Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1842-02-02
Cheeever's Tour i'm Egypt.
THE SLAVE MARKET IN CARLO.

depravity and misery Of our fallen world. Ant
so much has been said about the PaSha's effort.
and intentions TO abolish slavery in his domin
ions, that some little description Of the scene tC
be witnessed in the heart of his capitol vii
have at this time additional interest. The mar
ket is deep within the intricasies of the city, ir
a quarter as black and prison-like as its purpo
ses. Leaving our donkies ia the street, in the
care of their squalid drivers, we passed through
dark archway into an irregular, ragged, dirty
square surrounded by cells like, dens in a men.
agerie for wild beasts, and filled with groups oi
Regroos and slave drivers, men, women, ard
children. Most Of the captives were young; in
deed, do not recolIect 10 have seen middle
aged man among them. The first cell we
looked into, was tenanted by several fine look
ing Nubian girls, modestly dressed, and laugh
ing as if they were happy. Parhaps they
thought we had come to buy, and pleased them
selves with the hope of belonging 10 Frank
a miserable alternative indeed, Judging from
the Frank population of Carlo. Is it not the
case all the world over, that foreign masters
are more despotic than native ones
In the next den young girl was on her
knees, with sort of stone basin before her, in
which, by rubbing with another stone as large
as brick, she was grinding corn to make into
bread. Another sat by her sde looking like
a meping idiot, with arms OF such prodigious
length, and so slender, that she might easily
have been taken for baboon. In another cell
there were or A bright little negro boys, gaily
dressed in white jacket and trowsers, to allure
purchasers. / asked the price it was about
eight hundred piastres, or forty dollars. Some
of these very boys may possible be the future
ruler of Egypt 1t would not be much more re-
markable than the elevation of Mehemit Ali.
The middle of the square exhibited the
most painfully disgusting spectacle | ever wit
messed in any collection of the degraded forms
of human beings. There seemed TO be several
distinct races, some of them very little elevated
in their appearance above the bruies Chains
there were none, nor were they needed to rem
der the spectacle more apalling Some of these
beings were almost entirely naked, and with
the united effect of tatoOing, exposure to
burning sun, and disease superaded, the skin in
some places looked like that of rhinoceros,
while the hair, plated and turned flat from the
top of the head over the forehead and temples,
looked as if it had been dropped in some mix
ture of dirt and tar and formed into sticks
The features of these wretched beings in most
cases were ugly almost beyond description, and
they were principally woman, and were en-
ployed in dressing each others hair; or sat
looking vacantly around them. Their masters
or keepers appeared TO be reclining against the
walls, without the least mark of interest in the
scene before them
The square of this slave market is surround
ed by arches which, like pillars, or colonade
with recesses about court, support Sec
ond story. This story consists of a sort of
platform, terminated by other cells, tenanted
like those below, by slaves. Some were to
be seen still higher, like monkeys looking
down as from the tops of the houses upon their
fellow prisoners beneath. On this second plat
form passed group where stood one young
man with the air Of captive prince, in attitude
and with a countcnence which would have
made subject for painter. Beside him were
two or three more youthful companions, per-
haps his brothers and sisters, with the like ex-
preston Of silent and deep melancholy. They
wore some golden ornaments upon their person
the only instances of such custom.
In this sssemblage above an below, some of
'AO SlOuPS NSHSlotCu vi IlS lOOhlHS, lHlelllSeHL
well Termed negroes, but many of them were
species Of the human race, such as | had
never seen, and more degraded than any thing
in human shape had ever imagined. The AZ
rites and GaulS Of the oriental mind, must have
had their prototypes in some such realilies-
What transformation is yet 10 be effected by
the gospel in that heart of Africa, from whence
these wretched beings are transported!
In Journeying up TO Thebes, after this, we
met with many boat loads of captves appoint
ed to the same destination, and sometimes
gangs or encamPments Of them on the Shore
presenting the same spectacles of misery and
degradation.
We saw no white slaves OF any kind in the
market Mr.. Wilkinson, has stated the price
of slaves in Egypt as follows black slaves,
boys 70 TO so dollars; girls, 40 TO so; eu-
nuchs, SO to IS. Abysinian boys, 35 to so !;
white boys, (Mamlocks,) 100 TO 220. Degra-
ded and panfulas these scenes were, we should
certainly have though, it worse to have wines
sed any thing like them in England But is
there not one country in the civilized world
concerning which it may be said, nomine nut
tdt0, de te tabuta nerratur 1t would not be