-»i Governors of Liberia 



about 1840 the French possessions on the West Coast of Africa 

 were practically limited to the course of the River Senegal, 

 the Cape Verde Peninsula, and the little island of Goree.^ But 

 after 1 840 France took possession of places on the coast to 

 the south of British Gambia and the north of Sierra Leone. 

 She acquired Grand Bassam and one or two other points on the 

 Ivory Goast, certain claims at Porto Novo, near Lagos, and 

 the mouth of the Gabun River, which was subsequently to 

 develop into her vast Congo possessions. In 1842 she en- 

 deavoured to establish herself on the coast of Liberia by 

 purchasing from the native chiefs (who were ready to sell 

 their countries fifty times over) Cape Mount, the site of Great 

 or Little Dieppe at Basa Cove, Great and Little Butu, and 

 Garawe, on the western borders of the State of Maryland. 

 At Garawe the French flag was hoisted " by Royal authority," 

 and it was asserted that a considerable portion of the Kru 

 coast had been purchased from the natives. Apparently, though 

 there is no clear record of the circumstances. Governor Roberts 

 protested strongly against this overriding (in most cases) of 

 previous Liberian purchases ; but as no immediate attempts 

 were made by the French to follow up these actions on the 

 part of naval commanders by any definite taking of possession, 

 the question dropped for a long time out of view, and the 

 French claims were only revived (more for purposes of negotia- 

 tion than anything else) in 1892. 



But this action of the French, combined with the increased 

 commercial activity of the British, stirred up Governor Roberts 

 to make fresh efforts to purchase from the natives all the more 

 important sites along the coast of Liberia between Cape Mount 

 and the borders of Maryland. On February 22nd, 1843, 

 Roberts concluded a treaty with King Yoda of the Gora country, 



1 Originally Dutch and often occupied by the English, 

 187 



