Liberia ^ 



In 1893 the Grebos, excited by French aggressions On 

 Liberian territory east of the Cavalla River, attacked the Americo- 

 Liberian settlements near Harper and on the Lower Cavalla 

 River, and the Liberian forces in the conflict met with several 

 disasters involving loss of guns. The Liberian Government's 

 armed steamer, the Gorronomah^ was completed in that year, and 

 this vessel co-operating with the land forces under General R. A. 

 Sherman enabled the Monrovian Government to gain an eventual 

 victory over the natives in this, the so-called " Third Grebo 

 War." " General R. A. Sherman, a mulatto officer, directed the 

 Liberian forces on most of these punitive expeditions, but he 

 died in 1894 (see p. 263). In 1896 fresh troubles arose with 

 the Grebos, in which one or more Liberians were killed. 



About 1880 the question of admitting Europeans in a 

 more extended degree to the development of Liberian resources 

 was agitated. Sharing in the spirit of the time, there was a 

 talk of " concessions," of privileges to be granted in mining 

 or rubber-collecting which might prove lucrative to the State, 

 and enable it perchance to pay off that debt which hung like 

 a millstone about the neck of the republic's finances. In 1869 

 there had sprung into existence the Mining Company of Liberia, 

 which was granted certain special rights by the Government of 

 Liberia, but which failed to raise any capital for the working 

 of these mining rights. In 1881 this was transformed into 

 the Union Mining Company, and to it was granted a charter 

 containing important privileges. This chartered company was 

 to languish in inaction, since it was unable on a purely Liberian 

 basis to raise any capital for its purposes. 



' The native name of Cape Palmas. 



^ These " wars " were mostly skirmishes with small loss of life and many 

 "alarums and excursions" on botli sides. 



286 



