42 AMERICAN SETTLEMENT 



tages : instead of fixing their head-quarters at 

 the mouth of some considerable river, they have 

 taken possession of the most unhealthy and sterile 

 part of the coast, with no inlet into the interior ; 

 the consequence of vrhich is, that they are de- 

 pendent on the uncivilised negroes on the Grain 

 Coast for their supplies of food. It is certainly 

 not to be expected that an infant colony can sup- 

 port itself for the first few years ; but it appears 

 questionable whether Liberia will ever raise food 

 sufficient for a very moderate population, and it 

 certainly never can export any quantity of tro- 

 pical produce. During the time we remained 

 in the river St. Paul our vessels were crowded 

 by respectable and intelligent mulattoes, all of 

 whom, with the exception of the coloured editor 

 of the Liberia Gazette, and one or two others 

 in the pay of the Society by whom they are sent 

 from America, complained bitterly of the deceit 

 that had been practised towards them, and of the 

 privations under which they were then suffering. 

 It was often a source of regret to me during our 

 voyage that I had not acceded to their wishes, 

 and taken some of them on board our vessels, as 

 they were fine intelligent men who would have 



