o4 REPORT OF THE HARVARD AFRICAN EXPEDITION 
suffered from sickness and met with difficulties from the hostility of the surround- 
ing indigenous tribes who desired the return of their land. Though the greater 
part remained at Mont Serrado (Mesurado) a certain number of the colonists 
insisted on returning to Sierra Leone. 
In 1822 Jehudi Ashmun, who subsequently played such an important and 
valuable part in the establishment of the colony, embarked at Baltimore on the 
brig “Strong” with a further company of emigrants, and eventually reached 
Cape Mesurado. Here, in accordance with his instructions, he assumed the 
direction and administration of the small colony, and negotiated with some of 
the native chiefs for more land and for additional privileges. The annual report 
of the American Colonization Society for 1828 says that large and important 
accessions were made during the year to the territories of Liberia. It appears, 
however, that it was necessary later to acquire some land by conquest and 
that, on several occasions, the surrounding tribes attempted to destroy the 
settlers or at least drive them from the country. In fact, the early history of 
the colony was beset with many difficulties caused by the native tribes and 
slave traders. Disease, however, was one of the greatest obstacles. A good 
proportion of each new group of immigrants was attacked by fever. Thus, of 
105 arriving on one vessel, all were attacked within a month of landing, and but 
for the treatment and care given them by the Reverend Lot Cary who possessed 
some medical knowledge, the mortality would certainly have been much higher 
in the colony than it was. Ashmun! says in his journal, that in the case of 
immigrants who came from Maryland, the disease baffled all the medical skill 
in the colony. Of 107 who arrived on the ship “Doris,” twenty-four died. 
Lieutenant Gordon of the British sloop of war, ‘‘ Driver,’ who went to the assist- 
ance of Ashmun in one of his combats with the indigenous natives, shortly 
afterwards died of fever, and eight of the eleven men who went with him also 
succumbed to it. 
In 1832 a number of state branches of the Colonization Society were founded, 
with the result that several separate settlements were established along the 
Liberian coast. Thus a contingent sent out by the Maryland Society in 1831 
settled at Cape Palmas and founded the Colony of Maryland, in Africa, and a 
group from Pennsylvania established another colony at Grand Bassa. <A third 
colony was founded at Sino by settlers from Mississippi, known at first as Mis- 
sissippi in Africa. In a short time there was more or less friction between these 
different colonies, but in 1837 all the settlements, except Maryland, joined the 
central government. Maryland insisted on retaining its independence and did 
not enter into the union until 1857. 
Up to 1847 the government of the Commonwealth was directed by the 
American Colonization Society, which of course was a private organization. 
Liberia’s right to exercise the powers of government were soon challenged by 
Great Britain, and in 18438 the British Minister declared to the American Secre- 
tary of State that certain differences between British traders and the authorities 
of Liberia rendered it necessary, in order to avert serious trouble in the future, 
1 Gurley: “Life of Jehudi Ashmun”’ (1835), p. 382. 
