The Hickman courier., 1877-11-23
Libcrian Emigration.

There are a large number of the col
ored population proposing to emigrate to
Liberia. 1t would be well to consider
whether it would not be better to bear
the " ills they have thm fly othose they
know not Of" We find the case stated
very clearly in a late issue of the Courier
journal. It states that the republic of
Liberia Is not the happy land of Ca
naan, " represented by the leaders OF the
Exodus" and Judging from some re-
cent utterances at colored mass-meetings
in the south the negroes are not at all
susceptible to the quilting process The
secretary of state has just received some
authentic information about Liberia,
which, summarized, shows the naked sit
uation 10 be like this 1t Is represented
that the frequently repeated statements
as to the fertility of the soil and the
beauty of the country are correct, but
that the climate on the sea coast Is very
dangerous to all but the natives.
Horses, mules and donkeys cannot live
there. Horses are found in the interior,
but when brought to the sea coast sicken
and die. Although, as to the tempera-
ture, constant summer prevails, yet the
miasmatic infuence'caused by the heavy
rains, alternating with hot sunshine,
causes sickness during six months of the
year; and during the remaining six
months the power of the sun Is such that
ut is almost impossible for any hut the
natives to work. The mean temperature
is about eighty,five degrees, but on
account of the dampness OF the
climate the heat is suItry, depressing and
weakening. There is still very little
civilization and very little agricultural
enterRaseA Liberia has never produced
sufficient food for her own home consump-
ton; and although she should be great
rice-growing country. rice is imported
from England aud other countries, and
sold - four dollars a bu~l, twice the
cost at which better, rice could be grown
and sold there. Flour is fourteen dollars
per barrel, butter one dollar per pound,
and hams from five TO eight dollars
Other provisions are proportionately
high. There is not plow i'll use in Lii
IBERIA, and the agricultural implements
are of the most primitive character, such
as cutlasses, hoes, bill-hooks, etc. There
are no public schools. The immigrant has
to compete with the native labor! The
natives are strong and hardy, and one of
them will do the work of horse at fifty
cents day. The settlers wanted in Lii
IBERIA, as thoughtful and prominent
Liberians recognize, are those who can
afford and would prefer to pay their own
Expenses of voyage and settlefaent The
back, hilly country is said to be fine and
healthy, but it is penetrable only by the
footpaths which have been cut by the
natives through the almost impenetrable
forests; and everything must be borne
on the heads or backs of native car.
riers, as there are no roads. The only
decent part of the country is, therefore,
/ inaccessible, and during the thirty OF
forty years OF occupation by American
born negroes, they have clung to the
coast. Whenever they have tried to
push further in, they come in collision
with the Greboes and other tribes. The
negro government does not allow white
people to become citizens, and no encour
agement is given to foreign enterprise
and little attention is paid to making
civilized citizens of the indigenous popu-
lation. The British, at their colony 0
Sierra Leone further down the coast