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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Photograph by T. J. Alldridge 

 A NATIVE "YENKETTi" OR SUSPENSION BRIDGE 



These suspension bridges are frequently encountered by the traveler in the hinterland 

 of Liberia and Sierra Leone. The ropes are made of fibers and the structures swing- over the 

 rivers from branches of trees. 



powder, six iron bars, ten iron pots, one 

 barrel of beads, two casks of tobacco, 

 twelve knives, twelve forks and twelve 

 spoons, one small barrel of nails, one box 

 of tobacco pipes, three looking-glasses, 

 four umbrellas, three walking-sticks, one 

 box of soap, one barrel of rum, four hats, 

 three pairs of shoes, six pieces of blue 

 baft, and three pieces of white calico ! 



All the above was given "cash down" 

 in part payment, but the native kings 

 agreed to give credit for the following, 

 which were to be paid by the colonizers 

 when they could : Six iron bars, twelve 

 guns (probably long Danes), three bar- 

 rels of powder, twelve plates, twelve bar- 

 rels of ships' biscuit, twelve glass de- 

 canters, twelve wineglasses, and forty 

 pairs of boots. 



LIBERIA HAS AMERICAN FORM OE 

 GOVERNMENT 



In 1847 the little settlements along the 

 coast united to form the Republic of 

 Liberia, and published to the world two 

 documents — their Declaration of Inde- 

 pendence and Constitution — both of 



which take the form of their prototypes 

 in American history. 



Joseph Jenkins Roberts was elected 

 the first president of the Republic. He 

 was a man of superior talents, and the 

 first administration, though encountering 

 innumerable difficulties, was conspicuously 

 successful. At that time there were two 

 political parties in Liberia — the Whigs 

 and Republicans. 



Roberts' successor, Stephen A. Benson, 

 was elected in 1856. The first president 

 was a mulatto, so light in color as to be 

 readily mistaken for a white man. Ben- 

 son, however, was quite black. An 

 amusing incident at the time of the elec- 

 tion of Benson is quoted by Professor 

 Frederick Starr in his excellent and au- 

 thentic work, "Liberia," which is to-day 

 used as a textbook in Liberian schools. 



A certain Captain White, of Virginia, 

 met in Monrovia an old negro and former 

 slave, whom he had known in America. 

 The Captain asked : 



"Which of the candidates for the presi- 

 dency are you going to vote for ?" 



"Oh, Benson," replied the negro. 



