The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-20 00:00:00

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ASL AT-7 AUCTION IN BRIO' t 547
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(From. the Sprriol Correspondent- of /11 ('. 11b(xtrate,anfla S
Nary.)
My friend, having shown :me the entrance to a
room where negroes were about to be sold, told me
to go in alone and sit down wit: h the other persons
there, and look about, I acco r dingly did so, and
put on a bold front. Being a llttle before the time
fixed for the auction, I had a good opportunity to
look at the crowd of men about me who dealt in
;Inman flesh, and I am bound to say that I saw
nothing very dreadful in their appearance; they
carried neit,lier revolvers nor whips. They
were not a geDtlernanly-looleinc lot of men cer-
tainly, hut seemed quiet, respectable people, such as
one might meet at a stile of books or old china in
any part of London. At length a little hustle oc-
curred at the back of the roam, and a fine.lookieig
coloured man was put forwartT. He -walked straight
up io the block, mounted it, .and put himself in
a most dignified attitude. The . building in
which this poor creaturo was aittout to he sold
was built either for a will or a granary ; the
ceiling was very low and of great; stretngth, im-
mense beams crossed it transversely, and the
negroe's black head stood out, well against
the great white beam at the back (for the whole
interior was whitewashed) as lie stood
on the block evidently making the most of himself
with a view of getting his owner as high a price as
possible. He was a remarkably good-looking man,
and although quite black had a finely-formeci head ;
his forehead was broad and upright, and his fea-
tures were all good, there being little of the com-
mon negro type about him. I felt sure that a
sculptor would have pronounced him by far the
best-looking man in the room. A few steps lead
to the top of the block (which is similar to those!,
in common use in England for mounting horses.),
and upon one of these the auctioneer, or cri.er,
as he is called, stands, and a red-faced, impudent,
vugar-looking individual he was in this
case. The crier, I believe, is not the
auctioneer, but a man employed for the mice of
volubility of tongue. TG tz.-ce the biddings
he described the negro as of such an ages such a
height, a good farm hand, could guide a plough,
shoe a horse, and mend a hoe, but he was not a
first-rate smith. Then the biddings commenced,
1 and 800 dollars were offered. This sum veas men-
tioned by the auctioneer, over and over again, as
fast as he could utter it until a higher bid was
made ; he then took up the fresh bidding and re-
peated it in the same manner, hundreds of times,
raising his voice each time until he had got to the
top of it. At the same time he gesticulated
violently, got himself red in the face, and be- .
came breathless. A higher bidding not coming
forth, in spite of his exertions, he told the negro to
get down and walk. He then stood aside to recover
himself, and the negro paced up and down the room
to show that he was sound on his legs. Some of thet
buyers stopped him during his walk and asked
him a variety of questions, as to last employ-
ment, state of his health, and so forth. Then they
turned his head to the light, and lifted the corners
of his eyes, to ascertain whether they were
free from indications of disease; in the same
way they examined his teeth. They did not
do this in a harsh or brutal manner, but just the
same as a doctor might examine a patient. I did
not observe anything like unkindness, much less
brutality, in the way in which the buyers treated.
the regroes. The auctioneer had a couple of negro
attendants who waited upon the slaves to be
bought and sold, and I observed that these fellows
were much more harsh and overhearing in their
manner than their masters. The auctioneer
lia"ving recovered himself, the negro remounted
• the block, and the bidding went on
as before, the crier raising and lowering his voice
and reiterating the bidding so rapidly that it was
' almost impthsible to hear what he said, work-
ing himself up to a pitch of excitement most extra-
ordinary, which was the more•retnerkablc because
the buyers were all sitting about, smoking and
chatting to each other, as quietly as though
he were not present, and treating his .excitement
and oratorical exertions with the roost pro found con-
tempt. At last the time arrived when he thought lee
could get no more biddings. He said, "If you
have all done," raising his hand, in which was, a
paper. " Once, twice I" His hand did not, how-
ever, come down, for somebody bid, and away went
his tongue like a mill, repeating the fresh bideting
as rapidly as before until he became exhausted.
" Once, twice, gone !" The negro was sold for
1,500 dols. Another lot was then brought forward.

TIM DAY'S MARKETS.
CORN EXCHANGE.
The show of English wheat in to-day's market wan cgain
very limited, and in poor condition. The finest samples
changed hands readily, at quite Monday's currency; but
in damp parcels, sales were effected with great difficulty,
and their value must be considered, in a great measure,

The arrivals of foreign wheat are large, viz., 20,080 •
quarters. In both red and white qvtalities, a fair retail
business was transacted, and no change took place in the
quotations.
Floating cargoes of grain were in limited request, at late
rates,.

The barley trade was slow, as regards all descriptions,
yet no alteration can be reported in prices,
Malt ruled dull, but not eb,wir _
Beans and peas were tolerably firm in value, but the de-
mand for them was far from active.
The flour trade was somewhat inactive, owing to the
large influx of American barrels, and in some instances the
quotations were rather drooping.
ARRIVALS THIS WEEK.
Wheat. Barley. Malt. Oats. Flour.
330 1,290 2,190 130 560
Irish — 1,540 f
Foreign 20,080 8,910 1,950 1 t)O3 sacks
13,730 brls.