Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1854-08-04
TIE CIRCAsSIAN SLAVE TRADE.

d, ocv Of the Western Powers in the waters of tho
81 Black Sea. is the revival Of the traffic in Circassiai
tS women. This infamous and thurman trade was III
y tcrrup,ed bv the Russian blockade Of the Circasslai
81 coa., of the Black sea, anil since the withdrawal o
~ that pressure, il has revived, and is now pursued will
Ss n~ncxnmpl.d activity. The matter has been bronsh
~ L. the attention of the British Parliament by the Bi>h
~ op .! oxford, who produced letters from the Cauca
III sus and Turkey. to show that the tratlic in Circassiai
81 women wis nourishing with the countenance OF tn,
IS allies and the connivance Of Austria:
- AT present. said a letter from Bardanc, 1.-The orr,
III trade thu: may be said 10 be carried on here is that !,
s women, and this seems TO DC extraordinarily active a
~ present, from the large prices obtainabie in Constair
Is tiun;,ir, and the removal of all obstacles. l have
III been told from good authority tina. q girl bought fur
y fifteen purses here, is sold in Constantinople for forty
n Numbers of little boats arrive all along the coast from
s. Tr.hi2"nd almost every day; lhey maui themselves
81 AZ, on the beach, and spread the sails on the sides "i
/ The boa; 10 form tents; here the captain sits, and the
natives bring down to him their girls I" exchange
- a.a,ns. his cargo. which generally consists of cali
lS goes. prints, and other stuE!>, and Of salt
~ Another letter from the Bosphorus said
~ r...ret IN state that the slave trade is greatly 81
" III. increase here. Every boat that arrives from The
y. ports ui Abasia brings in 5 or 10 girls or boys destined
- Tor the Crnstantinuple market. IL isright I" add, that
4. wien the coast was bluckaded by the Russians, this
ss7raiiir necessarily c-as"d. But now that the commu-
IL nications with trebizond are free, the rush Ia dispose
II OF Iaugli-rs, sons. sisters, &c, is immense. | regret,
.ESal.n. to mention that H." Austrian steamers do no,
hruisr objections to convey the slaves to Constantino-
g pie. and every boat TAKE" 50 or 100 down.
~ The New York Ti1bnme publishes n letter from Ire
fkbianud. which gives Il more circumstantial statement
u ui Ia" condition of the business. The writer SAYS:
ga lew DAYS ago there arrived at the quarantine of
q Trrbisou,t about wv" hundred CirraSsials 18th n live
~ CARO- ut yrrut variety, but which they found some
"a duiirulty III ~disposiug .! 10y reason ri the prcuniary
Il, straits in which purchasers are iust now placed. The
ssirairrs. who are the steady friends oi SlIamyl, the
~ Motammrd of the Caucasus, and the bitter and de-
tsIrrmincd enemies of Nicholas, whom in their figura.
language, they call the Eulture OF the Shows,
Il laL for sale forty packages OF human flesh. They
~ were made up of a dozen children of from four to
~ EIGHT wears old. and ofthir,y females ranging between
NfiiIc-u and thirty.
e Tie quarantine doctor requested me Ia accompany
sShun on his visit to this strange spectacle. The super
YSantcmlcut of the Lazarctto made the merchants aud
Sfthrir wares stand in Il line, so that we had an "ppor-
!attunity - milking a thorough examination al the par
w ties. The CGrcassianS were all very line men, large
81 tail and strong. Their figure was Is rYyuiSitciv beau
3.S.iiul a. ;ha; uf II woman; their limbs were plump and
bEmuscular their hands aud feet were small; their COM
4 plcxi"n WAS swarthy-pr"luced by exposure 10 the
sRmoun.uin air--but their conn'"n"'ic"", nciwltlisiand-
" ing, bore the impress o. gcntlcncss and manly courage;
z. thC.r chests were full and rounded, and their step rs
ss proud ~ that Of monarch upon the Stage. Their COS
5etuluc was very picturesque. ltconsIsted ut Il great coat
n ornam2ntcd with lamb SKIN, and winch lifted closely,
Is of trousers cu; after the Turkish fashion, and made al
X iicI; c"lnrcd cloth: OF Il cap uf gray felt, with Il band
~ oil lnnbskin, the wool "f which WAS long and curle,.
e5 They wore red slippers without stockings, and a
"a cloa!; nr lamhEkin NJ felt, with which they wrapped
We ;hcn,ri.rs with the utmost dignity. A!rr having
II visited the merchants we approached the individuals
~ thev had for sale as near IL the guards would permit
~ as. Iii" little CircaSsiaus and the females were rang
before the doors of the cells, and from their any
81 iurs ar seemed Ia enquire whether we were about tn
.sS purchase them. The children were beautiful both
form and in countenancc. Yet the latter did not
u exhibit that infaniilc grace which is so observable IN
* Europeans. They had an expression of gravity, not
81 unmlNrd with care. which almost made lis regard them
ash a. little men who had already experienced the trials
4; and difficulties Of life. Young IA they were, they
III sc.m,,i as if they had already passed through the
~ trrn al their existence. Their Look was that of deep
~ reflection. their gait was slow and staid, their stare
III was piercing and inIuisitir", their mouth punched and
~ serious.
En- An these pcculiarities filled US with us much sur.
AZ priS. rs sorrow, for they forced Oh us the conviction
III That this mnNious mir or prococi"nS intellect sprang
Nir"m far of the future ar from regret at being scpa.
Elsat-d from those mountain scenes around which they
4yhni so tar PASSED their youth. They were clad i'll tat
Uttered clothes of no particular cut "r color, and wore
x no covering on their heads or feet. Their food was
.sL;he same rs that ot their parents, and OF the coarseSt
sf mud l-a-, substantial Kind. Ii consisted OF mIllet
II Cakes AMI OF spring wafer, and notwithstanding this
Il. innu,ritious fare they al lml blooming checks and
Eth appearance Of health aad strength. We next pro-
Oh Cc,sdcd 10 make a close Inspection at the icnalcs.-
iS2Ihcv were, with the exception uf tw" young girls, all
s2sGonsiderably advanced III years and destined To be-
fcmme servants or bath tenders. Their faces, which
ssf had u faded mir, produced undoubtedly more 10y Ia
and hardship than by age, bore all expression of
81 profound sadness and of vague in4uictudc. Their
kfooks seemed TO intcrrosatc us rs t" our intentions re,
Inspecting him.
E.charactcrS in order Ia furcsce their own destiny, and
y " hen they saw that our visit WAS one merely of curl
ss ositv, they cast their eyes upon the ground and wait,
81 &i until they should bc allowed to withdraw. One al
4 ethesc females was exceeding beautiful. She might bc
fifteen or sixteen wears old the look she gave us wa
Z 1hat III q proud and naughty soul, but III her manucl
2afhere WITS nothing ut that penslvc agitation which W,
sSxhad remarked i'll her companions and even in the lit
~ tie children. Her large, open and luStrous eyes wert
az expressive of Il mind that was ut once both bold ad
yGCaim. She no doubt imagined tlnt her beauty would
81 he her protection, and that even her future master
x c"ull not help butfrel its influence. 1t would indeed be
~ difficult To give anything like an adequate description
Ss OF this woman. But | have seen portraits which
sYShave Il strong resemblance 10 her; they We're, how
STevcr, tn" works of great masters, which | then be-.
gf loved Ia have been the creations OF their fancy and
sEs not the representations of any human beings.
VI a great master does not, however, deal merely il
IN The tanciiul he dcllneatcs what hu sees or what h,
aS r.collects that he has seen. What [ admired in TIL,
81 young woman was not 50 much her exquisite proper,
iii tiuns. her grace and her charming cnumtcnancr, Ia
& her noble and quceMly attitude. Her nicn wits some
SH thing like that Of Cleopatra; had she II diadcm 81
her head one could have taken her for one OF those
5.f queens We read OF in ancient History, ar had she oi
III an oakcn chaplet, she might have passed for a priest
XII eSs among the Druids. This lovely mountain maid
No VINO Ilhu puSSel z lc uLlil tIe SNoNS III tHc Sdu
~ casus. and whose lot it may be t" become one ia,
dr the wife al Il Sultan, Wore a sorry garment Of cuars,
af blue cloth, which WAS faded uud much stained. |
9} was made after the Turkish fashion, opcQ in front
~ and exhibited TO view I'm uuder-.arment Very mucl
III suiled. bat embroidered with silk OF many culurs.-
III This garment showed y" well the graceful develop
ment oi the bust that you would have almost swuri
that i. was pasted to her. II is quite clear that there
III must be some superior scainstrcsscs in the Caucasus
III She wore n white muslin veil, cast back, which wa
" stained and torn, but so attached as to envelope heN
a hk" Il Nes;al when she pleased
Ng The serv;tude of the African negro il the necessary
at C"lsequcncc OF an inferiority in physical, moral an'
ba mental 't.;anization. As the serpent is condemned t.
.Tt crawl upon its belly, in like manner is the neSr'
~ doomed 10 II condition of subsection and servitudc b,
;.sl the very laws ofits nature. Hence, TO the right think
m Ing mind there is nothing shocking or unnatural il
~ African slavery, hut on the contrary, I manifest con
81 formity to the Divine purpose ami to the conditions
M vi social well-beinc. But this traffic III Circassiai
Or women violates all the laws Of reason and humanity
an and Is therefore justly obnoxious to the ccusure of thu
.ssp civilized world. When the negro. in consequence o
AZ IN INDECENT nature and a deprared intellect, revolt
a. from the primal, universal law of labor. it is lust an,
M proper that he should be driven To work
Oh by the lash of q more active and energetic will
III else le would sink into helpless idiocy AN,
HI barharisIn. Slavery exalts and civiizes the negro
4 sThe Circassian people are not an inferior race. O,
X the contrary, they exhibit the highest type OF physi
AZ cal Development, the nearest approach to the perfec
tion OF beauty, aud the noblest moral and intellectual
rs qualities. There is no distinction of color, no form o
81 feature. no degradation Of character to mark them al
the pEedestined victims Of servitude. They wear nc
ss badge Of slavery. The men are brave, hardy, enter.