ryland Society was farther South than that of the Parent Society. It
was situated on that point of the coast called Cape Palmas, and was
itself called Maryland in Africa. It was under the charge of a board
of management in Maryland, and consisted at this time of between two
and three hundred colonists, who were chiefly manumitted slaves. The
other colony, that belonging to the New York and Philadelphia Society,
was at Bassa Cove, and was under the charge of the directors of that
society. There were in all about 5000 colonists under the charge of
these societies. For the first few years of the existence of the
Parent Society, it was supported by a number of gentlemen for
different reasons. At the commencement it was not perhaps perfectly
clear how it might operate. Some advocated the cause and supported the
interests of the society, on the principles of direct humanity to the
free colored persons of America. Others again supported it as
calculated to produce collateral effects favorable to the slaves, and
the general cause of emancipation in the country. Others on the ground
that it would enable the country to get rid of the colored population,
without much reference to what might be the result to the colored
population themselves; just as if in England there were individuals
who would promote emigration, to get the country rid of those who were
as they supposed given to idleness and a burden upon the country.
There may have been some who supported the society from an actual love
for slavery, and as a means which they supposed might lessen some of
the evils by which it was accompanied. During the first years of the
society's operations, many thousands of speeches were delivered, and
many hundreds of pamphlets were published about the society, its
operations, and their effects; and it was quite possible that Mr.
Thompson might be able to bring forward some sentences and scraps from
the speeches of a slave-owner, who looked upon the society as a means
of perpetuating slavery in America; or he might produce some speech,
in which the society was supported as a means of ridding the country
of the free people of color, no matter what became of them afterward.
But it was uncandid and unjust to take this plan of opposing the
cause; because it was well known that whatever might be the case in
particular instances, the general fact was, that the great majority of
the supporters of the society had always supported it, because of the