atively old; but we must all ask ourselves the same questions: Have we, during this time, acquired as much knowledge as we have had the means of acquiring; as much knowledge of God, of his glorious works, of his holy will, as we could obtain? as much knowledge of Jesus and of his divine instructions, as much knowledge of our own particular duties, as much knowledge of our own hearts and characters, of our own faults, of our own powers, of the means of doing good to others, of their wants and of their rights?" pp. 1, 2.

After a page or two in the same serious style, and an exhortation to those who may have wasted or misspent their hours and years, to begin a life of duty without delay, the chapter thus beautifully concludes.

"There is in such a resolution, and in the life it would lead to, nothing of gloom; on the contrary, the heartfelt satisfaction it will yield, will shed a new glory upon the whole visible world, give a new relish to every innocent pleasure.

'It is content of heart

Gives nature power to please;

The mind that feels no smart
Enlivens all it sees;

'Can make a wintry sky

Seem bright as smiling May,
And evening's closing eye

As peep of early day.'

"The thought expressed in these lines of Cowper, which I learned and loved when I was a child, and have so often repeated, reminds me of a very little boy, whose mother, being much occupied in the day, is in the habit of devoting an hour in the evening, just before his bed-time, to his particular amusement. Often when he asks for some attention which the want of time makes it necessary to refuse him, he says, with the assurance that it will then be granted,' When evening come'; and when he sees the darkness approaching, he claps his hands and says, 'Now evening come'; and I cannot but think how often his mother's heart must pray that the evening hour will be thus ever joyful to him, and that he may so spend his day of life, that when its sun has set, and its last shadows close in around him, and he sees only the unknown stars of another world, his spirit may rejoice and cry out with gladness, 'Now evening come!'

"But I think I hear the young friends whom in imagination I am talking with, say in their hearts, 'But we want to hear about Catherine Nelson, her brother James, little Lucy, and

her cousin Julia. pened to them? that we have been

They are also four years older; what has hapHow will they answer these hard questions putting to ourselves? Have they all grown wiser and better? Has Julia cured her pettishness and selfishness? Is Catherine as good as she was? And Nancy Leonard, what of her and her sick mother? - Come, let us hear about them all.' As I must acknowledge I have tried your patience with something like a sermon, I will, without any further preface, tell you all that is to be told about Catherine Nelson and her friends; and let you judge for yourselves how lasting were the effects of her well-spent hours."

pp. 5, 6. These volumes have our hearty benediction. We cheerfully and sincerely recommend them to parents and all the friends of children, as books which they may select without fear of disappointment. They are so good, that we wish the three engravings which accompany them had been better. It is no compliment to the taste of children, and certainly of no advantage to it, to salute their eyes with such poor apologies for pictures as these.

ART. IX. - Annual Reports of the American Society for
Colonizing the Free People of Color of the United
&
States. Nos. 7-15. Washington, D. C.

THE Colonization Society has assumed a character, and attained a position, which fairly justify its claim to the consideration of the public. We shall preface the suggestion of some of what we deem the principal arguments in its favor, with a summary outline of its progress for the last few years, and of its present condition.

The Society, during its career of eighteen years, has sent out to Africa twenty-three expeditions of emigrants; the majority of which have gone within three or four years, and six of them during one season. Of the whole number of persons, six hundred and thirteen were slaves manumitted for the purpose of being colonized. Still another class of the colonial population consists of between three and four hundred Africans, recaptured under those laws which prohibit their im

portation into this country; and who, having thus fallen into the hands of the national or state governments, have, with their consent, and generally at their charge, been transported and colonized by the Society. The census of the eight or ten settlements which the colony comprises, including all those classes, is not far from three thousand. The earliest of them, it should be observed, has been in existence only ten years, Montserado having been purchased in December, 1821, and settled in June of the next season.

In the Fourteenth Report of the Society, we are informed, that the territory, to which they have given the general name of Liberia, extends from Gallinas river north to Kroo Settra south, being a distance of two hundred and eighty miles along the coast, with a collateral extent inland, which is left indefinite in some cases, but is no where less than twenty or thirty miles. At about the latter distance is a belt of dense and almost impassable forest, which is nearly parallel with the line of the coast; and which, being one or two days' journey in breadth, has heretofore almost entirely prevented intercourse, both between the interior and maritime tribes of natives, and between the former and foreign nations. The African population, more or less within the Colonial jurisdiction, is about one hundred and fifty thousand. All this territory has been purchased of the native chiefs; and two considerable and valuable portions of it, Cape Mount and Grand Bassa, within a few months. The former is upon the shore of a large lake formed by the confluence of several rivers, affording great facilities for inland navigation and trade. The amount of African produce exported annually from this neighbourhood is estimated at more than sixty thousand dollars, and must necessarily admit of great increase under the management of a peaceable and civilized foreign nation.

Grand Bassa, which is about as far south of the principal settlement, Monrovia (at Cape Mesurado), as Cape Mount is north, is intersected by a river easily and safely accessible to vessels of one hundred tons. Between this and Monrovia is the Junk river, which is more than fifty miles long. The whole course of it has been examined during the last season, and the country on both sides is found to be beautifully diversified. The soil here, as well as very generally throughout the colony, is a deep, rich VOL. XIII. N. S. VOL. VIII. NO. I. 13

vegetable mould, covered occasionally with majestic forests, abounding in valuable ship-timber, and full of situations suitable for agricultural settlements. The river St. Paul's, a few miles north of Monrovia, is half a mile wide at the mouth, and supposed to have a course of two or three hundred miles. There are two flourishing settlements upon it, and one or two between it and Monrovia, all which are united by a cross stream called Stockton Creek. The land was described by the colonial agent, Dr. Randall, as equal, in every respect, to the best upon the southern rivers in the United States.

As to the animals and productions of this territory, the domestic class of the former are nearly the same with those of this country, and are raised in great numbers. The rivers and streams furnish an inexhaustible supply of fish, and the forests are filled with game, in the usual abundance of wellsituated and well-watered tropical districts. The fruits are plantains, bananas, vines, lemons, oranges, tamarinds, mangoes, prunes, guavas, pine-apples, grapes, cherries, and others; the roots, sweet potatoes, cassada, yams, cocoa, every variety of beans and peas, cucumbers and melons, pumkins, &c. Sugar, coffee, and indigo grow wild; and rice, Indian and Guinea corn, millet, and pepper are cultivated with ease, and yield plentiful returns. The Liberian coffee, in particular, is well known by many in this country to be of the first quality; and as the colonists are beginning to turn their attention more steadily to agriculture than heretofore, and the managers have recently made arrangements for an experimental establishment to be devoted wholly to the cultivation of this article, there can be little doubt of its soon becoming a staple.

The agriculture of the colony leads us to speak of its chief rival, the trade, which has been almost too profitable individually, to be at all so to the settlement at large. A considerable number of small vessels are owned by the colonists, and are actively engaged at and about the various trading factories along the coast, and in supplying the natives resident on the rivers and streams. The commerce consists of an exchange of American and English imported articles, for African dyewoods, ivory, hides, gold, palm-oil, and rice. The net profits on the two first-mentioned alone, from January to June, 1826, were thirty thousand seven hun

dred and eighty-six dollars. In 1829, the African products exported amounted to twice that sum; last year, to eightyeight thousand nine hundred and eleven dollars. On the whole, there is some reason for the friends of the colony to rejoice, that the eagerness with which the settlers have rushed into this business, rather to the disparagement of more stable interests, is likely to be speedily checked, not only by the prudent system of allotment recently adopted, but by the effects of the prosperity of trade itself, — the more than sufficient foreign importation, and the increased competition at home.

The system of government, exercised by the Society, is no doubt familiar to our readers. It is already mostly in the hands of the settlers, and will no doubt be so altogether at some future time, when circumstances may render it proper. We shall complete the summary we have undertaken by the addition of a few extracts from letters of various highly respectable and impartial persons, who have visited the colony within a year or two past. Captain Sherman, of Philadelphia, under date of May, 1830, speaks thus of the chief settlement:

Monrovia, at present, consists of about ninety dwelling houses and stores, two houses for public worship, and a courthouse. Many of the dwellings are handsome and convenient, and all of them comfortable. The plot of the town is cleared more than a mile square, elevated about seventy feet above the level of the sea, and contains seven hundred inhabitants. The streets are generally one hundred feet wide, and, like those of our good city, intersect each other at right angles.

"The court holds its sessions on the first Monday in every month; juries are empannelled as with us; and its jurisdiction extends over the whole colony. The trials are, principally, for larceny, and the criminals are generally natives, who commit thefts in the settlements. A few instances of kidnapping have occurred; these depredations were committed on the recaptured Africans. To the honor of the emigrants be it mentioned, that but five of their number have been committed for stealing or misdemeanor, since 1827.

'There is much hospitality to be found in Monrovia, and among the inhabitants a greater proportion of moral and religious characters than in this city. I never saw a man intoxicated, nor heard any profane swearing, during the three weeks I was among them.