318 APPRENTICE SYSTEM. 



with the doctrine of the transmiojration of souls — 

 these foolish people imagining that the spirit of the 

 deceased is obliged, after death, to take refuge in 

 the body of some animal ; and the chicken is carried 

 thus, so that the spirit of the defunct may easily find 

 a tenement. All this seems to us supremely ridicu- 

 lous; but, on the other hand, these people are just as 

 much amused at our forms of worship as we are at 

 the unreasonableness of theirs — education and the 

 early instillation of traditionary or other precepts, 

 making a believer of any race in the doctrine of 

 their forefathers. 



And now the question arises, how these Malabar 

 and Madagascar natives came here in such numbers. 

 Fortunately, it is very easily solved. Their presence 

 is the natural fruit of the French and English ap- 

 prentice system — "a mode of procedure as much 

 blacker and more disgraceful to the nation eno:ao;ed 

 in it, than the slavery of our Southern States, in- 

 herited from these same nations, as the pirate's 

 bloody pursuit is to that of the legitimate merchant- 

 man. I will merely state the manner in which these 

 people are purchased. An English, or French vessel, 

 runs into some out of the way port in Madagascar, 

 lets go her anchor, invites the king aboard, makes 

 him presents of articles trifling in value to us, but in 

 the eyes of the savage of intrinsic worth. After 

 flattering his vanity and cupidity they broach their 

 object in visiting the coast. The king, nothing loath, 

 invites the supercargo ashore, and shows him the 

 flesh and blood he has for sale. The merchant in 

 human slavery carries ashore old condemned mus- 

 kets, kegs of powder, jack-knives, hoop iron, trinkets, 



