92 RICHMOND. 



Richmond, an extremely handsome town, 

 contains about 40,000 inhabitants, of whom 

 two-thirds are persons of colour, and a great 

 proportion of these slaves. Every servant, 

 man, woman, and child, is a slave, but to my 

 great and agreeable surprise I found slavery 

 here possesses none of the horrors I had at 

 home been accustomed to hear connected with 

 it for the slaves in Virginia are well clothed 

 and well fed, and kindly treated, and to all ap 

 pearance contented and happy ; indeed, I should 

 say their condition physically is one of great com 

 fort and enjoyment, in comparison with that 

 of our own manufacturing population, by thou 

 sands of whom, I cannot doubt, it would, in 

 relation to the necessaries of life, be looked up 

 on with envy. 



The men, for the greater part, are strong, 

 muscular, and good-looking ; and of the 

 women, many are handsome, particularly the 

 nursery maids, housemaids, and other domes 

 tics, who, in dress and person, appear as 

 gay, and tasteful, and tidy, as the most buxom 

 of our lasses. 



