Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1858-10-22

"a few were evidently i'll, and soon tc
die. All were pure black in color, ex
cept the dropsical, whose skins were taw-
ny from disease. Their bairis very short,
and crisp. Those who were well, appear
ed curious and pleased, some of them
ogling and giggling and chattering' and
others smoking tobacco out of short clay
pipes with cane stems, just as our negroes
DO. Those that were thin and sick, looked
dull and british, but there was nothing
wild or fcruciuus in their aspect. They
looked amiable and docile, and readily
obeyed the commands Of the person who
had charge of them. They are great
thieves, however, and appropriate whatev-
er thoy can on every occasion. There
were 246 males, and GO females, who
were kept separate on deck and in the
holds: the men and boys were kept on the
forward deck, and in the forward hold,
which latter is 50 feet long, 10 feet wide
in the broadest part, and narrow at the
head, and Al inches high, the floor being
formed of loose boards, movable at pleas
ure. The hold for the women and girls,
is behind this 1t is Of the same height,
II feet long, and 10 wide.
under this temporary flooring is stor-
ed the provisions, consisting of rice. peas,
and the water to drink. Their food is
boiled like "hoppinjohn," put in buckets
twice a day, at 10 and o'clock, and
placed in the midst of circles of eight or
ten each, and well guarded to prevent the
strong negroes from taking more than
their share, although all are literally
cared for A pint of water is given to
each, morning and evening. Most OF
them sleep en- deck, being placed in close
order, spoon fashion, on their sides, and
not permitted to turn or move during the
night. At daylight, they are dashed
with buckets of water to wash them off.
They sing songs, clapping their hands
and rocking their bodies in time, and
these songs have a great resemblance to
some of our negro spirituals. Several OF
the negro fellows exercise authority very
much after the manner of our drivers,
with airs of authority and ridiculous gcs-
ticulation and grimaces. Others were
cooking the "big pot" like good fellows,
and with old breeohes on, too, obtained
from the sailors. The captain Of the
hold understands their lingo, and says
they are very adverse to going back to
Africa, as the United States law requires.
Our coast resembles that they came from,
and the group of pines opposite the city
on the south, looks to them like cocoa-nut
trees Of their native Africa.
"Yesterday, under the direction of the
United States civil officers, the negroes,
BOG in number, were taken by the steamer
Gen. Cliuch and conveyed to Castle Pluck
ney, in our harbor, where they will be
guarded by a detachment from the garri-
son at Fort Moultrie. AS they passed
the plank to gain the steamers deck, they
presented strange and affecting sight,
many of them being reduced to mere
skeletons by the sufferings and depriva-
tions of the voyage. Several were in
dying condition. few dropsical, and
yoodly number apparently in health"
Such is the slave-trade, now conducted
in American vessels, by an American
captain, under the American flag. 1t is
brought to our shores at a critical mo.
mcnt, and for a providential purpose-to
warn US of the abyss of crime into which
the propagandists of slavery would plunge
the nation by re-opcuing the slave-trade /;
to unveil to US the real spirit of slavehol'
ders toward the African race and to
demonstrate the identity between the
system which produces such horrors on
the sea, and that system which is upheld
by Legislative oai ecclesiastical power in