534 United States of America, and British [Veal Indies. [[MAY, 



terms of the constitution, the slightest shadow of right to meddle with 

 the internal concerns of the states, and least of all those which relate to 

 slavery. Any assumption of such pretensions on the part of Congress 

 would be so instantaneously resisted by the southern states, that the idea 

 would not exist one hour. The inevitable consequence mould be a division 

 of the union. It would be quite as simple and effectual a process for the 

 southern members in Congress to pass a law enslaving the manufacturers 

 or husbandmen of New England, as it would be for those of the north 

 to break the chains of the negroes in the rice or cotton districts of the 

 south,, or, which is held to be almost the same thing, to intermeddle with 

 their slavery concerns in any shape whatever." * 



From Savannah, Capt. Hall went down to Darien, a town on the sea- 

 coast, and then across the states of Georgia and Alabama, in the direc- 

 tion of New Orleans, visiting the " sea- islands" abreast of Georgia, famous 

 for their cotton. Our limits will not admit of our giving a full descrip- 

 tion of the culture of this article, and its preparation for market. " In 

 September, or perhaps earlier, the cotton begins to open in ' good blow,' 

 at which stage it is fit for gathering. One hand picks from ninety to 

 one hundred pounds of what is called seed cotton, from the seeds being 

 still in it : a woman generally performs about twice as much of this kind 

 of work as a man can do. After being gathered, it is assorted in the barn 

 by the women and old invalids into different qualities. It is then dried 

 in the open air, and separated, by an ingenious apparatus, from the seeds. 

 After being cleared, by picking out with the hand any seeds that may 

 have escaped through the machine, it is packed with screws into bales 

 for shipping. In this part of the Union, on well regulated cotton plan- 

 tations, where the owners are humane, the condition of the negroes, in 

 so far as regards their personal comforts, is similar to that of their 

 brethren in the British colonies. 



" It is very disagreeable," says Capt. Hall, " to speak of the punish- 

 ments inflicted on these negroes, but a slave holder must be more or less 

 of a despot in spite of himself; for the laws neither do, nor can they, 

 effectually interfere in the details of discipline. The master must enforce 

 obedience to his orders, and maintain general subordination, however 

 kind-hearted he may be, by the only means which the nature of the 

 whole system leaves in his power." " It is a great mistake, however, to 

 suppose that slaves labour sulkily, and under the perpetual exercise of 

 the lash. On the contrary, from constant habit, they do, in point of fact, 

 go about their work with cheerfulness ; and as their tasks are limited to 

 what can be readily performed, it is in the power of every slave who 

 chooses, to escape punishment for 'any length of time." ' ' It ought to 

 be recollected, in due fairness to the slave holders, that many ships of 

 war, many regiments, and I fear I may add many domestic establish- 

 ments, to say nothing of schools, are often, as I have witnessed in all 

 quarters of the globe, the scenes of as revolting tyranny as any rice or 

 cotton plantation can well be." " In fairness to the planters we ought 

 also to recollect that the slave holders, or by far the greater number of 

 them, are not possessed of that character by any voluntary act of their 

 own. Most of these gentlemen have succeeded to their property by 

 inheritance, or have been obliged by duty to themselves and their fami- 

 lies to engage in that particular profession, if I may so call it."f 



* Hall's Travels, vol. iii. pp. 209, 210. 

 j- Hall's Travels, vol. iii. pp. 220, 22?. 



