in the Public
Square in front of the President's mansion, called Palm Palace. Like his
predecessor President Roberts, in pressing the claims of his country
before the nations of Europe, President Benson has spared no authority
which he possessed in developing the agricultural resources of his
country. Every man has his _forte_, and in his turn probably becomes a
_necessity_ for the time being, according to his faculty. Consequently
my opinion is, that the _forte_ and mission of President Roberts for the
time being were the establishment of a Nationality, and that of
President Benson the development of its resources, especially the
agricultural. Neither of these gentlemen, therefore, might be
under-rated, as each may have been the instrument which God in his
wisdom appointed to a certain work.

Official and Personal Favors

To John Moore, Esq., Government Surveyor; the Hon. B. P. Yates,
ex-Vice-President of the Republic; Hon. John Seys, U.S. Agent for
Re-captured Africans, and Consular Agent, I am much indebted for acts of
kindness in facilitating my Explorations in Liberia. The Hon. Mr. Seys
and Mr. Moore, for personally accompanying me up the St. Paul River; and
Colonel Yates, for the loan of his fine canvas-covered boat for my use.
Also to Dr. Henry J. Roberts, for remedies and medicines for my own use;
Dr. Thomas F. M'Gill, for offering to make advances on articles of
merchandise which I took out on trade to bear expenses, much beyond the
market price; and to those excellent gentlemen, Messrs. Johnson, Turpin,
and Dunbar, also for large advances made above market price in cash for
my commodity, as well as other favors, especially on the part of Mr.
Johnson, who, having for years been a resident in Monrovia, did
everything to advance my mission and make my duty an agreeable one.

To the Rev. Alexander Crummell, who accompanied me up the Kavalla, above
the Falls, making my task an easy one; to Drs. Fletcher and D'Lyon, who
rendered me professional aid, and also to our excellent, faithful, and
reliable guide, Spear Mehia is, a native civilized Christian Prince, the
son of the old friend of the missionaries, Nmehia, the deceased King of
Kavalla, I here make acknowledgments. And I cannot close this section
without an acknowledgment that, wherever I went, the people of the
country generally did everything to make me happy--Esquire Wright at
Junk, Dr. Smith at Grand Bassa, and the Hon. Mr. Priest at Sinou whose
guest