The Interior of Africa
We have taken occasion at different times to inform our
readers respecting the climate, soil, productions of Africa, &c.,
with reference to the desirableness of making large investments to
evangelize that land. Every item of this kind will doubtless be
interesting. We now introduce, from the Liberian Advocate, an
extract which sheds much light on this subject. Ere long we trust
the gospel message will be heard among these thirty villages, and
hymns of praise to the true God resound from the woodlands of
that beautiful country.
One of the missionaries to Liberia lately made an exploring
tour of 253 miles on foot into the interior. He passed through
thirty villages of the Goulas, Deys, Queaks and Condoes. In his
report, he says: —
“Such a country as we passed through in that missionary
tour, I have not seen surpassed in either of the West India Islands
which I have visited, from Trinidad to Torcola and the Virgin
Island. It is an elevated, mountainous country. Ranges of
mountains running most generally parallel with the line of coast —
from north-west to south-east — rise up before the delighted eye of
the traveler, convincing him that he is no longer in the land of
burning sands and deleterious swamps, such as are encountered in
proximity with the shores, but in quite another region. And such
are the gradual undulations of its surface as would greatly facilitate
the objects of agriculture. There are few, if any, very steep
acclivities — nothing like the bold precipitous mountains of our
Eastern States. Beautiful and extensive valleys lie at the base of
these mountains, which gently slope down to the level country,
lying between them.
“It is a well- watered country. During the eight hours’
travel which we were frequently obliged to perform in a day, we
never walked more than two hours, or two and a half at one time,
without coming to some beautiful stream of cool and very pure
water, either a tributary of the St. Paul’s, or some other of the
many smaller rivers which intersect that African Canaan. And
here it may be proper to add, that my attention was directed to an
examination of the adaptation of these streams to the purpose of
machinery, sites for mills, &c., and I hesitate not to affirm, that
within the Goulah country especially, any number of the most
eligible situations may be found, where, at any time during the
