REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA. 359 



ence, it awakens a feeling of pity to read the exalted 

 language in which the magnificent past doings and re 

 sults and the future schemes of the Society are spoken of 

 in the report, and in the published speeches delivered at 

 the last annual meeting of the Society at Washington. 



The Legislatures of several of the slave States have 

 voted sums of money, from time to time, either in aid of 

 the Colonisation Society, or for the purpose of purchasing 

 land and establishing colonies of their own on the African 

 coast. All these tracts of land, however, are now made 

 over to the Republic of Liberia, with the exception of 

 the colony of Cape Palmas, which belongs to and is sup 

 ported by the Legislature and Colonisation Society of 

 the State of Maryland. The Legislature of this State 

 votes 10,000 dollars a-year in aid of this colony of 

 &quot; Maryland in Africa,&quot; and this sum, with other funds 

 raised by subscription, are expended through a State 

 Colonisation Society. It is probable that by-and-by this 

 colony of Cape Palmas will also be ceded to the Libe- 

 rian Republic. 



The State of Virginia has recently taken positive 

 measures towards freeing itself from the 60,000 free 

 coloured people it possesses. A bill brought into the 

 State Legislature during the last Session, (1850,) appro 

 priates 50,000 dollars a-year for five years, to remove from 

 the State, under the auspices of the American Colonisa 

 tion Society, such free people of colour as may be willing 

 to emigrate to Africa, and imposes on those who remain 

 a tax of a dollar a-head, to be added to the same fund. 

 It may be predicted, however, that even these measures 

 will do little good in driving out the coloured people. 

 They will be unwilling to go in such numbers as materially 

 to lessen even the ordinary increase from natural causes. 



It has surprised some that Mr Webster, in his speech 

 in Congress on the slavery question in March last (1850,) 

 has lent the full weight of his opinion, and the offer of his 



