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re-activating the first concession (of 1889), the concession
never materialized (87).
In 1901 an English company acquired the Union Mining Company. Its
name was changed into the "West African Gold Concessions, Ltd.".
The Chairman of the company, one Colonel Powney, travelled in the
interior of the Republic and in 1904 and 1906 obtained from
President Arthur Barclay important other rights. Again the name
of the company was changed, this time into the "Liberian
Development Chartered Company". The company was granted mining
rights in Montserrado and Maryland Counties, and general banking,
railway, telegraph, and other rights throughout the country by
President Barclay (88). Later, Colonel Powney's mining company
merged with the rubber monopoly mentioned above. The resulting
company was the "Liberian Development Company" whose Chairman,
Sir Harry Johnston, played an important role in the obtaining
and spending of the 1906 Loan.
Since the 1880's foreign trading activities of German and Dutch
trading houses had also increased. In short, foreign traders,
bankers, investors, as well as scientists and politicians showed
an increasing interest in Liberia. The result of these growing
interests and activities was an improved knowledge^of the
country. During the 1880's a Swiss Professor, J. Buttikofer,
travelled extensively in the interior. Upon his return in Europe
he published his famous "Reisebilder aus Liberia". This was the
first and for a long time the best book ever written on Liberia's
fauna. Managers and employees of the German trading house of
Woermann, of the Monrovia Rubber Company, of the Liberian Rubber
Corporation, and of the Liberian Development Chartered Company
contributed much to an increased knowledge of the flora of
Liberia. This information was systematically presented by Otto
Stapf of the Botanical staff of the Royal Gardens, Kew, Great
Britain, and by Alexander Whyte. The latter had been hired by the
Liberian Developemnt Chartered Company for the specific purpose
of making an investigation of Liberia's flora (89).
These developments did not take place without (political)
difficulties. In 1900 President Coleman was forced to resign
because of dissatisfaction over his policy to extend Liberian
jurisdiction further into the interior (90) . His successor,
President Gibson (1900 - 1904), had to face serious political
unrest. In 1901 he was threatened by a mob because of the'
involvement of a number of Liberians, of whom were Government
officials, in the English-owned "West African Gold Concessions,
Ltd." The Liberian shareholders were accused of selling the
country and of accepting bribes from the English owners (91).
The Administration of President Arthur Barclay (1904 - 1912)
The Administration of President Arthur Barclay represents a
political turning point in the history of Liberia which brought
to an end the conflict between mulattoes and black emigrants.
During his Administration the Liberian Constitution was changed,