Africa and the American Flag

by Andrew H. Foote

The governor, relying on the reputation for power and good faith which the colony had acquired, resolved to head in person an expedition of exploration along the St. Paul’s River. Taking a small number of men with him, he proceeded up the river, visited the camwood country, about seventy miles inland, and found the forests greatly wasted, and the main source of supply at that time one hundred miles farther back. Kings were visited and relieved of their fears, although not of their wonder, that “the governor should be at that distance from home without engaging in war.” The party had left the canoe, and after a circuit round to the eastward, they reached “Captain Sam’s” town, one hundred and twenty miles east of Monrovia.

Several kings met with the president in his excursion, with whom a conversation was held, “on the subject of trade, the course and extent of the river, native wars, religion, &c.” One, “who was seated in state, on a sofa of raised earth, gave us a hearty shake of the hand, and said he was glad to see us;” adding, “this country be your country, all this people be your countryman, you be first king.” This king was informed by the president, “that he and his people must agree to abandon the slave-trade, to discontinue the use of sassywood, engage in no war except by permission of the colonial government.” On one occasion, “Ballasada, the principal war-man of the Golah tribe, made his appearance; he entered the gate of the barricade, at the head of some twenty or thirty armed warriors, with drums beating, horns blowing, dressed in a large robe, and stepping with all the majesty of a great monarch.” At Yando’s town, arrangements were made for establishing a school. At Gelby, one of the missionaries preached to a large congregation—the king with most of his people being present. The audience was attentive, and, with the king, gave “a nod of the head at almost every word uttered by the interpreter.”

At “Captain Sam’s town,” a place of great trade, they met three strangers from different tribes, anxious to have a question settled, viz.: “whether, if they carried their produce to the American settlement for sale, the colonists would beat them, take their property away, and put them in jail.” Their intermediate friends had persuaded them that such would be the case, and consequently had themselves, in the mean time, become their agents, and plundered them at discretion. They had, at that time, brought a considerable quantity of produce for sale, and some of them had been kept waiting for many months. All this was fully cleared up to their satisfaction, and great extension of trade was promised. The governor says: “I have travelled considerably in the United States, but have never seen anywhere a more beautiful country than the one passed through, well timbered and watered, and the soil, I venture to assert, equal to any in the world.”

President Roberts, at Monrovia, in 1850, stated to the writer, that in the interior, ore was found so pure as to be capable of being beaten into malleable iron, without the process of smelting.

Treaties were formed with all the kings, and sundry fractions of kings; introducing everywhere peace and facilities for commerce. It may be presumed, therefore, that now the tidings are circulating through the depths of the interior, that peace has come from the west; and that an African people has returned to bless their old dark continent with light and truth.

CHAPTER XVIII.

INDEPENDENCE OF LIBERIA PROCLAIMED AND ACKNOWLEDGED BY GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, BELGIUM, PRUSSIA AND BRAZIL—TREATIES WITH ENGLAND AND FRANCE—EXPEDITION AGAINST NEW CESTERS—U. S. SLOOP-OF-WAR “YORKTOWN”—ENGLISH AND FRENCH CRUISERS—DISTURBANCES AMONG THE NATIVE CHIEFS—FINANCIAL TROUBLES—RECURRING DIFFICULTY WITH ENGLISH TRADERS—BOOMBO, WILL BUCKLE, GRANDO, KING BOYER.

For the main evils with which Liberia was oppressed, independence was the only remedy. We have seen the nature and extent of these evils, in her equivocal position in the view of several European powers, and especially in that of the English nation. The measures necessary to carry out this great purpose were received with universal sympathy.

Individuals from all sections of our own country, bearing on them the imperial character of their nation, had transmitted it by the dark-skinned race, to vivify with liberty and self-government, the great slave-land of the world. This was perhaps an honor higher than they aimed at. The few judicious leading men of Liberia saw the necessity of making the experiment. The outlines of a constitution, as far as that already existing needed modification, were borrowed from that of the United States. A declaration of independence was drawn up and proclaimed; and on the 24th day of August, 1847, the flag of the Republic of Liberia was displayed.

Roberts, whose state of pupilage had been passed under the master mind of Buchanan, was, as might be expected, elected President of the Republic. England, France, Prussia, Belgium and Brazil have successively acknowledged the independence of Liberia. A liberal treaty of amity and commerce, based upon the equality of rights of the two nations, was entered into between England and Liberia. The ministry were probably led to the conclusion by the president’s visit, that trade, regulated by the laws of a compact nation, was likely to become far more advantageous than the bribing, cheating and plundering that had occurred, with kings and half kings, and some European subjects; and had in view the increased power of the government for the suppression of the slave-trade.