sovereignty and of soil to Liberia, and bound themselves to
obey her laws. The government of Great Britain had granted
to Messrs. Hyde, Hodge, & Co., of London, a contract for the
supply of laborers from the coast of Africa to the planters
of her West India colonies. This grant was made under the
rule for the substitution of _apprentices_, to supply the
lack of labor produced by the emancipation of the slaves.
The agents of Messrs. Hyde, Hodge, & Co. visited Grand Cape
Mount, and made an offer of ten dollars per head to the
chiefs for each person they could supply as _emigrants_ for
this object. The offer excited the cupidity of some of the
chiefs; and to procure the emigrants and secure the bounty
one of them, named Boombo, of Little Cape Mount, resorted to
war upon several of the surrounding tribes. He laid waste
the country, burned the towns and villages, captured and
murdered many of the inhabitants, carried off hundreds of
others, and robbed several factories in that legion
belonging to merchants in Liberia. On the 26th of February,
1853, President Roberts issued his proclamation enjoining a
strict observance of the law regulating passports, and
forbidding the sailing of any vessel with emigrants without
first visiting the port of Monrovia, where each passenger
should be examined as to his wishes. On the 1st of March the
president, with two hundred men, sailed for Little Cape
Mount, arrested Boombo and fifty of his followers, summoned
a council of the other chiefs at Monrovia for his trial on
the 14th, and returned home with his prisoners. At the time
appointed, the trial was held, Boombo was found guilty of
'_high misdemeanor_' and sentenced 'to make restitution,
restoration, and reparation of goods stolen, people
captured, and damages committed: to pay a fine of five
hundred dollars, and be imprisoned for two years.' When the
sentence was pronounced, the convict shed tears, regarding
the ingredient of imprisonment in his sentence to be almost
intolerable. These rigorous measures, adopted to maintain
the authority of the government and majesty of the laws,
have had a salutary influence upon the chiefs. No outbreaks
have since occurred, and but little apprehension of danger
for the future is entertained."[114]

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