SOLON ROBINSON, 1849 295 



and send them off to live by themselves, will be to send 

 them away from home, friends, civilization, comfort, 

 Christianity and happiness. 



If any would inquire whether in my advocacy of letting 

 what are termed "southern institutions" remaining 

 quietly as they are, until the people themselves wish to 

 change them, I also take into account all the cases in 

 which the slave may be abused, or whether in my com- 

 parisons between English operatives and southern slaves, 

 I take into account all the floggings of the latter, I answer 

 most decidedly, yes, I do ; for, in all my tour, during the 

 past winter, I did not see or hear of but two cases of flog- 

 ging: one of which was for stealing, and the other for 

 running away from as good a master as ever a servant 

 need to have, which is proved by the appearance and gen- 

 eral good conduct of his negroes, and that they are well 

 fed I know from many days personal observation; and 

 I have seen some of them with better broad cloth suits on 

 than I often wear myself; and more spare money than 

 their master, as he will freely acknowledge. This wit- 

 ness is Dr. M. W. Phillips, of Hinds county, who will 

 readily disprove this statement if not true. 



If I am asked the question, I have no hestitation in 

 saying, as did Admiral Rowley^ to a committee of the 

 British Parliament, "that if I had been born to labor, 

 absolutely to labor, I would sooner have been a black, in 

 the island of Jamaica, than a white man in Great Britain, 

 and, taking my chance for the same degree of talent and 

 industry, I should have been able, at an earlier period 

 of life, to become my own master." And I do not limit 

 my comparison to the factory operatives, but to the state 

 and condition of the daily laborers in England, Ireland 

 and Europe generally, not forgetting to add a few mil- 

 lions upon this continent. 



And if the question should be asked how a slave can 

 make money for himself, so as to be able not only to 

 supply his own little wants, but actually to lend, as some 



•Sir Charles Rowley, baronet (1770-1845). 



