Liberia <^ 



President Roberts went on from England to France and 

 Belgium, in which latter country he received a most cordial 

 welcome from Leopold I. He then proceeded to Holland and 

 to Berlin, where the Government of Prussia formally recognised 

 the existence of the Liberian Republic, its recognition following 

 closely on that of England and France. Upon Roberts's return 

 to England, the Ambassador of Prussia, the Chevalier de Bunsen, 

 gave a dinner in his honour. At this dinner were present, 

 amongst others, Lord Ashley (afterwards the great Earl of 

 Shaftesbury), the Rev. Ralph Randolph Gurley (the biographer 

 of Ashmun and one of the most prominent American promoters 

 of Liberia), and the Bishop of London (Blomfield). The 

 Bishop asked permission to take notes of Roberts's conversation, 

 and the President described amongst other matters the shocking 

 condition of the Gallinhas country on the western frontiers 

 of the little republic, due to the ravages of the Cuban slave 

 traders — Pedro Blanco and his associates. Roberts went on 

 to say that the only way in his eyes finally to suppress the slave 

 trade in this region would be to purchase the sovereign rights 

 of the countries between Sherbro Island and Cape Mount from 

 the native chiefs, and then resolutely exert the authority of 

 Liberia to put an end to the slave trade. The Bishop of London 

 inquired as to the sum necessary for the acquisition of these 

 rights, and Roberts placed it at ^^ 2,000. 



Lord Ashley declared this sum should be raised immediately, 

 and after dinner was over he offered to obtain the money for 

 the purchase of these lands if Mr. Gurley approved. Needless 

 to say, he expressed the liveliest pleasure at the offer. Accord- 

 ingly, the next morning Lord Ashley took Roberts to a bank 

 in Lombard Street, and there ^1,000 was obtained on the spot, 

 and arrangements were made by Lord Ashley for the raising 

 of the remainder of the estimated amount. With this money 



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