66 Mi* Har veyoft the Increase of the Population 
so. There cannot be so essential a difference in the natural 
constitutions of the slaves and free persons, as to create so de- 
cided a change among the representative numbers as the Table 
presents. The diversities must be the result of the circum- 
stances of each. 
It is most remarkable, however, that a kind of analogy should 
run through the several representative numbers of the same 
class. For example, if we take the class under 26, we shall 
find the female slaves nearly a fourth proportional to the 
free males, the male slaves, and the free females ; for 
354: 334 : : 362 : 342, agreeing within three persons of the re- 
presentative number for the female slaves. The same principle 
will also be found to agree still more closely with the last class ; 
for 65 : 47 : : 63 : 46 nearly. Now, the proportionality of these 
numbers proves, that whatever may be the nature of the causes 
which operate on the slave population, their influence on both 
the sexes must be very nearly the same. But are those causes 
favourable to the happiness and well-being of the slaves ? Are 
they such as to leave them no room to regret their condition, 
when they contrast it with the situation of the free population 
which surrounds them ? These are questions most interesting 
to the philanthropist, and to the satisfactory solution of which,, 
every friend of humanity is desirous of lending his aid, how- 
ever feeble and weak it may be. It would indeed communicate 
a pleasure of no ordinary kind, if it could be satisfactorily pro- 
ved, that the causes so operating are not such as are hostile to 
human happiness, to the well-being and moral improvement of 
this unfortunate people. But the reverse is much to be feared. 
The male slaves under 14 years of age, in each individual 
State and territory, exceed the females of the same age in num- 
ber ; and if we take the average of the whole slave population, 
the relation will be found to be about that of 106 to 100. But 
for the other classes, the preponderance will be found, in some 
of the States, on the side of the males, and in others on that of 
the females. Taking, however, the aggregate amount of each 
class, for all the States, the males will be found to exceed the 
females for all ages ; though in the class from 14 to 26 they ap- 
proach exceedingly near to an equality. The results of these 
comparisons may be arranged in a Table, and which will at 
