its vicinity. The able, and very particular reply of Mr. Ashmun, appeared in our number for November, 1827. This reply, accompanied by a letter from the Board of Managers of our Society, was transmitted to Switzerland early in last year, and the communication which we now publish from Dr. Blumhardt, shows the spirit of Christian zeal and liberality towards Africa, which this correspondence has contributed to excite in the minds of the Directors of the Basle Missionary Society.

We have now the pleasure to state, that Mr. Oson, a coloured man of great respectability, selected by the Directors of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States, as a missionary for Liberia, is now prepared to embark, and may be expect ed to take passage in the first vessel destined to the Colony.

BASLE, NOVEMBER 24th, 1827.

To the Directors of the Am. Colonization Society, Washington. Dear and Respected Gentlemen: It was early in this year, that I had the great pleasure to receive your kind and encouraging letter, of June 19th, 1826, accompanied by the highly interesting communication of your valuable Agent at Liberia, Mr. Ashmun, dated April 23d, 1826. After perusing them, I felt myself urged to bring joyful thanksgivings to our Heavenly Father, for opening to our Society so promising a field of operation, in the great work of leading benighted heathens to the saving knowledge of Christ our Saviour, and for bringing us in this glorious cause, in so desirable and friendly a connection with our Christian Brethren in America, and more particularly with the Members and Directors of your esteemed Society.

May this connection grow more and more intimate, and under the blessings of God, prove a rich source of abundant benedictions for poor Africa!

The communication of these letters to our Committee, met with the most heartfelt and lively interest on their part, and after due consideration, they resolved to enter with Christian courage, and humble confidence in the blessing of God, into that open and inviting door for missionary labours; and to see by a trial, whether the Lord will prosper our humble endeavours for the welfare and salvation of our neglected African fellow-creatures,

We then appointed three, and sometime afterwards, two more of the dear Christian Brethren, educated in our Missionary Se

minary, for this important new Mission; and, I am happy to inform you with these lines, that they are already on their way to Africa. Their names are: Rev. T. C. S. Handz,

The three first mentioned embarked at Gravesend, England, the 10th inst., in the "St. Andrew," Capt Dieper, and the two others will, we hope, do so, in the first days of next month.

These five single Missionaries, whom only the love of Christ urged to leave their country and relations, and to go to Africa, and who are ready to spend and to be spent, for the salvation of their Negro Brethren, enjoy our full confidence, and we beg leave to recommend them with heartfelt concern, to your Christian kindness and protection. We trust that you never shall have occasion to repent of any friendship and assistance, you will be kind enough to lend to them; and all which Christian interest and zeal for the welfare of Africa, leads you to do for these humble messengers of Christ, is, you know, done for the holy cause of that gracious Lord, who has promised to reward abundantly, even the cup of fresh water offered to one of his servants; and every mark of help and support shown to our beloved Missionaries, will be looked at with cordial thankfulness, and gratitude, not only by our Committee, but also by the numerous friends in Switzerland and Germany, who are wishing well to our undertaking.

We and our Brethren are well aware that trials will not fail, but we hope the Lord, whose work it is, will give us perseverance to overcome them in the might of his strength, and we pray fervently, that our Almighty Lord, may particularly preserve the life and health of his servants, to the glory of his holy name, and make them a blessing, and a means of enlightening and of salvation, to many an immortal soul ransomed, as ours, with the precious blood of Christ. Permit me to solicit, that they may also have a share in your prayers before the Throne of Grace. Finally, I cannot omit to thank you, for the communication of your interesting publications. I already have orders given to

Messrs. De'Rham & Moore, in New York, (with whom also a credit has been opened to our Missionaries in Liberia,) to subscribe for them in my name, and I hope to receive very soon the numbers since published, and the following, by the care of these gentlemen, in regular succession. Should you, perhaps, publish here and there some other interesting pamphlet respecting your Colony, then I would beg you very much to send always a copy of each under my direction, to the above mentioned gentlemen in New York, to forward it speedily to me, and to have paid to you by them, the amount.

We have printed a short account of your benevolent work, which, we hope, will lead the attention of our Christian public, favourably to your Colony, and excite many children of God to pray for its prosperity. Our hearts likewise wish and pray, that the Lord may bless you, and crown your important work with a good success. Yea, may your Colony grow and blossom like a garden of God, and continue to prove a useful instrument in the hand of Providence, to beat the path for the kingdom of our adorable Redeemer, amongst the benighted and wretched population of Africa.

With the highest respect and love, in the name of the Committee of the Evangelical Missionary Society,

THEOPHILUS BLUMHARDT.

The unfortunate Moor.

A gentleman in Natchez has communicated the following account of an individual who is now offered as an emigrant to the Colony of Liberia.— The Society has every disposition to aid the unfortunate man, and it is hoped that he may take a passage in the next expedition.

DEAR SIR:

NATCHEZ, (MISS.) DEC. 13, 1827.

I address you in behalf of an unfortunate man, a native of Africa, who has been held in slavery, in this State, for thirtynine years. A letter has been addressed to the Department of State concerning this person, under the hope that the General Government might consider him a fit subject for their interposi

tion. As yet, however, I believe nothing has been done. Believing he might be of incalculable importance to the Colony at Liberia, I have no hesitation in offering you the suggestions of my own mind.

The person to whom I allude, we familiarly call Prince. His real name is ABDUHL RAHHAHMAN. He was born in 1762, at Tombuctoo, where his uncle, Abu-Abrahim, was at that time king. The father of Prince was sent out, as Governor, to Footah Jallo, which was, at that time, a colony of, or in some manner tributary to, Tombuctoo. This country afterward became independent of the mother country, and Almam Abrahim was made king. Prince, after completing his education, entered the army. He very soon rose to distinction and at the age of twenty-six was appointed to the command of an army of about two thousand men, to be employed against the Hebohs, a tribe of negroes at the north of Footah Jallo. He marched into their country, and succeeded in putting them to flight, and laid waste their towns. Believing his object accomplished, he commenced his retreat. The Hebohs, however, rallied, and by a circuitous rout and rapid marches, ambushed themselves in a narrow defile of the mountain through which Prince was to pass. He fell into the snare, and, with almost his entire army, was made prisoner and sold to the Mandingoes, and by them put on board a slave ship then upon the coast.

Prince has been the property of Col. James F. of this place, during his whole captivity. During that time, Col. F. states he has never known him intoxicated, (he makes no use of ardent spirits)-never detected him in dishonesty or falsehood-nor has he known him guilty of a mean action; and though born and raised in affluence, he has submitted to his fate without a murmur, and has been an industrious and faithful servant.

The story of this man's life is eventful and interesting. Did my conviction of the truth depend exclusively on my confidence in the fidelity of his own narrative, I could scarcely entertain a shadow of doubt. Fortunately, however, the most incredulous may be satisfied.

Dr. C. a highly distinguished physician of this place, now deceased, knew Prince intimately at Teemboo, in Footah Jallo. He was taken by prince to his own house, where, during a long

and painful illness of the disease peculiar to that climate, he was treated with kindness and humanity. They were recognized by each other in this country, and Prince now relates their first meeting here as deeply affecting. Exertions were made on the part of Dr. C. to emancipate him, and enable him to return to his native country. From causes altogether inexplicable to me, it was never effected.

That Prince is a Moor, there can be but little doubt. He is six feet in height; and though sixty-five years of age, he has the vigor of the meridian of life. When he arrived in this country, bis hair hung in flowing ringlets far below his shoulders. Much against his will, his master compelled him to submit to the sheers, and this ornament, which the Moor would part with in his own country only with his life, since that time he has entirely neglected. It has become coarse, and in some degree curly. His skin, also, by long service in the sun, and the privations of bondage, has been materially changed; and his whole appearance indicates the Foolah rather than the Moor. But Prince states explicitly, and with an air of pride, that not a drop of negro blood runs in his veins. He places the negro in a scale of being infinitely below the Moor. His prejudices, however, have been so far overcome as to allow him to marry; and he now has a numerous offspring.

At my own request, Prince often visits me. He is extremely modest, polite, and intelligent. I have frequently examined him in the geography of his own and contiguous countries—their political condition, forms of government, manners and customs, religion, &c. &c. His knowledge is accurate to the minutest degree, so far as I have compared it with the best authorities.— He possesses a large stock of valuable information of the countries south of the Great Desert. North of that, he has never travelled.

Prince was educated and perhaps is still, nominally at least, a Mohamedan. I have conversed with him much upon this subject, and find him friendly disposed toward the Christian religion. He is extremely anxious for an Arabic Testament. He has heard it read in English, and admires its precepts. His principal objections are, that Christians do not follow them. His reasoning upon this subject is pertinent, and, to our shame, is almost