The National tribune., 1890-03-06

is one Of sugar-cane and cotton, and the cane
natures in years time, and coffee may be
grown on all the soils of Liberia. Liberan
coffee is in great demand, and the total out
put of the St. Pauls River region last year
reached 100000 pounds. Only a few years
ago there was no coffee raised in the country,
but now you find coffee plantations every
whore, and the agricultural condition Of
the country is steadily improving. Farm
ing is the business of the people. aud arrow
root and tobacco can be easily grown. 1t
is a curious thing that the natives who raise
tobacco look with contempt upon those who
chew 10. They are smokers, not CheweFs.
They are fond Of coffee, and they get about
3 cents pound for that which they soll."
"Are the people traders?"
"Yes, / think they are naturally so. They
dicker rather than trade, and everything that
they do is on a small scale. A great many trad
eTs from the interior come into Liberia aud
sell to the people. | am surprised how few
beggars there are in the country, and how the
people are improving. 1t is two years ago that
| the first steamboat was built in Liberia. The
builder and owner was Clement Irons South
| Carolina negro Ho launched it on the st.
| Pauls River aud it is now used as trading and
| passenger vessel. This st. Pauls River Is nav
| igabe for only % miles from its mouth but
| short canal would make it nayigable for $50
miles, and it would tap the big sugar and coffee
| some of the mineral products OF the interior OF
| Liberia, and Liberia has gold, iron and coal in
| its mountains. Another big river Is the Ca
valla but the most Of the civilization is IN the
| So. Paus River region, and the best lands lie
| along it,"
What do you think of the future of the
/ country?"
Il think it will continue TO improve" said
| DR.. Blyden. ave obtained a loan from Eng
| land recently of SjO0,OOO. We have an inter-
| nal.revenue system and we already produce a
| great deal of expOrtable material Within the
| last 10 years our exports and imports have
| trebled and the European traders come 10 the
coast and trade constantly. The increase Of
population continues right along. It IS true
| that we are not getting many emigraTts from
! America, but we are drawing largely from the
| native tribes Of the interior. and these tribes
| do not appear TO be sayages. They quickly
adopt our improvements in agriculture, and
! they have thus added many useful commune
| ties to the Republic In a material way the
abOrigines are doing quite as well as the Ameri-
/ can colonists"
When did the first Americans go TO Libe-
| ria?"
! ~ have been in Liberia for 40 years." said
| DIR. Blydeu, and the first emigrants that went
| from this country to Africa lett New York in
1870. They were IS in number, and they have
had considerable accessions to their population
by emigration from America. They continued
| 10 be a colony of the United States until lS47,
when they declared their independence. The
| United States Government protected them, and
had il not been for you, the Spanish and Por-
tuguese slave-trade would have driven them
| off the coast long ago. To America Is due the
honor of having founded the Republic of Libe-
| ria, and IL was these Southern negroes who
brought rice aud cotton to the country"
| "How about taxes and education" l asked.
| "Our internal-reveuue system brings in some
money, and there is pOll-tax of 81. We pay Z
| per cent on our English loan, and in 1856 the
| principal and interest of our State debt amount
| ed to $500 900. The accounts in Liberia are kept
| in American dollars aud cents, though English
money is generally used. The weights are the
same AS those used here. There is a good deal
| of paper money in circulation, and tobacco IS
the currency and coin of the native races. The
only exports from America worth speaking of
/ are American coal-Oil and missionaries. The
coal.oi! is used 10 certain extent among the
| American Lberians, and il costs from % 10 30
| cents a gallon. The best of the Protestant
| missionaries are the Baptists, but the MahOm-
etans get their work in to an even greater ex-
tent. They go right down among the people,
learn the language, and associate with them.
| The Methodsts and the Baptists preach ser
mons and scatter tracts, but few of the people
can read, aud their sermons are generally aimed
high above their heads. There arc some good
schools, and the American Liberians have a reg
ular system of education. think as whole the
| American people who have gone there are fully
up TO the standard of any negroes Of-the United
States, and the army OF the country is made up