settlements. The heathen around and in the midst of them were not neglected by the ministers of Christ, and the zeal of the missionaries was unabated. The Rev. Mr. Seys, who had recently returned from a visit to the United States, and brought with him one white and one colored Methodist preacher, wrote under date of December 21st: "I preached in Krootown, this afternoon, to a congregation of Kroomen. I spoke without an interpreter, in broken English, compounded of the most common terms of our language, and many that are peculiar to the African, and were familiar to me from my infancy. They listened to us with deep attention, and when we went to prayer, in conclusion, they came around us, and not content to kneel simply, they bowed down their faces to the earth. Let me urge it upon the Church to have pity upon this intelligent and teachable tribe. O send us a missionary for Kroo Settra! They beg, they entreat us to send them a teacher -a man of God. We shall make an additional effort to plant the standard of the Redeemer among the Condoes."

5. The following will show the kind of influence which the colonists have over the natives: Dr. Hall, Governor of the Maryland Colony, finding the subjects of his neighbor, King Freeman, to be very great thieves, and being much annoyed by their continual pilfering, determined to make the king pay for the articles stolen by his people. The king complied for some time. The demands, however, became so frequent, that he at length objected. The Doctor told him that as he was king, he could make such laws as he pleased, and that if he did not make laws to surrender the thieves to him for punishment, he would hold him responsible. The king made many inquiries of the Doctor in relation to his laws, where he got them, the manner of executing them, etc. On being informed that they were made by the Society's Board at Baltimore, King Freeman resolved to send his head man, Simleh Balla, to Baltimore to get him a book of laws.

6. Simleh visited Baltimore, was introduced to the

Board, and delivered the following speech (as nearly as it could be written): "I be Balla, head man for King Freeman of Cape Palmas. Him send me this country. I come for peak his word. Pose him sava book, I no come; he make book and send him; but cause he no sava make book, I come for look country and peak him words. Long time past, slave man come we country. He do we bad too much, he make slave, he tief plenty man for sell. By and by all slave man knock off. This time we no sell slave, no man come for tief him. All man glad this palaver done sit. Beside that we have plenty trouble. All man have to go for ship for get him ting, iron, cloth, tobacco, guns, powder, and plenty, plenty little ting. Some time canoe capsize, man lose all him money. Some time he die, plenty water kill him; him can't come up.

7. "This hurt we too much, and make we heart sorry. By and by one white man come we country. He bring plenty black American man. Him buy we country, we give him land for sit down. Him say he come for do country good. Him build house-put all him money shore -make farm-make road-make all country fine. This time all good ting live shore-no more go ship. Ebery man can buy that ting him want. No money lose-no man lose. This make all men heart glad-made king's heart glad. King tell me, 'Balla, go that country; see how this ting be. Tell them people all we heart say. Thank him for that good ting them do for we country. Beg him for send more man, for make house, make farm-for bring money, and for make all ittle childs sava read book, all same America men. I done.'

8. The Board kindly furnished a simple penal code in language that the natives could understand. On reading it to Simleh, the clause limiting every man to one wife alarmed him, and he expressed his disapprobation in the the following language: "No good for my countryman.' 'Why not, Simleh ?' 'Me tell you. I got four wives. Spose I send three away, and keep Bana-she pretty-she

young-no man give 'em rice-no man take care of 'emthey die-pickaninny die too-no good law that?" There was so much reason in his objection, that an immediate reply was not made to him, and after a short pause he went on― Me tell you. Spose that law no good law for me-well—that law good for my son-he pickaninny now -got no wife-by-um-by he want wife-I say, King Freeman say you only have one wife-so all men. When I got my four wives, I no saba that law. When my son get wife, he saba law-he do what law say. Yes, that good law for time come." 999 Simleh's idea of an ex post facto law was correct, and he was instructed to explain this article of the code to King Freeman as prospective only in its operation.

9. After the return of Simleh to King Freeman, the laws being adopted and found to be popular and productive of the happiest results, the king applied to the Rev. Mr. Wilson to write him a letter of thanks to the Board at Baltimore, as follows:

King Freeman to the Gentlemen of the Colonization Board of Baltimore-Naheveo, (greeting):

man.

"Mr. Wilson be hand for me and Simleh Balla be mout for me for make dis book, but de word come from me own heart. He be true I send Balla for look you-he eye be all same me eye, and dat word he peak be all same he come out me own mout. You do Balla good when he lib to your hand, dat be all same you do good for King FreeI tank you for dat, Balla tell me you hab fine country, I believe what he say, cause he no fit for tell lie. I tank you berry much, gentlemen, for dem dash you send I like um plenty an go keep um all de time. But I tank you berry much for dem law you send me he be good law, and all my people go do him. Pos' I hab dem law first time I no go do fool fash all time-dis time I go make all me people do dat ting what you law tell me. I tank you plenty, gentlemen, for dem good law. I tell all

me.

man go hear Misser Wilson talk God palaver, and yiserday so much man go till plenty hab for to stand outside de house.

10. "Soon Balla go for 'Merica first time me go long way bush and tell all man say he must make fine road and bring plenty trade for Cape Palmas. Me heart tink say he guin do him soon. Me hear you say you hab plenty slave in you country. Me have one word for peak dem. You must come me country den you be freeman for true. Dis country be big and plenty room lib here. Pos' you come, I peak true, me heart be glad plenty for look you. Pos' any gentleman want come me want him for come too -me heart glad for see dem too much. Me word be done now-I tank you berry much for you dash and you law. go lub you till me dead. Me send you one country chair for you look at. Me go put pickaninny country word for you see. A good child loves his father, he loves his KING FREEMAN, alias PA NIMMAH."

I

mother.

CHAPTER XLVI.

ARRIVAL OF GOVERNOR MATTHIAS.

1. THE Rondout, from Wilmington, N. C., arrived at Monrovia on the 4th of February, 1837, with thirty emi grants. Dr. D. F. Bacon, who had been appointed colo nial physician, came out in this vessel, and immediately entered upon his professional duties. The following is extracted from his communication to the Board, dated February 15th: "I found the Colony in a peaceful, prosperous, and healthy condition. The public prosperity and general comfort have been greatly promoted under the faithful and active government of Mr. Williams, whose businesslike management has effected a reform in affairs that has

given me a satisfaction which I know the Board and all the friends of the Colony will share on perceiving the results as reported by him officially. In my own department I have found much that required active attention; for although there is not a single case of the common fever in the Colony (unless at Edina, from which I have not yet heard), there are in all this section, besides a few light cases of croup, about fifteen or twenty cases of chronic disorders resulting from debility, mostly in old, broken-down constitutions, which have been long suffering for want of the aid of a regular physician; the Colony having been left entirely to the medical assistants ever since the departure of Dr. Skinner in September.

2. "The people, in general, I believe to be remarkably quiet, inoffensive, and peaceable, more so than in any part of the United States where I have lived. Ever since 1 have established myself on shore, all have combined to treat me with the greatest attention and kindness; and since beginning my business here as physician, I have met with nothing but the most polite and civil usage. My medical assistants in this quarter, Messrs. Prout, Brown, and Chase, have been very polite and attentive, and have promptly pledged themselves to become active and serviceable to the Colony under my directions. Dr. McDowall left your service long since, and resides wholly at Bassa Cove."

3. The Governor, in his official communication of the same date, wrote: "I am happy in being able to say that at present the Colony is peaceful and tranquil. A growing attention still continues to be paid to agriculture; indeed, the whole community seems to be awaking to the subject. No former period of the Colony can boast of as great an extent of land under tillage as at present. In order to afford some encouragement to the settlers at Junk, as well as to prevent their eating the bread of idleness at the expense of the Society, I have established a farm there, on which they will work a part of the time in return for the articles with which the store there may provide them.