the prejudices in other countries have arisen from political and religious feelings; and he may add that the expulsion of the Moors from Spain, is a proof of the impossibility of a union between two people so opposite. But it should be remembered that the Spaniards and Moors, like the Turks and Greeks, were of religions, neither of which would compromise in faith, whereas the negroes in America are generally Christians; indeed with the exception of a few native Africans in the Slave states who retain their pagan superstitions, they may all be ranked as such. Consequently the two cases are not analogous. If there be no probability of marriages becoming general between the whites and the blacks, I should like to know why several of the States have laid a heavy penalty on such marriages. In Tennessee the penalty is five hundred dollars, and in Massachusetts the amount is I believe much the same. But what further proof need we to show that the two races will become one, than the prodigious number of mulattoes to be seen in every direction, particularly in Virginia? Unfortunately concubinage has superseded matrimony, but we must not thence infer that this will continue to be the case for ever. At present a most horrible state of things exists, occa

sioned mainly by iniquitous laws; but we may hope that improvements will be gradually brought about. Of one thing at least we may be nearly certain, that unless a union cemented by marriage takes place between the two races, the consequences will be awful to posterity, in all those States which persist in supporting slavery. When a general insurrection of the slaves occurs, a massacre of the whites must be expected, if they should then be what they now are, determined to prevent marriages by all possible means.

At present the seduction of a coloured girl is regarded as a venial offence. A white man may be the father of illegitimate mulattoes without being considered a bad member of society, or even being shunned by virtuous women of the first rank. He may even rise to the highest station in the land, and be eulogised as a patriot; but if he were to marry the mother of his children, he would be considered to be degraded past remedy. If a penalty of five hundred dollars ought to be levied on the white man who marries a coloured woman; what should be the penalty for seducing her and refusing to marry? But it is the fact, that there is no penalty whatever in the latter case. Thus virtue is punished and vice

escapes. Such are the inconsistencies into which men run, when they legislate in corformity with prejudice, rather than right reason.

The opinion that the blacks are so constitutionally prone to idleness, that they will never become so industrious as the whites, deserves a little attention. I have shown in a preceding chapter, that natural organization has considerable influence on the human character, and I have adduced it to show the small probability of civilization being established amongst the Indians; and I shall not dispute the fact that the negroes are naturally averse to labour, for from the best and most unbiassed accounts I could obtain, it is indisputable. There is however so much difference between the condition of these two races, that I see no reason to believe that the negroes will never become so industrious as the whites. The negroes in America have never been in the state of hunters; they have always been labourers, for which their robust constitutions well qualify them. Their labour has it is true been generally extorted; but in the northern States, many of the free blacks have proved themselves capable of active exertion and voluntary labour, to a degree quite equal to the majo-. rity of their white neighbours. The colony of

Sierra Leone is a proof that they may be brought into industrious habits, for the directors of the Colonization Society have informed the American public, that that colony is in a state superior to any of those formed on their own continent in an equal time from their origin. They certainly will not maintain, that this is owing to the superiority in mental powers of the blacks of Sierra Leone over their own white ancestors. To what then is it to be attributed, but to their industry and desire of improvement? To be convinced of the impropriety of hastily condemn-> ing a whole race, it is only necessary to refer to Scotland. Probably no people in the world are more industrious and laborious than the Scotch Lowlanders; yet, little more than a century ago, Fletcher of Saltoun, that staunch though mistaken patriot, who was the strenuous advocate of free government, actually proposed to subject the great body of the people to slavery, under the impression that they could never be reclaimed from their slothful habits so long as they continued to be their own masters; and he thought the example of the Spartan Helots would be a sufficient justification of the proposed measure. If, then, his fears have been proved completely groundless by time; may we not indulge the hope, that time will be as effectual in the case of the American negroes?

CHAPTER XXII.

THE COLONIZATION SOCIETY.

A FEW years ago, a society was formed for the purpose of promoting colonization. Judging by first impressions, the idea of America's sending her citizens to colonise other lands, when not half of her own soil is settled, would be pronounced absurd; but as this is a favourite project with a large portion of the people, it demands examination. The Phoenicians, the Greeks and other nations of antiquity had their colonies under similar circumstances. Perhaps therefore praise is due to the Americans for imitating them. The part where they proposed forming a settlement was neither in Patagonia, nor in the western parts of North America, though we might have supposed that those districts needed civilization as much as almost any in the world, and that colonies in either of them would be beneficial to the nation. The directors of the society, however, directed their attention to Africa. The western shores of that vast continent had been long desolated by the slave trade; and it was supposed that some spot might be selected north of the