The Portland gazette., 1820-02-15

the act. The bill further directed, that
the children of. slaves should continue
with their parents to a certain age; then
at the public expense be brought up to
tillage, arts or sciences, according to
their geniuses, till the females were l8
and the males 81 years of age, when nthey
should be colonized to such places, as
the circumstances of the time should
render most proper"
In the summer Of the year 1888, it
was expected, that the assembly Of Vir-
ginia would call convention, for the
establishment of constitution. A
draught of a fundamental constitution
was prepared by her most eminent states
men, with design of being proposed in
such convention, had it taken place.
Among the provisions Of this draught,
was the following: "The general as
sembly (viz. the legislature of Virginia,)
shall not have power to permit the intro
duction Of any more slaves to reside in
this State, or the continuance of slavery
beyond the generation, which shall be
living on the thirty first day of Decem-
Der one thousand eight hundred--all
persons born after that day being here
by declared Free"
On this subject, Presiden, Jefferson
says, "there must be an unhappy innu-
ence on the manners of our people, pro-
duced by the existence of slavery anong
us. The whole commerce between mas
ter and slave is perpetual exercise of
the most boisterous passions--the mo ST
unremitting despotism on the one part,
and degrading submission on the other.
Our children see this, and learn to initiate
it. If a parent could find no motive
either in his philanthropy, Or his self
love, for restraining the iAtemperance Oh
passion towards his slave, it should al
ways be sufficient one, that his child is
present. But generally it is not sufficient.
The parent storms, the chill looks on.
catches the lineaments Of wrath, puts Oh
the same airs in the circle OF smaller
slaves, gives loose to his worst passions,
and there nursed, educated, and daily
exercised in tyranny, cannot but be
stamped by it with odious peculiarities.
The man must be prodigy, who can at
tain bis manners and morals undepraved
by such circumstances. And with what
execration should the statssnsan be load
ed, who, permitting one half Of the citi-
zens, thus to trample on the rights of the
other, transforms those into 6espots, and
these into mies;-destroys the morals
OF the one part, and the amor patric oi
the other. For if a slave can have
country in this world, it must be any 9TH
er in preference to that, in which he is
born to live and labour for another 8
in which he must lock up the faculties OF
his nature, contribute as far as depends
on his individual endeavours to the evan
ishment of the human race, or entail his
own miserable condition on the endless
generations proceeding from him. With
the morals Of the people, their industry
also is destroyed. For in warm cll-
mate no man will labour for himself who
can make another labour for him. This
Is so true, that ofthe proprie Of slaves
L very small proportion indeed is ever
seen to labour. And can The liberties Of
nation be thought secure when we have
removed their only firm basis, a CORRECTION
in the minds Of the people that these liberties
are ofhs gift Of God? That they are not
10 be violated, but with his wealth ? In
deed tremble for my country, when ]
reflect that Gods ,sf;-that his justice
cannot sleep forever :--that considering
numbers, nature, and natural means only
a revolution Of the wheels OF fortune, an
exchange Of situation is among possible
spents--that it may become probable by
supernatural Interference! The almighty
,ias nc'aftribute, that can take sides NTH us
IN sneh contest. But it is impossible to
be temperate, and to pursue this subject
through the various considerations of
policy, Of morals, Of history natural and
civil. We must be contented to hope
they will force their wa into every ones
mind. think change already percep-
tible since the. origin Of the present rev.
olution. The spirit Of the master isl
abating; that ofthe slave rising from the
dust; his condition modifying; the way
! hope preparing under the auspices OF
heaven for n total emaneipaiion . a nd thar