CHAPTER XIV 



FRONTIER QUESTIONS 



AS already mentioned in the last chapter, British philan- 

 thropists had furnished the funds which enabled 

 President Roberts to extend by purchase the coast 

 territories of Liberia westwards to the Gumbo country. This 

 may be roughly described as the Gallinhas territory. The land 

 round about Cape Mount had been bought from the coast chiefs 

 in the year 1850. Beyond the Mano (Manna) River (now the 

 frontier of Liberia) the territory had been purchased westwards 

 as far as the Sewa River and the vicinity of Sherbro Island, 

 either in 1850 or in 1856. Apparently no objection was raised 

 by the British Goverimient at the time of these purchases, 

 perhaps for one reason amongst others, that in the 'fifties of 

 the last century no very great interest was taken in the 

 extension of our West African possessions. 



But the Slave trade had given place to the trade in Palm- 

 oil, which was beginning, in our modern phrase, to " boom," and 

 enterprising men from Lancashire or Bristol established them- 

 selves on the West Coast of Africa, sometimes as repre- 

 sentatives of companies, sometimes with their own capital of 

 two or three hundred pounds. As often as not these men 

 were the ex-stewards, pursers, or mates of steamers and sailing 

 ships engaged in the African trade, who, having amassed a little 

 gain, settled on shore, generally choosing for their first venture 

 some river or coast port, not too near civilised government and 

 VOL. I 241 16 



