310 BLACK CHILDREN. 



white children, and being taught by white people, in the 

 town of Rochester, was placed beyond doubt, and gave rise 

 to pleasing anticipations for the improvement of their con 

 dition. 



Slavery excites much interest in America, as well as in 

 Britain, and is so repugnant to my feelings, that before set 

 ting out on my Transatlantic tour, I determined not to pene 

 trate into the slave-holding states. During my short excur 

 sion into Missouri, extending to about fifty miles, and stay at 

 St Charles, St Louis, and Louisville, occupying four days, I 

 had little opportunity of judging of the effects of slavery on 

 the white population, or of the state of the slaves themselves. 

 I must, however, say, no instance of cruelty or harshness to 

 wards the black population came under my notice, and all of 

 them appeared to be well clothed and fed. Slavery., as exist 

 ing in the United States, seems not to be well understood in 

 Britain ; and I regret it is not in my power to communicate 

 more information on the subject. 



The United States were originally English colonies, and 

 they inherited slavery from the mother country. This foul 

 stain on their character may in fairness be attributed to Bri 

 tain, and accounted one of the curses with which her mis 

 guided rulers have afflicted mankind. In 1703, the colony of 

 Massachusetts endeavoured to restrain the introduction of 

 slaves, by the imposition of a tax, and to prevent it altogether 

 in 1767. The colony of Virginia, in 1772, petitioned the 

 Parliament of Great Britain on the subject, without obtain 

 ing redress, and other colonies remonstrated at different times. 

 In 1780, the state of Pennsylvania, while engaged in strug 

 gling for independence, passed an act for gradually emanci 

 pating the slaves ; and since that time, eight out of the thir 

 teen original colonies have abolished slavery. 



The United States are composed of twenty-four distinct 

 countries, each having a different republican form of govern 

 ment, and the power of managing its own affairs the gene 

 ral government legislating only in matters connected with 

 defence, commerce, and taxation. At the time of the United 

 States rising into existence, slavery engaged the attention of 

 the legislature, but the evil had already spread thickly over 



