did in thu
United States, but cats the palm oil Whicl
is as rcd as blood.' and tlie continues
"Illough you have read about the Palm
tree in the Bible yet you could not CUES
whas kind Of looking tree, or the shape
that II Palm tree is" And hereupon h'
gives Il pen photograph of the tree anC
tells that it is from 10 to 40 feet in height
and that cocoanut trees grow in like man
ncr. After giving Il detail of the variou.
sorts of wood that grow in Liberia, sucI
as Mango Plum, that bears twice an'
thrice year; and calm wood, and othc
kinds OF wood las heavy and nearly a
hard as "A rock" he adds his wish to get
Job of shipping hWd w0oA to the United
States. Thcmarblc rock lin mountains
he says. is nearly as white a. snow, and 1T
wants to ship that, also. We now quot,
from his letter as follows:
81 have been out among the nations
They can speak the English language s
that YOU can understand them. But TIER
are no manufacturers, but plenty of irol
ore. There are no roads here but Il goo
country for roads. There are no bank
here. and greenback is the only chanc
for money. | have not seen any ice sine
left the United States. There is 10 win
ter herc-only the rainy season. And yo
might think you have seen it rain in Anne;
lea, and so you have. But here, it don
rain but pours. These rains last from til
middle of May and first of June to the frs
of December. Then it is dry and war;
until the middle of May. This rainy sea
son il, our winter, but it is not colder tina
the summer in America. There are man
, things here that are not in the Unite
i States. But there are no manufacturer
The bluciron limestone rock would max
u mill stone. but there is rot a man
, dress it. About Monrovia are more mt
i, latto persons than in any one place OF tn
, same size in the United States There III
white people from England who trade i
all Kind of things. but no improvement
L in the country. Now, tell me whcthe
Mrs. Mary Sharp, widow of Esqr. Jam
+, Sharp. is living. If so, give her my re
spccts, and tell her have rot seen 1T
Z people yet but have heard OF thehi
Grand Basso country