1830.] United Stales of America, and British West Indies. 525 



evidence that, even under the eye of the senate, similar sales are quite 

 customary; although the state of Columbia is not without its Anti-Slavery 

 Society, from whose reports, regarding the state of its slaves, some of the 

 calumnies against our own colonies appear to us to have been copied 

 almost verbatim, although not at all applicable to the state of our colo- 

 nial labourers. 



At Richmond, in Virginia, Captain Hall, in walking round the capital, 

 was struck by the unusual sight of a sentinel ; and, in answer to his 

 inquiries, he was told, that it was " customary, in these states, to have 

 a small guard always under arms ; there are only fifty men here. It 

 is in consequence of the nature of our coloured population ; but it is 

 done more as a preventive check than any thing else; it keeps all 

 thoughts of insurrection out of the heads of the slaves, and so gives con- 

 fidence to those persons amongst us who may be timorous." Yet sixteen 

 years had elapsed since any attempt at rebellion had taken place ; and 

 the white population in this state are to the slaves as three to two. " On 

 inquiring further into these matters, I learned that there was in all these 

 towns a vigorous and active police, whose rule is, not to take for granted 

 that any thing is secure which vigilance can watch. No negro, for 

 example, is allowed to be out of doors of ter sunset, without a written pass 

 from his master explaining the nature of his errand. If, during his 

 absence from home, he be found wandering from the proper line of his 

 message, he is speedily taken up, and corrected accordingly."* In our 

 own calumniated colonies, where the preponderance of the slave popula- 

 tion is so overwhelming, the confidence between servant and master, 

 when not interrupted by the extraneous interference of sectarians, or anti- 

 slavery influence, is so great, that no such apprehensions are entertained ; 

 and slaves are seen visiting their neighbours at all hours of the night. 

 Captain Hall had many opportunities of investigating the slavery ques- 

 tion during his stay in Virginia, and always found the planters in that 

 and other states <c extremely fair and communicative." " The essential 

 impediment, however, which I found in the way of getting at the truth, 

 on this and many other subjects, consisted less in any reserve on the part 

 of the natives, than in the difficulty I found in removing the shell or 

 husk of prejudice which surrounded my own mind, and gave me a 

 constant desire to distort my observation, in order that I might see 

 things in the particular light under which I had preconceived they ought 

 to be viewed." And on the slavery question he very candidly observes, 

 that this difficulty is perhaps greater than on most others; " for there 

 our feelings enter into contest so often with our judgment, that sober 

 reason, political necessity, established usage, and so forth, have sometimes 

 no fair play " 



As he verged towards the region of the tropics, " tobacco, cotton, and 

 rice fields, every where presented themselves." The mildness of the 

 climate, too, the colour of the population, and the tone of their voices, 

 were all characteristic of countries quite dissimilar to the northern 

 states." 



He visited a well-managed plantation on the banks of the James's 

 river some miles out of town. What interested him most was a party of 

 a dozen negroes, squatted on the floor of a tobacco house ; and he gives 

 the following not unpleasant account of the manner of preparing that 

 weed for shipment. The slaves were placed, men, women, and children, 



* Hall's Travels, vol. iii. p. 76. 



