Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-02-17

a series OF letters has been appearing from
time to time during the past year in the ",
Y. Times on the productions, industry and
resources Of the Southern States. The writer,
who signs himself YEoMAS, has been travel
ing l~eisurely through all the slave holding
states with the exception Of Florida, Missouri,
Delaware and Texas. He is apparently a
practical farmer, and a man Of intelligence,
education and sound practical judgement. He
has mingled freely with the planters, over
seers and slaves, has watched with an obscr-
wing eye the operations Of " the institution"
has gathered statistics. and noted with I'M
common impartiality the facts as he found
them. His aim seems to have been to present
to us the South, Just as a IS, its best side, as
well as the more unfavorable. and he seems to
have been remarkably successful in doing SO.
His letters if collected would, as it strikes us,
make a book which in interest and value, Is
surpassed by few, ifany, works on the South.
In the last published letter Of the series,
which is about to be drawn to a close,
Yeoman gives the conclusions at which he
has arrived on certain points which have
Deen fruitful VI Controversy. VI sIese y
illusions, our limits only allow of our giving
the following abstract.
l." Are The Sldres h~drd-worked, poorly fed,
miserably Iodgsd and clothed, and subject TO
frequent brutal punishment"
As to this, there is o~fcourse a great difference
with different masters, The laws have little
power to restrain cruelty or enforce care for the
negroes. Public opinion is favorable to hui
manity'and care, in some districts strongly SO,
but in general its influence is not very yalua-
bic to the Slave. The Southerners are more
kind to their Slaves than one whose whole
experience of human nature has been obtained
at the North would imagine. If the Slaves
labor were voluntary it would for the most
part be light, but as it is, especially in the
far South, he is driren harder than agricul-
tural laborers often are elsewhere. The ne
groes are generally a6uudantiy supplied ,cuh
coarse f00d-more so than laborcrso OF any part
Of Europe. They are sufficiently clothed IN
general to he decent, if they would take
pains to be SO, which is seldom the case.
Their habitations are generaAy deficient
III COMFORT slu much wv rhhi' 'hc'Sh
improvement is now making in this respect.
They never want for fuel. There are but few
plantations where they are not frequently
whipped with severity, and cases of disgust
ing cruelty are not rare. Slaves are occa-
sionally killed by severe punishment, but
not, in leoman's belief, one tenth part as
often as sailors are by brutal masters,
The second question and answer We give in
full.
Are the slares 4" happyF"
ANY one who thinks that a drunkard can
be made happy by supplying him to his full
content with the only thing in the world that
he Graves, might answer this question as it
generally Is answered by Southern writers
and their Northern disciples. And, in this
sense, | believe it is tue that the negro in
Southern slavery is sufficiently degraded TO be
as happy, ON an average, a. most men are In
the world as happy, lin t is sense') as the
majority of the negroes who ENJOY the free
dom to live, if they can, in contempt and
obloquy, ut the North.
3. Are the sldrss often separated against
Thea, wiH from their funniest
day occurrence and it is surprising that any
one should deny it. Public opinion is OPP
posed to the sale Of old family servants, yet
they are often sold away from their@iyes and
children. The trade. ola slave dealer is about
as reputable at the South as that Of a horse
jockey at the North. They ar. generally con
.idered knayes and therefore not admitted
into good society. Negroes are the "Consols'
Of the South, and though Southerners often
deny that they make IL business of breeding
them for the market, they talk about "turn-
ing or so many every year just as a farmer
does of turning off stock, +" 1t is undeniable
that the human. life sold every year from Nir-
giuii far exceeds in value the total Of all its
other productions.
1. Are the Negroes in !S'orsry Improving
and bang ~chriSudni>ed and becoming ttitd
for freedom as was anticipated and expected
hy the founders Of the Republic, both OF the
North and South, at the time Of the Revolu-
tiOul
10, still their condition improves in some
respects, They are better clothed, fed and
treated and in the towns, are acquiring more
Of the habits of civilization and christianity
but the mass are not growing more religious
and moral. Self respect and responsibility Il
conscicnce. are diosiPated by Slavery, aud ART
poorly compensated for by the mixture OF
p, Journalism and idolatrous mysticism which
comnonly passes with them for christianity
There are very isw S0athsrpsrS who srs mel