Liberia ^ 



of wood), and often attractively painted. The better-class houses 

 are of masonry or brick, with roofs of corrugated iron. Some 

 of the villas on the banks of the St. Paul's River are of attractive 

 appearance, with prettily planted gardens, and of an aspect 

 quite cheerful for dismal West Africa. A prominent feature 

 in the surroundings of these settlements is the Traveller's Tree 

 (Urania speciosa)^ that remarkable species of banana originally 

 from Madagascar which stores up water at the junction of the 

 fronds with the stem. It is grown by the Liberians for its 

 ornamental appearance, as are also oleanders, frangipani, aloes, 

 roses, hibiscus, etc. 



Monrovia is a town of two divisions : the civilised quarter, 

 inhabited by Americo-Liberians and a few European merchants, 

 consuls, etc., is built on the top of the plateau of Cape 

 Mesurado,^ which rises to the altitude of about two hundred 

 and ninety feet above sea level. At the extremity of this plateau, 

 which drops in a sheer cliff to the sea, is a Rghthouse (Mamba 

 Point). The second division of the town is the not unpicturesque 

 Kru quarter, which is along the shore-line, both on the sea coast ^ 

 near Mamba point, and also on the Mesurado lagoon. This 

 lagoon, which is really the harbour of Monrovia, communicates 

 with the sea between two sandbanks opposite " Bushrod Island," ^ 

 a large island which is formed by Stockton Creek on the east and the 

 sea on the west. As already mentioned, the bar at Monrovia 

 is nearly always benign, at any rate as compared with the 

 landings at all other points on the coast. Between Stockton 

 Creek and New Georgia Creek, on the north side of Mesurado 



' For origin of the name " Mesurado," see p. 40. 



^ The sea beach of Monrovia, which might be made an agreeable promenade, is 

 foul to nose and eye with the ordure of the Kru quarter, a nuisance which ought to 

 be abated. 



^ Named after Bushrod Washington, an original member of the Colonisation 

 Society at Washington and a nephew (?) of the first President of the United States. 



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