THE free blacks in the eastern states, are either hired fervants, or they keep little fhops, or they cultivate the land. You will fee fome of them on board of coafting veffels. They dare not venture themselves on long voyages, for fear of being tranfported and fold in the iflands. As to their phyfical character, the blacks are vigorous, of a strong conftitution*, capable of the most painful labour, and generally active. As fervants, they are fober and faithful. Thofe who keep shops, live moderately, and never augment their affairs beyond a certain point.

The reafon is obvious; the whites, though they treat them with humanity, like not to give them credit to enable them to undertake any extenfive commerce, nor even to give them the means of a common education, by receiving them into their countinghoufes. If, then, the blacks are confined to the retails of trade, let us not accufe their capacity, but the prejudices of the whites, which lay obftacles in their way.

The fame caufes hinder the blacks who live in the country, from having large plantations. Their little fields. are generally well cultivated; their log-houses, full of children decently clad, attract the eye of the philofopher, who rejoices to fee, that, in thefe habitations, no tears atteft the rod of tyranny.

In this fituation the blacks are indeed happy; but let us have the courage to avow, that neither this happiness, nor their talents, have yet attained their perfection. Their exifts till too great an interval between them and the whites, especially in the public opinion. This humiliating dif

ference prevents thofe efforts which they might make to raise themselves. Black children are admitted to the public fchools; but you never see them within the walls of a college. Though free, they are always accuftomed to confider themselves as beneath the whites.

We may conclude from this, that it is unfair to measure the extent of their capacity by the examples already given by the free blacks of the north.

But when we compare them to the flaves of the' fouth, what a difference we find!-In the fouth, the blacks are in a state of abjection difficult to defcribe; many of them are naked, ill fed, lodged in miferable huts, on ftraw. They receive no education, no instruction in any kind of religion; they are not married, but coupled. Thus are they brutalized, lazy, without ideas, and without energy. They give themfelves no trouble to procure. clothes, or to have better food; they pafs their Sunday which is their day of reft, in total inaction. Inaction is their fupreme happiness; they therefore perform little labour, and that in a careless manner.

We must do juftice to the truth. The Americans of the fouthern states treat their flaves with mildness; it is one of the effects of the general extenfion of the ideas of liberty. The flave labours lefs; but this is all the alteration made in his circumstances, and he is not the better for it, either in his nourishment, his clothing, his morals, or his ideas. So that the mafter lofes; but the flave does not gain. If they would follow the example of the northern ftates, both whites and blacks would be gainers by the change.

When we defcribe the flaves of the fouth, we ought to diftinguish thofe that are employed as houie-fervants, from those that work and live in the field. The picture that I have given, belongs to the latter; the former are better clad, more active, and lefs ig

norant.

It has been generally thought, and even written by fome authors of note, that the blacks are inferior to the whites in mental capacity. This opinion begins to disappear; the northern ftates furnish examples to the contrary. I fhall cite two, which are ftriking ones: the firft proves, that, by inftruction, a black may be rendered capable of any of the profeffions: the fecond, that the head of a negro may be organised for the most aftonishing calculations, and confequently for all the fciences.

I faw at Philadelphia, a black phyfician, named James Derham. The following hiftory of him was attefted to me by many physicians:

He was brought up a flave in a family of Philadelphia, where he learned to read and write, and was inftructed in the principles of religion. When young, he was fold to Dr. John Kearfley junior, who employed him in compounding medicines, and in adminiftering them in fome cafes to the fick. At the death of Dr. Kearfley he paffed through different hands, and came to be the property of George Weft, furgeon of the British army, under whom, during the war in America, he performed the lower functions in phyfic.

At the clofe of the war, he was purchased by Dr. Robert Dove, of New Orleans, who employed him as his affiftant. He gained the doctor's good opinion and friendship to fuch a degree that he foon gave him his freedom on moderate conditions. Derham was, by this time, fo well inftructed, that he immediately began to practise, with fuccefs, at New Orleans: he is about twenty-fix years of age, married, but has no children. His practice brings him three thou

fand livres a year. Dr. Wiftar told me, that he converfed with him particularly on the acute diseases of the country where he lives, and found him well versed in the fimple methods now in practice of treating thofe difcafes. I thought, faid the doctor, to have indicated to him fome new remedies; but he indicated new ones to me.

He is modeft, and has engaging manners; he speaks French with facility, and has fome knowledge of Spanish.

The other inftance has been cited by Dr. Rufh, a celebrated phyfician and writer of Philadelphia. It is Thomas Fuller, born in Africa, a flave, near feventy years of age, near Alexandria. He can neither read nor write, and has had no inftruction of any kind; but he calculates with furprifing facility, and will answer any queftion in arithmetic, with a promp titude that has no example.

Thefe inftances prove, without doubt, that the capacity of the negroes may be extended to any thing; that they have only need of inftruction and liberty. The difference between thofe who are free and instructed, and thofe who are not, is fill more visible in their induftry. The lands inhabited by the whites and free blacks, are better cultivated, produce more abundantly, and offer every-where the image of eafe and happinefs. Such, for example, is the afpect of Connecticut, and of Pennsylvania.

Pafs into Maryland and Virginia, and, as I faid before, you are in another world; you find not there thofe cultivated plains, thofe neat countryhoufes, barns well diftributed, and. numerous herds of cattle, fat and vigorous. No: every thing in Maryland and Virginia wears the print of flavery: a ftarved foil, bad cultivation, houfes falling to ruin, cattle fmall and few, and black walking fkeletons; in a word, you fee real mifery, and apparent luxury, infulting each other.

They begin to perceive, even in

the fouthern ftates, that, to nourish a slave ill, is a mistaken economy; and that money employed in their purchafe, does not render its intereft. It is perhaps more owing to this confideration than to humanity, that you fee free labour introduced in a part of Virginia, in that part bordered by the beautiful river Shenadore. In travelling here, you will think yourself in Pennsylvania.

Such will be the face of all Virginia, when slavery shall be at an end. They think flaves neceffary only for the cultivation of tobacco: this culture declines, and muft decline in Virginia. The tobacco of the Ohio and the Miffiffippi is more abundant, of a better quality, and requires lefs labour. When this tobacco fhall open its way to Europe, the Virginians will be obliged to cease from this culture, and afk of the earth, wheat, corn, and potatoes; they will make meadows, and rear cattle. The wife Virginians anticipate this revolution, and begin the culture of wheat. At their head may be reckoned that aftonishing man, who, though an adored general, had the courage to be a fincere republican; who alone feems ignorant of his own glory; whofe fingular destiny it will be to have twice faved his country, to have opened to her the road to profperity, after having conducted her to liberty. At prefent, wholly occupied in meliorating his lands, in varying their produce, in opening roads and canals, he gives his countrymen an useful example, which doubtlefs will be followed.

He has nevertheless (muft I fay it?) a numerous crowd of flaves; but they are treated with the greatest humanity; well fed, well clothed, and kept to moderate labour; they blefs God without ceafing, for having given them fo good a matter. It is a talk worthy of a foul fo elevated, fo pure, and fo difinterefted, to begin the revolution in Virginia, to prepare the way for the emancipation of the negroes. This great man declared to me, that he rejoiced at what was doing in other

states on this fubject; that he fincerely defired the extenfion of it in his own country: but he did not diffemble, that there were fill many obstacles to be overcome; that it was dangerous to ftrike too vigorously at a prejudice which had begun to diminish; that time, patience, and information, would not fail to vanquish it. Almost all the Virginians, added he, believe that the liberty of the blacks cannot foon become general. This is the reason why they wish not to form a fociety, which may give dangerous ideas to their flaves. There is another obftacle-the great plantations of which the ftate is compofed, render it neceffary for men to live fo difperfed, that frequent meetings of a society would be difficult.

I replied, that the Virginians were in error, that evidently fooner or later the negroes would obtain their liberty every-where. It is then for the intereft of your countrymen to prepare the way to fuch a revolution, by endeavouring to reconcile the reftitution of the rights of the blacks with the intereft of the whites. The means neceffary to be taken to this effect, can only be the work of a fociety; and it is worthy the faviour of America to put himself at their head, and to open the door of liberty to three hundred thousand unhappy beings of his own ftate. He told me, that he defired the formation of a fociety, and that he would fecond it; but that he did not think the moment favourable.

Doubtlefs more elevated views abforbed his attention, and filled his foul. The destiny of America was juft ready to be placed a second time in his hands.

It is certainly a misfortune that fuch a fociety does not exist in Virginia and Maryland; for it is to the perfevering zeal of those of Philadelphia and New-York, that we owe the progrefs of this revolution in America, and the formation of the fociety in London.

Why am I unable to paint to you the impreflions I received in attending

the

the meetings of thefe different focieties? What ferenity in the countenances of the members! What fimplicity in their difcourfes, candour in their difcuffions, beneficence and energy in their decifions! Each feemed eager to speak, not to fhew his brilliance, but to be useful.

With what joy they learned that a like fociety was formed at Paris, in that capital fo renowned for its opulence and luxury, for its influence over a vast kingdom, and through most of the states of Europe! They haftened to publish it in all the gazettes, as likewife the tranflation of the firft difcourfe pronounced in that fociety. They faw with joy, in the lift of the members, the name of La Fayette, and that of other perfons known for their energy and patriotifm.

They did not doubt, if this fociety fhould brave the first obstacles that attend it, and should unite itself with that of London, but that the information which they might give on the flave trade, and its unprofitable infamy, would enlighten the governments of Europe, and determine them to fupprefs it.

It is doubtlefs to this effufion of joy, and to the flattering recommendations which I carried from Europe, rather than to my feeble efforts, that I owe

the honour of being received a member of these focieties. They did not confine themselves to this; they ap pointed committees to affift me in my labours, and their archives were opened to me.

These beneficent focieties are at prefent contemplating new projects for the completion of their work of justice and humanity. They are endeavouring to form fimilar inftitutions in other ftates, and they have fucceeded in the ftate of Delaware. The business of these focieties is not only to extend light and information to legislatures, and to the people at large*, on the objects they have in view, and to form the blacks by early inftruction in the duties of citizens; but they extend gratuitous protection to them in all cafes of individual oppreffion, and make it their duty to watch over the execution of the laws which have been obtained in their favour. Mr. Myers Fisher, one of the first lawyers of Philadelphia, is always ready to lend them his affiftance, which he generally does with fuccefs, and always without reward. These focieties have committees in different parts of the country, to take notice of any infractions of these laws of liberty, and to propofe to the legislature fuch amendments as experience may require.

arms into India, a number of Bramins affembled near him, and ftamped on the ground with great vehemence. He defired to know the meaning of this, To every man,' they answered, is fuch a portion of earth allotted as we are measuring out with our feet; thou, O king, fhalt have no more: and yet led on by an idle curiofity, and fegardlefs of justice, thou art travelling from country to country, without allowing reft, either to thyfelf or to thy fellow creatures.' He would have prevailed upon Dan

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fages, to come to him, bidding his meffengers tell him that he was the fon of Jupiter, and had it in his power to reward or to punish him. I'am,' replied the fage, the son of Jupiter as well as he; as to his rewards, he has none to give; for he has not enough to fatisfy himself; and as for his punishments, the utmoft he can do, is, to relieve me from a body worn out with age, and to remove me to a ftate of perfect happiness.'

METEO