The Journal of Negro History, Volume 4, 1919Various
History
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 4, 1919
Various
African Americans -- Periodicals
"Hurd's idea was to take as little baggage with him as possible, and
to rely upon the resources of his wit and ingenuity in making his way
among the interior tribes. He had had a vast experience, and he
directed his own equipment. I do not recollect all that he was
furnished with, but I recollect having devised a hollow cane, in the
top of which was a compass and the tube of which contained papers and
pencils. These were to be resorted to when the compass and materials
openly were lost. I think I wrote, at General Harper's dictation, a
letter of instructions. Had Hurd lived and succeeded, he would have
anticipated the Landers, Richard and John, who explored the Niger in
1832-34. He arrived safely in Liberia, and made several short
excursions into the interior, but he had a theory that it was
necessary to train himself for the great journey. Abstinence was a
part of his training. It was a mistake. He took the acclimating
fever, and, although he recovered from the first attack, he had a
relapse brought on by some imprudence and died."[1]
* * * * *
CHARLES H. WEBB.--During the years when the American Colonization
Society was preparing to establish a colony of freedmen in Africa, it
early became evident that the mere transportation of the blacks to
their native home would mean little in establishing them in life. It
was, therefore, necessary to organize schools in which Negroes
desiring to be colonized could be trained in agriculture, mechanical
arts and even in the professions. Among the first to qualify in the
field of medicine was Charles H. Webb. In his examinations he
exhibited evidences of ripe scholarship and much proficiency in his
chosen field. He set sail for Liberia in 1834, after having completed
his medical studies, which he had pursued under the direction of the
American Colonization Society for a number of years. In the following
autumn, however, he fell a victim to the local fever aggravated by
some imprudence on his part and died before he could render his people
much service.[2]
* * * * *
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