rance to massa; den me axe what dat mean? him say, if massa tell me for to do something, and we don't yeerie very well, dat mean imperance. Den me axe if imperance mean saucy, and him say yes. But black neger constable say, what for axe all dese things? ebery body know what dese things mean. But me axe once more, 'pose me want to pray to Gar Almighty, and busha says there is something else to do, does dat mean imperance? Constable cry again, ebery body knows about dat; den me tell him, ebery constable stops neger's mouth-a false constable, and has taken oath falsely, and ebery body swears false, him belly swell, and him die, but neber said constable die so.Neber said magistrate was a false, an unjust magistrate: him know himself too well, and ebery body know him to be perfect Christian.” Mr. Mathews having concluded a very long speech, the delivery of which was a great deal better than the matter, folded his arms and retired a couple of steps. It was intimated to him that had he attended more to the instruction of his parson, he would not boast of being that which no one is in the eyes of religion-a perfect man; and that it is not those who call themselves perfect, who are always found devoid of imperfections; that one of his most obvious ones was a quibbling spirit, which he displayed in his interrogatories but for the purpose of producing a misunderstanding of the meaning of the magistrate's observations, and not in the fair spirit of inquiry for the sake of information, for the future guidance of himself and others. He was also reminded that the law had been before explained to them, and he could not be ignorant that the apprentices could not be now prevented, at all proper and seasonable times, from performing their religious duties, as any such interference with them would be illegal. This man wanted to do mischief, and I thought deserved punishment. But even in this instance, where, by misrepresenting the exposition of the law to the negroes, a spirit of partial discontent was created, the very negroes themselves gave evidence against him, and, after his punishment, acknowledged that he justly deserved it. Now in every estate whereupon there are three or four hundred negroes, in all probability there must be some characters of this sort: those inimical to the negroes say they are all of this kind: I believe, on properties which are commonly well managed, they would find it difficult to pick out more than one or two of this description. It is a difficult thing to get a negro to understand any thing which he does not wish to hear: the more you try to explain a matter that is disagreeable to him, the more incapable he appears of comprehension; or if he finds. this plan ineffectual, he endeavours to render the matter ridiculous; and his talent at rendering ridicule sarcastic is really surprising. An overseer was lately reading one of the Governor's admirable addresses to the negroes, in which the obligation of industry was enforced by the observation that every one was obliged to work for his bread, some with their hands, and others with their heads. When the overseer was done, one of the negro-drivers said to his comrades, "Heerie him well, and be sure to work; good Gubernor says ebery body work, some with their hands-dese are de trong men what dig de cane-holes-some with their headsdese are de piccanini moders, who carry de pots and pitchers on their heads ebery day to de field-ebery good neger woman work hard with him head-ya heerie de Gubernor.” I suppose by this time you wish me and all the negroes in the centre of Africa, where there is no postoffice. I am, my dear Count, R. R. M. 10 LETTER XXX. "SACRED RIGHTS." To J. BUCKINGHAM, Esq., M. P. DEAR SIR, Kingston, Sept. 15, 1834. A negro was recently brought before me belonging to a Mr. Anderson, of this town, to be sworn in as a constable on his master's property. I discovered, by the mere accident of seeing the man sign his name in very well written Arabic, while I was swearing in his comrades, that he was a man of education, and, on subsequent inquiry, a person of exalted rank in his own country, who had been kidnapped in a province bordering on Timbuctoo. He had been sold into slavery in Jamaica, nearly thirty years ago, and had preserved the knowledge of the learning of his country, and obtained the character of one a little more enlightened than a majority of his savage brethren, and that was all. The interest I took in all Oriental matters (if no other motive influenced me) induced me to enter minutely into this man's history. I had him to my house: he gave me a written statement of the leading events of his life. I found the geographical part of his story correct: he became a frequent visiter of mine in his master's leisure time; and I soon discovered that his attainments, as an Arabic scholar, were the least of his merits. I found him a person of excellent conduct, of great discernment and discretion. I think if I wanted advice, on any important matter, in which it required extreme prudence, and a high sense of moral rectitude to qualify the possessor to give counsel, I would as soon have recourse to the advice of this poor negro as any person I know. Now, without going into any discus sions of an anti-slavery description, by what name under heaven, that is compatible with moderation, that is musical to ears polite, must that system be called, which sanctioned the stealing away of a person like this, as much a nobleman in his own country as any titled chief is in ours, and in his way, without any disparagement to the English noble, as suitably educated, for his rank? Fancy, Sir, one of the scions of our nobility, a son of one of our war-chiefs-Lord Londonderry's, for example, educated at Oxford, and, in the course of his subsequent travels, unfortunately falling into the hands of African robbers, and being carried into bondage. Fancy the poor youth marched in the common slave coffle to the first market-place on the coast. He is exposed for sale: nobody inquires whether he is a patrician or a plebeian: nobody cares whether he is ignorant or enlightened: it is enough that he has thews and sinews for a life of labour without reward. Will you follow him to the slave-ship that is to convey him to a distant land? A vessel, perhaps, similar to that visited by Dr. Walsh on his passage to Brazil, "where 562 human beings were huddled together, so closely stowed that there was no possibility of lying down or changing their position night or day." -Well, like Sterne, let us take the single captive: he survives the passage, and has seen the fifth part of his comrades perish in the voyage: he is landed on some distant island, where he is doomed to hopeless slavery. The brutal scramble for the slaves has ceased: he is dragged away by his new master, but not before he is branded with a heated iron, which may only sear his flesh, while the iron brand of slavery, the burning thought of endless bondage, "enters into his soul." If he wince under the brand, some ulema of Africa, who has studied the annals of Christian slavery, may console him with the reflection, that it was lawful of old to mark the thing we have bought or sold," and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall sell him for ever." But, perhaps, the ulema 66 may forget to inform him that his master cannot do so before the servant shall plainly say, "I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free." I have heard of slaves who would not go out free." I have listened to many stories of negroes, who so loved their masters, that they scoffed at liberty: but I have no faith in unnatural affection: I never saw the slave who would not "go out free," if he had the power of so doing; and who would not sacrifice his love, even for his master, for the enjoyment of the thing in life which men most love-their liberty. Do not imagine that the negroes in any condition of servitude in these countries, are a happy and contented people: believe me, there is not a man stolen from his country, and carried into slavery, who does not feel more misery, and undergo more suffering, than I have the power or the inclination to describe. The Rev. Mr. Brydges, however, assures us, that "slavery has been established by prescription, and immemorial usage has confirmed it as one of the most important, if not the most obvious, bonds of civil society!!!" Will the amiable historian have the kindness to inform us, what is there in those bonds of civil society which are obviously advantageous to the community of any slavecountry, or beneficial to the victims of this immemorial usage? "There is no passage in the Christian Scriptures," we are told by Paley, "by which slavery is condemned or prohibited." But what passage, pray, in the Christian Scriptures, tolerates it? Is it the one that tells us "To do unto others, as we would that others should do unto us?" St. Paul, as Mr. Brydges observes, preached to slaves obedience to their mas * The words of the text are, "Servants, obey in all things your masters, according to the flesh," &c. The word slave, I believe, is not to be found in the Scriptures; but I concede to Mr. Brydges, that the term bond-servant, to all intents and purposes, means a slave, in our acceptation of the word. A great deal of learning, I believe, has been misapplied by anti-slavery writers in refuting the opinion that the state of bond-service was |