The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1847-07-03

SroNY CaSEx, Suss,x Co.. Va.
Jxns 1. 1647

To the Readers Of the Era:
The Era was lately denounced by a
meeting in New York, because it had not
provoked mob in Washington. Probably
| shall incur similar denunciation, for being
able to avoid Goa, Of tar and feathers in
the heart Of slave-holding region. But it
is no difficult matter 10 do this. Whatever
Of an idol slavery may be among slave
holders in Virginia, they do not ask a
stranger to fall down and worship it, nor
would they respect him for volunteering any
superflous comPlacency towards it.
Mr. Calhoun's dogma about the blessed
ness Of slavery has never got loothold in
this State. have yet to see the Virginian
who does not regard it as curse.
The next census will reveal startling
facts concerning the population Of this State,
both bond and free. This county is a
specimen Of Il large portion Of Virginia.
Its old families are disaPpearing-some re-
moving TO the South, some to the West.
Fifty years ago, the children were educated
without being sent abroad they then turn
ed in and thought it no disgrace to labor with
their fathers in the fields, on which they
subsequently settled. Times have changed.
Slaves have multiplied, and with their in
crease have come unthrift, bad farming, in
dolence, pride. The land is exhausted
1t takes all the negroes earn to give the
children a costly education abroad; and
when they have got il. labor is the last
thing they think Of; home presents but few
attractions, and they abandon the State, oil
which they still make their boast Their
parents soon follow; and thus, one by one
the old families pass away. The melan
choly pine is springing up in deserted fields
As you pass along you see gate unhinsed
the path leading TO that house, with lis
crumblng chimney and sashless windows
is grown up with thin, pale grass. d
many an old settlement, nothing remain.
but the we'll with its broken bucket, and q
few neglected graves. Such country i.
full of the poetry of desolation. There j:
nothing in it new or noisy. la all point:
| it is the contrast of the rushing, turbic
world of the West. Everything is sill
Nobody makes haste The white sand:
CLEAN in the hot sunshine; vegetation creep,
up slowly through lean soil The darh
creeks steal through gloomy forests, as i
afraid of ibe rustling Of leaf. You trave
in the woods through long, sad avenue o
pines, where the road is but wide enough
for one carriage, no one dreaming Of III,
possibility of meeting another equpage.
And there is no help for all this, while
slavery shall continue. The inertness o
slave labor is death to all improvement
Let the master attempt 10 introduce any
new mode of cultivation, OF any process tC
renew his lands, and the slaves will laugh
a, him. They can't be driven out of tht
old ru,s. and the slave holder Of Virgin;
hardly loves money enough to fret himsel
about il.
The sale Of slaves 10 the South is carried
to a great extent The Shareholders dc
not, SO far as | can learn, raise them fol
that special purpose But, here is mar
with score Of slaves, located on an tx
hausted plantation. 1t must furnish sup
port for all but while they increase, ii,
capacity of supply decreases. The result
is, he must omancipate or sell. But he la!
fallen into debt, and he sells to relieve him
self from debt, and also from an excess o.
mouths. Or, he requires money to educat,
his children; or, his negroes are sold unde
execution. From these and other causes
large numbers of slaves are continually dis
appearing from the State, SO that the mex
census will undoubtedly show a marked
diminution of the slave population.
The season for this trade is generally
from November to April, and some estimate
that the average number of slaves passing
by the Southern railroad weekly, during thai
period of six months, is at least two hun
dred. \ slave trader told me that he had
known one hundred pass in a single night
But this is only one route. Large numbers
are sent of westwardly, and also by sea
coastwise. The Davises, in Petersburg
are the great slave dealers. They are Jews
who came to that place many years ago as
poor pedlars; and, | am informed, are
members Of family which has its repre-.
sentatives in Philadelphia. New York, &c
These men are always in the market. giving
the highest price for slaves. During the
summer and fall they buy them up at low
prices, trim, shave, wash them, fatten them
30 they may look sleek, and sell them to
great profit. 1t might not be improper to
inquire how much Northern capital, and
what firms in some of the Northern cities,
are connected with this detestable business.
There are many planters here who can
not be persuaded TO sell their slaves. They
have far more than they can find work for
and could at any time obtain high price
for them. The temptation is strong, iol
they want more money and fewer depen
dants. But they resist it, and nothing car
induce them to part with single slave
though they know they would be greatly
the gamers in a pecuniary sense, were they
to sell one half Of Them =
Would they might
see it their duty to 90 one step further, anc
become emancipators The majority o.
this class of planters are religious men, anG
this is the class to which generally are tc
be referred the various cases of emancipation
By ,ciu, of which from time to time we heal
accounts.
have made some inquiry as to the abili
ty of slaves to read in this region, but est.
mates differ. A gentleman, who was born
and has always lived here, says there is one
or more of the slaves on every plantation
that can read. Another, large planter
says that on an average not one in fifty can