the Liberia, till midnight last, on a survey of a country to be the emporium of the American empire in Africa. Your eye, sir, surely never saw a more inviting spot-hitherto occupied by the natives, and overlooked by our people; it is now deserted by them for reasons I will write when time permits. While enjoying a short respite from great labor, in the midst of that fine forest, my mind rolled back to America, and recalled scenes never to recur with me. How many thousands of my brethren now languish in poverty, distress and thraldom at home, who might, if they really loved and would make a trifling sacrifice for liberty, be lords of this fertile land and masters of this majestic stream. Our comforts, sir, and conveniences are daily multiplying, and heightening, and I could dwell with pleasure on the beauty, fertility and advantages of our country, particularly that part I have lately surveyed, until I should be disgusting to one who loved it less than you.

I am happy in the hope that we too shall have here a house to worship in. Pray, sir, join me, not you only, but I would fain desire all who love the cause of social and religious liberty, to unite with me in prayer for the preservation of brother Erskine our church and brethren here-and the general prosperity of this the only asylum for my oppressed brethren of the U. S.

Say to Mr. Rennie, I disposed of the seed he gave me to many, having on my arrival but a small opportunity to cultivate a garden. Some however, I sowed, and nearly all came to maturity and on a spot never before sown, though told by the old settlers it would produce nothing. I had the finest cabbages of different kinds ever seen in the colony; several were 18 inches in diameter, and as sweet as the best I ever saw in the Richmond market; they gave me and many others great relief, for which I am now grateful.

If gentlemen would build houses and furnish one year's subsistence for the emancipated sent here, our population will increase three times as fast as hitherto; for confinement in contracted spaces causes at least nine-tenths of the deaths, and indiscretion is the cause of more than half the balance It is indeed a fact not to be denied, though formerly much doubted, that new comers suffer ten times as much at the Cape as at St. Paul's, or as they would higher up the river; they will hereafter have a hundred chances to one before, by going immediately up to the fresh water and high vegetable lands.

The Society have done a great thing for their Colony, in getting to this place John B. Russwurm, by which they have effectually contradicted, and he has denied, all he had propagated inimical to this place; for many reasons, I am certain, the Lord has ordered this thing. All my family, including James Jones, desire to be remembered to you.

My wife, though at first disgusted on coming here, is now completely happy as any condition in this world could make her. When first we came, and I had to pay $60 a year for a house, and all the children I brought, including James C. Minor from Fredericksburg, who joined me at Norfolk, were on my hands, the Agent having no room for them, all sick, and but one nurse, she sighed, she murmured, and re

solved to return. I attempted to console her in vain-but when I got timber and began to build, she seemed to look for better days here, and became more calm in her expressions-when I got in a house of my own, though too small, and the survivors were over the fever, she said she believed one might do as well here as any where in the world. Getting a two story house I have just built, and seeing around those things in which she delighted, she declared she would not return if she could do it clear of cost, and those were foolish who did. I then thanked the Lord for enabling me to endure reproach while it lasted, and for converting it into pleasure. My son-in-law, James B. Lundy, who often mortified me with the expression of his discontent-my daughter, who only sighed her own sorrows lest she should increase mine-all are now glad they are here, and could not have done so well in three or four years any where else. Therefore, people should not be permitted to return short of a year after arriving here.

From the first moment I resolved to come I resolved to die here, and have never once regretted what I even now think was the direction of the Lord.

With high esteem, yours in christian bonds.

JOSEPH SHIPHARD.

Extract of a letter from Mr. Shiphard, to Mr. Joseph E. Cooke, of Norfolk, Va.; first published in the Norfolk Herald.,

Like almost all others who have come here, Mr. Lundy, at his arrival, believed he knew enough of the country to write correctly concerning it; but six months' residence, proves the contrary. He, like others who have read and travelled but little, expected too much from a new colony. He was consequently disappointed at first, and disappointment is the parent of disgust, aversion, and prejudice. While his mind was filled with all these shocking demons, he indiscreetly penned to you a letter, which has been published in the Norfolk Herald, but which he now regrets because his judgment was erroneous, he having then only seen the colony under the darkest shade.

He has now plenty of work, that pays him well; has built a comfortable house, and is highly respected as a good citizen, performing cheerfully all the duties of such, for merit only makes a man respected, and that does not fail here. There is no place within my knowledge, where poor men are better paid, and consequectly where they rise more rapidly to a comfortable condition: nor durst the rich, if any of us can be called so, withhold the laborer's wages from him twenty-four hours, without his permission.

Many of our expedition being entirely destitute of supplies of their own, had to depend on the public: and little as our friends may think of palm oil and rice, when arriving here, they will soon prefer them to the best pork and corn meal, and to many other things they have been in the habit of considering as delicacies.

We happened to arrive at a time of the year when these articles could not be as good as when new, and fresh; and like our bacon, butter, corn, &c. at home, the oil had become a little rancid, and the

rice somewhat musty; and this was the food issued to the indigent. And is the colony or the Society to blame for this? Is not the sufferings of the colonists under these circumstances, clearly to be traced to their indolence, their want of foresight, or their carelessness? And what right has any man to look a gift horse in the mouth? I have never been, as I hope you can testify, famous for falsehood, and I will assure you our own indiscretion is one of the most fertile sources of our sufferings; but the colonists have learnt, from our condition, a lesson by which they may avoid our disasters.

EXPEDITION UP THE ST. PAUL'S RIVER.

Extracts from a letter from the late Dr. Randall.
MONROVIA, FEB. 15, 1829.

As soon as I had finished my business with the Shark, and she had sailed, I determined to set off on an exploring expedition up the St. Paul's, which had been hitherto unexplored by civilized man, except to Millsburg, the head of safe navigation. I left this the day previous, so as to take a fair start from Millsburgh, our frontier post. The river from its mouth is most beautiful: its banks are high and broken, and covered with the most dense and variegated verdure. Along the banks here and there, we observed an African town, with the thatched huts intermingled with the broad green leaf of the plaintain, of which the beautiful pea-green color distinguishes it from all surrounding verdure. On our approach to one of those villages, which is always announced by our boatmen with their African Boat Song, we generally found all the inhabitants, men, women, and children, assembled on the beach too see and receive us. After passing half a dozen of these villages on the St Paul's' and ascending 20 miles, we arrived at Millsburgh, where we slept in country fashion, but had a good supper from our store basket. In the morning early we left the settlement with our little party, (which soon however magnified itself into a pretty large one,) as the natives say, "to go into the bush." One of the most enterprising of our settlers had penetrated along one of the branches of the river, by following the paths made by the wild cattle, for about two miles, and we determined to follow the same path as far as it would lead us. As the underwood here is the most dense and close that can be imagined, the course of procedure is to send forward, to clear the path, two or three of the natives with their short strait cutlasses, with which they open the path with great facility. By thus cutting a passage through the underwood, without cutting the large trees or shrubbery, a perfect alcove is formed, and you are entirely protected from the action of the sun, which is only now and then visible through an opening in the trees. When we had advanced about two miles on our route, we came to a point where the St. Paul's was joined by a considerable stream, which at first we concluded was a river from the North; but upon ascending the river to a higher point, we ascertained that it was only a branch which had separated above and united at this spot. We were exceedingly anxious to cross the river,

to survey the beautiful island opposite; but as there was no other means of getting over, except by a native bridge, we had to abandon the idea. The native bridges are constructed of ratan or country rope, and consist merely of cords drawn across the river, to prevent the current from sweeping the swimmer down, and are sometimes to the unskilful more dangerous than useful. I was astonished to find the St. Paul's here, contrary to my expectations, most clear and limpid. Most of the African rivers are said to be turbid and muddy; but in the St. Paul's, the bottom was visible at 20 feet, and the fish, which were numerous, could be seen for many yards from us. As we advanced further on our route up the northern branch, which we determined to pursue till we came to the main stream again, our path was crossed by many more recent wild cattle tracks, all leading to, or from, the river, and we occasionally saw the broad foot-print of an elephant. After following the course of this branch of the river for two hours, we found that we would have to leave it, or deviate from the course by which we expected to strike the St. Paul's above, where the natives told us it made a great sweep or bend, and "made trouble or fuss." We therefore left the river and kept on northward by a cattle path, which soon brought us to a prairie; and the numerous palm and cotton trees, soon convinced us that this had, at some former period, been the seat of an extensive and populous native settlement. The appearance of the solitary palm trees, is most truly majestic. In a plain on which there is no shrub six feet high, a half dozen of these fine trees will elevate their smooth round trunks, without a branch, 80 or 100 feet, and then expanding their heads, by opening their broad pea-green leaves, they form a beautiful umbrella, some twenty or 30 feet in diameter. After following a strait line through the prairie, which appeared to have been the favorite resort of the wild cattle and elephants, about two or three hour's walk, we began to hear the roar of the cataract, and now became convinced that we had taken the proper course and would soon again be in sight of the river. The river broke upon our view just as we had ascended the height of a considerable mountain, which appeared to thrust itself immediately in our path. From this height, which is nearly 200 feet, I had a view of the St. Paul's, only intercepted here and there by the density of the foilage. I now found what the natives had described as a tremendous cataract or fall, was merely rapids in the river, produced by the sudden obstruction of its course offered by the chain of hills on the point of which I then stood. As soon as I was able, (for we had all been completely broken down in the ascent,) I commenced the descent to the river, down a bank so steep, that nothing but a strict adherence to the underwood, could save us from falling down the declivity.

On arriving at the foot of the precipice, close down to the edge of the river, I found that the sweep of the river from its original course was caused by its choosing the direction of this high chain of hills. The St. Paul's here is wider, deeper, and contains much more wa ter than the Potomac. It is a much more beautiful stream too; for its banks, though fully as precipitous, are clothed with the richest verdure, and this verdure is of a more variegated character.

The innumerable islands which were scattered in front of us, appeared each one intended to catch, in its descent of the stream, some particular plant or shrub, and afford for it shelter and protection, for scarce two of them were alike in their foliage. As most of these shrubs too were different from those in the surrounding woods, we had no doubt that their seeds and roots had been brought down by the inundations of the annual rains. Many of them are perhaps from the foot of the Kong Mountains. After resting ourselves, it became necessary to determine whether we should return immediately, or by advancing farther, render it necessary to spend the night in the woods. We ascertained that our provisions would be sufficient to give all hands a hearty supper, and resolved to advance and gain if possible the point where the river first enters the mountains, in order to ascertain the general course of the river before it took this turn. We continued to travel over the rough and precipitous shores of the river for about two hours, until we arrived at a point which presented to our view the first distinct fall we had seen. At this point we came to a beautiful valley, where a small stream rushing down the rocks, precipitated itself into a natural circular basin of rock, which presented the appearance of an artificial basin. We determined at once to take up our quarters for the night, and began making our preparations accordingly. We soon had a considerable space of wood cleared; built an arbor; and our natives surrouuded us on all sides, with large fires, to protect us from the wild beasts. I felt no necessity for using such precautions, as our party was strong enough in fire arms to defy them; but I encouraged them to keep them up, as the best security against the bad effects of the night air. The next morning we arose early, and after each one had carved his name or made his mark on some prominent tree, to show at some future period that he had been one of the discoverers of this love. ly spot, we took up our line of march for Millsburg. Our journey back was equally if not more eventful than that of the preceding day, but I must refer you to my journal for particulars.

Letter from Capt. W. E. Sherman, captain of the Liberia, which carried the colonists to Liberia in January last.

[The author is an experienced, pious master of a ship, well known to many of the most respectable merchants in New-York and Philadelphia.] Philadelphia, May 10, 1830.

MR EDWARD HALLOWELL,

Dear Sir-As you expressed a wish that I should commit to writing some account of our colony in Africa, for your own information and that of your friends, I with pleasure comply with your request, and will give you all the information I could obtain in the three weeks I was there last March.

The tract of country purchased by the Colonization Society of the United States, from African kings, with a view of providing an asylumn for emancipated slaves, and a residence for any free persons of color who might be desirous of going thither, is called, as you very well know, by the appropriate name of Liberia.