MIGRATIONS OF THE COLOURED PEOPLE. 315 



pations, and many of them to seek new homes farther 

 towards the north and west. 



&quot; Wherever the interests of the white man and the 

 black come into collision in the United States, the black 

 man goes to the wall.&quot; Such is the statement of those 

 who, in America, profess to be the coloured man s friend. 

 It is certain that, wherever labour is scarce, there he is 

 readily employed ; when it becomes plentiful, he is the 

 first to be discharged. The whites are employed in pre 

 ference, from sympathy with their colour, on account of 

 their votes, or through fear of their political or other 

 influence. 



The centres in which the free blacks have from time 

 to time collected prove this. 



It has been so far satisfactorily ascertained that the 

 natural increase of the free coloured race in these 

 States is about two per cent per annum, when not 

 materially increased by emancipation.* 



Now, in the New England States, from 1810 to 1840, 

 the number of free coloured people was nearly stationary. 

 The natural increase, therefore, was for the most part 

 driven out by the climate, or by the more active compe 

 tition of the New England-born white men, or of the 

 emigrants from Europe. 



Up to 1830, again, the increase was more than natural 

 in the States of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsyl 

 vania. The coloured people, therefore, had found a 

 refuge and employment there. But since 1830 the 

 increase in these States has been only one per cent, or 

 half the natural increase; they have, therefore, in the 

 face of Irish and German immigration, been scarcely 

 able to hold their own, and great numbers have been 

 driven into other States. 



* Between 1830 and 1840 it was 20.8 per cent for the ten years. But 

 many are of opinion that the decimal period ending in 1850 will not 

 show an increase exceeding 15 per cent. 



