86 



^l)c JTanncr's iUoutl)liJ bisitor. 



Slavery in Louisiaim. 



I Rev. TiMOTiM- Fj.ikt, n native of Massaehu- 

 Betis, « ho Jins iravelled the whole western count- 

 ry, and furnished from personal olwcrvalion more 

 'ijlbrmation than aii.v other man of the country 

 in relation to the great ^Mississippi Valley, thus 

 deiscrihes the condition of the slave in that |)art 

 of the United Slates where his hardships is sup- 

 liosed to be the ohject of the greatest dread : 



Slaves. As this state contains a greater num- 

 ber of slaves, in proportion to its population, than 

 any other in the wes^^rn cotmtry, we shall brin^- 

 into one compass all the general" remarks wliich 

 we shall make upon tho aspect and character of 

 slavery in the Missis>iip))i valley. It will he seen 

 from the table of population, "that considerablv 

 more tlian one half of the wliole population are 

 Blaves. Formerly, they did not increase in this 

 state, and rcfjuired importations from abroad to 

 keep up the number. But, since esjierience and 

 himianity have dictated more rational and hu- 

 mane modes of managinj,' the sick and the child- 

 ren, by carrying ihfm dirring the sickly months 

 to the same places of healthy'retirement, to which 

 Iheir masters retire, t()ey are found to increase as 

 rapidly here as they do elsewhere. It is well 

 known, that under liivorable circumstances they 

 are more prolific tban the whites. Ueflectin"" 

 minds cannot but vieiV with appj-ehensioii the re° 

 uiole consequences of this order of tliini;s. 



It is not among the ohjccts of tliis work to dis- 

 cuss the moral character of slavery, or to con- 

 template the suhJRct in any of its ahstract bearings. 

 V\ e can pronounce, from what we consider a 

 thorough knowledge of the Subject, that the con- 

 dition of the slaves here, the treatment which 

 they receive, and ihr; character of their masters, 

 have been much misjc presented in the non-slave- 

 bohing states. We pretend to none hut histori- 

 cal knowledge of the state of tliim;s whicii has 

 existed here in past time. At pre'sent, we are 

 persuaded there are but few of those brutal and 

 cruel masters, whicli the greatest portion of the 

 planters were formerly supposed to be. The 

 rnasters now study popularity willi their slaves. 

 I< there must be the odium of sevoflty, it is thrown 

 upon the overseer, who becomeaa kind of scape 

 goat to bear away the offences of the master 

 Ihere is now no pari of the slave holding-coun- 

 try ui the south-west, wh(;re it would not he a 

 deep stain upon the moral ^^iiaracter to be gener- 

 ally reputed a cruel master. In many plantations 

 no puni.shnient i.^ inflicted except after a trial by 

 jury, composed of the fellow.servants of the par- 

 ty accused. Fesuvai prizes and re«ards are in- 

 stituted, as stirniilanis to exertion, and compen- 

 Mlion5 (or superior accomplishments of labor 

 1 hey are generally well fed and cloihed, and that 

 not by an arbitrary award, *vhicli might vary with 

 the feelings ol the master, but by periadical ap- 

 portionment, like the distributed rations of sol- 

 diers, o( what has been experimented to be suffi- 

 cient to render them comfortable. Considerable 

 attention is paid to their .iuaft«rs, and most of 

 them are pomforlably loditcd and bou.-ed. 



IS or tire they destitute, as lias been supposed, 

 ol any legal protection coming between tliein and 

 the cupidity and cruelty of Iheir masters. The 



the latter. Yet, after all these miiuile provisions, 

 the slave finds the chief alleviation of his liaid 

 condition, and his best .security against cruel 

 treatment, and his most valid bond lor kind and 

 proper deportment towards him, in the increas- 

 ing ight, humanity, and force of imblic opinion. 

 Ihat the slave is, also, in the general circum- 

 stances of Ills condition, as happy as this relation 

 will admit of his being, is an unquestionable liict 

 Ihat lie seldom performs as much labor, or per- 

 lormsit as well as a free man, proves all that can 

 be desired, m regard to the value of those mo- 

 tives, whii-li freedom only can supply. In all the 

 belter managed plantations, the mode of buildinL' 

 the quarters is ti.xed. The arrangement of the 

 litlle village has a fashion by which it is settled 

 interest, li not humanity, has defined the amount 

 of food and rest necessary for their health ; and 

 there is, in a large ami resi)ectable planiation, as 

 much precision in the rules, as much exactness 

 in the times of going to sleep, awakening, goin" 

 to labor, and resting before and after meals a- in 

 a garrison under military discipline, or in a ship 

 of war. A bell gives all the signals. Every slave 

 at the assigned hour in the morning, is foi thcom- 

 ing to his labor, or his case is reported either as 

 one of idleness, obstinacy or sickne.Hs, in whicli 

 case lie is sent to the hospital, and tliere he isaN 

 tended by a physician, who, for the most part, 

 has a yearly salary for attending to all the sick of 

 the |)lantatioii. Tha union of physical force, di- 

 rected by one will, is now well understood to have 

 a much greater effect upon the amount of labor 

 which a number of hands, so managed, can bring 

 about, than the same force directed by as many 

 Wilis as there are hands. Hence, it happens that 

 winle one five man, circumstances lieing the 

 same, w ill perform more labor than one slave one 

 hundred slaves will accomplish more on 'one 

 [ilaiitution, than so many liired free men, actiii" at 

 their own discretion, llence, too, it is, that such 

 a prodigious quantity ofcolion an.l sugar is made 

 here, in proporlion to the number of laboring 

 hands. The whole process of agriculture is 

 managed by system. Everything goes straight 

 forward. There is no (iillinff down to-day the 

 scheme of yesterday, and the" whole amount of 

 lorce is directed by the teaching of exi.erience to 

 the best result. 



h' we could lay out of the question tfip intrin- 

 sic evils of ilie case, that would be a cheeriiKr 

 sight which IS preseuttd by a large Louisiana 

 plaiiialion. The fields are Js level aiKl as re"n- 

 lar m their figures as gar.lcns. They sometimes 

 contain three or four hundred acres in one inclo- 

 siire ; and nc have seen from a dozen to twenty 

 ploughs all making their straight furrows through 

 a held a mile in depth, with a regularity, which 

 It would be supposed, could only be obfaincd by 

 a line. The plough is generally worked by a 

 single inule, and guided by a sinale hand, who 

 cheers the long course of his furrow with a song. 

 ihc Mississippi pursues a very direct course 

 through this state (Louisiana) to the sea. It has 

 recently cut for itself a passage across the point 

 of the bend opposite the mouth of Red river 

 thereby diminishing the distance between iVatch- 

 ez and New-Orleans thirty miles. The .same 

 thing must shortly occur at Tunica IJend, both of 

 which will reduce the water distance between 



hundred and forty two blades. Upon a mantle 

 of one of the rooms >ve were shown a large and 

 beauiif illy wrought vase of gold. This wos 

 presentcrl to the Messrs. Roger?', by their work- 

 men, as a testimony of their gratitude for the 

 uniform liberaliiy and kindness shown them for 

 many years past — some of the while slaves prob- 

 ably of whifh many newspapers make so much 

 capital. To these gentlemen this must be the 

 brightest ornament ol" their rooms. 



The steel used in this establishment is from 

 the forges of the celel/iiiled house of Sanderson, 

 Brothers &, Co. We were afterwards indebted 

 to one of the firm lor a long and interesting ex- 

 amination of these .«iecl manufiictories, where 

 the rough ore is turned into glittering steel. Wo 

 were also struck with the enormous extent to 

 which this business is carried by this firm, whose 

 numerous furnace houses appear but as so many 

 villages— lor whose forges the whole production 

 of one iron mine is requiietl, and whose ware- 

 houses and cfKees are found in the principal cit- 

 ies of Europe and the United States. Every- 

 thing is done by the benevolent heads of tliis 

 great house to render the workmen's lives as 

 happy as possible. Their houses are civen them 

 rent fiee, and coal allowed them. A'sick I'liiiA 

 has been raised, from wliich, by the payment of 

 sixpence a moiiiii the sick can draw money when 

 they cannot work. An atlenlion to gardening is 

 encouraged, and the dingy workman sees "his 

 lowly hilt bright wilh the 'clustering rose, the 

 primrose or dahlia — and the ale-house is desert- 

 ed for the spade and rake. Oh ! that more of 

 such men dwelt amongst earth's laborers 1 



^f .1 „ • ,,-"?''• »'"i P"rll>' '•"<•> me customs 

 o the islands, nitd usages which have grown out 

 of the peculiar circumstances of Louisiana while 



of being formed rather fbr the advantage of the 

 niasirr ,ha„.,he servant, for it prescribes a,^ u„. 

 limited homage and obedience to the former. It 

 makes a misdemeanor on his part towards his 

 ^Ce'oV:'- '"^"'"'" "ff-^'"^* fi-o-n a wanton 



coinmi i,!',Il r^"^* '"'I""'' "'°' «'"-■ "'»«'^'- "^an 



^hTmol n- f''",'''^ ^'•■'*''' ""'^ prescribes 



J^e mode ol trial, and the kind and de.-ree of 



rm>.shn.enr. It constimtes unnecessary correc- 



"a''.n"'ter"'ir' '"""'''' '-.'-ha hie" offences 

 H,li rV ^' '* ^'*"'y """"'« in prescribing the 

 •lumber of hoiirA which the master may iavWul y 



"ourg which h» iiMisI allow h s slave for meal 



«m of hi 'Z!r- ^' ^'■'''■"'^' '^"^ .imran.Tex- 

 ^U«n2' .^r fe:, ^'-!'"r. " -"t- with mi 



saw Bluff-, the distance has been .'hortened be- 

 tween .\atchez and the mouth of the Ohio. In 

 this way, nature and human i.tFort combiniu"-, this 

 noble river, in uo great length of limo, will be 

 made to flow in a riu;ht line or reach, as the lAIis- 

 sissqqn phrase is, to the gu\r.~Flinl. 



E.N-GLisn CcTLERT.— The following is an ex- 

 tract from" Summer Excursions," by Mrs E R 

 Steele : j ■ ■ 



While in Sheffield we lisiied some of the 

 vyondcrful shops which supply all the world with 

 their shining cnllei v. 



In the rooms of the Messrs. Rogers, we were 

 shown the choicest specimens of their workman- 

 ship m steel, silver and gold. Mere we passed 

 through numerous rooms, filled with cases con- 

 taining every requisite fbr the most luxurious 

 . house, for the toilette, the table, or the ladies' 

 miteness and ic^i^^'^^^'^l^eciJl^^";^ rT,""' ;^°''^«''"'.'l-fi"ished in the most perfect manner. 

 between "^nsler atnj J/av^ defin ini ai^lnr^' -LT" I'?""^'"^^' ""^J' «"""1 "mivalled. and exhibit 

 ing what th* forme,- ZVnM^"^ no ':'f„^"''^>P«'^""^"''«.rrom a quarter of an inch lon« to that 

 "ID} nm may not f-xact of triumph ol mechajii.m, the monster of .i.^hleon 



TiiE New American Orchardist, by Wil- 

 liam Ke.-suick.— We are indebted to the nnthor 

 fbr a co]iy of Ibis work, a nev/ cdilioii of which 

 has just been published liy Olis, Broadcrs & Co. 

 It contains "an account of ihe most valuable va- 

 rieties of fiuii of all climates, adapted to culliva- 

 tion in ihe United Slates, yvith their history, 

 modes of culture, management, uses, &;c.'" 

 I Some evidence of the estimation in which the 

 book is held by the public may be iiifeired from 

 the liict that ibis is llie seventh edition ; six hav- 

 ing been already disixised of In this last, many 

 improvements have been introduced; the .uilho'r 

 b:ts made t«o visits lo Fur<^pe in 1840 and I84i, 

 and obtained much new iiiformalion which be 

 has embodied in the work, and he has availed 

 himself of the labors of all ihe latest and most 

 eminent xvrilers in Europe, as well as the expe- 

 rience of the most intelligent in onr own coun- 

 try. He is p.i.ssionaiely fbiid of the stiiily of 

 I Irait trees, ami Ijas obtained a high repntntion 

 j for his skill and judgment in the i!ulture of them. 

 We know of no one better qualified to " teach 

 the young" clioice fruit tree " how to shoot." 

 His nurseries ore known ihroughout the country 

 as containing all the best varieties which consti- 

 tute an American orchard. In this work he has 

 given descripiions ot many new fii.its, and 

 |)ointed out such as are inferior or unprofitable 

 for cultivation ; justly thinking that it is better to 

 iiave a reason.-ible number of good trees, and 

 have them properly and srieiilifically nian.-iged, 

 than to have large fields occupied with such as 

 bear inferior fruit, and consequently are liiile 

 better than "cumherers of the iirouiid." In re- 

 gnrd to larielies of grapes, stiawlierries, peacht-s, 

 and pears, his book is peculiarly rich and valua- 

 ble, and should be consulted by every one who 

 isengaged in raising them, as the best aiilhorify 

 of' any treatise ever published in this country. 

 His directions for cultivating all kinds of fiuits 

 are exceedingly important to those who are not 

 well versed in such malters. Additional value 

 is given to the book by a copious appendix com- 

 prising nearly one hiiiidred pages containing a 

 catalogue and desciipiion of the most useful and 

 nutritions vegetables, sallads, savory herbs, pre- 

 serves, &c., together w itii a list of ornamental 

 forest tree.s, and shrubs, climbinir plant.,, and 

 flowers. We trust that no one w ho ever ihink? 

 of raising liuit, or has a ■' little corner of land" 

 where he can set out a tree, or plant a llower, or 

 even place a Hower pot, will fail to obtain a copy 

 of Mr. Kcnrick's Orchardist whicli is pronoun- 

 ced by all good judges as the standard work, 

 and one which is highly creditable to the aiahor 

 j both as regards its usefiilness, and as a literary 

 land scientific production. — 4m, TraveUer. 



