Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-26
BOUND FOR AFRICA.
Nearly Two Hundred VIII Sail for the
Republic of Liberia.

Nearly Two Hundred VIII Sail for the
Republic of Liberia.
Colored people in Philadelphia are eager
ly watching for the arrival ct that port of
the steamship Capulet. from Hamburg.
which has been chartered hv the Iaterna-
tional Migration Society to sail July for
the infant negro republic Liberia, carrying
$40 colonists and large general cargo. OF
those taking passage fc- Africa only 10
are from Philadelphia, the others having
been collected throughout the south, and
are now gathered at Savannah where they
will board the Capulet after it leaves Phila-
delphia. w. g. Brockmeyer, the acting
Liberian consul In that city, will take
charge of the emigrants and cargo. and in
addition to his other duties will spend sew
eral months in Liberia gathering specimens
Of animal and plant life for the academy OF
Natural Sciences.
In conversat ton with a Philadelphia In
quirer reporter yesterday, Mr.. Brockmeyer
said that the eagerness to enlist In the move
ment looking toward the populatio OF I.iber-
la with educated colored people liz becoming
greater every year. more especially In the
southern states. This year, no doubt, the
stagnation of industrial affals has COM
bined with the glowing accounts of Liber-
ian prosperity to boom the emigration bust
ness. According to the graphic description
of one Of the settlers In Grand Bassa coun-
ty, Liberia, contained in a letter to his
colored brethren i'll this country, II Is the
Garden of Eden; the paradise OF God"
Natives Not Hostile.
"Our wild beasts he writes, are very
docile-the leopard. elephant and different
species of the deer and bear ana many 9TH
ers of the quadruped family ara very quiet.
They will all run from us. The natives are
not hostile"
The steamer Capulet will carry IN its hold
a quantity Of household goods, tools. farm
Ing implements and machinery. Among the
latter are an ice machine of twelve ton ca
pacity. which will be especially welcomed
by the deniZens of the hot little republic; a
coffee huller and a rice Fuller. Heretofore
the work of hulling the large coffee crops
has been done by hand, IL being a part of
the domestic duties Of the women to grind
pastle, resulting In breaking many Of the
grains. In spite Of this drawback Liberian
coffee has been rated very high in the
United States market, about GOOyV bags be-
ing imported annually in New York city
alone, selling in that city at from twenty
eight to thirty cents a pound unroasted
with the introduction of improved ma
chtnery 1t is expected that the African COLI
ny will begin to rival Brazil and other
Am erican nations in the output Of not only
coffee. but also sugar. rubber cotton, to-
pacco, ana other warm country products.
A Premium on wediock.
Most of the emigrants who are to leave
fhiiadelphia are married men and their
families. the laws Of Liberia putting a
premium upon wedlock by donating to each
married man twenty acres OF farming land
and a building lot in either Of the settle
ments he may select. while unmarried men
get each a ten-acre farm and a town lot.
Most Of the immigrants flock to Monrovia.
the capital, which has free schools a COL
iege and churches of several denominations,
'Monrovia," says Mr. Brockmeyer, looks
like Camden at midnight" 1t is about the
size or the New Jersey city, but all the
citizens with the exception of four are
black. the laws of the nation prohibiting
the transaction of business by white men
within Its borders. The four exceptions are
the ambassadors of England and France.
with their families. who are living In Mon
rovia.
There are no restrictions placed upon
Caucasians staying in the country Tor health
or recreation, however and the Migra zion
Society has on foot project for building
sanitarium for consumptives on the high
lands In the northern part of the republic
Nine persons who were in the first stage
or the dreaded disease were sent there two
years ago. with the result that all of them
entirely recovered. and one of them a ma
tive OF Philadelphia Frank c. Hartz. has
returned IN excellent health and is now
engaged in business there. The claim Is
made that the ocean voyage Of 4,166 miles
which now consumes sixteen days can be
made In less time when traffic with the
little republic increases and that the water
voyage will be much less expensive and
less trying TO invalids than travel by rail
to the mountain resorts in the west
Giant President.
Upon his return voyage Mr.. Brockmeyer
Will enrich the Academy of Natural
Sciences. not only with the animals ard
plants Of Liberia. many of which are Of
peculiar species, but he will try to obtain
relics OF the tribe Of giants known as the
Mandingos, who are most prominent in
Liberian affairs and who have furnished
the president of the republic. ]. James
Cheesefnan, who is shorter than most of
his tribe. but who stands six feet four
inches in his stocking feet. President
Cheeseman is but thirty-three years old
He converses fiuently in seven languages
Is lawyer by training and is SAID to be a
man OF remarkable ability. Bishop Tur-
ner, who has besn In this country for the
last year preaching and lecturing under
the auspices of the Pennsylvania Coloniza-
ton Society. will return to the field Of his
work on board the Capulet