The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-21
AMERICAN NEGROES.

Prom the New ZOE Sun.

iOil TIE new 10TH sun
Judge Emory Speer of Georgia says the
Southern people have observed great diff
ferences in the negroes among them, due
doubtless to differences in tribal descent.
Some of them spring from the more de-
graded African tribes and others from
gentle and manly races whose descendants
in this country deserve the confidence and
good wiz of their neighbors.
The truth of this generalization cannot
be questioned. Many OF the descendants of
unwilling emlgfantS from Africa still show
marked characteristics of the people
whence they sprang. Explorers have told
us of noteworthy differences among the
various tribes. The linguistic differences
are marked so clearly that We may accept
the htth degree Of north latitude, rough
ly speaking, as the boundary line between
the TWO great division of the negro family
the Soud3n negroes living north and The
Bantu negroes south Of that line. There
are also many minor differences among
the negro groups in color, physiognomy
occupadon and character Some live by
the chase, some by tllage, While others
are herders. Some are far more advanced
than others in the arts such as iron ana
pottery making, carving and hut-building.
Some are naturally ferocious and Warlike
while Others are peaceful
There are undoubtedly in the United
States thousands of descendants of the
Foulahs who are widely scattered over the
Western Soudan, are not classed among
are superior, and are noted for their intel
lgence and enterprise. Capt Canot who
was a SLAYER from 1926 to 1916, testified
that the Foulah tribes were a prolific
source of slaves. He also told of carry
ing choice cargOeS of Mandingoes' 10
Havana where these light-colOred and
very intelligent men and women were in
great demand among the wealthy as
house servants. Other traders have re-
corded the fact that the treatment given
TO their human cargoes depended upon the
nature of the freight SlaVers loading on
the Angola coast, for example, wound not
think of putting irons on the slaves who
were of a mild and gentle nature, and re-
volt among them was almost unknown.
But slaves embarked north Of the Gold
Coast were guarded with great vigilance,
for they were "treacherOus devils" and
instances We're known where they over
powered and killed the crew and ran the
ship ashore before it had got out of
African waters.
Very few cargoes of saves were shipped
20 this country or the West Indies from
south of the latitude of Gaboon. The rea-
son for this fact is interesting. The slave
trade, like any other branch of commerce.
followed the direct route TO the nearest
good markets. Enormous supplies Off
slaves We're collected along the West Afri-
can coast from Cape Verde to Gaboon, and
the nearest good markets for this source
of supply Were found in the West Indies
and along our Atlantic and Gulf coasts
south of Chesapeake bay. This is the
chief reason why we see in North America
comparatively few representatives of the
race
The Congo and Angola coast and the Fam
best region of East Africa the chief ship
ping points for slaves of Bantu origin,
were far nearer to the ports of Brazil
and the Guianas than to the West Indies
or our southern ports, and so the south
equatorial negroes were taken to the equa-
tOrial parts of America
Still some slaves even from East Africa
were brought to North America Capt.
Canot, for instance, doubled the Cape of
Good Hope and got a cargo of 800 negroes
OF Quilimane, near the mouth of the Fam
best, and he saw in that port fourteen
Brazilian and Portuguese slaVers taking en-
cargoes for South America. A CONSIDERABLE
number of the slaves first introduced into
the colony of Massachusetts came from
Madagascar. It is quite certain, however
that nine-tenths of the slaves brought TO
this country came from the triangular ~
gion whose sea frontage is between Cane
Verde and Gaboon and whose apex in the
interior is Lake Tchad. In other words
the Western Soudan, clear 10 the borders
of the Central SOudan was the original
home of most North American negroes. on
the other hand, South American negroes
were derived in great numbers both from
the Western Soudan and from Tropical
Africa, south of the equator.
Comparatively few ancestors of our ne
groes lived where they might see the
ocean. The shore peoples were the mid
dlemen who bought the slaves from inland
traders and found Their prOfit in eaiiiH
them to the whites or made war unon in9
land tribes for the sole purpose Of laa5
ing gangs of slaves back TO the 81
The stamping ground OF the siavers who
sent black labor TO North America ana -
islands was only a small part Of Gfyioe 80
but the best and the worst that the contt
nent could furnish, from the FouIahs ano
Houssans, who are among the depradad
cannibals of the Cross river were lra 81
ged over the sea to act their part in sbaSS
ing the destiny of the West @for veal pr
woe. Vi