The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-08-08
THE ENMIGRANTS IN LIBERIA,
THEIR DISCRIMINATION AND RE
CEPTJON AT MONRovIA.
Correspondence Me,cs and cesrier.

Correspondence Ncrs aud Cesrfer.
MoNRovrA, LIBERIA, June II.
How the Azor left Sierra Leone in tow
of the British mail steamer on the after
noon of the LIST of June and arrived here
before day on the morning of the Sd has
already been told. On the evening of
the I'd we caught our fret certain glimpse
of Liberian soil in
GRAND CAPE MOUNT,
to which we passed close enough to
make cut the trees on its sides and top.
It seemed densely wooded down to the
very waters edge. though what the trees
were we could not tell. After passing
this point, which remained in sight a
long time, it being l,060 feet high, We
saw along the Hat coast continuous
fringe of lofty tree-tops. Everybody
stayed on deck and watched these until
darkness shut out the promised lund."
A few of the more enthusiastic pilgrims
remained above, aud nearly all night
strained their eyes to see something.
The more practical, however, consoled
themselves with the reflection that the
Continent would not run away before
daylight, and turned ial" Finally we
stopped, the anchor was let go, and we
were
Is, Ar MoNRovIA!
All we coafd see of Monrovia then was
an exceedingly sickly looking light above
and sesse distance off, said to be on the
tep OF Cape Mesurado. Then the cap
tain of the steamer came aboard, collec-
ted his s150 for towing and his s10 for
the use OF his hawser, went of, aud soon
steamed out and disappeared.
Little by little as daylight increased,
Deepening the roseate flush in the east,
Little by little did daylight reveal
the Cape rising above us tits height is
given as $50 feet) with q fimsy looking
lighthouse, quite in keeping with the
light, on top. About halfway up the
hill little house stood among the dark
green trees. The Cape was covered on
the sides that we could see and on the
top with thick growth of trees, bushes
and vines, growing down to the low cliff
which forms its base, and against which
the waves leap up and break in masses
i of white foam. To the left (westward)
of the cape was wide bar, over which
the breakers were rushing, and to the
aeft of that again was a broad white
beach fringed BY trees stretching grad
ually away as far as we could see. Be-
hind the bar there was glimpse of still
water and clump of trees. This was
Monrovia, with its cape, as first seen that
morning. Some of the passengers began
singing:
"Land ahead, its fruits are waving,
Ger its fields of endless green,
And the living waters laving
Shores where Heavenly forms are seen" I"
But the Heavenly forms were seen
about then, and the singing stopped.
They consisted of
A FLEET OF "DUG-oUT" CANOES,
each propelled by two or three gentle
men in the aforementioned state of near
nudity, with paddles shaped like point
ed spade, or a trowel bayonet. These
individuals came; padding out through
;the.safflikemad and soon reached the
ships side to which the emigrants eager
ly crowded. Each of the new arrivals
had dark blue line about an inch broad
itattooed from the roots of his hair to the
end ofshis nose, and it was discovered
that all had on some clothes. Some had
only cloth, Others coat and cloth.
Others coat only, others a shirt, one all
three. They had each suspended about
their necks string or two of beads, and
small bags of medicine" Some had
hats, some gaudily trimmed smoking
caps, some ridiculous woollen-night caps.
1t reminded one of the old Mother Goose
melody:
"Hark, bark, the dogs do bark,
Beggars come to town,
Some in rags, and some in
- Tags, and some in velvet gown"
except that there was nothiLg in the re-
motest degree suggestive of velvet gown.
These fellows gabbled away among them
selves in some heathenish and unknown
dialect, with q great many eos" and
short and long "a's'' in it., They occa-
-sionslly addressed us in some few words
of imperfect English. at once con-
ceived the idea that they were the origi-
nal intoners. Their whole language
seemed to be q series of intonations.
Their words for eyes" is sound some
thing like drunken mans utterance of
the letter N, and they say it so much as
a High Church Episcopalian does the
last syllable of "amen," that the resem-
blance is startling.
BOARDED BY THE NATIVES.
The emigrants were the most disgusted
and crestfallen looking set that ever l
saw. They wandered disconsolately
around inqliring anXiously of each other
whether these were specimens of Libe-
rians. "Why," said the passengers in
digrantly, "they can't even talk Eng
lish." The mate stationed himself at
the gangway and ordered every canoe to
keep of, forbidding our visitors to fulfil
their announced desire to come aboard.
The rascals padded around, however,
and made feint of climbing up on the
side, and when the vigilant officer rushed
oaround to drive them back, their COM
hpanions streamed in over the gangway
in such numbers and scattered about the
ship so quickly that it was impossible to
get them off except by inaugurating q
knock-down and drag-out fight, which
would have been unpleasant. The
wnole gang tnereiole got aooaiu' Ano
head men Immediately sought the cap
tain, and produced their "bocks," 1. G..
their written recommendation ofgood
character and working ability, procured
from various captains, and carried in
water-tight tin tubes about twelve inches
long BY two thick, suspended about their
necks. 1t then transpired that our new
friends were Kroomen, that is members
of the Kroo Tribe of Africans. Detach-
,ments of this tribe, which is a very large
one, are scattered up and down the west
coast. They are amphibious animals,
and will do no work except on or in the
water. Their perfect familiarity with
that element, and their skill and endu-
rance in rowing and working about ships,
render them an indispensable auxiliary
to the trader along the coast, especially
as there are few good harbors, the ports