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210 L I B E R I A —
Liberia., a negro republic in West Africa, extending
along the coast for about 300 miles between 4 and i N.
This strip of coast, which is watered by a number of
parallel streams, consists for the most part of country
of moderate elevation, ending seawards in a fairly high
coast-line, the lower courses of the rivers being, however,
fringed for a few miles by swamps, while forest seems to
occupy a large part of the interior. The soil of the
lowlands is generally sandy, except along the course of
streams, where deep black' fertile soil is found. The
surface of the interior plateaux, which fall in a succession
of steps towards the coast, consists largely of laterite.
For a tropical country the climate is fairly moderate, the
heat being lessened by the sea-breeze, which blows
regularly during the day except in the Harmattan period.
This lasts from December to the end of February, the
Harmattan being a land wind marked by extreme dry¬
ness, with low temperature at night or in the early
morning. The rainy season proper lasts from May to
November, but no month passes without rain.
Coasts.—The coast of Liberia is much indented, though the
lagoon formation so characteristic of other parts of the Guinea
coast is little developed. Many of the capes rise abruptly from
the sea. Cape Mount peninsula, on which Robertsport is placed,
rises to about 1000 feet at the highest part, and Capes Mesurado
and Palmas are also bold headlands. The largest lagoon (Fisher¬
man Lake) is that enclosed by the Cape Mount peninsula. It is
generally shallow. The remainder are much smaller, and are
generally formed by expansions of the streams at their mouths.
A tidal channel runs, however, behind Cape Mesurado parallel to
the coast as far as the mouth of the river Farmington—nearly 40
miles, connecting also with the river St Paul.
Interior.—Our knowledge of the interior of the country, and
even of the courses of the main rivers, is still extremely scanty,
and depends almost entirely on the journey of the negro Benjamin
Anderson in 1868, and those of French explorers along the interior
frontier. In the north-western half the head-streams of the rivers
Lofa, De, or St Paul, and probably also those of the Manoh (which
in part forms the frontier with Sierra Leone), rise at a distance of
200 miles from the coast, their upper basins widening fan-wise,
while their lower courses approach each other within 35 miles.
Their general direction is at right angles to the coast. The same
is apparently the case with most of the rivers of the south-east,
which have, however, much shorter courses, as the upper basin of
the Kavalli (which forms the boundary of Liberia on the south¬
east) lies behind them, and, as shown by recent explorations of
M. Hostains and others (1897-1900), closely approaches the head¬
waters of the St Paul. The lower courses of many of the smaller
streams were explored by Biittikofer in 1879-82, but in few cases
does our knowledge extend more than 25 miles from the coast,
except in the case of the Sinoe, which was ascended in 1869 to the
neighbourhood of the Gedeye mountains. A range named Niete
is also reported by M. Hostains west of the Upper Kavalli, and
mountains are said to exist near the source of the rivers St John
and Lofa. The courses of all the rivers are more or less broken by
rapids, and even on the St Paul the limit of navigation is less
than 50 miles from the sea. All have bars at their mouths, those
of the Manoh, Lofa, and St Paul being almost impassable, com¬
munication between the sea and the last named being effected by
a channel leading from the Mesurado lagoon.
Limits.—The boundaries, previously indefinite, have now been
regulated by agreement with Great Britain and France. That
towards Sierra Leone was laid down in 1887 as first following the
left bank of the Manoh, and afterwards a continuation of the line
to the north-east. The north-eastern and south-eastern frontiers
were broadly defined by agreement with France in 1892 (ratified
1894). On the coast the boundary is the Kavalli, Liberian claims
to the country east of its mouth being abandoned, while France
Waived her supposed rights to points within the Liberian limits.
The interior frontier, running as it does through country unknown
at the time of the Convention, had not in 1902 been demarcated,
and may require revision. It was to follow the Kavalli to 6° 30'N.
(the river being supposed here to be in 6° 52' W.), and then to
run west along that parallel to its intersection with 7° 40' W. ; to
follow this meridian to 7° N. and then run in a straight line to
the intersection of 8° 40' W. with the parallel passing through
Tembi Kunda ; and finally to follow the latter to the Sierra Leone
frontier. Certain stipulations, however, might prove inconsistent
with the line thus laid down; France, c.g., receiving the whole
upper basin of the Niger, as well as that of the Fodedugu, a
supposed upper branch of the Kavalli. The area of Liberia
within the above limits is about 45,000 square miles.
LIBOURNE
Population.—Down to 1887 the American Colonization Society,
which introduced the first settlement of freed slaves in 1820-22,
is said to have spent over 2^ million dollars, and to have intro¬
duced from America some 12,000 coloured immigrants, over 1200
in addition having been brought by the Maryland Society. The
number of the civilized negroes has been estimated at from 40,000
to 60,000, while the remaining black population is put down at a
minimum of 2,000,000. The population of Monrovia, the capital,
is about 5000 ; of Harper (with suburbs), 8000 ; of Buchanan
(Grand Bassa) and Edina (on opposite sides of the river St John),
5000 ; and of Robertsport, 1200. At these ports, with Marshall
(Junk river), Sesters River, Greenville, Settra Kru, and Half
Cavalla, foreigners are allowed to trade.
Government.—The President and Vice-President of the Republic
are elected by universal sirffrage for a period of two years. The
President controls the whole Government, and can dissolve the
chambers at wall; the Vice-President presides over the Senate,
but takes the place of the President in case of the latter dying or
going out of office before the expiration of his proper term. The
cabinet consists of seven members, wdro are at the head of the
seven departments of State. The Senate consists of nine members,
two each for the counties of Bassa, Sinoe, and Maryland, and
three for that of Mesurado, which contains the capital. The
House of Representatives consists of thirteen members, one more
for each county than are returned for the Senate. At the end of
each session the two chambers meet jointly to pass the Bills which
have been brought in before each of them. The judicial functions
are discharged by four grades of officials, the local magistrates,
the courts of common pleas, and the quarterly courts (one to each
county town), and lastly the Supreme Court, presided over by
the Chief Justice. The local administration is in the hands of
superintendents, one each to the counties of Bassa, Sinoe, and
Maryland, and one to each of the districts into which Mesurado
is divided. Many parts, however, even along the coast, and all
the interior more than 50 miles from the sea, are almost entirely
beyond the influence of the Government. Schools exist in all
the towns and villages, but, except at the West African College
at Monrovia, the education given is very indifferent. In 1894
the revenue was estimated at £33,096 and the expenditure at
£31,661.
Products and Trade.—Coffee is still the principal product, but
the great fall in price and the insufficient preparation of the crops
have lately ruined many cultivators. Experiments have since
been made with the planting of cacao and caoutchouc. Wild
rubber exists in large quantities in the forests. There are no
industries on a large scale, though various civilized trades are
carried on by the Liberians. Gold is said to exist, as also agates,
rubies, and other precious stones. The foreign trade, though
showing a decline, is still considerable, the largest share being in
the hands of the Germans, while most of the remainder is divided
between Great Britain and Holland. The principal lines of
steamers run from Hamburg and Liverpool. The imports consist
of articles of dress, food, &c., for the civilized negroes, and cotton
goods for the native tribes. The principal exports are coffee,
rubber (a monopoly of the English company called the Liberian
Rubber Syndicate), piassava or raphia fibre (used for making
brooms), palm oil and kernels, and a small amount of African
mahogany. In addition to the Krumen, who engage themselves
as crews of vessels, a large number of the natives of Liberia,
especially the Yais, Golos, Bassas, and some Mandingos, emigrate
to other parts of West Africa for labour on plantations, or for
railway construction, or as police or militia. The majority go to
Cameroon and Congo Free State.
Authorities.—Monxer Sans. Liberia. Apuntcs historicos,
geogrdphicos, &c. Barcelona, 1884. —Wauwermans. Liberia.
Histoire de la fondation d'un etat Negre libre. Brussels, 1885.—
Schwarz. “Die Neger- Republik Liberia,” Das Ausland.
1888. — Gudgeon. “Liberia.” Journ. Manchester Geogr. Soc.
1888.—Buttikoeer. Peisebilder aus Liberia. Leyden, 1890.—
MTherson. “ History of Liberia.” Johns Hopkins Univ. Studies,
9 series, x. Baltimore, 1891.—Rouire. “Delimitation de la
Republique de Liberia.” Annales de Geographic. Paris, 1894.—
Delafosse. “ La Republique de Liberia.” Bulletin dn ComiU de
VAfrigue Frangaise, Supplement No. 9, 1900. — Franklin.
“La Question de Liberia.” Questions Dipl, et Colon, vol. xh.
Paris, 1901. (e. He.)
Libourne, chief town of arrondissement, department
of Gironde, France, 20 miles east-north-east of Bordeaux, on
the railway from Paris to Bordeaux. Vineyards cover about
120,000 acres in the arrondissement. There are no textile
manufactures of importance. The general coasting trade
is brisk. In 1900, 283 coasting vessels entered and 308
cleared, total tonnage 20,939. Population (1881), 12,539;
(1901), 19,175.