Morning herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1837-1840, 1839-11-18

Expose Of the Absii,ion imp posture.
NEw.HAvEN, Nov l6
DEAR SIR--The principal object in noticing the two
blacks in my last, to show by the difference in
their compe Sion their conformation, and by
their acsount OF themselves, that they are not
tives Of the district in Africa and they both
claim to be Manding, to deduce from these circum-
stances an argument IN support OF my hypothesis,
that Mandng is a comprehensive or generic term
significant Of large tract of country, comprising
different tribes of diversified appearance, habits and
language. This point being conceded, as / think it
must be, from what have already advanced, il is
manifest that the various and contradictory repre-
sensations of the abo'i0n respecting the blacks
are all deceptive and unworthy Of credit On the
capture of the Amistad, Leavitt, TapPan L Co.
pronounced them to be Congos, from Sencgambia,
and pretended 10 communicate with them in that
language. On the trial at Hartford they hunted up
a new interpreter, who swore they were Mandin-
gos, and absolutely presented an aihdavit which
was received by the Court, purporting TO be OBJ
tanned through the medium of the Mandingo Ian
guage. When the brig Buzzard arrived in New
York, the abolitionists procured couple Of fell
lows from her, and sent them up to assist in the
manufacture Of testimony. These negroes affirmed
the Africans to be Mendis, and the blacks them
selves made to swear tethe fact, although seve
raj Of them had previously made oath to their being
Mandingos.
From these facts the reader can draw his own
conclusion to the character Of the dispositions
which the prosecution Of Senior Ruiz was founded
and can also discover the motives OF the abolition
lists in keeping him in prison.
The negro, sometimes demonstrated the Ethiopian
is the most widely extended in all Africa. The
other dark races, such the Hottentots and Cares
altheugh they approximate to the appearance OF the
true negro in some particulars, differ from him
greatly in physical character and geographical dis
tributon. Varieties Of language, shades OF compec-
tion and many other important differences certainly
exist among the negroes, but they nevertheless
10 be recognised distinct and extensively diHused
family. presenting uudoubed characteristics essen
tally different from those Of tina inhabitants Of any
other part of the world. War and the slave trade
have iransplanted the negro from his original and
proper locality in Africa just they have given him
home among us, and made his form and character
familiar to our every day experience. Park assumes
that the negro his native soil in all the regions
that extend from the river Senegal southwards along
the Gulph OF Guinea and south Of the equator far
as the sx.ssn.h .SxSgse..y. lStitSas As the negro
whenever he IL found at any considerable distance
from the above described region he has been violent
ly removed.
These facts are necessary be borne in min while
seeking to ascertain whether the Africans Of the
Amstad embracing, rs believe them do, at least
eight different varieties, all belong to the Ethiopian
race. Several Of them, II we are to believe their
own representation, were brought from sections of
Africa remote from the territory supposed BY Mungo
Park TO have been the original locality Of the
and many OF them compare much better with the
Caffre, as described by lie Valiant, than with the
fat nosed, spayfosted specimens Of the negro which
we see in the streets
Bannah, Of whom have spoken in a pre- vious let
ter understanding . little English, describes his
Cape Bance, the borders OF the great desert
He has been 10 large place, (probably TImbuctoo)
where his chat got coarse cloth, leather, and
iron. The iron was used TO point the arrows with
which his tribe killed birds and animals. Ostrich
feathers, cane wood, and the skins Of animals are
the prime pal articles oil traffic In going dispose
Of his feathers. nc, Bannah savagcs much worse
OF than himself, and whom he speaks Of with great
contempt. f0F ..Etr .#
me see mems no hab house-Iatter mems, no hab
houss-no hab sotting arooh tong Indicating
geod-hab yam, goat, milk-no hab wife, oder mans
hab wife picaninny-Bannah no hab pic aninny'' and
and here he reared with laughter
The race Of barbarians referred TO by Bannah, are
probably tribe Of british savages who generally i'm
habit the boarders OF the Great Desert the south
ward Of cap. Bojador below the latitude Of the Ca
nary Isles They described as wretched outcasts
inhabting sterile and spitable region to which
Of the European coonists from the north. They are
said 10 exist from day tn day,-heedless
Of futsrty and forgetful Of the by
any laws, without arts Of any Kind and utterly dest
tue Of gon--the hdeous darkness ofther benight-
ed path scarcely relieved by gimmering ray 81 in
stincta They live in holes and caverns, and some.
times in miserable, roofess hovels incapable of pro
tecting them from the severity Of the weather The
words thfy utter, and which form a medium Of COM
muniesejbn between them, mere claps Of the
tongue and while cnunciatIon 10 rendered trou-
blesomesnd full Of impediment, IL resembles rather
the chatterng Of monkeys than the language Of hu-
man beings. Depending FOR subsistence on the pro-
duets OF the chase, or the spontaneous gifts Of nature
they share the wilderness with beasts Of pvey.
and hardly grade higher in the scale Of exis.
tence
The tribe 10 which Bannah belonged are a trine
more ele waited. They have focks and herds and
havs little Knowledge of agriculture They reside
usually in mud huts constructed Of Of trees
and mad : the more wealthy living In the interior
with the skins Of animals slain in the chase. rhe
soil produces an inferior kind of wheat, barley and
corn, AID the travelling traders obtain rice from the
lewiands os the Senegal river. In their traf ckng
excursoAs they exc out their stock of provisions
with ostrich eggs, Dubious root, and they are some
times compelled 10 resort 10 locuss and the arv of
ants. Their religion would 10 be mixture of
Mahommedism with the worship ofthe god Fetish,
the deity ri the savages, about the equator on the
Gulf Of Guinea They do not devote human victims
to their god, except in where they have prison.
ers taken In battle, whom thcy cannot conveniently
send 90 market. Their sacrifices consist oT .ome |
domestic animal, generally fowl. but on any great
occasion, snch as successful expedition against a
hostile tribe, dog 10 offered mp. Their form Of
government 10 patriarchal Instead o. imprison.
ment for debt after the benevolent practice III civil
ized e the bsov ~ this tribe IL sold by the cred
tor fov periud prcportiona,c 10 the amount Of che
andhe 10 thus enabled 10 discharge the
debt. Bannah was seized little distance from
hostile party of itnerating Traders
and sent dow great crooked river with MANY
more slaves, ~ Boussa where his captor lived. This
river. probably the Qsorrah, or Nigel ran toward.
The risiWg So and abcusded with crocodies and AN
Iudiscribnbl~ ANIMAL perhaps the hippepotamus
IIIeek ZEN wers living on ts banks, in some place..
and they ssw plenty Of elephants, lions, and other