Liberia ^ 



Meantime the trader Harris got up a considerable agitation 

 against Liberian rights being recognised in the vicinity of his 

 stations. With the backing of the Governor of Sierra Leone 

 (Hall), Harris and his friends protested vigorously against 

 the concession to Liberian rights which Earl Russell had just 

 made. No decided action was taken by the British Govern- 

 ment one way or the other, either to intimate to Liberia 

 that a revision of the frontier was necessary or to inform 

 these Sierra Leone traders that if they chose to settle within 

 Liberian limits they must obey Liberian laws. In this year, 

 1862, Harris's two schooners were again seized by the coast- 

 guard vessel of the Liberian Customs ; but on this occasion 

 his evasion of Liberian Customs regulations had been markedly 

 impudent, since his ships were found landing goods close 

 to Cape Mount, well within the range of effective occupation 

 by the Liberian Government. 



After this agitation the Governor of Sierra Leone allowed 

 a mixed Anglo-Liberian commission to consider the details of 

 the north-west frontier. This commission met at Monrovia in 

 March, 1862. The British commissioners offered to recognise 

 Liberian rights as far as the so-called River Gallinhas,^ but the 

 Liberians refused this definition, and held out for the whole of 

 the territory allowed to them by Earl Russell's dispatch. Never- 

 theless, although the commissioners could not come to an 

 agreement about the frontier definition, the Liberian Govern- 

 ment restored his sailing ships to Harris after inflicting on 

 him a small fine for breach of Customs regulations. 



The frontier still remained undetermined on the part of 

 the Colonial Government of Sierra Leone. Harris, rendered 



' Gallinhas is really the name of the country to the north and west of the 

 River Sulima. The river to which that name is sometimes given is a little stream 

 entering the sea near Palma Lagoon. 



244 



