and its successor, the 'African Weekly Times.' The 'Sierra Leone Gazette'
succumbed when the Wesleyans established (1842) the 'Sierra Leone
Watchman.' Other defuncts are the 'Free Press,' a Radical paper,
representing Young Sá Leone, and a fourth, the 'Intelligencer,' which
strove to prove what has sometimes been asserted at negro
indignation-meetings, namely, that 'a white man, if _he behave himself_,
is as good as a black man.' Cain, like the rest of the family, was a
negro; but when rebuked by the Creator he turned pale with fear, a tint
inherited by his descendants. The theory is, _par parenthèse_, as good as
any other. The only papers now published are the 'West African Reporter,'
whose proprietor and editor was the late Hon. Mr. Grant, and the
'Watchman,' a quasi-comic sheet.

The worst feature of journalism in West Africa is that fair play is
unknown to it. The negroes may thoroughly identify themselves with
England, claim a share in her greatness, and display abundant lip-loyalty;
yet there is the racial aversion to Englishmen in the concrete, and to
this is added the natural jealousy of seeing strangers monopolise the best
appointments. The Sá Leonite openly declares that he and his can rule the
land much better and more economically than the sickly foreigner, who
spends half his service-time on board the steamers and at home. 'Dere goes
another white raskel to his grave!' they will exclaim at the sight of a
funeral. 'Wish dey all go and leave colony to US.' And as the reading and
paying public is mainly composed of Nigers, the papers must sooner or
later cater for their needs, and lose no opportunity of casting obloquy
and ridicule upon the authorities and Albus in general. We can hardly
blame them. I have shown that the worst and most scandalous display of
journalism comes from London.

After the church, the school, and the newspaper, the most important