-»i President Roberts 



Liberia to be " about 10,000." If these figures referred to 

 Negroes of American origin, it would seem to have been an 

 exaggeration, their numbers at this time probably not exceeding 

 7,500. He made a declaration at the same time to the effect 

 that the policy of the Liberian Government would be to stop 

 all wars in the interior by closing the coast ports to the im- 

 portation of arms and ammunition intended for trade. But 

 apparently it was found impracticable to give effect to this 

 policy, no doubt because the belligerents could obtain what 

 supplies they required of guns and powder from the direction 

 of Sierra Leone. 



Governor Russwurm had been succeeded in Maryland by 

 S. M. McGill ; but although the foundations of a fine town 

 were being laid at Cape Palmas, Maryland as a State did not 

 prosper, owing to the constant troubles between the American 

 colonial administrators and the warlike coast tribes —the Grebos 

 and Krus and the allied races of the Lower Cavalla River, At 

 the same time, any advice from Monrovia was resented, as 

 interfering with the independence of Maryland. This in- 

 dependence was solemnly declared at the beginning of 1854, 

 when William A. Prout was elected Governor in succession to 

 McGill. Maryland was then declared not to be a colony, 

 but an independent republic. No recognition, however, was 

 accorded to this by European Powers, it being expected that 

 before long the State would fuse with Liberia. 



On January i8th, 1857, occurred the Sheppard Lake dis- 

 aster, in which, while attempting to chastise the Grebo tribe on 

 the borders of Sheppard Lake (a lagoon between Cape Palmas 

 and the Cavalla River), the Maryland State lost a number of 

 men and guns. Prior to this there had been a fiercely contested 

 fight between the colonists and natives at Cape Palmas 

 (December 22nd, 1856). General J. J. Roberts, no longer 



233 



