Page:An address to the free people of color of the state of Maryland.djvu/12



The Maryland State Colonization Society, its Agent, offers to take you with what personal effects and movables you may have, from your residence, wherever it may be within the limits of the State, place you on ship-board, in a ship built expressly for the purpose, with every possible convenience and accommodation, to supply you with good wholesome food during the passage to Liberia, to land you, with your house-hold effects, in care of their Agent, to furnish you with a good and comfortable house for six months from the time of your landing, to supply you for that time with good and suitable provisions, to guarantee you, when sick, good medical attendance and nursing, and in fine, to provide for your needs and wants, in every respect, during the said period of six months. You will receive, on your arrival, or very soon after, either a building lot in town, or a farm lot in the neighborhood of a town. You will be supplied with necessary farming utensils, and, if you have them not, household effects for cooking, lodging, &c. No demand will be made upon you for any remuneration or payment for these favors, requiring as they do, great outlay of money; and your time will be entirely your own, that you may at once provide for the future, building your houses, fencing and tilling your land and preparing for self support after the expiration of the six months. Such are the provisions made for you by the State's bounty, and such the Society now offers to you.

In enumerating the advantages of emigrating to Liberia, and a residence in the tropics, I have endeavored to state every point clearly, and put you in possession of all important facts, with one only exception viz:—the African fever, of which I will now speak. Every person, not born in Africa, is subject to an attack of a peculiar disease on going there, called the African coast fever, or acclimating fever. It varies in severity in different individuals, depending upon peculiarity of physical constitution, upon habits of life, previously, and after arrival in Africa. Some have the disease very lightly, not being deterred thereby from attending to the ordinary duties of life; the majority, however, are confined to bed from one to two weeks, and in some cases it proves fatal. Most are subject to one or two repetitions of the disease, but, generally in a modified form, something like the fever and ague of our lower counties. Upon a fair calculation, loss by immigration from this disease is about the same as among persons removing from the Northern States, west, or from Maryland to the more Southern States. On the other hand, it must be remarked, that after becoming used to the country or acclimated, colored people do not suffer from this disease, and also that they suffer less from other diseases than they do in this country, especially those consequent on our winter season, which are unknown in Liberia. The only drawback, whatever, in emigrating, is this same African fever; but if we are warranted in ever construing the providences of God in regard to the affairs of man, we may consider this a most merciful provision, securing to the black man forever, this rich and extensive continent—for there and there only, does the hand of the white man cease to control. He cannot