Liberia ^ 



President, came to the assistance of Maryland with two hundred 

 and fifty men, and on February i 8th, 1 857, he and the Hon. J. T. 

 Gibson signed a treaty of friendship between Liberia and Mary- 

 land, which was followed, through their efforts, by the conclusion of 

 a treaty between the Grebos and Maryland State on February 25th. 

 William Prout, the Governor of Maryland, had died in 1856, 

 and had been succeeded by J. B. Drayton. It was felt, however, 

 that the only way to settle the difficulties of Maryland was to 

 annex it to the larger republic on the west, and this was finally 

 carried out on February 28th, 1857, the "Governors " of Mary- 

 land being succeeded by Superintendents, as is the case with 

 each of the other counties of the Liberian Republic. The first 

 Superintendent of Maryland after its annexation was the Hon, 

 J. T. Gibson. Maryland, as already mentioned, now sends 

 two senators and three representatives to the Liberian Congress. 



Roberts during the last year (1854) of his first tenure of 

 power as President paid a third visit to Europe, reaching 

 England in October, 1854. On this occasion he was so confident 

 of the future that lay before Liberia, and elated at the en- 

 couragement afforded by Great Britain, that he went to the 

 length of asking the Earl of Clarendon (then Foreign Minister) 

 to consent to Sierra Leone being annexed to Liberia, on the plea 

 that the latter country stood in need of a really good harbour. 

 " The proposition," Roberts wrote at the time, " was received 

 with some indications of surprise, and but little favour." During 

 this visit, however, Liberian coins were struck in England with 

 the financial assistance of Mr. Samuel Gurney (after whom 

 Roberts . had named a settlement in the Gallinhas country). 

 Other British philanthropists subscribed at the same time 

 generously to Liberian needs, Roberts returned to Liberia 

 in December, i 8 54, to find himself confronted with some degree 

 of local opposition to his policy. In May, 1855, Stephen 



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