528 United States of America, and British West Indies. [MAY, 



" who sat upon the bank smiling with as much freedom of soul as if they 

 had been resting on the side of some far-famed African stream." Indeed, 

 if we can believe recent travellers, it would be difficult to find any stream 

 in Africa where they could venture to rest,, for any length of time, with 

 the same degree of safety. 



" The second party of emigrants were on the march. It was smaller 

 than the others, and did not consist of above thirty persons in all, of 

 whom five and twenty at least were slaves. The women and children 

 were stowed away in waggons, but the curtain being let down, we could 

 see nothing of them except an occasional glance of an eye, or a row of 

 teeth as white as snow. In the rear of all came a light covered vehicle 

 with the master and mistress of the party. Along the roadside, scat- 

 tered at intervals, we observed the male slaves trudging in front. At 

 the top of all, against the sky line, two men walked together apparently 

 hand in hand, pacing along very socially. When we came nearer, we 

 discovered that this couple were bolted together by a strong short chain 

 or bar, riveted to broad iron clasps, secured in like manner round the 

 wrists. On inquiry, it was found that one of these men had been mar- 

 ried, but his wife belonged to a neighbouring planter, not to his master. 

 When the general move was made, the proprietor of the female not 

 choosing to part with her, she was necessarily left behind. The wretched 

 husband was therefore shackled to a young unmarried man, who, having 

 no such tie to draw him back, might be more safely trusted on the jour- 

 ney !" If such an occurrence as this had taken place in our own colonies, 

 it would have been food for the Anti-Slavery Reporter for six months at 

 least, and matter of accusation against the colonists for ever ! 



One of the emigrant leaders being questioned as to his motives for 

 moving so frequently, his wife declared, half in jest, half in earnest, that 

 " it was all for the mere love of moving. ' We have been doing so all our 

 lives, just moving from place to place, never resting ; as soon as ever we 

 get comfortably settled, then it is time to be off to something new/" Of 

 course, under such a system, it is in vain to expect any amelioration in 

 the condition of the slaves, or that any great progress towards civilization, 

 or religious and moral improvement, can be made. 



The road from Columbia to Charleston is through a swampy, dismal 

 country. " At one of the forlorn dwellings in the swamps, we were 

 received by the chief female slave, who made an excuse for the non- 

 appearance of her mistress, who was then ill in bed." When the lady 

 made her appearance, she answered an inquiry after her health by 

 thanking God that they had all " had their fevers !" 



Captain Hall was much struck with the tropical aspect of Charleston. 

 The wharf presented piles of cocoa nuts, bananas, bags of coffee, boxes 

 of sugar, and other southern produce, while large bales of cotton, barrels 

 of flour, and packages of bale goods, gave ample token that materials for 

 barter were not wanting. His attention, however, was most taken up 

 with the slave market. 



" A long table was placed in the middle of the street, upon which the 

 negroes were exposed, not one by one, but in families at a time. From 

 this conspicuous station they were shown off by two auctioneers, one at 

 each end of the table, who called out the biddings, and egged on the 

 purchasers by chanting the praises of their bargains. 



"I learned from a gentleman afterwards that the negroes, independently 

 of the important consideration of being purchased by good masters, have 



