118 



Progress of Population and Wealth 



by all allowable means — as by colonization ; and, since the eman- 

 cipated class are found to increase more slowly than either the 

 slaves or the whites, they ought to encourage, rather than check, 

 private manumission. Even as a measure of precaution, the policy 

 of prohibiting the liberation of slaves is very questionable ; and if 

 so, the States which have adopted it, have not only yielded to the 

 common temptation of avoiding a present danger by incurring a 

 greater one hereafter, but, perverting a wise maxim, have incurred 

 a certain evil to avoid one that is doubtful. 



Though the natural increase of the free coloured class is less 

 than that of the slaves or the whites, yet by its accessions from 

 emancipation, its actual increase is far greater than that of either 

 of the other two classes, as may be thus seen in the following 



Table, showing the Increase of the White and the Coloured Population in the Slave, 

 holding States. 



Whites,... 

 Free col.. . 

 Slaves, — 



,271 

 :{-j,t;:ir, 



657.04' 



I.Tll-.V.Ml 



61,241 



1.857.095 



.208,78.-, 

 88 078 



,i<;:i,7.vt 



.-•42.3 ii 

 135,294 



.521.220 



3.000,758 



182,070 

 1,996, 



DECENNIAL INI It I: .\ S E PER CENT IN 



4,631, 998 ! 33.9 



211,889! 87.7 



2,486,226 30.4 



1810. 1820. | 



28.7 



The increase in the whole 50 years has been as follows : 



Whites, as 100 to 364.2 



Free coloured, " .... * 649.3 



Slaves, " 378.4 



Total coloured " 391.2 



It is thus seen that, in these States, the whites have increased a 

 little less than the whole population, (383.7 per cent,) and the slaves 

 a little more ; but that the free coloured have increased almost 

 twice as fast as the whites. The table further shows that, but for 

 emancipation, the slaveholding States would, at this time, have 

 contained from 200,000 to 300,000, perhaps over 300,000 slaves 

 more than they now contain ; and that the reduction would have 

 been still greater than it now is, if none of them had prohibited or 

 impeded manumission. 



