The Wilmingtonian, and Delaware advertiser., 1826-11-09
For the WTlmiagtonian.
NEGRO SLAVERY-M y,y
TO THE CITIZENS OF DrIAw.

Tho the persons of slaves were prs,.,
cured in Egypt, yet there was no place r,s
vorable tothem as Athens. They were allow
ed greater liberty of speech, they had th..
convivial meetings, their hours Of relav,,;."
and mirth. They were generally tr.s,S,
with so much humanity as to occasion 81
observation of Demosthenes. that the .os
dition of slave at Athens, was nrefs,,s.
to that of a free citizen in many other co.,
tries Butt any exception happened ;,
was sometimes the case, from the psns,.
treatment described; ifpersecution took n.
place OF lenity, and made the fangs Of serv
tude more pointed than before, they, like N.
Egyptian slaves, had the temple Of Tbese
tus for refuge. where the Legislature was :.
attentive as to examine their complaints and
if they we're founded in Justice. to orde,
them to be sold to another master. Rut
still more important privilege was guaran.
teed to them. They were allowed an on.
portunity OF working for themselves, and il
by their industry. they were able to aeon.
mulate sum equivalent to their ransom
they could, upon paying it down, demand
their freedom for ever
Of all the slaves Of antiquity, the Helos
or Spartan slaves, were probably subjected
to.treatment the most revolving to humanity,
Amongst people bred to war, and system
atically Injured to pain, it is not surprising
that little compassion was shown to the
humble drudges by whose labour they were
fed. The rigor of Spartan discipline, or
Spartan manners, was not likely to be relax,
ed in favour of the servile class Yet even
this iron servitude was tempered by some
ingredients, which policy, if not humanity,
supplied.
The Helots were considered as the prop.
erty ofthe state, rather than Of its individu-
al members. They were farmers Of the
soil, at fixed rents, which the propretors
could not raise without dishonour. Hence
they had the means of acquiring wealth
They were not liable to be sold beyond the
bounds of Laconia, district of nconsiderable
extent, and therefore must have been free
from those cruel dissolutions Of family con.
nexions, which constitute SO prominent
feature OF negro slavery. And indeed to
the Jealousy, excited by their numbers
which an open market might have thnned
and to their riches, which an absolute au
thority, if held by their masters, might have
dissipated, part of the cruelty with which
they were treated, is attributed by histori-
ans.
! Among the ancient German, according to
Tacitus, each slave had his separate haba-
ton, and his own establishment to manage.
The master considered him as an agrarian
dependent, who was obliged to furnish GER
tain quantity of grain, of cattle, or of wearing
apparel. The slave obeyed, and the state Of
servitude extended no further. To punish
slave with stripes, to load him with chains,
or to condemn him to hard labour, was unu-
sual.
| In an ancient code of Gentoo laws, we
find the following article, IF qpife, or
son, or siaOe, or a female s!aue, or hutA,
or younger brother, hath committed a
fault, they may be scourged with lash, or a
bamboo twig, on any part of the body
where no dangerous hurt is likely to happen,
but IT person scourges them beyond such
limitation, he shall suffer the punishment d
! a thief.
Among the ancient Romans, before the in
stitution of slavery had been reformed b!
the humanity Of Adrian or the Antonnes'
the master possessed, over his slave, the dan
geronsp spowerof life and death. This however,
appears TO have been relict Of patriarchaE
authority;(a) for, like the Gentoo law, an e.
quail extent was given to magisterial and pa
rentafpower. The Gentoo master might cor
rect his slave in the same degree with MS
son and no further. The Roman father
might put Iris SON to death as we'll as MS
slave, was entitled to the property he ae-
quired, and might exercise over him tue
same inferior authorities of scourging, I'M
prisouing and even selling INTO slavery. Nay
the Roman law carried the power OF the pa
rent higher than that of the master II the
the slave, when sold, was enfranchised py
the purchaser, he was forever free, but the