"Resolved, That the thauks of this meeting be given to the gentlemen who have presented such full and satisfactory information concerning the interesting question of colonizing Africa.

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'Resolved, That the Committee appointed by this meeting be requested to procure copies of the addresses delivered on the present occasion, and to cause the same to be published, with the view of disseminating information, and exciting the zeal of the philanthropic public in favour of the objects contemplated by the American Colonization Society.

"Resolved, That the thanks of this meeting be given to his honour, the Mayor, for his attention in presiding.

Resolved, That these proceedings be signed by the chairman and secretary, and published in the papers of the city.

"WALTER BOWNE, Chairman. "JOHN KNOX, Secretary."

We leave it to our readers to discover, if they can," in the sentiments put forth in these resolutions," any thing that would authorize the resolution passed upon them by the free people of colour. Of the addresses delivered on this occasion, their resolution says nothing, neither can we, for they are not before us; but of the Rev. Thomas H. Gallaudet, whose name, among the speakers, stands first, we can speak he is corresponding Secretary of the Connecticut Peace Society; and, in a letter before us, says, "In the strength of the Prince of Peace, let us go forward. His promise shall not fail. His kingdom of universal love shall yet be established throughout the earth. Let us account it a high honour and privilege to be employed in this service; and let us pray that his wisdom, grace, and strength, may guide, sustain, and bless our efforts." Of such a man, we cannot believe that he would lend his talents or influence in any other than a cause of Christian philanthropy, or that he would countenance others in calumniating any body of men. Of the second resolution we would observe, that, however disposed the free people of colour, of New York, may be to claim America as the place of their birth, no resolution of theirs can deprive despised Africa of its claim on them as their mother-country. They need not fear any attempts to send them there; the American Colonization Society have already many more applications, from free coloured people, as well as for slaves, to go to Liberia, than their funds will meet.

Mr. Stuart next gives some extracts from an address to the citizens of New York:

"We believe many of those gentlemen are our friends, and we hope they all lonization Societies they form, to send mean well. We care not how many Coslaves from the south, to a place where they may enjoy freedom; and they may send, with their own consent, the increasing free population; but we solemnly protest against that christian philanthropy which, in acknowledging our wrongs, commits a greater by vilifying us.

"We do protest strongly against the means which the society uses to effect its purposes. It is evident to any impartial observer, that the natural tendency of all their speeches, reports, sermons, &c. is to widen the breach between us and the whites, and to give prejudice a tenfold vigour."

The whole of Mr. Stuart's extracts are too long for insertion; neither are they all applicable to the argument before us. We have given such as we think bear upon the Colonization Society, with one exception, which we shall presently notice. Far be it from us to give our sanction to any conduct that would widen the breach between man and man, whether black or white, or to conntenance calumny, or to give vigour to prejudice; but prejudice sometimes exists on both sides, which may make it more difficult to counteract its effects. In this address of the

people uf colour we read—

"The poor ignorant slave, who, in all probability, has never heard the name of Christ, by the Colonization process, is suddenly transformed into a missionary, to instruct in the principles of Christianity, and the arts of civilized life."

It happens that we know enough of the colony of Liberia, to be able to denounce this passage as a gross calumny against the American Colonization Society. Those who are so very sensitive to the shafts of calumny, should be cautious how they wield such weapons themselves. This passage proves that the free people of colour watch the conduct of the white people with a jealousy and distrust, which teach us caution how we put implicit faith in their representations of the conduct of the white people, even when that conduct is designed for their benefit.

Whatever may be the prejudices adverted to in the address to the citizens of New York, which prevent the free men

of colour from rising in society, and we fear that the statement in the address is too correct, the Colonization Society did not originate them, neither did the originators of that Society intend to increase them; but compassionating the situation of the free people of colour, and knowing that if a colony could be established in Africa, it would probably be the means of proclaiming liberty to thousands of slaves, the plan of colonization was adopted with a view to the benefit of the free and of the enslaved negro: the boon was exclusively offered to the free, because they only had the liberty to accept it. When the account of the colony of Liberia was first presented to us, it appeared to embrace a double benefit to Africa and to the colonists-and we have seen no reason since to alter the opinion we then formed of it. The plan itself is so simple and straightforward that it presents to the view nothing but unmixed good; so that the only regret we feel is, that the Society's funds should be so restricted as to limit its operations. Mr. Stuart, however, attaches to it certain associations of opinions and prejudices which make him see in it "features of most hideous aspect." These visions of dismay have not, however, seized upon some of the most excellent men in the United States, who must be as well acquainted with all the bearings of the question, as our opponent, who was only for a time a sojourner in America. We have already mentioned William Ladd, Esq. and the Rev. Thomas H. Gallaudet, to whom we may add the Rev. L. D. Dewey, of New York, corresponding secretary of the American Peace Society, also eleven of the Board of Directors of the American Peace Society, men who would never lend themselves to rivet the chains of the slave, nor sanction in America a trade in slaves quite as atrocious as that in Africa. The following extracts from an address of the Yearly Meeting of Friends in North Carolina, prove their approbation of the objects of the Colonization Society :"Address from the Yearly Meeting of Friends in North Carolina, held in the 11th month, 1826, to the Quarterly, Monthly, and Preparative Meetings, which constitute it; on the subject of removing the people of colour under Friends' care to free governments. "It appears from the proceedings of our meeting for sufferings, as presented to this Meeting, that there have been

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conveyed to free governments, since last year, about 300 of the people of colour under the care of this Yearly Meeting; having been left to their choice of places. Upwards of 40 have been taken to Liberia; 119 to Hayti; 11 to Philadelphia; and the remainder to Ohio and Indiana; the expenses of which have been about 3,500 dollars. About 600 are still remaining. It also appears that the following donations have been made us, to aid in this benevolent work; viz. 2,914 dollars 16 cents from an individual of the city of Philadelphia; 250 dollars from the Yearly Meeting of New York; 1,000 dollars from the Yearly Meeting of Rhode Island; 500 dollars from the Meeting for sufferings of Philadelphia; and 100 dollars from an individual of Burlington, New Jersey. It further appears from the reports of the agents, that about 500 of the remaining people of colour are willing to emigrate to free governments;-upwards of 300 to Liberia; and the other 200 or thereabouts, to other places. All that is wanting are sufficient funds and opportunity. A donation of 500 dollars has been made by our Meeting for sufferings, to the Colonization Society, to assist them in chartering a vessel the present fall, and 300 more pledged, in case their funds should not be adequate. Although it appears, from the above statement, that a part of our stock has not yet been expended, yet, it will fall far short of completing the operations in view, in regard to this momentous work.

"If the Father of Mercies should continue to smile on our operations, we shall, in a year or two more, in all probability, be released from the heavier part of this burden; and feel the inexpressible consolation of having plucked from the jaws of slavery a thousand of our fellow-beings, and placed them in free governments, where they may enjoy the privileges of citizens."

The Address to the citizens of New York accuses the State of Ohio of having driven the free people of colour out of it. In the above Address of the Friends of North Carolina, it is stated that out of Ohio for their future residence, while only the 300 emancipated slaves, 120 selected eleven chose Philadelphia;—a fact which does not accord with their accusation.

Mr. Stuart has thought proper to go out of his way to notice what he calls "the vaunted salubrity of Liberia," such being the taunting way in which he represents a mere vindication of the

salubrity of the climate against objections made to it on account of the mortality that prevailed among the blacks as well as whites at the first settlement of the colony. But this vindication does not extend to the white man; it being acknowledged to be fatal to him: in answer to this he says, "What is here said of Liberia, is equally true, generally speaking, of every place in America south of 37° north latitude." We were astonished that prejudice should have so far blinded his eyes as to make him venture such an assertion. In Louisiana, the most southern state of the Union, the increase of the population from 1810 to 1820 was 100,3 in each hundred; that is, more than double in ten years. In Massachusetts, the increase of population in the same period was only 10,9 in each hundred. In Vermont, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, the increase of population is less than in Massachusetts; while the increase of population in Alabama and Mississippi and Florida is still greater than in Louisiana. So much for Mr. Stuart's assertion of the climate of the southern states of America being as fatal to the white man as that of Liberia. Upon which false position he founds his strange proposal, that the white inhabitants of the southern states shall give their estates, houses, &c. to the negro, and remove themselves to some other region of the earth.

A man who can make such a proposal, -which might with as much, if not more, reason be made to the white proprietors of our West India colonies, but which our Anti-slavery Society has not had the folly or madness to propose,-cannot be considered as possessing any correct practical views of this subject; and upon such a plan the "unspeakable good," he says, it is to Africa would have been lost. To return to the climate of Liberia, there have been sufficient proofs of its being fatal to the white man. Dr. Ayres, the first agent or governor, was obliged to return to America for the restoration of his health his successor, Mr. Ashmun, and his wife both sunk under the effects of the climate. Of the eighty-four coloured emigrants who sailed in the Volador, thirteen months since, only two children have died, while the four whites who went out, all died in a month. Stuart further observes,

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Mr.

"But is there nothing good then in the American Colonization Society? Yes, there is,

VOL. VIII. NEW SERIES.

"First.-For Africa it is good. It in terrupts the African slave trade within its own limits; and the least interruption to that nefarious traffic is an unspeakable good.

"Second. For the few coloured people who prefer leaving their native country and emigrating to Africa, it is unquestionably a great blessing.

"Third. To the slaves, whose slavery it has been, or may be, the means of commuting into transportation, it is a blessing, just in as far as transportation is a lesser evil than slavery; and this is by no means a trifling good.

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"Fourth.-But its highest praise, and a praise which the writer cordially yields to it, is the fact, that it forms a new centre; whence, as from our Sierra Leone, and the Cape of Good Hope, civilization and Christianity are radiating through the adjoining darkness. In this respect, no praise can equal the worth of these settlements."

On the first of these positions, we would observe, that since the settlement of the colony at Cape Messurado, an annual traffic in 10,000 slaves has been entirely destroyed.

On the second position, we congratulate Mr. Stuart on his corrected opinion, that what, elsewhere, he can only designate as exile or banishment from their native country, he has, at last, discovered to be unquestionably a great blessing." He may also give to the winds his fears that the American Colonization Society have any desire to act contrary to their own declaration, by incurring the expense of emigration to Africa for any free person of colour, without their consent or preference of Africa to America. They have now more slaves offered to them for emigration, in Liberia, than their funds will allow them to accept, and they give the preference to a liberated slave, because a free coloured person has the means of procuring funds to pay the expense of his passage, which the slave has not had before his liberation.

On the third point, we see that Mr. Stuart is still haunted with his demoniacal illusions,* which make him see the cloven

* We have been credibly informed, that at a public meeting of a philanthropic institution which was held at Peckham, and at which was Mr. Cressen, the representative of the American Colonization Society, Mr. Stuart, speaking of that society, said, "they

were ministers of hell and children of the devil."

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foot in every benefit which the slave population derive from the American Colonization Society. The very same act, which he allows to be "unquestionably a great blessing" to the free coloured people, he describes as only so far a blessing to the slave, as transportation is a less evil than that of slavery. Mr. Stuart's logic really puzzles us; for, certainly, emigration to Africa must be, unquestionably, as great, if not a greater blessing to the slave who obtains the additional boon of his freedom, as it is to the man of colour who is already free. We all know the purport of the word transportation, in our English criminal courts. Mr. Stuart was not ignorant of the judicial meaning of the word when he applied it to the emigration of the liberated slave to Africa, the land of his forefathers, where he is made a freeholder of thirty acres of fertile land, governed by laws made by people of his own colour and origin, and carried into effect by them; where there is no invidious distinction of colour, but he is eligible to be advanced to the highest offices in the state. The application of the word transportation, as an evil to such a change from slavery into independence, shews that Mr. Stuart cannot forget" the league of iniquity," as he calls it, between the free and slave states of America which has produced this benefit to the liberated slave. Mr. Stuart is evidently not at home when he professes to eulogize the Colonization Society.

On the fourth position, we scarcely know what to say; Mr. Stuart's comparison of the colony of Liberia with that of the Cape of Good Hope, where there are 35,500 slaves, is so severe a satire upon the eulogy he conveys, through the comparison, upon Liberia, that we would dispense with his praise, rather than receive it through so polluted a channel. And a comparison of it with the colony of Sierra Leone is but faint praise: it as much exceeds the latter, as the latter does that of the Cape of Good Hope. Its highest praise is wherein it differs from both those colonies-for though Sierra Leone is not contaminated by the oppressive and degrading system of slavery, and is really productive of great benefit to Africa, the mixture of a white and black population keeps up that distinction of colour (if we are not misinformed) which tends not only to a civil, but to a moral degradation of the people of colour. On the other hand, the colony of Liberia consisting wholly of people of colour, in

cluding the government itself, with the exception of the principal agent or governor, no invidious distinctions are kept up: each man feels that he is equal to his fellow, that there is no other distinction but what is produced by superior talents and moral qualities. The man of colour is governed by his own laws, administered by his own people. The advantages of this system will be seen by the following extracts, from a letter from Governor Mechlin.

"Our influence over the native tribes in our vicinity is rapidly extending; and, since my return, several have made application to be received under our protection, offering to subject themselves to our laws; or, as they expressed it, 'They want to be made Americans, and to be allowed to call themselves Americans.'

"We have at present among our recaptured Africans many, who, on their ar rival here, were scarcely a remove, in point of civilization, from the native tribes around us, but who are at present as pious and devoted servants of Christ, as you will meet in any community; and, by their walk and conversation, afford an example worthy of imitation. They have a house for public worship, and Sunday schools established, which are well attended, and their church is regularly supplied every Sunday from among our own clergy. These people I consider as forming one admirable medium of communication or link between the savage natives and the civilized colonists from the United States, and will, I have no doubt, prove a powerful means of spreading the light of Christianity and civilization over this benighted country.

"As to the morals of the colonists, I consider them much better than those of the people of the United States; that is, you may take an equal number of inhabitants from any section of the Union, and you will find more drunkards, more profane swearers and sabbath-breakers, &c. than in Liberia. Indeed, I know of no country where things are conducted more quietly and orderly than in this colony. You rarely hear an oath; and as to riots and breaches of the peace, I recollect of but one instance, and that of a trifling nature, that has come under my notice since I assumed the government of the colony. The sabbath is more strictly observed than I ever saw it in the United States. Our Sunday schools are well attended, not only by the children of the colonists, but also by the native children

who reside amongst us. The natives themselves are so well acquainted with our strict observance of this day, that you never find them offering any thing for sale, nor can you hire them to work for you, I mean those who have been amongst us, and at all acquainted with our customs. Mr. Skinner, the Baptist Missionary, stated that he was surprised to find every thing conducted in so orderly a manner, and the sabbath so strictly observed, and that the state of society was much better than he expected to find it."

Letters, as late as October 29, have been received from Liberia, most interesting in the account they give of this colony.

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Health, prosperity, and peace, prevailed at Liberia. Great agricultural improvements have occurred during the year; -a very considerable number of vessels have visited our ports during the year, and among them many English.* The governor has recently made explorations in the interior, and finds that a country of vast fertility and beauty has been abandoned by its former owners, from dread of being carried into bondage; so that now not one acre in a thousand is occupied; but from the gratitude they feel for our efforts in their behalf, several additional tribes have recently sought the protection, and submitted to the laws of the colony, seeking, as the greatest boon, to be admitted as citizens of the republic. The streets of Monrovia are now thronged with Mandingo merchants from the centre of Africa, who, confident of personal security, flock down to exchange their native products for the merchandise of Europe and America. The wisdom of the mode pursued by the American Colonization Society, in elevating the black men to power, is not only proved by the new confidence it has given the natives in their own capabilities,-relieved them from the prejudice that the colour of the skin conferred the great superiority of the whites, and, at the same time, by relieving them of the incubus of a white corps only anxious for their own emolument, aroused their commercial energies."

The establishment of a colony like this, of an independent black nation, which restores to their proper rank in society the degraded people of colour, and extends to Africa herself incalculable

* Received on precisely the same terms as American.

benefits, may, without any reservation, be called a "glorious design." Well may such a prospect for Africa lighten up the hopes of the venerable philanthropist, Thomas Clarkson, and draw from him the remark-" If it be noble to emancipate, how much more noble to make these people, by due preparation, the instruments to elevate from savage barbarity to christian light and knowledge, their brethren, the benighted inhabitants of Africa !"

Qualified as is Mr. Stuart's praise of this interesting and important settlement, it is sufficient to excite our surprise how he can, if he have a spark of philanthropy left in his bosom, strain all his energies, under the pretence of some imaginary evils, to crush a Society which is productive of so much good to the deeply injured negro, and to his parent country, Africa. We say imaginary evil, for immediately after the passage we have quoted, in which he concedes that great advantages are derived from the colony itself, he returns to his old work of calumniating the Society that has conferred these benefits on Africa and her children. We need only read, he says, the speech of the Honourable Henry Clay, as published in Reports of the Board of Managers of the Pennsylvania Colonization Society, &c., "in order to perceive at once that it has other features of the most hideous aspect; viz. That while it is assailing the slave trade in Africa, it is sanctioning a trade quite as atrocious, in slaves, in the United States." We have read this speech, from which extracts have been before given, for the express purpose of discovering the Ame rican Colonization Society's sanction of this atrocious slave trade; but sought for it in vain. At the same time we repeat, what we have before said, that the Society is not to be made responsible for every sentiment contained in the speeches of its advocates at its anniversaries, though those speeches may have been printed and prefixed to its Reports.

Towards the close of his letter to us, Mr. Stuart says

"I have only to add, that I am persuaded, a better mind exists extensively in the United States, and is preparing to pour the balm of christian dutifulness into the black man's bosom at home, instead of exiling him, with singular awkwardness, to a distant and barbarous land, in order to do him good."

We are happy that Mr. Stuart can afford us some consolation amidst all his