SLAVES AND THEIR CONDITION. 379 



takes his leave. Several cases of the kind occurred 

 last year. 



The system of slavery makes a very disagreeable 

 impression upon those who are unaccustomed to it ; 

 and although I had long dwelt in slave States, and 

 witnessed the oppressed condition and ill-treatment of 

 the poor blacks, yet the horrors of the system were 

 never so evident as when I first attended an auction, 

 where slaves were sold like cattle to the highest bidder, 

 and the poor creatures stood trembling, following the 

 bidders with anxious eyes, in order to judge in advance 

 whether they were to belong to a kind or severe 

 master. It does not Irnppen so often now as formerly 

 that families are separated, at least mothers and 

 children, so long as the latter are very young. In 

 large auctions, the law has the humanity to decree 

 that famiUes are only to be sold together ; but indi- 

 viduals are often sold, and then the most sacred ties 

 are torn asunder for the sake of a few hundred dollars. 



I have witnessed most heart-breaking scenes on such 

 occasions. At the same time, I must admit that the 

 treatment of slaves is generally better than it is repre- 

 sented by the Abolitionists and missionaries. It is to 

 the advantage of the owner to keep his slaves healthy 

 and fit for work, and not to overtax their strength, as 

 he is bound to support them in their old age. Their 

 food generally is not worse than that of the poor man in 

 other lands. Though there are instances of rich planters 

 treating their slaves most shamefully, there are others 

 wliere they are treated as part of the family. In our 

 hotel, we had a cook, chambermaid, and porter, all 

 glaves, who never had occasion to complain of ill-treat- 



