University of Virginia Library

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

I embrace this oppertunity
to inform you that I am well hoping that these
few lines will find you in and all yours in
good helth it affords me adegree of Comfort that
I have the oppertunity 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 tuch
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 nedless for me to undertake to dis
crib 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 owun own mind that all that is
wanting is industry and good management
and then we Shall be independant and
can enjoy the comforts of life I visited A
Town by the name of New Gorgia it is Settled
by the recaptured Africans by the name of
Ebose and 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 A A
Africa ort to Starve I Seen three Crops all at
one time on one peace of ground their was
corn rice and Cosider and they all look
as promising as I would wish to See them
Swete potatos look as fine as any I ever Saw
I must Say that I am afraid that our
Country never will improve as it ort untill
the people in the United States keep their
Slaves that they have raised like as dum
as horses at home and Send those here
who will be A help to improve the Country
as for Virginia as far as my knowledg
extends I think She has Sent out the
most Stupid Set of people in the place while
they have them their the cow hide is
hardly ever off of their backs and when
they come here they feal So free that they
walk about from morning till evening

with out doing one Stroke of work by those means
they become to Sufer people in the United States
ort to have more regard for Liberia than to Send
Such people here Some think that every thing
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 every thing grew almost
Spontanious in this Country I wish to be un
derstood by that expresion 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 their have com agrate
many from North Carlina who are
dregs in the place the most enterprising
men that we have here is from Baltimore
and Charleton I can only Say that if the
Coulard man had the Same oppertunity
with the White man he would not be
one Step behind him in no respect the
their is not much Sickness in Liberia
at this time god Still preserves our lives
time would fail m 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 Seet intercourse
together on Buchannon and I feal in hopes
if god Spares us we will See each other
in the flesh I am now living in Call
well imploid to assist in giving out provis
ion and Selling goods in the mean time
I am studing grammer and the
arithmetic I want to get all the Learning
that I can for with out it we can do
but little both in temperl and Spirituel
matters your assistance to me will never
be forgotten by me while I move on the
globe as it respects my religious enjoy
ments I think I enjoy my Self as well
as I ever have Since god Spoke peace to
my Soul the more I See of the world the
more I feal like Serving god as I n no that
I have but afew days to live in the world
I want to do all I can in god's service I feal
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 feal that
god is with me god is reviveing his work in
Caldwell I feal as if the time was not
far distant till the Clangours of truth
will be Sounded to the last green verg on erth 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 knowledg 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 mared yet [illeg.] 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.] names tell them all that I am better
contented than I ever was Since I blivd
that god called me to preach his gosple
their is a large field opend for me and I
intend to labour for god untill he Calls
me from the world and then I hope to go
whare the wicked Seas from trubling and
the wared Soul be for ever at rest O Henry
never sufer the vain and sorded things of this
world to deprive you of the immortle crown [illeg.]
that awaits the faithful at god's right hand
Give my love to Mr Haselden tell him that
the world has not got my hart yet I and I
hope by the help of god that it never will get
the advantage of me for their is nothing in it
worthy of our affection give my love to all my
old neighbours and to all inquireng friends I want you
to write as often as possible and let me no what is
going on in your Settlement how many have died
and who they ware also how things are generaly
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 [illeg.]
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 I want you to tell the people to direct their
letters to Mr Robert R Gurley in Wash
ington for him to send to me and I
think that I will get them by so doing
you will oblige your friend.