Samson Ceasar to Henry F. Westfall 1834 June 2

Ceasar, Samson

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About the electronic version

Liberian letters: Samson Ceasar to Henry F. Westfall 1834 June 2
Ceasar, Samson

Creation of machine-readable version: Jennifer Easley, Electronic Text Center

Creation of digital images: Special Collections Dept, University of Virginia Library

Conversion to TEI.2-conformant markup: University of Virginia Library Electronic Text Center.
This version available from the University of Virginia Library
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Publicly accessible

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/rbs/98/

Publicly accessible

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/modeng/modengC.browse.html

1999
Note: Images of the manuscript pages have been included.

About the print version

Samson Ceasar to Henry F. Westfall 1834 June 2

Letters to David S. Haselden and Henry F. Westfall [manuscript], 1834-1835
Samson Ceasar

Unpublished manuscript

Original manuscript located: UVa Library, call number MSS 10595

Prepared for the University of Virginia Library Electronic Text Center.

The original lineation has been maintained.

Published: 1834
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Envelope

Henry F Westfall Postmaster
Buchannon Lewis County
Virginia
United States

[Page 1]

June 2, 1834 from Samson Ceasar to Henry F. Westfall

Monrovia Liberia June the 2 1834

Dear friend

I embrace this opportunity
to inform you that I am well hoping that these
few lines will find you and all yours in
good health. It affords me a degree of Comfort that
I have the opportunity of conversing with you
by way of paper and ink. I have been in Africa
almost Six months and I have not kept my
bed one day at A time. I had but A Slight touch
of the fever. I have Chills now and then and
also the fever with them. The fever is not as hard
in this Country as it is in the United States
if you get it around here it is very hard to heal
but I thank god that I have had none yet. It
is almost needless for me to undertake to describe
Africa to you. I have Seen but little of it
but this I can say: the more I See and the longer
I Stay the better I like it. I am convinced
in my own mind that all that is
wanting is industry and good management
and then we Shall be independent and
can enjoy the comforts of life. I visited A
Town by the name of New Georgia. It is Settled
by the recaptured Africans by the name of
Ebose and [unclear: Congose.] They had not been in
the United States long enough to learn to talk
English. If you Could See their town and
their farms around it you would Say that
any person that could not live in
Africa [unclear: ought] to Starve. I Seen three Crops all at
one time on one piece of ground there was
corn rice and Cosider and they all look
as promising as I would wish to See them.
[unclear: Sweet] potatoes look as fine as any I ever saw.
I must Say that I am afraid that our
Country never will improve as it [unclear: ought] until
the people in the United States keep their
Slaves that they have raised as dumb
as horses at home and Send those here
who will be A help to improve the country.
As for Virginia as far as my knowledge
extends I think She has Sent out the
most Stupid Set of people in the place. While
they have them there the cow-hide is
hardly ever off of their backs and when
they come here they feel So free that they
walk about from morning till evening

[Page 2]

with out doing one Stroke of work. By those means
they [unclear: become to suffer.] People in the United States
[unclear: ought] to have more regard for Liberia than to Send
Such people here. Some think that everything
grows [by] in this Country with out labour
but they are mistaken. I must Correct an
error that I made in William Jackson's
letter. I Stated that everything grew almost
spontaneous in this country. I wish to be understood
by that expression that we need not
labour half So hard here as in Some parts
of the United States yet we can not live
with out work. There have come a great
many from North Carolina who are
dregs in the place. The most enterprising
men that we have here is from Baltimore
and Charleston. I can only Say that if the
colored man had the Same opportunity
with the White man he would not be
one Step behind him in no respect.
There is not much Sickness in Liberia
at this time. God Still preserves our lives.
Time would fail with me to tell all that
I have Seen and heard Since I left Buchannon
I often think about you the thousands of
miles apart. We have had [unclear: Sweet] intercourse
together on Buchannon and I feel in hopes
if god Spares us we will See each other
in the flesh. I am now living in Caldwell
employed to assist in giving out provisions
and Selling goods. In the mean time
I am studying grammar and the
arithmetic. I want to get all the Learning
that I can for without it we can do
but little both in temporal and spiritual
matters. Your assistance to me will never
be forgotten by me while I move on the
globe as it respects my religious enjoyments.
I think I enjoy myself as well
as I ever have Since god Spoke peace to
my Soul the more I See of the world the
more I feel like Serving god as I know that
I have but a few days to live in the world
I want to do all I can in god's service. I feel
that when god calls me from this world that
it Shall be from the walls of Zion. I have
been trying to Blow the gospel trump ever
since I landed in Africa. I Still feel that
god is with me. God is reviving his work in
Caldwell. I feel as if the time was not
far distant till the clangor of truth
will be Sounded to the last green verge on earth.

[Page 3]

When I look back to America and See how
the people in Buchannon Stood in my way in
trying to Serve god I fear that if they do not
repent they will be Sorry in the morning of
the resurrection. I can appeal to god and
Say I love all my old neighbours. I want
you to give my best love to your wife and
tell her that I am Still trying to [illeg.]
Tell her not to forget me at athrone of grace.
Give my love to all the family tell your
boys to improve their time in learning
while young and when they grow up
they will be glad that they Spent their
time in gaining knowledge. Tell Betty
likewise to get learning. Tell Lydia that
I expect She has all the learning She can
get unless She goes to Germany. If She is
not married yet tell her to write to
me and I will try and bring A German
with me when I come to the United States.
I want you to give my love to your
father and all his family both at [illeg.]
and abroad. I have not time to mention [illeg.]
[illeg.] [unclear: names.] Tell them all that I am better
contented than I ever was Since I [unclear: believed]
that god called me to preach his gospel.
There is a large field [unclear: opened] for me and I
intend to labour for god until he Calls
me from the world and then I hope to go
where the wicked Seas from troubling and
the wearied Soul be forever at rest. O Henry
never suffer the vain and sordid things of this
world to deprive you of the immortal crown
that awaits the faithful at god's right hand.
Give my love to David Haselden. Tell him that
the world has not got my heart yet and I
hope by the help of god that it never will get
the advantage of me for there is nothing in it
worthy of our affection. Give my love to all my
old neighbours and to all inquiring friends. I want you
to write as often as possible and let me know what is
going on in your Settlement how many have died
and who they were. Also how things are generally
both in State and in Church. In Short write
all that you think will be profitable to me.
This is the fourth letter I have written
to you Since I landed in Africa. I will write
as often as I can. Please to excuse bad writing
and Spelling for I am Surrounded with company.

[Page 4]

I want you to tell the people to direct their
letters to Mr Robert R Gurley in Washington
for him to send to me and I
think that I will get them. By so doing
you will oblige your friend.

Samson Ceasar