Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-03-26


Tfne-Wiiliam Penn IL Strict Pro-Sla-
! very Man!
The Wilmols, the llickmans, the Grows,
and The Stevens, who boast that they are
giving their lives 10 the work Of cfleing the
stain Of slavery from the nati0aal cscutcheon,
relieving their own Pennsylvania OF The alum,
which Impartial history attaches 10 her in con-
nection with the subject Of their present patrl-
otc and philan,hropics sulici;ude. They should
proceed at once to tho cougcn!al work of cx-
punging from the legislative records OF Penn.
sylvania the damned spot" Of negro slavery.
They should ignore the carly history Of Penn.
sylvania, and fix The date Of its settlement ct
the comparatively recent period Of her "aboi-
ishrncnt" Of Involuntary scrvitude. They
should entirely ignore William Penn and his
immediate successors All tins must be mani
fest to every one who will read the suljoined
narrative.
We have before us valuable Old book, en-.
titled "Annlls Of Philadelphia" bY John I.
Watson, published upwards Of thirty years
since. This book is endorsed and Recommended
as authentic, curious, and highly interesting,
by the Philadelphia Historical Society, Of which
Robert Yaux was Fice.PreSident ami J. F.
Fisher, Secretary. The author was an uncom.
promising anti-slavery man, and rs such his
authority us historian will be readily admit.
ted by the present higher law champions Of
Pennsylvania. In his ANNALS" he has al
article entitled "Negrocs and Slaves" which
opens thus:
we baYe happily been so lons relieved
| !rolu the curse oi slavery, that it Is scarcely
kncwu 10 the younger part of the community,
| hos many features We once possessed ui slave
owning colony.
The state Df slavery in Pennsylvania was
uI@ars Of mild character, not only from the
favorable and mild feelings of .hc Friends III
their betluiI, but from the comnDn regard they
found in families in general where their dc.
pertinent WAS commtndable. Hector St John,
! ESQ who wrote concerning the state Of slavery
IN Prnnsy vana as it was just belore the revo.
luton, says: In Pennsylvania they enjny as
much liberty as their ,uasters, are Us we'll fed
and Us well cal, aad IN sickuess are tenderly
taken care of; Iur, living under the same root
they are part Of the family. Being the cutll-
paniuns OF Their labors anu treated Gs sucu,
they do not work lnore than ourselves and
think themselves happier than the lover class
uf whites. y far happier race Among U.s. he
adds, than those poor, suffering slaves Of the
South"
Thus it will be seen that denunciaton Of
Southern Ecgro slavery on the part OF Northern
writers nothing new. Mr.. Watson tells US
what Mr.. ST. j D... j on The subject, nearly q
century ago Whether or hot the heoro slave
ry oil Pennsl iSauia was Of :" mildar charac-
ter US Mr.. WATSON asserts, oil impartial read.
CTS will judge by the following additional facts
which appear in his ".lnnas:'
'rhr iirst cuJrls ever made in Pennsylva.
nj. tosarC. nc emancipation oi Ibs blacks,
uroccedeli from the Society oi Friends in Ger
mantcwn. t.lr most Of whom, at that period,
y .;,,---5,; ST.. 9 -,-.-g: srrGsc the
ye:.i iUoG, :. der lie auspices Of I. u. Pasto-
rms, moved petition or resno:,strance t. the
Yearly MertIng Of Friends, saying, in elect,
II was not Chlstan.kc tu buy and keep nc-
sroes. The meeting forebore then to give any
positive judgment IN the case; but enquiry
was created contemporary With this period.
William Penn, himself, whose light Or rvlec-
liuns Oh the CASE were not equally awakened,
says in his letter Of 4th of S;h luouth 1855,
10 hs steward, Jasues Harrison, ut PennsLury
II were better they were blacks, lor then c
might have them lur lle,' iutiua,ing that his
inIvnted servants lhcu were Changed too
cftrn."
So spakc the great founder of Pcnnsy Iva.
mia, "luodcl man in the business Affairs II
LIE" to borrow an expression Of one Of the his
toria1s Of his tune, and phllanthrupist ac'
cording 10 the concurrent testimony Of ull.
One Of his contemporaries says 'that he had
q more generous appreciation Of the men and
Things around him than any one Of his period.
lie certainly had very proper appreciation oi
negroes and ui their uses, US the foregoing ex
tract from Mr.. Walson's ANNALS" sufficiently
shows. lie also had very correct under
standing of the most etfectual mode Of keeping
them in sujectiUn to the white race, as will be
seen in the following further extracts from the
slme work:
ain 1886 the yearly meeting Of Friends
having concerted some measures ~ discourage
the bringing in Of more slaves, and to preserve
the morals oi those they had =; the subject was
renewed in the year lTu0, OH the arrival o
William Penn, in consideration Of his pressing
upon the Philadelphia meeting his wishes con
ctrning the same, and their sense of the sub
ect was expressed Us follows, to Wit:
Our dear friend AMI Governor having laid
before this meeting concern that hath lao
upon Ills mind fer some time, concerning TIE
uecrocs and ludians, that Friends ought 10 be
very Careful i'll diSciinrgins good conscience
towards them in all respects, but moro espe
cially for the good of their souls upon con
sideration whereof this meeting concludes Il
appoint meeting for negroes, TO be KEEP: once
q month.
AT the same time he (Wiliam Penny intro
dnced into the Assembly L bill for regulating
negroes in tncir morals and marriages; also
another for their trials md puniShmcnts. The
former was defeated by the jeaOuSies then in
the House From the same causes, an act o
more security was substituted in lIU5 against
lie ncgioes, entitled All act fur the trial ard
punishmtnt Of negroes ltinilic,ed lashes for
petty oherceS, and death for crimes OF magnl'
ludc. They were 10. allowed to carry gun
without license, or TO be whipped 2l lsshes-
nor to meet above four together, lest they mig hi
form cabas und riots. They were TO be whip
ped if found abroad after nine o'clock at night
without pas" &c.
Thus it will be seen that the first "Sla7e
Code" adopted in Pennsylvania under the
auspices Of William Penn, was quite MS s:rIn-
gent in its provisions us any now in existence
in our Southern States. The uct speaks for
itself.
The following advertisements are noticed in
the "Aunal- of Philadelphia"
Year 1136-Willlam Allen aud Joseph
Turuer Merchants, advertise for sile some
likely negroe. from Ba,badoas; another, about
The same time, a.verilses fer sale likely