Kentucky Gazette

AFRICAN COLONIZATION
U. S. ship Horner, Island of Bonavista, Aug. 27, 1820

'On our arrival at Sierra Leone, we carried the painful intelligence, that all our Colony except one man, had fallen a sacrifice, to the unhealthiness of the climate. As the object of our visit was to see and learn the situation of the colony, capt. Read thought it was most prudent to go to Sherbro. Our stay at Sierra was four days, three of which we experienced an incessant torrent of rain night and day. The only way to preserve the crew, was to keep them in a state of nudity during the tour of duty. And thanks be to God, we all enjoyed good health. We saw the Cyane at the Island of Teneriffe, the officers were pretty well. She intends returning to the coast after the rainy season and cruise six months. She has made no more captures. She left a small schooner off Sherbro, during her absence, commanded by Mr. Townshend, one of the midshipmen, and, sad to tell, he himself and all his crew have shared the same disastrous fate of poor Bacon and his colony. We leave this day to cruise a short time among the Islands, then we shall proceed to the West Indies, and from thence home.'

N.Y. Ev. Post.

From a file of Sierra Leone Gazettes, to July 1, 1820, Received at the office of the Boston Patriot.

Freetown, July 1.

With sincere sorrow we have to notice, that the melancholy reports of deaths and diseases raging among the American settlers in Sherbro, who proposed forming an establishment in the river Sherbro, are alas! but too true. Mr. Doughen, a young gentleman who had accompanied the expedition as a volunteer, for the purpose of following his studies, under the care of the late Rev. Samuel Bacon, arrived here on Monday, and reports that the whole of the white people attached to that expedition amounting in number to twelve, are dead, (himself excepted) the loss among the coloured people has been also very great; twenty six had died in the whole, (white and coloured people.) The cause of the diseases is attributed to the unhealthy spot offered to the expedition for a temporary accommodation by Mr. Kizell, of this colony, during the palavers with the Native Chiefs-these were protracted to an unusual length, and it will surprise our readers to hear, that the Chiefs were made to declare, 'that they would hold no palaver with white men.' It appears that the government of the joint expedition, viz: that originally under the charge of the Rev. S. Bacon, intended to form an establishment for the reception, education, and maintenance of such Africans as should be rescued from slavery by men of war; and the other branch, under the direction of the Colonization Society, had in consequence of the death of the leader, fallen into the hands of every able coloured man from Baltimore, who had at last prevailed upon the Native chiefs to grant them an establishment in the Sherbroo river, where the whole removed the day after the departure of Doughen. That gentleman, disappointed in his expectations-without employment in this country, is returning to his native home. We deplore the loss of the Rev. S. Bacon, and that of his associates-men of talent, zeal and piety; we, indeed, lament the more, because we know that they had all been strongly advised by His Excellency the Governor to land their people on any part of the peninsula, which might appear to them preferable, until they had selected a proper situation for a final establishment, and completed their palavers. We have again to notice the non arrival of vessels from Europe;-in the mean time we continue building houses, felling trees, planting corn, sowing rice- and we live, en bon vivants, wishing well to all good people.