The native American., 1838-12-22

x
as it is here. There thousands hear the word OF
God, and become soundly converted to the Chris
tian faith; here, hitherto, they have had no such
oppo ,unisips. and il appears evident that God is
about to overrule, through the instrumenality or
the Colonization Society, this, as he did Joseph's
slavery in Egypt. and thereby hiring about great
and lasting blessing to this whole country. Ihave
heard men* who have been t;ken from this coun-
Try in slave ships, and returned by the Coloniza
lion Society, bless God that ever they were bought
by the SLAYER and carried to the States where they
heard the gospel preached, and ha, their dark un-
;derstandngs illuminated by Divine grace.
Gentlemen in America may say the cruel afro
cit es heaped upon the co!ored man in the Soul
ire not paralleled in any conntry hut if they will
,nly come abroad and suffer themselves to fall
nto the hands Of a native kinG. or even .'haad
man," they will experience to their sorrow punish
ments equally unheard Of nay, in thousand de-
grees more painful than any OF the "torturing in
ventions of the southern planters" Colored men
may also talk Of the wrongs which they sustain
of the privations they endure, and of the inferior
rank they are compelled TO fill in society and point
the listener to the degraded station that they occu-
| py in the public mind in consequence of their
brethren being slaves in the South when, if it had
not been for that "same heIl-deserving practice"
they themselves would notO (f in existence at ally
be prowing these African forests, with the thou
sands of untaught heathens who inhabit them,
as naked as when the light first dawned upon
them. They would be here bondmen, the slaves
Of slaves used beasts Of BURDEN and at all times
liable to decapitation; they would be without any
knowledge of God or hereafter, and suffering
all the barbarities of savage invention. ] say
without any knowledge of God or hereafter, be-
a., Lac,.
Of justice by an interpreter, and they say their
"gree grees' are only OF service during ife that
"when they die they die" and that no part Of them
continues 10 lve-they laugh to scorn the dea.-
They say they know nothing about what becomes
of them after death, that if they do wrong their
gree grees will kill them and that "they all die,
and all rot and that be the end.'' Such are the
privileges and enjoyments from which they are
torn, when sold to slavers, and forced to leave
"their happy homes and peaceful country for q
life of slavery with Christian privileges, in ano-
ther hemisphere.
do not wish to be understood as advocating
slavery. am firmly set in opposition to it; but,
as Christian man, who desires to see his fellow
man in the most comfortable condition, and enjoy
ing Christian liberty and Gospel privileges, do
say, that if the colonization cause is to 90 down,
and not to be further prosecuted-if the colored
men in the United States not to be established
here in colonies to assist the Christian missionary
in his efforts to bring this people to the knowledge
of truth: then slavery in America is glorious
blessing to Africa, and the means overruled by
Providence to lead some few of the perishng nil
lions Of this land from darkness to light-from
idolatry TO the true and living God.
| This assertion is conscientiously made, because
believe it impossible for the missionary ever to
al, H. A.
faith unless aided by colonies Of the free people
Of color.
Here is the country where slavery with all its
legitimate and concomitant horrors exists. Africa
is the mother that clngs to it as her only, her
dearest offspring: here is the land for the Friend
of Man. to commence operations, and the believer
in ''equal rights" and the ''Liberator' TO begin
their work Of charity. And here is the country so
deeply dyed in the sin and blood Of slavery as to
require all the abotionists and colonizaiionists
and their united means and labors for centuries,
in clearing its skirts and removing the foul stains
| that make her the prize-money of other nations.
| The members Of certain society in the United
States, who are much opposed to the Colonization
Society and equally so to the giving of their
means for benevolent purposes, and also to the
dealing in human flesh and blood, but who are very
anxious that the natiUe african should be taught,
if they were here, (of which there is no likeli-
hood,) would find their way to usefulness COM
pletely closed up; for, in order to be permitted
to teach females your missionaries are under the
necessity Of purchasing them when children, and
paying for them as We pay for other animals.
But, sir, have filled my sheet with matter for
!eign to what intended when commenced. My
object in writing to you was to give you a short
history of my course of practice since here, and
the result; but my letter is now nearly completed,
and have only room to say that'my mind con-
cerning the climate of Africa, and particularly this
notorious Cape, is the same that it was years
before set foot upon il; have had no reasons
nor just grounds for changing my opinion in any
one respect. The diseases in this climate are
very manageable, provided the practitioner does
not manufacture them. The (evers are positive
" of simple grade, and, as | said above, if not
tortured into complexed forms are easily subdued.
1t is better than year since my arrival here;
in that time Ihave fully accmated white men and
white women, young and old, married and sin
gle, and there is not now diseased or implicated
organ in any Of them. do not wish to be un-
derstood as saying that the influences of this eli
mate are not dangerous-not at all; only say that