CORRESPONDENCE WITH SCIENTIFIC MEN. 47 



ing the late autumn. The subject is now in the progress 

 of the most animated and thorough and courageous discus- 

 sion in the Virginia Legislature, and it seems to be con- 

 ceded on all hands that something must be done. Colon- 

 ization in Africa, colonization in some of our Western 

 territories, emancipation en masse, gradual emancipation, 

 holding on under the present system, these seem to be 

 the alternatives, and you will agree with me that they are 

 sufficiently appalling. There are two millions now, and 

 there will be three millions by the next census, and five by 

 the time the children are men and women. What has 

 been found to be the effect of general and sudden emanci- 

 pation in Mexico ? Have the quondam slaves become more 

 turbulent and vicious, and less industrious ? I suppose, 

 however, that the slaves there were not to any great extent 

 negroes, but rather Indians. You may observe that there 

 is now a great effort making in England to obtain emanci- 

 pation for their slaves in the West Indies, not gradually, 

 but in mass. This is a great question, and it must very 

 soon engage the attention of mankind where there are 

 slaves, or those who are held in virtual bondage, as in Rus- 

 sia. The cruel oppression exercised over Poland, and re- 

 cently consummated in blood, must sooner or later be vis- 

 ited upon that proud and wicked monarchy 



TO MR. WILLIA-M MACLTJRE. 



NEW HAVEN, April 16, 1833. 



You will have observed that we have been ap- 

 parently on the eve of similar convulsions, but the storm 

 has for the present blown by, although I am by no means 

 sure that it will not gather again. Possibly, not on the 

 subject of the tariff, for the opposition on that ground being 

 avowedly withdrawn, there will be no decent pretence for 

 getting it up again, unless the duties should be again in- 

 creased, and against this, I think that the voice of the country 

 would be generally raised ; for even the friends of the pro- 



