Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1851-04-25
From the Richmond Examiner.
The Negro Race.

the antiquities in the Egyptian province of Meroe be
cause those Antiquities constitute the most striking il
lusratlon of Negro Civilization which history and ar
chaology produce. Meroe was country on tn.
Nile above Egypt. When the last named and mos
famous seat of ancient civilization was overrun BIZ
Cambyses and the other cruel conquerors portion o.
the inhabitants rereated up the river and established
themselves in Meroe Hher they transported thei,
old forms of government and of worship, their old arts
and their antique customs. They built TEMPLES and
excavaed tombs they erected obelisks: they covered
them with inscriptions in their hierogyphic alphabet
and the inscriptions and sou ptures which date with
the rst generations of this colony found TO be as
perfect as those of the lower Nile. But the colony
was cut Oft from the nation by intervening deserts and
herce nomads The number of ernigrants was never
increased from the old Necessarily the men were
IN great disproportlon 10 the women and thew were
forced to take their wives and concubnes from the
captIves which they made in their wars with the sur
rounding and barbarous tribes Now the Eqvpiians
were white men, but these tribes were negroes Hence
The second generation of the Meroees were muattoes
me process OF amalgamaon continued. They form
ed arems IRON their sable capves, and by their sa-
Die purchases so that the third generation were Sam.
1oes Inc next were still nearer the negro type and
the work proceeded until all traces of Caucasian blood
disappeared, and Meroe was inhabited by pure bac
race like that OF the vast regions of the bounder
les.
The interesting circumstance connected with these
facts Is the continued deterioration in the sculptura
remains OF the country, and their final cessation with
the disappearance of the white blood The in.
scnptIons and portraits OF the original emgrants as be-
lore sad are equal to those of the Old Empire. But in
those OF their muato children there is great difference
Inc sculpture is clumsy the inscriptions are in bad
grammer and IN worse orthography The next are in
Terror even 10 these; and in the succeeding generation
becomes evident that they had wholly lost the Ian
guase' and no longer understood what they wrote
ne inscriptions are nothing more than miserable COP
les from the earlier works so that tomb which
is evidently of late date, will be found badly exc
culed copy OF the inscription on the tomb of its own
ers great grandfaiher-even the date aud name being
unaered Alter that. they lost even the power of in
telllgble imitation, and few scrawls on uncarved
LOCKS are the latest remains that are found The Me-
roees then ceased to be Egyptians even in the name
anu tradition They have forgotten language, govern
ment' religion and arts They have no buildings and
no enduring tombs. The province is no longer dis
from the country, The race has reIasped
INTO absolute negro barbarism
This illustration of their ncapacty, not merely 10
attain civilization, but even to retain it when given
them is type OF the universal history of the Negro
race The world has their history in its hands for
space OF nearly five thousand years Negroes appear
on the sculptures of old Egypt, But in that muttu-
nous country they were utterly valueless. The Egyp
tans considered them too stupid TO be worth teaching
even agricultural drudgery; and we only see their g
nres when led as captives in the triumph OF some bel
lgerent Pharaoh. From that day until this, the negro
has never appeared in three forms OF existence
captivity, 6arbarlsm, Or slavery. The last is the high
EST form OF social life of which experience at least
permits US to suppose him capable.
Circumstances would never have kept down any
ace tor five thousand years, which were capable OF
rising into civilization. All the white races have been
n lime Darbarans but all its branches have in time
ell anu attained their natural grades of civilization
But the negro has never left the lowest type of babar-
sm' save tor captivity slavery In the vast contin-
'nt OF africa they have always existed in millions,
to d..
We never hear of them save as cannibal sayaees No
'ucn lhng as negro government has ever existed in
Africa Petty Kingdoms have and do exist there
some with so called cities Ike Timbuctoo But the
'are breeched rulers in all these kingdoms are Moors
'r Fellahs-a branch of the Arab family; and the
PEOPLE OF Timbuctoo are Arabs and Felahs The Re.
public OF Liberia can scarcely be called an exception
since II IS watched and guided by the Colonization So
ety' supported on all sides by England and by other
governments is reinforced every year from the United
1 h; ana IS governed by mnlaitoes Even with all
his assistance 1t is evidently falling 10 pieces in The
growing barbarlsm of the people, DR. Mechilin who
wed IN Liberia five years, and for part of that time
vas Governor OF the colony, declared the experiment
o be taure,-and died in Mobile with the decara.
ION mat ne saw no hope of rendering the negro
ace ut Tor selt,govenment. On this continent they
AVE received the most signal trial. In Hayti they &C.
hleVed their freedom by the midnight murder of
helr masters They were protected by civilized States
hey possessed the richest Island on the globe with the
lChes commerce al thelr doors. The result is very
lotorous Famine ravages often that fertile land
'etty but hldeous wars occupy its sections The on
government which subsists is that of a bloody and
tupd beast who is Emperor over one corner of The Is
nd vi from the seapors the people have lost arts
eIgIon, industry. decency-have relapsed into abso
ute cannbalism Dr. Mott states, the authority of
n eyewitness, that on two occasions while travelling
n Hayti, he saw the negroes roasting and eating
heir Dominican prisoners by the road side. /
In the free States of this country, the negro race
an reach every advantage which the white possesses
large portion OF them educated. But where have
hey eVlnced capacity to make of our civilization
Where have their best classes achieved higher des
my than that OF tavern walters? Where have their
1asses risen above the very lowest level of the worst
equation: Where has any Individual even, attained
OF TO say distinction. but even respectabty in any
rofesslon! In England, many negroes who were sup
osed to exhibit talent when children have been sub
cted TO hot bed process of culture and the writings
Two or three OF them have been collected in vol
me; and Bishop Gregoire of Bois has written stu.
ID book to prove thereom the intellectual equality
the race But any who will take the trouble 10
ad these verses will find them for the most part dog
ere too poor 10 be called verse at ALL and whenever
oPy occurs OF sufficient merit for The poets corner of
&c smallest Kind OF country newspaper, its author is
IRE 10 turn up mnlato or quadroon when the &C.
om1panymg biographies are referred TO-
BY The history of the negro iace it is therefore in
,hiroverthiy proven that they utterly incapable