DESCRIPTION OF THE SLAVE-MARKET. 



13 



thickly populated in my life : the town had the 

 complete appearance of a fair. Hearing that a 

 large cargo of slaves had recently been landed, 

 I went;, in company with a friend^ to the market^ 

 where this horrid traffic in human cattle (for such 

 are they looked upon) is carried on to its great- 

 est extent. The first flesh-shop we entered 

 contained about three hundred children^ male 

 and female; the eldest might have been twelve 

 or thirteen years old^ and the youngest not 

 more than six or seven. The poor little things 

 were all squatted down in an immense ware- 

 room, girls on one side, and boys on the other, 

 for the better inspection of the purchasers ; all 

 their dress consisted of a blue-and- white checked 

 apron tied round the waist; and but for their 

 being separated, it was impossible to distinguish 

 boys from girls. It was a novel, but painful 

 sight to see so many children torn from their 

 homes and parents for such a purpose. Poor 

 things! they were chattering, laughing, and 

 playing with each other, as if perfectly 



