The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1845-08-08
GOV. HAMMoNDTS LETTERS ON sou.
THEkN SLAVERY.
Addressed 10 IhOs CiHkson The EpslisA Ako
litioHist
NO. g.

tiftV"ift
NO g.
Physical and Moral condition Of Southern
Shares compared nth English La5oers.
Schemes Of Abolitiou-." Moral Soa.
mon ~ Force = Competition of Free La.
Dor The Grand UPshoi Of The West
India Emancipation.
Perhaps few general facts viii hes, il.
lusrrate the treatment this Iuce receives 3
our hands. Il - acknowledged that IL in
cre1-es a. leCst as rapidly as the white. ]
believe il i an established principle, that
population thtlves 10 proportion TO its CON
forts. Bot Wien It 10 considered that these
people ore not recruited by immigration
from abroad as the y iies are, and that they
are usually settled on our richest aud least
hco'thy lands, the fact Of their equal com.
paralyc increase aud greater longevity,
cu.weighs thousand Abolition ialsehoods,
10 ,uvor oftbe lenirncy and providence Of our
muLagemru, u them. II is also admitted
Tint there nfe lucomparably fewer cases OF
Insanity aud suicide among them than
among he whites. The fact is, that among
lbc slaves Of tho Affcan race these things
arc almost wholly uuknosn. lloseser
fcqucn'cd suicide may have BON among
hose brought from Africa, ! can say That
ia NY tine | cauuo, remember 10 have
known Or heard Of a siagie instance Of de
lih.rn,e soifdestrucuon, and but one Of
suicide at all. As 10 insanity, mye seen
but one permanent case Of i, aud that TWEEN.
~ year. ago. Il cannot DO doubled hot
among ,htre millions Of people there must
Lc sanc ms ne and some suicides bal !
Ui. venture 10 say thu, more cases al both
occur annual : among every hundred ihous
aud G. the population o! Great Britain than
amau, oil cur slaves. Can IL lie possible,
,ber, he, lAcy exist 10 that state q alJsc'
misery cgadgd BY constan, tylucs, on,
ragged b. tbc,r affections and worn down
oah hlfdshtps which the AbolI'loris's de-.
gtc' uud 80 many rgnorart oud lhoush1ess
persons rsagteusly believe
Wd regard to the separation Of has-
baud, ard wives, pareuls ard children.
colH,ue can be more untrue than the infer
orccs drawn from Whu, IS 50 constantly
hafped on By Abolaiouisls. Some painful
instances perhaps may occur. Very Tea
'h1t can be prevented. IL Is and always
ha, been an Object u prime consideration
NlIh our SHAREHOLDERS to keep families 10.
ge,her Negroes are themselves both per
verse and comparatively indifferent about
tins matter, 1t lsa singular trait, that
thcy sluost invariably prefer forming con-
uo1ion. With slaves belonging to other ma.
lers, aud at some distance. ~ is therefore
Impossible 10 prevent separations some.
times, by the removal Of Quo owner, hts
death, OF failure, and dispersion Of his pro-
per,y. In a'l such cases however, every
reasonable Effort is made TO keep tho por.
ties together, Il they deslfe II. And the
negroes forming those connexions, knowing
tho chtuccs Of their premature dissolution,
rarely complain more than ve ell do Of The
inevitable strokes OF fate. Sometimes i
/ happens that negto prefers 10 give up hi'
family rather than separate from his ma.
ter. | have known such instances. Il
TO wholly satIsg or husband or wife or
child, believe II is rarely, very rarely
done except when some offence hos been
committed demanding "tfsnsPo citation. -
Al SHES Of E.tales aud even at Sheriff :
,les. they are always, II possible, sold u
families Do the whole, notwithstanding
The migratory character Of our population
believe there are more families among
our slaves, Who have lived and died togeth
or without losing a single member FROM
their circle, excep, By tho process Of ma
tore and in the enjoyment Of constant, un.
interrupted communion, than have flourish
cd ~ the same number Of civilized people IL
modern tines. And to sum up all, # pleas
ure Is correctly defined to DO the absence O
pain-whch 60 far % the great body o
mankind is Concerned, 10 undoubtedly il
true d. Galion--l believe our slaves are The
hnpptcst three millions of human beings OF
whom the sun shines. Into their Eden II
coming Satan in the guise Of on Abolition
st.
Asrcgnrds their religious condition, it u
Neu known that majority Of the commu
nican's Of the Methodist and Bap,is! church
cs Of tho South are colored. Almost every
whcro they have precisely the same oPpor
lQultltN OF utA'H1lHk Nb'Sh'P 'HuA NbN 49,
: have, and besides, special occasions to
themselves exclusively, which they prefer
, In mnuy places no, so accessible TO clergy
men in ordinary, Missionaries are sent, an
mainly Supported by their masters, for Ih
/. particular bencfi, Of the slayec. There ar
, none imagine who may not, II they Ike
r hear the Gospel preached at least once
7 month-must of them twice month, an
l very mooy esefy week, In our Ihluly set
. lied country the whites fare no better
+; But in adduon 10 this, on the plantation
. II tny size the slaves who have joined IN
church are formed into class, at tho hea
8 Of which IS placed one Of their number, ac'
,ne as deacon or leader, Who is also SOME
i. times licensed preacher. This class al
IS semblos for religious exercises week.!
Il semi weekly, or ofteher, if the membeI
;. choose. In some pnrs also Sunday schoo
II for blacks are established, and Bible classt
I. are orally instructed by discreet and plot
persons. Now where viii you find labo
ing population possessed Of greater rel