355 



not the employer of slaves that her proud chivalry are 

 compelled to turn slave-traders for a livelihood. Instead 

 of attempting to renovate the soil, and by their own 

 honest labour compelling the earth to yield her abun 

 dance instead of seeking for the best breeds of cattle 

 and horses to feed on her hills and valleys, and fertilise 

 the land, the sons of the great State must devote their 

 time to selecting and grooming the most lusty sires and 

 the most fruitful wenches to supply the slave barracoons 

 of the South ! And the learned gentleman pathetically 

 laments that the profits of this greatest traffic will be 

 vastly lessened by the circumscription of slavery. This 

 is his picture, not mine.&quot; 



It seems a very cool thing to calculate the actual pro 

 fits of such a branch of husbandry, and yet it is neces 

 sary to do so, that the reader may see the nature of the 

 hold it is likely to take on the planter s mind. 



The highest price obtained for Indian corn by the 

 grower in Virginia may be stated at half a dollar a 

 bushel ; and the highest allowance of food to a grown 

 slave at 16 bushels of this corn a-year. Suppose a slave 

 to be reared and kept for twenty years with this large 

 annual allowance, when full-grown, he would have con- 

 sumed less than 300 bushels of corn, and would have 

 cost for keep less than 150 dollars. His labour, mean 

 while, would far more than pay for the little clothing 

 he obtains, and other small expenses, and his master 

 would sell him for 200 dollars or more. Thus he would 

 obtain the highest price for his corn, work his land with 

 the young slaves, and receive, besides, a premium of at 

 least 50 dollars a-head, as interest upon his capital 

 invested. Hence, if there be a ready market for slaves, 

 this business will be a most profitable one to the indi 

 vidual breeder. 



Again the number of slaves in Virginia is diminish 

 ing. In 1830 it was 470,000, while in 1840 it was 



