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beloved, respected, and admired; yet its en-
mity was feared as much as its friendship was
courted. And although we have not been,
hitherto able to reap the fruit of our labour, I
hope that the day is not far distant, when
some enlarged and liberal plan will be adopt-
ed to cultivate the western coast of Africa,
without interfering with the freedom of its
natives. Such a plan, pursued with a wise
policy, is the surest way of introducing civili-
zation, and at the same time of abolishing
slavery; and if the preceding account shall
in the smallest degree lead to such a measure,
I shall be amply repaid for all the time and
trouble I have expended, and all the difficul-
ties I have encountered.”

What remains for national consideration is the expediency of reviving a disposition to form settlements in Africa. This is the only quarter of the world in which British language and British commerce have struck no root; to which the advantage of our laws, the benefit of our protection, the civilizing influence of our manners, our intercourse, and our literature, have not been extended. It is the bed of a soil, which we have not attempted to cultivate; the atmosphere of a climate, which we have not endeavoured to purify; the home of a barbarism, which we have not sought to dissipate; the seat of a slavery, which we have not taken steps to abolish. Let us try. The solid pyramids of African antiquity attest the possibility of labour in vain: let the hollow warehouses of modern industry demonstrate the possibility of labour to advantage. The first roads will only be accessible to the keel; but the next to the camel and the elephant: to fleets will succeed caravans; to a coasting-trade, internal traffic.

The elephant and the hippopotamos of this part of Africa, have hitherto been hunted down, as the foes of man, for the puny recompense of their ivory teeth. From Mr. Beaver's testimony, and from that of other zoologists, it is probable that their alliance would be more profitable than their enruity. Both appear domesticable. The elephant can carry burdens; the hippopotamos can tow boats. Great care is wisely recommended to impress on the black man an opinion of the justice and humanity of Europeans: ought not analogous precautions to be taken for impres

sing on these powerful animals a similar opinion of the friendliness and compatibility of the white man? Camels, but not yet, will be requisite in these districts. Ants are troublesome there: the partridge, which is a voracious ant-eater, might be carried over. Swine are the appropriate enemies of serpents.

The following hints for commencing the settlement of Bulama, deserve conspicuity.

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Supposing the colonization of the country between the Gambia and the Grande, as wel as the uninhabited Bijuga isles, to be undertaken by individuals sanctioned by govern ment, or else by government * itself, I should recommend the repossessing ourselves of I ulama immediately; and, upon the fertile soil of that beautiful little island I should come mence such a plan of cultivation, which, with would, I doubt not, in less than twenty years common prudence and conamon success, export to the parent country produce to the value of more than a million sterling; and, it requires no great share of credulity to believe,. might soon after take from Great Britain her manufactured goods to more than that amount; for which the colony would make its chief returns in raw materials, for Eritish industry to work up; and these would be returned to it at an amazingly encreased price; which is, of all others, the most advantageous commerce that one country can carry on with another.

"We will therefore suppose the colonization of these countries seriously intended: and that a certain number of persons are arrived, at the proper season of the year, that is to say, just after the rains, on the island of Bulama those persons will find an uninhabited and fertile soil; and grumetas, or labourers, may be readily procured in the neighbourhood. Six months dry weather may be certainly reckoned upon, if they arrive at the proper tine; in which they may clear their grounds for cultivation; and cotton, as the least difficult and least expensive, and making the best return, all things considered, I should recommend to be first cultivated. During the dry season the colonists would also erect their houses and make a public road &c.; while the governor should be making purchases of land on the continent and among the Pijuga islands for future settlers; and in doing this he would meet with no great difficulty, as all the ground uncultivated by them is of no use, of the chace. And indeed they are ever any further than as affording them the means anxious to have white people settled in their neighbourhood, as when that is the case they always expect a constant supply of European

* It would be better und rtaken by government, on whose account all the land should be purchased, which I think might be done for less than 5000 pounds; and grants of certain portions of it should be made to individuals at 10s. an acre. Now supposing the above territory to contain only 18,000,000 of acres, the whole when granted away, would produce to government 9,000,0001. sterling.

goods. In the mean time, while the cotton is growing, some small returns might be made to the mother country in the native produce enumerated in page 381.

"Having, in the first year, made two establishments on the island of Bulama, one at the east, and the other at the west end of it; the former of which is to be considered the capital of the colony; I should the next year form one on the Biafara shore opposite to it;, and another just to the westward of that branch of the Grande which runs up to Ghinala. These would be both on land already purchased of the natives; but, if the government at Bulama has been at all active, other territories will have been purchased in the first year; in which case I should form a third establishment at Bulola,* and a fourth in the isle of Galenas; so that at the beginning of the dry season of the second year, we should have six distinct establishments on this part of the coast. At the beginning of the third year, three, four, five or six other establishments might be formed on some of the Bijuga islands, or on some of those close to the continent, or, on the continent itself, north of the Rio Grande; and I should now consider the colony as sufficiently strong and permanent to require no further assistance froin govern

ment.

"In the above outline, I have confined myself to the southern shore, but I think it would be as well, nay better, to begin the first year at both ends. In which case I should recommend the taking possession of James's island in the Gambia, and constructing on it a considerable fort; and the second year an establishment should be made on the Pasqua

river.

"In establishing this colony there are certain points which must not be swerved from; whenever they are, the colony, if not ruined, will be retarded; these are:

"First, that no land be ever taken from the natives by force; and that we do not ever make a settlement without their consent. We should even re-purchase the land already bought rather than our right to it be disputed "The second is, that no person can be employed as a slave in any of our settlements, nor on board any ship or vessel belonging to the colonists. At the same time that the eployment of slaves is prohibited to the European colonists, these inust also be forbidden to interfere in the smallest degree whatever, with the employment of them by the native kings or chiefs, in their own towns or territories. Nothing must be done against their independence. The abolition of that execrable trade must be left to the gradual, but

sure, operation of reason, and example. Should we endeavour to prevent the native chiefs from selling slaves; so sudden, and so violent a check to one of their immemorial customs; the reason, the policy, or the justice of which it is impossible for them at first to comprehend, would ill dispose them towards us; and make them either treacherous friends or open enemies to the success of our undertaking; at the same time that not one slave less would be annually sold, notwithstanding our ill-advised and absurd attempts to prevent it; and by such means the slave trade never will be abolished. Whereas if these people are left to themselves, and to the operation of reason and example, without the smallest shock to any of their customs or prejudices, I question very much if a slave will ever be seen in any native town of the colony at the expiration of fifteen or twenty years. But if a misguided zeal for the abolition of slavery be manifested, it will tend to prolong its continu ance, and the colony never can, and never will flourish. The absurdity of very well meaning persons, in thinking that they can overcome vices, customs, or prejudices, immemorially rooted in an unenlightened people, by shocking, instead of gradually enlightening their understandings, has done a great deal of mischief already. To begin by telling a native chief, the instant you have got into his country, that of his six wives he must put away five, because it is a great sin, and forbidden by the laws of God, to have more than one, will cer tainly astonish the chief, but will not induce him to part from his wives. As to the word sin, it is impossible that it can convey any idea to him; it is not within the limits of possibility for him to comprehend the idea which it is meant to convey; and of the laws of God he will have as little knowledge. But he will know that it is the custom, and ever has been, in his country, for every man to keep as many wives as he can afford; and that he is rẻspected in proportion to the number of them which he maintains. Now to insist upon his parting from the cause of his respect, without assigning any comprehensible reason for his so doing, betrays a more barbarous mind than the one intended to be enlightened. If, after this, the same person goes on, and tells the chief, that drunkenness is also a sin, and that he must give up drinking spirits; in short, that he will not sell him any, nor suffer any to be sold to him for the future; the chief, who has been accustomed to drink spirits, and to sec every one else do the same, when it was to be procured, will begin to think this European a little unreasonable; and will not be de sirous of having him for a neighbour. But if

Although Bulola is without the boundary line of the territory proposed to be colonized, being on the Naloo peninsula on the south side of the Grande, yet, from the character of its inhabitants, and the'r desire to have us established among them, I should there for a settlement, probably it might be thought wise to extend the southern boundary of the colony and carry it to the Rio Nunez, which is navigable for ships of 300 tons burthen, though with twở or three bars, up to Kacundy about seventy miles from its mouth, between which place and Bulola on the Grande, there is frequent communication,

the European goes on, and tells him that he must change his religion and become a Christian, or else when he dies that he will be roasted like a yam, always in torment but never thoroughly done; this chief will probably inquire what he means by being a Christian, that he may avoid this roasting. When his European instructor goes on from one dogma to another, all alike unintelligible in the present intellectual state of the chief, till he unishes with the doctrine of the Trinity, the belief in which, he tells this chief, is essential to us saivation: the latter, who thought him unreasonable at first, now thinks him * outrageously so; and that he is either a mad man, a fool, or an impostor; and to get rid of people professing such doctrines, will be his constant endeavour. Absurd as such conduct must appear, I have seen conduct towards a native chief yet more so; and much mischief has already been done by the fanatical zeal of some misguided people. I could give instances, but they are so incredibly extravagant, that they would scarcely find credit among sober minded people. If conduct like this be pursued in the intended colony, it will never succeed, and the condition of the natives will never be improved.

"It those Europeans who settle there are of industrious habits, and confine themselves to one wife, whose offspring they bring up with care and affection, the very habit even of imitation, (more particularly as it would be an imitation of people acknowledged their superiors in every thing) will in time, and that not very distant, introduce the same custom among the native chiefs, and from them it will descend to all others; and thus what the furious zeal of a bigot would have endeavoured to bring about in a day, a week, a month, or a year, at the expence of rudely attacking all their prejudices, but which he would never have accomplished, might gently and gradu ally be effected, and made to appear their own work, without our having in any instance wounded any of their feelings.

"As to drinking; if Europeans set them the example of sobriety, if they will not employ a drunkard, and always consider a man who has been seen in that state, as having dishonoured, and debased himself, they will soon confine that vice to a few of the lowest and most thoughtless of the people; who, by the bye, if they have the propensity, will not have the means of gratifying it.

"As to religion; there is much more danger of doing evil, than probability of doing good, by an excessive zeal for its introduction. In this, as in other points, example is much; it we are constant in our attendance at divine worship, and conduct ourselves there with decorum and reverence, this will have more effect on the minds of the Africans, towards

converting them to Christianity, than any thing that could be said by any fanatical zealot; and if we leave its operation to the show workings of time, we shall certainly attain our object; which the folly of an enthusiast might only place farther from us.

"So of slavery. Interfere not with the natives buying or selling slaves; but let no European employ one. His grumetas, who till the ground for hire, must be reasonably paid, well fed, comfortably lodged, and have a little piece of ground to raise vegetables, and to keep poultry. These grumetas, unless they have a very unreasonable master, will be generally contented and happy; and if they have a good master they will never quit him; and generally speaking would risk their lives on his account. It would be seen in a very short time that these grumetas would annually produce more profit to their master, than if they had been ali sold for slaves; nay, than if they could be all sold EVERY YEAR, whereas they can be sold but once.

"One great motive of the Africans in making slaves, indeed I may say the only one, is to procure European goods; slaves are the money, the great circulating medium, with which African commerce is carried on; they have no other If therefore we could substi tute another, and at the same time that other be more certain and more abundant, the great object in trading in slaves will be done away. This may be done by the produce of the earth. Let the native chiefs be once convinced that the labour of a free native in cultivating the earth, may produce him more European goods in one year, than he could have purchased if he had sold him for a slave, and he will no longer seek to make slaves to procure European commodities, but will cultivate the earth for that purpose; and he would be a gainer, even if the labour of one man should procure, annually, goods only to the amount of one half, or one fourth, of the value of a slave; because these he will have every year, the former he could have only once.”

By consulting captain Beaver's excellent map, an instantaneous idea may be formed of the magnificence of this undertaking.

Mr. Malthus's book must have convinced the British public that population is always and every where progressive with the means of maintenance, and with them alone; that nations, which cannot provide a drain for their superfluous adolescence, must rebarbarize, and allow the brutal qualities of strength and courage to snatch the goods of life from the feebler hands of the industrious, the luxurious and the refined; that colonies, far from being

If I may be thought to have spoken too lightly on subjects so serious, my apology will be found in the contempt and indignation I feel at the ill-directed efforts of those misguided and self-appointed missionaries. The language I use is such as must naturally suggest itself to their ignorant catechists. And the great truths of Christianity will be more exposed to r dicule than veneration, by the exercise of this "zeal without knowledge." Romaus x. 2.

exhaustive of national force, or burdensome to public revenue, promote a wholesome enigration, and facilitate at home early marriages, manufactural demand, and domestic thrift; that with our power they extend our fame and influence, diffusing our exemplary arts of life, our multifarious occupations of profit, our traditional and recorded experience, enlarging the area of existence, and distributing the blessings of civilization.

The ancient world enrolled among its favourite worthies the founders of states; to their honor monumental cities arise; their ashes fertilize provinces.

Mr. Beaver wisely proposes to the government to buy these districts for its own account, and to grant the lands to individuals at a low quit-rent, increasable at definite periods. This is the best form of colonial taxation, and less likely to produce by its augmentation a dangerous discontent, than those monopoly-laws and navigation-acts, which check a direct intercourse with foreigners.

A time of war is the fittest for founding a new colony few emigrants are wanted in the origin, and those not so much of the fighting as of the industrious class: the primary difficulties are thus overcome against the period when the redundant population of peace is ready to pour forth its shoals of recruits. A treaty

recognizes possession; whereas, during peace, wars are sometimes incurred by the attempt at new acquisition. We exhort the minister to put immediately at Mr. Beaver's disposal the means of enterprize: we doubt not his success: the risk and cost is small; the płobable gain vast and lasting.

Out of deference for the practical virtues of the writer, let us not overlook the literary imperfections of his book. It is too thick: it abounds with repetitions : facts included in the narrative reappear in the journal: reflections incorporated with the history are brought out again in the speculative chapters. A more scholastic knowledge of natural history and botany would have rendered' the same circumstances more conducive to the advancement of science, and also of the arts of life. Gardening and agriculture may be learnt by specific experience; but the manner in which they are practised being a result of the experience of ages, it is cheaper to follow tradition than to arrive at the same rule by fresh experiments. Yet in fitting out this colony no provision had been made to hire creole labourers in the West Indies, who might set agoing, in the established manner, the various processes of tropical agriculture. We recommend to the author some increase of library, and some extension of his literary acquisitions.

ART. VIII. A Description of the Island of St. Helena; containing Observations on its singular Structure and Formation; and an Account of its Climate, Natural History, and Inhabitants. 12mo. pp. 239. A solitary, wild, and rocky island, rising in the midst of a vast ocean, which separates it from those continents on which its inhabitants must depend for the prime necessaries of life, was not likely to have enticed many settlers from more opulent, fertile and independent regions; and although the situation of St. Helena, in the homeward track of our Indian ships, invites them to anchor in its harbour, few of the numerous visitors who touch at the island enjoy opportunity and inclination to examine with attention, and at leisure, its soil, structure, cute, and productions. Nar has St. Helena, like the rock of Malta and Gibraltar, had the good-or evil fortune to emblazon the page of history with high deeds of war or feats of chivalry. It has thus happened, that the descriptions which have been given of it are nicagre, and rather general than in detail. Mr. Forster's is an exception.

If, however, this insulated rock allures not the historian by records of painful and protracted sieges it has sustained, or of

hard-fought battles it has won, it interests the naturalist by the curious geological phenomena presented for his examination, and is dear to the philanthropist as being the scene of a prosperous experiment, which in its issue, has utterly disproved the hardy and unfeeling assertion that the labour of the negro must be enforced by the lash, and can only be secured in the mute and sullen obedience of slavery. Sir George Staunton, who stopped there in his return from China, mentions this fact, to the honor of the East India company, in his account of lord Macartney's embassy (vol. 2, p. 600). St. Helena is chiefly cultivated by blacks, who were brought thither as slaves by the first European settlers, the Portugueze. They continued under the unlimited dominion of their owners, 'till, in consequence of a representation made to the English Bast India company, many regulations were enacted in their favour, and they were placed under the immediate protection of the magistracy. Before these regulations

were adopted there was an annual average loss of ten slaves in the hundred, and since that time the race has considerably encreased in consequence of the comfort and security they enjoy.

Besides the blacks in a state of slavery, there are some who are free: the labour of these latter diminishing the value of the former, the free blacks became obnoxious to the slave-holders, who had influence in a grand jury to represent them as without visible means of gaining a livelihood, and consequently liable to become burdensome to the community. On examination, however, it appeared, that all the free blacks of sufficient age to work were actually employed, that not one of them had been tried for a crime of several years, nor had any of them been upon the parish. The English East India company has accordingly placed them nearly on a footing with the other free inhabitants; and the importation of slaves into the island is prohibited.

St. Helena derives its name from the circumstance of its having been discovered on St. Helen's day by the Portugueze, in 1508: the English obtained possession of it in 1669, and in 1673 the Dutch took it by surprize. It was retaken, however, the following year, in a very gallant manner, by captain Munden, who also captured three Dutch Indiamen, which were in the roads, and the island has from that period remained in the hands of the English East India company. It marks the natural sterility of the island, that, on its discovery, it was destitute of human inhabitants, that it was without quadrupeds, and almost without birds; for excepting some species of sea fowls, which still hover about its coast, and the man-of-war and tropic birds, which annually resort thither to build their nests in the cliffs, no other kinds seem to have found their way through the vast solitude of the ocean to this remote isle, which was only covered in a few places with some indigenous shrubs and plants, and these neither numerous in their kinds nor very abundant.'

The whole structure and composition of St. Helena indicate volcanic agency; and whether or not we accede to the theory of its origin and formation, deduced from a careful examination of its materials and the arrangements of them by the author of this little tract, it will be impossible to withhold from him the praise due to his scientific research and ingenuity. The loftiest range of hills in St. Helena runs in a central line from the south-west to

the north-east, forming an elevationfromtwo thousand to three thousand feet above the level of the ocean. Throughout the island their declivities present a stratified appearance, showing at different heights a great variety of tint and colour. The layers consist of basaltic rock, placed alternately with deep beds of volcanic matter, and layers of clays; they have moreover an uniform tendency, even where the masses of rock are most wild and irregular, to assume the columnar form; consisting of perpendicular portions of rock, separated from each other by vertical fissures, and generally also intersected by horizontal ones. Towards the summits these columns are sometimes oblique, and not unfrequently curved: the central parts of the rock are compact and of an uniform texture, but at the extremities, that is to say where it terminates, either in the bed of volcanic matter or of clay, it is commonly scorified, flaky, and honey-combed; the scorified parts oftentimes presenting the appearance of recent ignition, being quite black and scorched. This cellular appearance, though generally confined to the summits and bases of the rock, is sometimes found in the center of it; in a quarry, situated in the interior of the island; the stone, when broken, exhibits large cavities, containing a fine and wholesome water.

The intermediate layers of clay and of volcanic matter, which, like the strata of rock, vary in depth sometimes abruptly, sometimes with insensible gradation, correspond in several respects with the appearances of the basaltic columns: they occasionally present the columnar form, are found to consist of concentric lamellæ, whose interior surfaces are tinged with a variety of rich colours, and are oftentimes found regularly fissured, separating into uniform and angular portions.

A remarkable difference is observable between the exterior and interior of the island, in the hills that border on the sea the clays only appear in thin layers, interposed at different heights between the beds of basalt; the interior hills, which as has been already observed, are much loftier, are composed principally of clay, interspersed with some beds of the same basaltic rock and the same volcanic products as near the shore.

Among these argillaceous hills more particularly, it is to be observed, that besides the horizontal strata of which the hills chiefly consist, they are all penetrat ed by huge perpendicular strata of loose and broken rock, red, grey, or blue, re

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