Page:The History of Slavery and the Slave Trade.djvu/386

 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 meantime, 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 traveled 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."

In order to obtain exclusive and complete jurisdiction over the territory of Liberia, it was a necessary measure to establish a national independence. The leading men saw the necessity of making the experiment. A constitution was framed, borrowed from that of the United States, and a declaration of independence was drawn up and proclaimed. On the 24th day of August, 1841, the flag of the Republic of Liberia was displayed, and Joseph J. Roberts was elected first president of the republic. England, France, Belgium, Prussia, and Brazil acknowledged its independence. England presented the republic with a man-of-war schooner, with armament and stores complete, and France presented it with a large quantity of arms. Treaties of amity and commerce were formed with both nations.

On the 22d of February, 1849, the French flag steam frigate Penelope, accompanied by another cruiser, arrived at Monrovia. On the following day, the commander, with the officers and two hundred men, landed for the purpose of saluting the flag of the republic. They were received by three uniform companies of Monrovia, in front of Colonel Yates's residence, where three field-pieces had been placed. The procession was then formed and moved up Broad street to the president's house, where the flag-staff, bearing the Liberian colors, was standing. A salute of twenty-one guns was fired from the field-pieces, which was repeated by the French cruisers, and returned by the Liberian guns. Refreshments were provided for the men, and the officers dined with the president.

In March, 1849, several English and French cruisers placed themselves at the disposal of President Roberts for an expedition against the slave establishments at New Sestos. Roberts embarked 400 men in the cruisers, and accompanied by the U. S. sloop-of-war Yorktown, proceeded to the scene of action. Some of the native chiefs had been induced to defend the slavers, but a shell from the French steamer bursting over their heads, the natives made