The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1831-11-16
From WaisA's Notices Of Brazil.

INSIDE OLA SLAVE SHIP.
The first object that struck us was an emo
nous gun, turning On a swivel, on deck, Il
constant appendage of pirate and the ne,
were large kettles for cooking OH the bow
The usual apparatus Of a SLAYER. Our hoat wa
now hoisted out, and went on board with III
officers. When we mounted her decks. "
iound her full OF slaves She haS taken o
the coast of Africa, 336 males and PIG femalc
making in oil 562 and had been out IL day
during which they had thrown overheard fifLy
hre The slaves were all enclosed under graz
ed hatchways, between decks The space wa
SO low that they sa. between each oiher's leg.
and slowed so closely together that there wa
no possibility of their lying down, or ut a
changing their position by night or by day.
AS they belonged TO, and were shipped on &C
count oil different individuals, they were a
branded, like sheep, with the owners marks Z
| different form
Over the hatchway stood ferocions look
ing fellow with sconrge Of MANY twiste
thongs IN his hand, who was the slave drive
oil Tho ship, and whenever he heard the slight
est noise below, he shook it over them an
seemed eager to exercise it, i was quite pleas
cd to take this hateful badge out of his hand
and ] have kept il ever since, as horrid me
mortal of reality, should ] evey be disposed I,
forget the scene witnessed.
10 SUM 40 tBc pobF CTcdluIeb saw US look
ing down at them, their dark melancholy Wis
ages frightened up. They perceived some
thing of sympathy and kindness in our looks
which they had not been accustomed to, and
feeling nstinctively that we were friends, they
Immediately began to shout and clap their
hands. One of Them had picked up a few Por.
tugucse words and cried ont, viva viva =
The women were particularly excited. They
all held up their arms, and when we bent down
and shook hands with them, they could not
contain their delight they endeavored To
scramble upon their knees, stretching out to
KISS our hands, and we understood they knew
we had come to liberate them. Some, howev
er, hung down their heads in apparen, hopeless
detection; some, particularly children, seemed
dying. slss
But the circumstances which struck us the
most forclely. was, how it was posslbl for such
number OF human beings TO exist, packed IN
and wedsed together as tight as they could
cram in low cells, three feet high, the greater
part oil winch. except that Immediately under
the grated h,tchways. was shu. out from light
or air, and this when the thermometer exposed
TO the open SKY, was standing in The shade on
our deck, az 30 degrees The space between
decks was divided into compartments, 3 feet 3
inches high; the size of one was Is feet by
l6, and the other 40 by 81 into the first was
cranlmed women and girls; into the second
the men and boys 226 fellow creatures were
thus thrust into enc space 225 feet square, and
1856 into another space 800 feet square, giving
TO the whole an average Of 80 inches, though
many of them were pregnant. We also found
rnanacles and letters of different kinds, but it
appears that they had all been taken off before
VIC boarded. 7f
The heat of these horrid places was so great.
and the udor so offensive, that it was quite i'm
possible to enter THEM, even if there had been
room. They were measured as above when
the slaves had left them. The officers insisted
that the poor suffering creatures should be ad-
mitted on deck to get air and water. This
was opposed by the mate of the SLAYER, who
from feeling that they deserved it, declared
that they would murder them all. The off
GERS, however, persisted, and the poor beings
were all turned up together.
1t is impossible to conceive the effect of this
eruption-5l7 fellow creatures of all ages and
sexes, some children, some adults, some old
men and old women, all in a state of nudity,
scraInblIng out together to taste the luxury
OF little fresh air and water They came
swarming up like bees from the aperture Of a
hive, till the whole deck was crowded TO suffo.
cation, from stem to stern, so that it was impos.
sibie TO Imagine where they all came from
or how they could have been slowed away
On looking into the places where thew had
been crammed, there were found some chill
dren next the sides of the ship, in the places
most remote from light and air they were ly.
ing nearly in torpid state, after the rest had
= turned out. The little creatures seemed in.
different as 10 life or DEATH and when they
were carried on deck, many Of them could moi
stand
After enjoying for the first time the unusual
luxury Of air, some water was brought: it was
then that the extent of their suffer rings was
exposed in fearful manner. They all rushed
like maniacs towards it. No entreaties, OF
threats, or blows, could restrain them they
shrieked, and struggled, and fought with one
another, fer drop Of this precious liquid as
ii they grew rabid at the sight Of it. There
is nothing which slaves in the mid-passage
suffer from so much as the want of water II
is sometimes usual to take out casks filled with
sea-water, as ballast, and when the slaves are
received on board, to start the casks, and fill
them with fresh. On one occasion ship
from Bahia neglected to change the contents
of the casks, and on their mid passage, found
to their horror that they were filled with
nothing but salt water All the slaves on
board persisted We could Judge Of the extent
of their sufferngs from the affecting sigh,
which we now saw. When the poor creatures
were ordered down again, several of them
came and pressed their heads against our knees
with looks of the greatest anguish at the pros
poets of returning 10 the horrid state Of sui
fering below.
ORIGIN OF THE VEIL. The origin Of the vel
is referred by the Greeks to modesty and bash
fulness, properties which partake equally Q
| timidty. They used to tell pleasant story pl
the subject for which we are indebted TO Pau
sanus. About thirty furongs from the city q
Sparta, lcarus placed a statue Of Modcsty, 70
The purpose of perpetuating the following in
cldent; " lcarius having married his daughto
10 Ulysses solicited his son in law to fix hi
household in Sparta, and remain there with hi
wife, to which Ulysses would not consent
| Frustrated in his application to the husband, h
III de the like request to his daughter, coniur
ing her not TO abandon him but, seeing he
ready TO depart with Ulysses for Ithaca. he re
doubled his efforts to retain her, nor could h
be prevailed upon to desist from following tn
chariot on the way. Ulysses. shocked at tn
desperate situation of his father in law and wea
ried with his opportunities, addressed his wife
"You can answer this request: il is yours I
determine whether you will remain with you
father at Sparta, or depart with your husban
for Ithaca You are mistress Of the decision
The beautiful Penelope, finding herself in th
dilemma, blushed, and, without making I'll
least reply, drew The veil over her face, thereb
: in,mating a denial Of her fathers request an
sunk in the arms Of her husband. lcarius, yer
sensibly affected by this behavior, and being d.
,sirous of transmitting it, oonsecrated statue
modesty on the very spot where Penelope ba
thrown the veil over her face, that, alter her,
might be universal symbol OF dceacy wi
the fair SEX Court journal. r, 'i.H
PLATE POWDER. Take of cream of tar,
and WHITING of each two ounce s and aium n,