Government was not only important, but essential. Without its friendly
intervention, the plan could never have been carried out. The action
carries with it some responsibility. The United States might well
exercise some protective care, might now and then extend a helping hand,
and let the aggressive Powers of Europe see that Liberia is not
friendless, and that encroachment upon her territory will not be
tolerated.

A few words upon the topography of the country and upon the aborigines
may not be out of place. Liberia is by no means the dreary waste of sand
and swamp that some imagine it. The view from the sea has been
described as one of unspeakable beauty and grandeur. From the low-lying
coast the land rises in a terraced slope--a succession of hills and
plateaux as far as the eye can reach, all covered with the dense
perennial verdure of the primeval forest. Perhaps the best authority on
the natural features of the country is the zoölogist of the Royal Museum
of Leyden, J. Büttikofer, who has made Liberia several visits and spent
several years in its scientific exploration. The account of his
investigations is most interesting. Small as is the area of the country
all kinds of soil are represented, and corresponding to this variety is
a remarkably rich and varied flora. Amidst this luxuriance is found an
unusually large number of products of commercial value. Cotton, indigo,
coffee, pepper, the pineapple, gum tree, oil palm, and many others grow
wild in abundance, while a little cultivation produces ample crops of
rice, corn, potatoes, yams, arrowroot, ginger, and especially sugar,
tobacco, and a very superior grade of coffee. The fertility of the soil
renders possible the production of almost any crop.

The fauna of the land is scarcely less remarkable in variety and
abundance. The larger animals, including domestic cattle and horses, do