New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-08-18

eDsaved, all the freemen, both rich and poor, were
speedily swallowed up in an abyss of degradation.
The family was disorganized industry was in
shackles; the republics persisted. This was CON-
pleiely accomplished, when, under the eIuberant
development of domestic slavery, Greece passed
from the rule of Macedon to that Of Rome. A
small body of free citizens now ruled immense
masses Of slaves. During the time Of Cicero, al
most the whole of At:ica formed the estate OF
single Shareholder, who also owned other estates
in different parts of Greece. The normal economy OF
society was thus destroyed, and the dePopulstion
of Greece went on with rapid strides. Domestic
slavery enervated the natlon made 1t an easy prey
to foreign conquest, and converted the once great
and brilliant Grecian world into corrupt and
| lOathsOme mas.
During the first three or four centuries OF the
Roman Republic, the number of slaves was COM
| paratively limited. At the census made in the
year of Rome 2SO, the free population amounted to
more than four hundred and ten thousand persons,
| while there were but seventeen thousand slaves.
The slaves at that time, as a rule, were kindly
treated; there were originally few, if any, women
among them they were regarded less
| as chattels than as members of the family; they
| took their meals with their masters, and partict
pated in the sacrifices and worship of the gods.
Labor was not only high distinction, but was
even deemed to possess certain sacred character;
| d slavery was almost an accidental element In
dome.tic affairs. But az Rome became more and
more a commercial emporium, slaves were import
| ed a. merchandise, while their number was con-
stantly increased by the captiyes taken in war.
Thus twenty thousand Carthaginian prisoners of
Reeulus were sold into slavery. Still the number
of slaves was comparatively small even at the
epoch of the second Punc war; for after the battle
of Capne, when the Roman Senate ordered the
slaves to be armed only eight thousand were in
scribed on the muster list; while there were no
fewer than 10000 Romans, with their Italian
allies, fit tor military duty.
With the victories of Hannibal, thousands of
Roman citizens were sold into slavery; but the
final conquest of Carthage and of Sicily brought
host of slaves into Rome from Africa, from Sicily,
and from Spain. From that time, habits of luxury
were combined with contempt for labor; and new
demand arose for slaves to minister to the wants
of the effeminate Romans.
AT length Rome became mart for slaves not
inferior to Carthage Cornth, Athens, or Syracuse.
The say market was superintended by the ediles.
The yeDder was obliged to hang scroll around the
neck of the slave containing a description of his
character and a warranty Of his good health.
With the growth of slavery, agriculture fell into
degraded state. The yeOmanry had been deprived
of hair homaataada nv The arabic
lands were turned into sheep pastures, with slaves
as shepherds. In the course of the sixth century
from the founding of the city, the antagonism be-
tween the free rural laborer and the slave reached
great hight. The struggle for life and death be-
tween the large Shareholders and the free-labor
yeomanry became more and more active. The in
fuence of Carthage appeared in the rural economy
of the Romans and they began to model their agri-
culture on the Carthsgnian slave husbandry. The
| country was rapidly filled with slaves, who were
| treated with reckless cruelty; the small home
ste ads were constantly absorbed in the estates of
| the wealthy shareholders; and the patricians be-
| came almost the sole prOprietors of the soil. The
current of slavery thus flowed on, enlarging its
channel as it advanced, until it brought Rome into
the condition to which it had reduced Greece and
the Oriental world centuries before. The Italy of
| yaIro and of Cicero resembled the Greece of
Poly bus, Carthage on the of it's fall, or Asia as
| found by Alexander.
During the performance of slavery and the de-
cay of the Roman republic the slaves were treated
with cruelty viii :h history bushes to record, and
which even now cannot be called to mind without
a thrill of horror. BY day they worked in chain
| gangs in the fields; at night they were crowded
| together in prisons; a Greek letter was branded
with hot iron into their cheeks; although even
then, care was taken to feed them well, like other
| valuable domestic animals. After the time of Cato,
| the breeding Of slaves became more general. One
woman would frequently nurse several babes,
while their mothers we're otherwise employed.
Slaves were used for all purposes in the household
of the wealthy Roman. They performed the high
est as well as the basest labors; they were even
physicians, architects, readers, and amanuenses.
Under the reign of the Caesars, slavery began to
be reduced to legal forms and organic system.
Augustus modified to some extent the harsh treat
ment of the slaves. He abolished the custom Of
branding their cheeks with hot iron, and ordered
instead that they should wear metallic collars. 1t
was also provided that woman who had given
birth to three children should be free from hard
labor for the rest of her te if she had four, she
became wholly free. The slave traffic was the
most lucrative branch of commerce during the
whole period Of the Roman empire. The slave
holders rapidly became more degraded even than
their chattels The number of slaves owned by
III b. So. l. l.