-^ The Founding of Liberia 



ture. He had played a very notable part, however, in the 

 development of Liberia, and his name stands high amongst those 

 white Americans who laid the foundations of this state. He was 

 succeeded by the Rev. John B. Pinney. Mr. Pinney, however, 

 only stayed a few months, became very ill, and went back to 

 America, being succeeded temporarily by Mr. Brander, the vice- 

 agent, who during his short tenure of power had to suppress 

 a rising of the natives at Grand Basa against the Liberian 

 settlements. 



In 1835 ^^^ Pennsylvania Young Men's Society interested 

 itself in the emigration to Africa. It was a Quaker organisation, 

 and had very practical ideas on the subject of colonisation. This 

 Pennsylvanian body therefore dispatched to Liberia one hundred 

 and twenty-six Negro colonists, who were entirely men of their 

 hands — ^blacksmiths, carpenters, potters, brick-makers, shoe- 

 makers, and tailors. Like the Marylanders, they were bound 

 by vows as regards total abstinence ; but they met with a 

 kindlier reception at Monrovia, as the little state of Liberia was 

 already beginning to regret that its churlish reception of Dr. 

 James Hall had brought about the institution of an independent 

 organisation for colonisation on the east. Therefore, strong 

 efforts were made to obtain for the Pennsylvania Young Men's 

 Society tracts of land at Grand Basa. The Basa chief Joe Harris 

 was induced to sell an island in the St. John's River in front of 

 Edina. Here the one hundred and twenty-six emigrants sent 

 out by the Quakers estabHshed themselves in a village called 

 Port Cresson. But the Spanish slave traders, who still possessed 

 great influence over the Basa chiefs, incited them to attack this 

 Liberian settlement. The head of the little colony at Port 

 Cresson refused to resort to arms. Consequently, when his 

 settlement was attacked by the Basa people, eighteen of the 

 colonists were killed, the houses were all destroyed, and the rest 



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