and given birth to a new Republic, which, in our day, will afford an asylum to the down-trodden and oppressed colored man in every quarter of the globe; and spread religion and law, light and civilization throughout every portion of this broad and beautiful land.

CHAPTER LVIII.

ADDRESS OF THE HON. ABRAHAM HANSON,

CONSUL-GENERAL FROM THE UNITED STATES.

1. In May, 1862, I accepted the humble, but honorable office of Commercial Agent of the United States in Monrovia. In December, 1863, the position of Commissioner and Consul-General of the United States to the Republic of Liberia was intrusted to my hands, the duties of which I still continue to discharge. I have resided in Liberia about three years. During this time I have interested myself in whatever promised to extend and strengthen the commercial and friendly relations between the two countries. I have made several visits along the coast and up the rivers, going from farm to farm, and from house to house, and thus, from verbal statements and personal observation, have acquired a knowledge of the industrious habits and domestic comforts of the citizens.

2. In every direction new plantations are being commenced, and old ones materially enlarged and improved, so that I can testify that the progress in this department promises well for the future, and full development of the rich resources of the prolific soil.

3. Coffee bids fair to become the basis of many an independent fortune. It is cultivated with ease, and with comparatively small expense. Its maturity and fruitfulness

are not retarded, but rather advanced, by the use of the intervening space for the growth of smaller plants. The entire lack of suitable machinery for hulling has, heretofore, deterred many from engaging in this branch of agriculture, but this want, I am happy to state, is soon to be supplied, and you may expect in a few years a regular shipment of large quantities of coffee, as palatable and nutritious as any that is produced in any other part of the world.

4. Sugar-cane has, I think, received a much larger share of attention than coffee, owing chiefly to the fact that it yields an earlier return. There are four steam sugar mills along the banks of the St. Paul's River, besides several wooden mills. Had I been a commercial man, I could have brought home orders for a dozen mills from parties who are generally responsible, and who offer a reasonable guarantee to secure the payment. Specimens of cane have been brought to my office more than sixteen feet in length, and from seven to eight inches in circumference at the base, of one season's growth. More than one third of the juice of such cane is lost to those who have only wooden mills to express it.

5. The article of cotton is not yet extensively cultivated, though I believe it is attracting more attention than formerly, and that which has been exported has commanded a high price and much praise for its superior staple. But it would be presumptuous in me to enter into a minute detail of the various productions of the soil of Liberia before such an audience as I conceive this to be. I may say for the satisfaction of the officers and members, as well as the patrons of this Society, that I know from observation, that the glowing reports which now come to you, from month to month, and which appear in your various periodicals and magazines, are, in the main, founded upon tangible facts.

6. There is not, there need not be on all this globe, a richer soil, a soil which yields more prompt and ample re

turns to the labor of the industrious husbandman, than that of Liberia. She has land enough to give a free home to millions who may go hence to aid in her future progress; a home where numerous, various, and substantial products may be obtained with less than half the labor required in many other countries. .And, moreover, it is obvious to those who know the habits of the aborigines, their aptitude to trade, especially, that as Christian civilization and commerce advance, the door of the almost illimitable interior will be thrown open, not by force of arms, by deeds of blood, or exterminating influences, but by the firm and steady progress of the arts and sciences.

7. The present condition of the people of this Republic is encouraging. On every hand, I have seen the proofs of useful industry. All along the rivers, as well as in the settlements on the coast, the bamboo hut, the log cabin, and sometimes the frame house, begin to give way for the commodious and substantial stone or brick edifice. They are furnished as good taste would dictate, not with what is usually termed elegance, but with modern conveniences to an extent beyond what many would expect to find in that far-off land. In accepting of the generous hospitalities of Liberian merchants and planters, I have always found their tables supplied with the substantial elements of food.

8. Perhaps it is expected that I should say something in reference to the climate of Liberia. From its location on the globe you will naturally infer that it is uniformly warm. My residence in Monrovia is in 6° 9′ north latitude, but though so near the equator, the air is tempered daily by breezes from the sea. The seasons of the year are two, the rainy and the dry; the former commences with May, and the latter with November. The thermometer averages about 75° Fahr., and seldom rises above 90° in the shade. Yet, with all these elements of comfort, it is not the white man's home. Africans who have descended from an ancestry absent from the continent for from one to two cen

turies, can, with good habits and proper care, survive the change and enjoy health, while the white man droops and dies.

9. My observation leads me to the conclusion, that a greater amount of mortality is occasioned by unnecessary anxiety, unfounded apprehensions of danger, unreasonable and immoderate bodily exercise, want of abstinence from improper food during convalescence, the want of suitable remedies during the fiercest attacks of fever, than from the actual, and, if I may use the terms, the avoidable or curable effects of fever.

10. Hear what the eloquent and learned Hon. E. W. Blyden said to his fellow-citizens, on the 26th of July last, the anniversary of the independence of the nation which he serves as Secretary of State. Speaking of their location on the coast, he says: "Here is a land adapted to us, given to us by Providence-peculiarly ours, to the exclusion of alien races. On every hand we can look and say it is ours. Ours are the serene skies that bend above us; ours the twinkling stars and brilliant planets-Pleiades, and Venus, and Jupiter; the thunder of the clouds; the roaring of the sea; the rustling of the forest; the murmur of the brooks, and the whispers of the breeze."

11. The Liberia College stands as a noble monument of the munificence of its founders. Under the presidency of the Hon. J. J. Roberts, the benefactor of his race, and with the coöperation of the able faculty, a foundation is being laid, broad, deep, extensive, and permanent, to raise up instruments for Africa's redemption from thralldom and from darkness.

12. As the immigrant plants his feet upon the soil of his ancestors, and directs his wandering gaze from point to point, he beholds Christian temples rearing their humble but inviting fronts. He listens to the "church-going bell." He hears voices, joining in hallelajahs to God, which rend the still air, and ascend as incense to the skies ; while countenances irradiated with ineffable, heaven-born

brightness assure him that here Jehovah is known and worshiped; that Christ is honored and adored; and that the Holy Ghost diffuses his convincing, quickening, regenerating, sanctifying, saving power. Among all classes in Liberia, from the President down to the humblest walks of life, you can find those upon whom the badge of Christian discipleship is placed with honorable promi

nence.

13. And now I must close by asking, Who can take a careful glance at what the people of Liberia were; at the circumstances which have surrounded them; at what they have accomplished, and at what they are doing to-day, and not pause, and wonder, and give God thanks, and take courage? Liberia lives, yonder, a striking monument, not less remarkable to me than the bush burning with fire, yet unconsumed! And what is more, my humble faith in the immutable promises of God assures me that she shall continue to live and grow, for she is emphatically a fosterchild of Providence. In spite of the supineness of some of her professed friends, and the sneers and open opposition of her cruel foes, she is stronger to-day in moral power and political wisdom than ever she has been before.

14. Were I a member of that race, with my knowledge of the tremendous weight that still oppresses them, and of the illimitable field which invites them to Liberia, with its innumerable facilities for comfort, independence, and usefulness, I should gather my family around me and embark on board the first vessel bound for that distant shore, even if I had to avail myself of the generous aid which the Colonization Society offers.