New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-04-28
THE NEGRO-MARKET IN SAVANNAH
The Tribune translates ftom Des Ansland


THE Tribune translates ftom Dss Ausland
The first Tuesday of the month is msrket-iay in Sa-
vanr ah for negroes; they then sold ut the coar
house at pub ic auction for cash. The stver4ders
that day bring their goods to the market, aud tho
prices at which they bring se the price of cotton very
close up and down the scale. 10 1857, the year of
tie commercial crisis in America, many planters
compelled to sell portion of their slaves 10 order to
Iaise ready money which at that time lot to be
bad on the beet ,cuIty at so par cent Interest,"
and saw plsnter bring hundred slaves to market
a, one time who certainly afer that sale must ave
been obliged leave half his plantation uncultivated.
One day went to the court house as one Of these
auctions Was beginning and, pqued, by curiosity to
know how the thing was done, went into the long
coury ard hch is surrounded by high walls. Before
the building large number of buyers in carria
| pee or On horseback In the middle of inner
vas 9 long, low table, behind whic, stood the saves,
who seemed 20 regard the proceedings with as much
indifference as if they used to it. The buyers
and sellers soon came in and took their places she
ooposie ude OF the table, on tbs uppsr end of which
the auc oneer mountedand 5agsn. Arstdsr Old negro
was rst sold; he might, pehsps, have be-n 10 years
olj He was called upon the table and very clo9ey
examined by large number Of people, who looksd to
the condition Of hs 0iots and at his hands and tseh
and asb ed what he had learned. Nothing" was
his err "a well that Of all the others who after
wards came upon the block, bat bis owner explained
that he accustomed to eld-labor, and well skilled
in the culture of cotton. Daring this hsndog all the
negroes remained motonless, with the head sank upon
the breast looking at any Of their examiners.
Five hundred dollars bid for the first negro and
the bidding coon ran up to $500, at which he was
struck eff to Cracker who went away with him. Tue
rest of the negroes broke out in shout of laughter
their ade becsus. lie had fallen 0to the hands of
so poor master. Slaves take the Of the family
to ~bich they belong and they take par icuar pride
in the fairly peculiarities; compelled to laugh
at hearing two negro boys quarreiing to which
Of their masters could fog best.
The second negro who mouDted the table was a stont
yoppg fellow of 20 % years old he was started At
$50, and ran up 10 $1,000. Each bid rspea ed
by the auconeer with such incredible rapdty aad so
opp-for be continued until the next was made-taat
ia ppie of the sadness Of the business it appe ared al
most comic to me. AS soon as bis new m4ster took
possession of him his companions greeted him by his
new nome. SO it went on, the price of stout young
men ranging in proportion TO their cap4b les, from
twelve to fifteen hundred dollars, at which sum a
man was sold who knew something of ship-carpsDtry.
to $780, while Old women brought only $3.50 or 5000.
They al accepted their masters with animal pdif-
ference except that those who had been sd haud aud
woo were bought for kouse-servauts unaffected some
saisfaction iield-work ia much harder than house
labor. Negroes a kind of capital which is loaued
cut at high rate, and one oftsn meets with people
who have no plartaton, but who keep negroes lst
ard receive very handsome tuns for them every mouth
Tire Shareholders, in order to secure the sifsty of
thsir 'es keep them in small pens surrounded By
high was tho top of which is spiked thickiy With bro
ken bottles 10 prevent the nagroes from eApiag.
They feed them WE'LL the negroes, if allows< rest
and pehTifol food will fattep aud look much bet
tor sale. Tbis, too, evd.ncsof the prepondsr
of the animal nature with them. Save-teating is
lucrative business, but yet, although the people here
defend slavery and trouble themselves bat little as to
how man gets his living, it is regarded with con
tempt HoWever, the high percentage Of proiitaways
le'ps the ranks of the slaversders FULL shameful as
s their occupation. The worst masters OF slaves are
generally those Of Spanish descsnt hence the fartaer
outh we So the harder becomes the lot Of the slave