Intelligent Negroes.

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

MONO the large body of negroes held in a state of
bondage, or otherwise living in a condition unfavourable
to mental developmf^nt, there have at various times
occurred instances of intelligence far beyond what could

have been expected in this unhappy and abused, or at

least neglected race. In the United States of America an instance
occurred during last century of a coloured man shewing a remark-
able skill in mathematical science. His name was Richard Banneker,
and he belonged to Maiyiand. He was altogether self-taught,
and having directed his attention to the study of astronomy, his
calculations were so thorough and exact, as to excite the approbation
of such men as Pitt, Fox, Wilberforce, and other eminent persons ;
and an almanac which he cornposed was produced in the House of
Commons as an argument in favour of the mental cultivation of the
coloured people, and of their liberation from their wretched thraldom.
Elsewhere, we have presented the history of the gallant and unfor-
tunate Toussaint rOuveiture, a negro of St Domingo, whose name
will ever be cherished by the friends of suffering humanity ; and we
now lay before our readers a few sketches of the lives of coloured
individuals, who, though less celebrated than Toussaint, are equally
worthy of remembrance, and of being placed along with Richard
Banneker. We begin with a notice of
No. 59.

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

THOMAS JENKINS.

Thomas Jenkins was the son of an African king, and bore
externally all the usual features of the negro. His father reigned
over a considerable tract of country to the east of, and, we believe,
including Little Cape Mount, a part of the wide coast of Guinea,
which used to be much resorted to by British vessels for the purchase
of slaves. The negro sovereign, whosn the British sailors knew by
the name of King Cock-eye, from a personal peculiarity, having
observed what a superiority civilisation and learning gave to the
Europeans over the Africans in their traffic, resolved to send his
eldest son to Britain, in order that he might acquire all the advan-
tages of knowledge. He accordingly bargained with a Captain
Swanstone, a native of Hawick, in Scotland, who traded to the-
coast for ivory, gold-dust, &c. that the schiid should be taken by him
to his own country, and returned m a few years fully educated, for
which he was to receive a certain consideration in the productions
of Africa. The lad recollected a little of the scene which look place
on his being handed over to Swanstone. His father, an old man^
came with his mother, who was much younger, and a number v>of
sable courtiers, to a place on the side of a green eminence near the
coast, and there, amidst the tears of the latter parent, he was for-
mally consigned to the care of the British trader, who pledged him-
self to return his tender charge, some years aifterwards, endowed
with as much learning as he might be found capable of rec€srving»
The lad was accordingly conveyed on ship-board, where the faacf
of the master conferred upon him the name of Thomas Jei^iS;^

Swanstone brought his protdgd to Hawick, and was aboeat tal:^
the proper means for fulfilling his bargain, when, unfortunately, he
was cut off from this hfe. No provision having been made for such
a contingency, Tom was thro^-Am upon the wide world, not only with-
out the means of obtaining a Christian education, but destitute of
everything that was necessary to supply still more pressing wants.
Mr Swanstone died in a room in the Tower Inn at Hawick, where
Tom ver>'' faithfully attended him, though almost starved by the cold
of a Scottish winter. After his guardian had expired, he was in a
state of the greatest distress from cold, till the worthy landlady, Mrs
Brown, brought him down to her huge kitchen fire, where alone, of
all parts of the house, could he find a climate agreeable to his nerves.
Tom was ever after very grateful to Mrs Brown for her kindness.
After he had remained for some time at the inn, a farmer in Teviot-
head, who was the nearest surviving relation of his guardian, agreed
to take charge of him, and accordingly he was removed to the house
of that individual, where he soon made himself useful in rocking the
cradle, looking after the pigs and poultry, and other such humble
duties. When he left the inn, he understood hardly a word of

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

English ; but here he speedily acquired the common dialect of the
district, with all its peculiarities of accent and intonation. He lived

in Mr L family for several years, in the course of which he

was successively advanced to the offices of cow-herd and driver of
peats to Hawick for sale on his master's account, which latter duty
he discharged very satisfactorily. After he had become a stout boy,
Mr Laidlaw of Falnash, a gentleman of great respectability and
intelligence, took a fancy for him, and readily prevailed upon his
former protector to yield him into his charge. * Black Tom,' as he
was called, became at Falnash a sort of Jack-of-all-trades. He acted
as cow-herd at one time, and stable-boy at another : in short, he
could turn his hand to any sort of job. It was his especial duty to
go upon all errands to Hawick, for which a retentive memory well
qualified him. He afterwards became a regular farm-servant to Mr
Laidlaw, and it was while acting in this capacity that he first dis-
covered a taste for learning. How Tom acquired his first instructions
is not known. The boy probably cherished a notion of duty upon this
subject, and was anxious to fulfil, as far as his unfortunate circum-
stances would permit, the designs of his parent. He probably
picked up a few crumbs of elementary literature at the table of Mr
Laidiaw's children, or interested the servants to give him what
knowledge they could.

In the course of a brief space, Mrs Laidlaw was surprised to find
that Tom began to have a strange liking for candle-ends. Not one
about the fannhouse could escape him. Every scrap of wick and
tallow that he fell in with was secreted and taken away to his loft
above the stable, and very dismal suspicions began to be entertained
respecting the use he put them to. Curiosity soon incited the people
about the farm to watch his proceedings after he had retired to his
den ; and it was then discovered, to the astonishment of all, that the
poor lad was engaged^ with a book and a slate, in drawing rude
imitations of the letters of the alphabet. It was found that he also
kept an old fiddle beside him, which cost the poor horses below
many a sleepless night. On the discovery of his literary taste, Mr
Laidlaw put him to an evening school, kept by a neighbouring
rustic, at which he made rapid progress — such, indeed, as to
excite astonishment all over the country, for no one had ever
dreamt that there was so much as a possibility of his becoming a
scholar.

By and by, though daily occupied with his drudgery as a farm-
servant, he began to instruct himself in Latin and Greeh A boy-
friend, who in advanced life communicated to us most df the facts
we are narrating, lent him several books necessary in these studies ;
and Mr and Mrs Laidlaw did all in their power to favour his wishes,
though the distance of a classical academy was a sufficient bar, if
there had been no other, to prevent their giving him the means or
opportunity of regular instruction. In speaking of the kind treat-

3

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

ment which he had received from these worthy individuals, his heart
has often been observed to swell, and the tear to start* into his
honeist dark eye. Besides acquainting himself tolerably well with
Latin and Greek, he initiated himself in the study of mathematics.

A great era in Tom's life was his possessing himself of a Greek
dictionary. Having learned that there was to be a sale of books
at Hawick, he proceeded thither, in company v/ith our informant.
Tom possessed twelve shillings, saved out of his wages, and his
companion vowed that if more should be required for the purchase
of any particular book, he should not fail to back him in the com-
petition — so far as eighteenpence would warrant, that being the
amount of his own little stock. Tom at once pitched upon the
lexicon as the grand necessary of his education, and accordingly he
began to bid for it. All present stared with wonder when they saw
a negro, clad in the gray cast-off surtout of a private soldier, and the
number * XCVI.' still glaring in white oil-paint on his back, compet-
ing for a book which could only be useful to a student at a consider-
ably advanced stage. A gentleman of the name of Moncrieff, who
knew Tom's companion, beckoned him forward, and inquired with
eager curiosity into the seeming mystery. When it w^as explained,
and Mr Moncrieff learned that thirteen and sixpence was the utmost
extent of their joint stocks, he told his young friend to bid as far
beyond that sum as he chose, and he would be answerable for the
deficiency. Tom had now bidden as far as he could go, and he was
turning away in despair, when his young friend, in the very nick of
time, threw himself into the competition. *What, what do you
mean?' said the poor nv^gro in great agitation ;^ you know we cannot
pay both that and the duty.' His friend, howevei*, did not regard
his remonstrances, and immediately he had the satisfaction of placing
the precious yolume in the hands which were so eager to possess it
— only a shilling or so being required from Mr Moncriefif. Tom
carried off his prize in triumph, and, it is needless to say, made the
best use of it. ;

It may now be asked — what was the personal character of this
extraordinary specimen of African intellect We answer at once—
the best possible. Tom was a mild, unassuming creature, free from
every kind of vice, and possessing a kindliness of manner which
made him the favourite of all who knew him. In fact, he was one
of the most popular characters in the whole district of Upper Teviot-
dale. His employers respected him for the faithful and zealous
manner in which he discharged his humble duties, and everybody
was interested in his singular efforts to obtain knowledge. Having
retained no trace of his native language, he resembled, in every
respect except his skin, an ordinary peasant of the south of Scotland :
only he was much more learned than the most of them, and spent
his time somewhat more abstractedly. His mind was deeply
impressed with the truths of the Christian faith, and he was a regular

4

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

attender upon every kind of religious ordinances. Altogether, Tom
was a person of the most worthy and respectable properties, and,
even without considering his meritorious struggles for knowledge,
would liave been beloved and esteemed wherever he was known.

When Tom was about twenty years of age, a vacancy occurred in
the school of Teviot-head, which was an appendage to the parish
school, for the use of the scattered inhabitants of a very wild pastoral
territory. A committee of the presbytery of Jedburgh was appointed
to sit on a particular day at Hawick, in order to examine the candi-
dates for this humble charge, and report the result to their constitu-
ents. Among three or four competitors appeared the black farm-
servant of Falnash, with a heap of books under his arm, and the
everlasting soldier's greatcoat, with .the staring *XCVI.* upon his
back. The committee was surprised ; but they could not refuse to
read his testimonials of character, and put him through the usual
forms of examination. More than this, his exhibition was so
decidedly superior to the rest, that they could not avoid reporting
him as the best fitted for the situation. Tom retired triumphant
from the field, enjoying the delightful reflection, that now he would
be placed in a situation much more agreeable to him than any other
he had ever known, and where he would enjoy infinitely better oppor-
tunities of acquiring instruction.

For a time this prospect was dashed. On the report coming before
the presbyter}'-, a majority of the members were alarmefj at the
strange idea of placing a negro and born pagan in such a situation,
and poor Tom was accordingly voted out of all the benefits of the
competition. The poor fellow appeared to suffer dreadfully from
this sentence, which made him feel keenly the misfortune of his
skin, and the awkwardness of his situation in the world. But
fortunately, the people most interested in the matter felt as indignant
at the treatment which he had received, as he could possibly feel
depressed. The heritors, among whom the late Duke of Buccleuch
was the chief, took up the case so warmly, that it was immediately
resolved to set up Tom in opposition to the teacher appointed by
the presbytery, and to give him an exact duplicate of the salary
which they already paid to that person. An old smiddy (blacksmith's
shop) was hastily fitted up for his reception, and Tom was imme-
diately installed in office, with the universal approbation of both
parents and children. It followed, as a matter of course, that the
other school was completely deserted ; and Tom, who had come to
this country to learn, soon found himself fully engaged in teaching^
and in the receipt of an income more than adequate to his wants. ^

To the gratification of all his friends, and some little confusion
of face to the presbytery, he turned out an excellent teacher. He
had a way of communicating knowledge that proved in the highest
degree successful, and as he contrived to carry on the usual exercises
without the use of any severities, he was as much beloved by his

5

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

pupils as he was respected by those who employed him. Five days
every week he spent in the school. On the Saturdays, he was
accustomed to walk to Hawick (eight miles distant), in order to make
an exhibition of what he had himself acquired during the week, to
the master of the academy there ; thus keeping up, it will be observed,
his own gradual advance in knowledge. It further shews his untiring
zeal for religious instruction, that he always returned to Hawick
next day — of course an equal extent of travel—in order to attend the
church.

After he had conducted the school for one or two years, finding
himself in possession of about twenty pounds, he bethought him of
spending a winter at college. The esteem in which he was held
rendered it an easy matter to demit his duties to an assistant for the
winter ; and this matter being settled, he waited upon his good
friend, Mr Moncriefif (the gentleman who had enabled him to get the
lexicon, and who had since done him many other good offices), in
order to consult about other matters concerning the step he was
about to take. Mr Moncrieff, though accustomed to regard Tom as
a wonder, was nevertheless truly surprised at this new project. He
asked, above all things, the amount of his stock of cash. On being
told that twenty pounds was all, and, furthermore, that Tom contem-
plated attending the Latin, Greek, and mathematical classes, he
informed him that this would never do : the money would hardly pay
his fees. Tom was much disconcerted at this ; but his srenerous
friend soon relieved him, by placing in his hands an order upon a
merchant in Edinburgh for whatever might be further required to
support him for a winter at college.

Tom now pursued his way to Edinburgh with his twenty pounds.
On applying to the Professor of Humanity (Latin) for a ticket to his
class, that gentleman looked at him for a moment in silent wonder,
and asked if he had acquired any rudimental knowledge of the
language. Mr Jenkins, as he ought now to be called, said modestly
that he had studied Latin for a considerable time, and was anxious

to complete his acquaintance -with it. Mr P , finding that he

only spoke the truth, presented the applicant with a ticket, for which
he generously refused to take the usual fee. Of the other two pro-
fessors to whom he applied, both stared as much as the former, ai?,d
only one took the fee. He was thus enabled to spend the winter in
a most valuable course of instruction, without requiring to trench
much upon Mr Moncrieffs generous order ; and next spring he
returned to Teviot-head, and resumed his professional duties.

The end of this strange history is hardly such as could have been
wished. It is obvious, we think, that Mr Jenkins should have been
returned by some benevolent society to his native country, where he
might have been expected to do wonders in civilising and instructing
his father's, or his own subjects. Unfortunately, about thirty years ago,
a gentleman of the neighbourhood, animated by the best intentions,

6

INTELLiaSNT NEGROES.

recommended him to the Christian Knowledge Society, as a proper
person to be a missionary among the colonial slaves ; and he was
induced to go out as a teacher to the Mauritius — a scene entirely
unworthy of his exertions. There he attained great eminence as
a teacher.

PHILLIS WHEATLEY.

In the year 1761, Mrs John Wheatley, of Boston, in North
America, went to the slave-market, to select, from the crowd of
unfortunates there offered for sale, a negro girl, whom she might
train, by gentle usage, to serve as an affectionate attendant during
her old age. Amongst a group of more robust and healthy children,
the lady observed one, slenderly formed, and suffering apparently
from change of climate and the miseries of the voyage. The
interesting countenance and humble modesty of the poor little
stranger induced Mrs Wheatley to overlook the disadvantage of a
weak state of health, and Phillis, as the young slave was subsequently
named; was purchased in preference to her healthier companions,
an4 taken home to the abode of her mistress. The child was in a
state almost of perfect nakedness, her only covering being a strip of
dirty carpet. These things were soon remedied by the attention of
the kind lady into whose hands the young African had been thrown,
and in a short time, the effects of comfortable clothing and food were
visible in her returning health. Phillis was, at the time of her
purchase, between seven and eight years old, and the intention of
Mrs Wheatley was to train her up to the common occupations of
a menial servant. But the marks of extraordinary intelligence which
Phillis soon evinced, induced her mistress's daughter to teach her to
read ; and such was the rapidity with which this was effected, that,
in sixteen months from the time of her arrival in the family, the
African child had so mastered the English language, to which she
was an utter stranger before, as to read with ease the most difficult
parts of sacred writ. This uncommon docility altered the intentions
of the family regarding Phillis, and in future she was kept constantly
about the person of her mistress, whose affections she entirely won
by her amiable disposition and propriety of demeanour.

At this period, neither in the mother-country nor in the colonies
was much attention bestowed on the education of the labouring-
classes of the whites themselves, and much less, it may be supposed,
was expended on the mental cultivation of the slave population.
Hence, when little Phillis, to her acquirements in reading, added, by
her own exertions and industry, the power of writing, she became
an object of very general attention. It is scarcely possible to sup-
pose that any care should have been expended on her young mind
before her abduction from her native land, and indeed her tender
years almost precluded the possibiHty even of such culture as Africa

7

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

could afford. Of her infancy, spent in that unhappy land, Phiilis
had but one solitary recollection, but that is an interesting one. She
remenrbered that, every morning, her viother poured out water
before the rising sun — a religious rite, doubtless, of the district from
which the child was carried away. Thus every morning, when the
day broke over the land and the home which fate had bestowed
on iier, was Phiilis reminded of the tender mother who had watched
over her infancy, but had been unable to protect her from the hand
of the merciless breakers-up of all domestic and social ties. The
young negro girl, however, regarded her abduction with no feelings
of regret, but with thankfulness, as having been the means of bring-
ing her to a land where a light, unknown in her far-off home, shone
as a guide to the feet and a lamp to the path.

As? Phiilis grew up^ to womanhood, her progress and attainments
did not belie the promise of her earlier years. She attracted the
notice of tlie literarj' characters of the day and the place, who sup-
plied her with books, and encouraged by their approbation the
ripening of her intellectual powers. This was greatly assisted by
the kind conduct of her mistress, who treated her in every respect
like a child of the family — admitted her to her own table— and intro-
duced her as an equal into the best society of Boston. Notwith-
standing these honours, Phiilis never for a moment departed from
the humble and unassuming deportment which distinguished her
when she stood, a little trembling alien, to be sold, like a beast of
the field, in the slave-market. Never did she presume upon the
indulgence of those benevolent friends who regarded only her worth
and her genius, and overlooked in her favour all the disadvantages
of caste and of colour. So far was PhilHs from repining at, or
resenting the prejudices which the long usages of society had
implanted, too deeply to be easily eradicated, in the minds even of
the most humane of a more favoured race, that she uniformly
respected them, and, on being invited to the tables of the great and
the wealthy, chose always a place apart for herself, that none might
be offended at a thing so unusual as silting at the same board with
a woman of colour — a child of a long-degraded race.

Such was the modest and amiable disposition of Phiilis Wheatley :
her literary talents and acquirements accorded well with the intrinsic
worth of her character. At the early age of fourteen, she appears
first to have attempted literary composition ; and between this
period and the age of nineteen, the whole of her poems which were
given to the world seem to have been written. Her favourite author
was Pope, and her favourite work the translation of the Iliad, It
is not of course surprising that her pieces should present many
features of resemblance to those of her cherished author and model.
She began also the study of the Latin tongue, and if we may judge
from a translation of one of Ovid's tales, appears to have made no
inconsiderable progress in it.

8

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

A great number of Phillis Wheatley*s pieces were written to com-
snemorate the deal^hs of the friends who had been kind to her. The
following little piece is on the death of a young gentleman of great
promise :

' Who taught thee conflict with the powers of night,
To vanquish Satan in the fields of fight ?
Who Strang thy feeble arms with might unknown?
How great thy conquest, and how bright thy ciiown !
War with each princedom, throne, and power is o*er;
The scene is ended, to return no more.
Oh, could my muse thy seat on high behold,
How decked with laurel, and enriched with gold !
Oh, could she hear what' praise thy harp employs,
How sweet thine anthems, how divine thy joys,
What heavenly grandeur should exalt her strain !
What holy raptures in her numbers reign !
To soothe the troubles of the mind to peace,
To still the tumult of life's tossing seas.
To ease the anguish of the parent's heart,
What shall my sympathising verse impart ?
Where is the balm to heal so deep a wound ?
Where shall a sovereign remedy be found?
Look, gracious Spirit ! from thy heavenly bower,
And thy fiiU joys into their bosoms pour :
The raging tempest of their griefs control,
And spread the dawn of glory through the soul,
To eye the path the saint departed trod,
And trace him to the bosom of his God.'

The following passage on sleep, from a poem of some length, On
the Providence of God, shews a very considerable reach of thought,
and no mean powers of expression :

* As reason's powers by day our God disclose,
So may We trace Him in the night's repose.
Say, what is sleep ? and dreams, how passing strange !
When action ceases and ideas range
Licentious and unbounded o'er the plains,
Where fancy's queen in giddy triumph reigns. '
Hear in soft strains the dreaming lOver sigh
To a kind fair, and rave in jealousy ;
On pleasure now, and now on vengeance bent,
The labouring passions struggle for a vent.
What power, O man ! thy reason then restores,
So long suspended in nocturnal hours ?
What secret hand returns* the mental train.
And gives improved thine active powers again ?
From thee, O man ! what gratitude should rise !

* Reiurtts, a common colloquial error for restores.

No. 59. 9

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

And when from balmy sleep thou op*st thine eyes,
Let thy first thoughts be praises to the skies.
How merciful our God, who thus imparts
O'erflowing tides of joy to human hearts,
When wants and woes might be our righteous lot,
Our God Ibrgetting, by our God forgot

We have no hesitation in stating our opinion, and we believe that
many will concur in it, that these lines, written by an African slave-
girl at the age of fifteen or sixteen, are quite equal to a great number
of the verses that appear in all standard collections of English
poetry, under the names of Halifax, Dorset, and others of 'the mob
of gentlemen who wrote with ease/ Phillis Wheatley's lines are, if
anything, superior in harmony, and are not inferior in depth of
thought ; the faults are those which characterise the models she
copied from ; for it must be recollected that, sixty years ago, the
older authors of England were almost unknown ; and till the return
to nature and truth in the works of Cowper, the only popular writers
were those who followed the artificial, though polished style intro-
duced with the second Charles from the continent of Europe. This
accounts fully for the elaborate versification of the^ negro girVs
poetry; since it required minds such as those of Cowper and
Wordsworth to throw off the trammels of this artificial style, and to
revive the native vigour and simplicity of their country's earlier
verse.

Phillis Wheatley felt a deep interest in everything affecting the
liberty of her fellow-creatures, of whatever condition, race, or colour.
She expresses herself with much feeling in an address to the Earl of
Dartmouth, secrefary of state for North America, on the occasion of
some relaxation of the system of haughty severity which the home
government then pursued towards the colonies, and which ultimately
caused their separation and independence.

* Should you, my lord, while you peruse my song,
Wonder from whence my love of freedom sprung ;
Whence flow those wishes for the common good,
By feeling hearts alone best understood —
I, young in life, by seeming cruel fate.
Was snatched from Afric*s fancied happy seat.
What pangs excruciating must molest.
What sorrows labour in my parents' breast !
Steeled was that soul, and by no misery moved,
That from a father seized his babe beloved ;
Such, such my case. And can I then but pray
Others may never feel tyrannic sway?'

A slight and rather curious defect of Phillis''s intellectual powers
might, under ordinary circurhstances, have prevented her composi-
tions from being ever placed on paper. This was the weakness of

lO

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

her memory, which, though it did not prevent her from acquiring
the Latin tongue, or benefiting by her reading, yet disabled her
from retaining on her mind, for any length of time, her own cogita-
tions. Her kind mistress provided a remedy for this, by ordering a
fire to be kept constantly in PhiUis's room, so that she might have
an opportunity of recording any thoughts that occurred to her mind,
by night as well as by day, without endangering her health from
exposure to cold.

The constitution of Phillis was naturally delicate) and her health
always wavering and uncertain. At the age of nineteen, her condi-
tion became such as to alarm her friends. A sea voyage was
recommended by the physicians, and it was arranged that Phillis
should take a voyage to England in company with a son of Mrs
Wheatley, who was proceeding thither on commercial business.
The amiable negro girl had hitherto never been parted from the side
of her benefactress since the hour of her adoption into the family ;
and though the necessity of the separation was acknowledged, it
was equally painful to both.

* Susannah mourns, nor can I bear

To see the crystal shower,
Or mark the tender falling teat;

At sad departure's hour ;
Not unregarding can I see

Her soul with grief opprest,
But let no sighs, no groans for me

Steal from her pensive breast.

3|C 9|C ^

Lo ! Health appears, celestial dame,

Complacent and serene,
With Heb6's mantle o'er her frame.

With soul-delighting mien.*

Phillis was received and admired in the first circles of English
society ; and it was here that her poems were given to the world,
with a lijceness of the authoress attached to them. From this like-
ness, the countenance of Phillis appears to have been pleasing, and
the form of her head highly intellectual. On this engraving being
transmitted to Mrs Wheatley in America, that lady placed it in a
conspicuous part of her room, and called the attention of her visitors
to it, exclaiming : * See ! look at my Phillis ; does she not seem as
if she would speak to me ?' But the health of this good and humane
lady declined rapidly, and she soon found that the beloved original
of the portrait was necessary to her comfort and happiness. On the
first notice of her benefactress's desire to see her once more^ Phillis,
whose modest humility was unshaken by the severe trial of flattery
and attention from the great, re-embarked immediately for the land

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

of her true home. Within a shprt time after her arrival, she dis-
charged the melancholy duty of closing the eyes of her mistress,
mother, and friend, whose husband and daughter soon sunk also
into the grave. The son had married and settled in England, and
Phillis Wheatley found herself alone in the world.

The happiness of the African poetess was now clouded for ever.
Little is known of the latter years of her life, but all that has been
ascertained is of a melancholy character. Shortly after the death
of her friends, she received an offer of marriage from a respectable
coloured man of the name of Peters. In her desolate condition, it
would have been hard to have blamed Phillis for accepting any
offer of protection of an honourable kind ; yet it is pleasing to think
that, though the man whose wife she now became rendered her after-
life miserable by his misconduct, our opinion of her is not lowered
by the circumstances of her marriage. At the time it took place,
Peters not only bore a good character, but was every way a remark-
able specimen of his race ; being a fluent writer, a ready speaker,
and altogether an intelligent and well-educated man. But he was
indolent, and too proud for his business, which was that of a grocer,
and in which he failed soon after his marriage.

The war of independence began soon after this, and scarcity and
distress visited the cities and villages of North America. In the
course of three years of suffering, Phillis became the mother of three
infants, for whom and for herself^ through the neglect of her husband,
she had often not a morsel of bread. No reproach, however, was
ever heard to issue from the lips of the meek and uncomplaining
woman, who had been nursed in the lap of affluence and comfort,
and to whom all had been once as kind as she herself was deserving.
It would be needless to dwell on her career of misery, further than
the closing scene. For a long time nothing had been known of her.
A relative of her lamented mistress at length discovered, her in a
state of absolute want, bereft of two of her infants, and with' the third
dying by a dying mother's side. Her husband was still with her,
but his heart must have been one of flint, otherwise indolence, which
Hvas his chief vice, must have fled at such a spectacle. Phillis
Wheatley and her infant were soon after laid in one humble grave.

Thus perished a woman who, by a fortunate accident, was rescued
from the degraded condition to which those of her race who are
brought to the slave-market are too often condemned, as if for the
purpose of shewing to the world what care and education could effect
in elevating the character of the benighted African. The example
is sufficient to impress us with the conviction, that, out of the count-
less millions to whom no similar opportunities have ever been pre-
sented, many might be found fitted by the endowments of nature,
and wanting only the blessings of education, to make them orna-
ments, like Phillis Wheatley, not only to their race, but to
humanity.

12

INTELLIGENT NEGROES,

LOTT GARY.

This self-taught African genius was born a slave in Charles Citjr
county, about thirty niiles below Richmond, Virginia, on the estate of
Mr William A. Christian. He was the only child of parents who
were themselves slaVes, but, it appears, of a pious turn otjmind ; and
though he had no instruction from books, it may be supposed, that
the admonitions of his father and mother may have laid the founda-
tions of his future usefulness. In the year 1804, the young slave was
sent to Richmond, and hired out by the year as a common labourer,
at a warehouse in the place. While in this employment, he happened
to hear a sermon, which implanted in his uncultivated mind a s^^^ong
desire to be able to read, chiefly with a view of becoming acquamted
with the nature of certain transactions recorded in the New Testa-
ment. Having somehow procured a copy of this work, he com-
menced learning his letters, by trying to read the chapter he had
heard illustrated in the sermon, and by dint of perseverance, and the
kind assistance of young gentlemen who called at the warehouse, he
was in a little time able to read, which gave him great satisfaction.
This acquisition immediately created in him a desire to be ableta
write ; an accomplishment he soon also mastered. He now became •
more useful to his employers, by being able to check and superintend
the shipping of tobacco ; and having, in the course of time, saved
the sum of 850 dollars, or nearly .£170 sterling, he purchased his Own
freedom and that of two children left him on the death of his first
wife. * Of the real value of his services while in this employment/
says the author of the American publication from whence these
facts are extracted, 'it has been remarked that no one 1?ut a dealer
in tobacco can form an idea. Notwithstanding the hundreds of
hogsheads which were committed to his charge, he could produce
any one the moment it was called for ; and the shipments were made
with a promptness and correctness such as no person, white or
coloured, has equalled in the same situation. The last year in which
he remained in the warehouse, his salary was 800 dollars. For his
ability in his work he was highly esteemed, and frequently rewarded
by the merchant with a five-dollar bank-note. He was also allowed
to sell, for his own benefit, many small parcels of damaged tobacco.
It was by saving the little sums obtained in this way, with the
aid of subscriptions by the merchants, to whose interests he had
been attentive, that he was enabled to purchase the freedom of his
family. When the colonists were fitted out for Africa, he was
enabled to bear a considerable paxt of his own expenses. He also
purchased a house and some land in Richmond. It is said that,,
while employed at the warehouse, he often devoted his leisure time
to reading, and that a gentleman, on one occasion, taking up a book

23

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

which he had left for a few moments, found it to be Smith's Wealth
of Naiionsi

As early as the year 1815, this intelligent emancipated slave began
to feel special interest in the cause of African missions, and contri-
buted, probably more than any other person, in giving origin and
character to the African Missionary Society, established during that
year in Richmond. His benevolence was practical, and whenever
and wherever good objects were to be effected, he was ready to lend
his aid. Mr Gary was among the earliest emigrants to Africa. Here
he saw before him a wide and interesting field, demanding various
and powerful talents, and the most devoted piety. His intellectual
ability, firmness of purpose, unbending integrity, correct judgment,
and disinterested benevolence, soon placed him in a conspicuous
station, and gave him wide and commanding influence. Though
naturally diffident and retiring, his worth was too evident to allow of
his remaining in obscurity. The difficulties which were encountered
in founding a settlement at Cape Montserado were appalling, and it
was proposed on one occasion that the emigrants should remove to
Sierra Leone, whose climate is of the most destructive character ;
but the resolution of Lott Gary to remain was hot shaken, and his
decision had no small effect towards inducing others to imitate his
example. In the event, they suffered severely. More than eight
hundred natives attacked them in November 1822, but were repulsed;
and a few weeks later, a body of fifteen hundred attacked them again
at daybreak. Several of the colonists were killed and wounded ; but
with no more than thirty-seven effective men and boys, and the aid
of a small piece of artillery, they again achieved a victory over the
natives. In these scenes the intrepid Gary necessarily bore a con-
spicuous part. In one of his letters, he remarks that, like the Jews
in rebuilding their city, they had to toil with their arms beside them,
and rest upon them every night ; but he declared affer this, in the
most emphatic terms, that 'there never had been an hour or a
minute, no, not even when the balls were flying round his head, when
he could wish himself back in America again.'

The ffeculiar exposure of the early emigrants, the scantiness of
their supplies, and the want of adequate medical attention, subjected
them to severe and complicated sufferings. To relieve, if possible,
these sufferings, Mr Gary obtained all the information in his power
concerning the diseases of the climate, and the proper remedies. He
made liberal sacrifices of his property in behalf of the poor and
distressed, and devoted his time almost exclusively to the relief of the
destitute, the sick, and the afflicted. His services as a physician to
the colony were invaluable, and were for a long time rendered with-
out hope of reward. But amid his multiplied cares and efforts for
the colony, he never forgot or neglected to promote the joint cause
of civilisation and Ghristianity among the natives.

In 1 806 Mr Gary was elected vice-agent of the colony, and he
14

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

discharged the duties of that important office till his death, which
occurred in 1828 in the most melancholy manner. One evening,
while he and several others were engaged in making cartridges in
the old agency house at Monrovia — the chief town in the settlement
— in preparation to defend the rights of the colony against a slave-
trader, a candle appears to have been accidentally overturned, which
ignited some loose powder, and almost instantaneously reached the
entire ammunition, producing an explosion which resulted in the
death of eight persons. Mr Car)-"- survived for two days. Such was
the unfortunate death of this active coloured apostle of civilisation
on the coast of Africa, where his memory will continue long to be
cherished. The career which he pursued, and the intelligence which
marked his character, might prove, to the satisfaction of all impartial
thinkers, that the miserable race of blacks is not destitute of moral
worth and innate genius, and that their culture would liberally pro-
duce an abundant harvest of the best principles and their results
which dignify human nature.

PAUL CUFFEE.

From the foregoing instances of intelligent negroes, we now turn
to Paul Cuffee^ who presents us with an example of great energy of
mind in the more common affairs of life, as Gary and Wheatley
exhibited the finer and higher degrees of intellectual endowment.
The father of Paul was a native of Africa, from which country he
was brought as a slave to Boston, in North America. Here he
remained in slavery for a considerable portion of his life ; but finally,
by industry and economy, he amassed a sum which enabled him to
purchase his personal liberty. About the same period he married a
woman of Indian descent, and continuing his habits of industry
and frugality, he soon found himself rich enough to purchase a farm
of a hundred acres at Westport, in Massachusetts. Here a family
of ten children was born to him, four sons and six daughters, all of
whom received a little education, and were ultimately established in
respectable situations in life. Paul, the fourth son, was born in the
year 1759. When he was about fourteen years of age, his father
died, leaving a considerable property in land, but which, being at
that time comparatively unproductive, afforded only a very moderate
provision for the large family which depended on it for subsistence.
After assisting his brothers for a time in the management of this
property, Paul began to see that commerce then held out higher
prospects to industry than agriculture, and being conscious, perhaps,
that he possessed qualities which, under proper culture, would enable
him to pursue commercial employments with success, he resolved
to betake himself to the sea. A whaling voyage was his first adven-
ture in the capacity of a mariner, and on his return from this, he

15

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

made a trip to the West Indies, acting on both occasions as a
'common man at the mast.'' His third voyage occurred in the year
1776, at which period Britain was at war with America. Paul and
his companions were taken prisoners by the British, and detained
for about three months at New York. On being liberated, Paul
returned to Westport, where he resided for several succeeding years,
assisting his brothers in their agricultural pursuits.

We have now to mention a circumstance most honourable to Paul
Cuffee. The free negro population of Massachusetts was at that
period excluded from all participation in the rights of citizenship,
though bearing a full share of every state burden. Paul, though not
yet twenty years of age, felt deeply the injustice done to himself and
his race, and resolved to make an effort to obtain for them the rights
which were their due. Assisted by his brothers, he drew up and
presented a respectful petition on the subject to the state legislature.
In spite of the prejudices of the times, the propriety and justice of
the petition were perceived by a majority of the legislative body, and
an act was passed, granting to the free negroes all the privileges of
white citizens. This enactment was not only important as far as
regarded the state of Massachusetts ; the example was followed at
different periods by others of the united provinces, and thus did the
exertions of Paul Cuffee and his brothers influence permanently the
welfare of the whole coloured population of North America.

After accomplishing this great work, our hero's enterprising spirit
directed itself to objects of a more personal character. In his twen-
tieth year, he laid before his brother David a plan for opening a
commercial intercourse with the state of Connecticut. His brother
was pleased with the scheme : an open boat, which was all that
their means could accomplish, was built, and the adventurers pro-
ceeded to sea. Here David Cuffee found himself for the first time
exposed to the perils of the ocean, and the hazard of the predatory
warfare which was carried on by the private refugees on the coast.
His courage sank ere he had proceeded many leagues, and he
resolved to return. This was a bitter disappointment to the intrepid
Paul; but he was affectionate, and gave up the enterprise at his
elder brother's desire. After labouring diligently for some time
afterwards in the fields, at the family farm, Paul collected sufficient
means to ti-5'' the scheme again on his own account. He went to sea,
and lost all the little treasure which by the sweat of his brow he had
gathered. Not discouraged by this misfortune, he returned to his
farm labours, only to revolve his plans anew. As he could not now
purchase what he wanted, he set to work, and with his own hands
constructed a boat, complete from keel to gunwale. This vessel was
without a deck, but his whaling experience had made him an adept
in the management of such a bark. Having launched it into the
ocean, he steered for the Elizabeth Isles, with the view of consulting

one of his brothers, who resided there, upon his future plans. Alas,
16

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

poor Paul ! he was met by a party of pirates, who deprived him of
his boat and all its contents. He returned once more to Westport in
a penniless condition.

Ardent indeed must the spirit have been which such repeated
calamities did not shake. Again did our young adventurer prevail
on his brother David to assist him in building a boat. This being
accomplished, the respectability of Paul Cuffee's character, and his
reputation for unflinching energy, procured him sufficient credit to
enable him to purchase a small cargo. With this he went to sea,
and after a narrow escape from the refugee pirates, disposed of his
cargo at the island of Nantucket, and returned to Westport in
safety. A second voyage to the same quarter was less fortunate ;
he fell into the hands of the pirates, who deprived him of everything
but his boat. Paul's inflexible firmness of mind did not yet desert
him : he undertook another voyage in his open boat, with a small
cargo, and was successful in reaching Nantucket. He there dis-
posed of his goods to advantage, and returned in safety to West-
port.

Hitherto we have not alluded to the condition of Paul Cuffee as
far as regarded mental culture. In truth, up almost to manhood he
can scarcely be said tb have received any education whatever beyond
the acquirement of the English alphabet. Ere he was twenty-five
years of age, however, he had obviated this disadvantage by his
assiduity, and had taught himself writing and arithmetic. He had
alsc applied to the study of navigation, and had mastered it so far
as to render himself capable of engaging in nautical and commercial
undertakings to any extent.

The profits of the voyage already alluded to put Paul in possession
of a covered boatj of about twelve tons burden, with which he made
many voyages to the Connecticut coasts. In these he was so
successful, that he thought himself justified in undertaking the cares
of a family, and married a female descendant of the same tribe of
Indians to which his mother belonged. For some years after this
event, he attended chiefly to agricultural con(:ems, but the increase
of his family induced him to embark anew in comm^ercial plans*
He arranged his affairs for a new expedition, and hired a small
house on Westport River, to which he removed with his wife and
children. Here, with a boat of eighteen tons, he engaged in the
cod-fishing, and was so successful that he was enabled in a short
time to build a vessel of forty-two tons, which he navigated with the
assistance of his nephews, several of whom had devoted themselves
to the sea-service.

Paul Cuffee was now the most influential person in a thriving
fishing community, which depended chiefly on his enterprise and
voyages for employment and support. How deeply he interested
himself in the welfare of those around him, may be estimated from
the following circumstance. Having felt in his own person the want

17

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

of a proper education, he called the inhabitants of his village tn a
meeting, and proposed to them the establishment of a school. J ind-
ing some disputes and delays to start up in the way, Paul took the
matter into his own hands, built a school-house on his own ground
at his own expense, and threw it open to the public. This enlight-
ened and philanthropic conduct on the part of a coloured person,
the offspring of a slave, may serve as a lesson to rulers and legis-
lators of far higher pretensions. Though the range of his influence
was limited, the intention of the act was not less meritorious than if
it had extended over an empire.

About this time, Paul proceeded on a whaling voyage to the
Straits of Belleisle, where he found four other vessels much bitter
equipped than his own. For this reason the masters of these vesseli
withdrew from the customary practice on such occasions, and refused
to mate with PauFs crew, which consisted of only ten hands. This
disagreement was afterwards made up ; but it had the effect of
rousing the ardour of Cuffee and his men to such a pitch, that out of
seven whales killed in that season, two fell by Paul's own hands, and
four by those of his crew. Returning home heavily freighted with
oil and bone, our hero then went to Philadelphia to dispose of his
cargo, and with the proceeds purchased materials for building a
schooner of sixty or seventy tons. In 1795, when he was about
thirty-six years of age, Paul had the pleasure of seeing his new
vessel launched at Westport. The Ranger was the name given to
the schooner, which was of sixty-nine tons burden. By selling his
two other boats, Paul was enabled to put a cargo worth two 3iou-
sand dollars on board of the Ranger ; and having heard that a load
of Indian corn might be procured at a low rate on the eastefn shore
of Maryland, he accordmgly directed his course thither. It may
give some idea of the low estimation in which the African race was
held, and of the energy required to rise above the crushing weight
of prejudice, when we inform the reader that, on the arrival of Paul
at Vienna, in Nantichoke Bay, the inhabitants were filled with
astonishment, and even alarm ; a vessel owned and commanded by
a black inan, and manned with a crew of the same colour, was
unprecedented and surprising. The fear of a revolt on the part of
their slaves was excited among the inhabitants of Vienna, and an
attempt was made to prevent Paul from entering the harbour. The
prudence and firmness of the negro captain overcame this difficulty,
and converted dislike into kindness and esteem^ He sold his cargo,
received in lieu of it three thousand bushels of Indian com, which
he conveyed to Westport, where it was in great demand, and
yielded our hero a clear profit of a thousand dollars. He made
many subsequent voyages to the same quarter, and always with
similar success.

Paul Cuffee was now one of the wealthiest and most respectable
*iien of the district in whiqh he lived, and all his relations partook

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

of his good-fortune. He had purchased some valuable landed
property in the neighbourhood where his family had been brought
up, and placed it under the care of one of his brothers. He built
a brig likewise of a hundred and sixty-two tons, which was put
under the command of a nephew. As may be supposed, he had in
the meantime fitted himself also with a vessel suited to his increas-
ing means. In 1806, the brig Traveller^ of a hundred and nine tons,
and the ship Alpha^ of two hundred and sixty-eight tons, were built
at Westport, and of these he was the principal owner. He com-
manded the Alpha himself, and the others also were engaged in
the extensive business which he carried on at Westport.

The scheme of forming colonies of free blacks, from. America and
other quarters, on the coast, of their native Africa, excited the deepest
interest in Paul Cuffee, whose heart had always grieved for the
degraded state of his race. Anxious to contribute to the success
of this great purpose, he resolved to visit in person the African coast,
and satisfy himself respecting the state of the country, and other
points. This he accompHshed in iSiij in the brig Traveller^ with
which he reached Sierra Leone after a two months' passage. While
he was there, the British African Institution, hearing of his benevolent
designs, applied for and obtained a license, which induced Paul to
come to Britain with a cargo of African produce. He left his nephew,
however, behind him at Sierra Leone, to prosecute his disinterested
views, and brought away a native youth, in order to educate him,
and render him fit to educate others, on being restored to the place of
his birth.

On arriving at Liverpool with his brig, navigated by eight men of
colour and a boy, Paul Cuffee soon gained the esteem of all with
whom he held intercourse. He visited London twice, the second
visit being made at the request of the members of the African
Institution, who were desirous of consulting with him as to the best
means of carrying their benevolent views respecting Africa into
effect. This excellent and enterprising man shortly after returned
to America, to pass the remainder of his days in the bosom of his
family* and to do good to all around him, with the ample means
which his industry had acquired.

The following description is appended to a notice of him which
appeared in the Liverpool Mercury at the time of his visit to Britain,
and to which we have been indebted for the materials of the present
article: 'A sound understanding, united with indomitable energy
and perseverance, are the prominent features of Paul Cuffee's
character. Bom under peculiar disadvantages^ deprived of the
benefits of early education, and his meridian spent in toil and
vicissitudes, he has struggled under disadvantages which have
seldom occurred in the career of any individual. Yet, tinder the
pressure of these difficulties, he seems to have fostered dispositions
of mind which qualify him for any station of life to which he may

«9

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

be introduced. His person is tall, well formed, and athletic ; his
deportment conciliating, yet dignified and serious. His prudence,
strengthened by parental care and example, no doubt guarded him
in his youth, when exposed to the dissolute company which unavoid-
ably attends a seafaring life ; whilst religion, influencing his mind
by its secret guidance in silent reflection, has, in advancing man-
hood, added to the brightness of his character, and instituted or
confirmed his disposition to practical good. Latterly, he made
application, and was received into membership with the respectable
Society of Friends.'

THE AMISTAD CAPTIVES.

The case of the * Amistad Captives,' as they were termed, created
considerable sensation in the United States; and as little or
nothing was known respecting them in England at the time we
write, we offer the following account, which we have collected from
materials in the work of Mr Sturge.

During the month of August 1839, public attention was excited
by several reports, stating that a vessel of suspicious and piraitical
character had been seen near the coast of the United States, in the
vicinity of New York. This vessel Was represented as a long, low,
black schooner, and manned by blacks. Government interfered,
and the steamer Fulton and several revenue-cutters were despatched
^fter her, and notice was given to the collectors.- at various seaports.

The suspicious-looking schooner proved to be the Amistad, and
it wias eventually captured off CuUoden Point by Lieutenant Gedney,
of the brig Washington. On being taken possession of, it was
found that the schooner was a Spanish vessel, in tlie hands of about
forty Africans,* one of whom, named Cinque, acted as commander.
They described themselves, with truth and consistency, to be persons
who had been originally carried off from their own country as slaves,
and taken to Havana to be sold; bought there by two Spaniards,
Jose Ruijs and Pedro Montez, who shipped them on board the
Amistad, to be conveyed to a distant part of Cuba, at which was
Ruiz's estate ; and that, when at sea, they overpowered their oppres-
sors, killing the captain and part of the crew in the effort to regain
their liberty, and now wished to navigate the vessel homeward to
Africa. Ruiz and Montez they had not injured, but only placed in
confinement till an opportunity occurred" for liberating them. Lieu-
tenant Gedney at once secured the whole as prisoners, and sent them
to Newhaven county jail, where they were detained by Ruiz and
Montez, who claimed them as their property, and caused them to be

* The exact number is not clearly stated by Mr Sturge: be speaks first of forty-four, and
afterwards of thirty-five: as it appears there were several children, perhaps thirty-five was
the number of individuals who took a share in the fray.
20

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

indicted for piracy and murder. This was almost immediately dis-
posed of, oh the ground that the charges, if true, were not cognisable
m the American courts ; the alleged offences having been perpetrated
on board a Spanish vessel. The whole were, however, still kept in
confinement ; the question remaining to be determined, whether they
should be handed over to the Spanish authorities of Cuba, who
loudly demanded them, or transmitted to the coast of Africa ?

It may be supposed that these proceedings excited a lively sensa-
tion among all the friends of the blacks in America, and every
proper means was adopted to procure the liberation of the unhappy
Africans. The American government finally came to the resolution
of delivering them up either as property or assassins ; and Van
Buren, the president, issued an order, Januaiy 7, 1840, to that effect.
But, after all, the order did not avail. The district judge, contrary
to all anticipations of the executive, decided that the negroes were
freemen ; that they had been kidnapped in Africa, and were fully
entitled to their liberty. They were accordingly set free, and allowed
to go where they pleased. This event gave great satisfaction to the
anti-slavery societies throughout the States ; and many persons
kindly vplunteered to assist the late captives in their homeless and
utterly penniless condition. Lewis Tappan, a member of a com-
mittee of benevolent individuals, took a warm interest in their fate,
and was deputed by his brethren to make an excursion with some of
the Africans to different towns, in order to raise funds. In this he
was aided by Mr Deming and one or two others ; and by their
united efforts, several highly interesting public exhibitions were
accomplished, and some money collected. The Africans, it appears,
were natives of Mendi, and possessed no small degree of intelligence.
Ten were selected from among the number as being considered the
best singers, and most able to address an audience in English.
These were named Cinque, Banna, Si-si, Su-ma, Fuli, Ya-bo-i,
So-ko-ma, Kinna, Kali, and Mar-gru. Taken to Boston, they made
a deep impression on the large audiences which came to hear them
sing and tell the story of their capture. In a narrative written by
Mr Tappan, we find the following account of what occurred at one
of these exhibitions. After some preliminary statements, * three of
the best readers were called upon to read a passage in the New
Testament. One of the Africans next related in * Merica language '
their condition in their own country, their being kidnapped^ the
sufferings of the middle passage, their stay at Havana, the trans-
actions on board the Amistad, Sc. The story was intelligible to the
audience, with occasional explanations. They were next requested
to sing two or three of their native songs. This performance
afforded great delight to the audience. As a pleasing contrast, how-
ever, they sang immediately after one of the songs of Zion. This
produced a deep impression upon the audience ; and while these late
pagans were singing so correctly and impressively a hymn in a

21

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

Christian church, many weeping eyes bore testimony that the act
and its associations touched a chord that vibrated in many hearts.
Cinque was then introduced to the audience, and addressed them in
his native tongue. It is impossible to describe the novel and deeply
interesting manner in which he acquitted himself. The subject of
his speech was similar to that of his countrymen who had addressed
the audience in English ; but he related more minutely and graphic-
ally the occurrences on board the Amis tad. The easy manner of
Cinque, his natural, graceful, and energetic action, the rapidity of his
utterance, and the remarkable and various expressions of his coun-
tenance, excited the admiration and applause of the audience. He
was pronounced a powerful natural orator, and one born to sway the
minds of his fellow-men.

* The amoimt of the statements made by Kinna, Fuli, and Cinque,
and the facts in the case, are as follow : These Mendfkns belong to
SLx different tribes, although their dialects are not so dissimilar as to
prevent them from conversing together very readily. Most of them
belong to a country which they call Mendi, but which is known to
geographers and travellers as Kos-sa, and lies south-east of Sierra
Leone, as we suppose, from sixty to one hundred and twenty miles.
With one or two exceptions, these Mendians are not related to each
other ; nor did they know each other until they met at the slave
factory of Pedro Blanco, the wholesale trafficker in men, at Lomboko,
on the coast of Africa. They were stolen separately, many of them
by black men, some of whom were accompanied by Spaniards, as
they were going from one village to another, or were at a distance
from their abodes. The whole came to Havana in the same ship,
a Portuguese vessel named Tecora, except the four children, whom
they saw for the first time on board the Amistad. It seems that
they remained at Lomboko several weeks, until six or seven hundred
were collected, when they were put in irons, and placed in the hold
of a ship, which soon put to sea. Being chased by a British cruiser,
she returned, landed the cargo of human beings, and the vessel was
seized and taken to Sierra Leone for adjudication. After some time
the Africans were put on board the Tecora, After suffering the
horrors of the middle passage, they arrived at Havana. Here
they were put into a barracoo^ for ten days — one of the oblong
enclosures without a roof, where human beings are kept, as they keep
sheep and oxen near the cattle-markets in the vicinity of our large
cities, until purchasers are found — ^v/hen they were sold to Jose Ruiz,
and shipped on board the Amistad^ together with the three girls, and
a little boy who came on board with Pedro Montez. The Amistad
was a coaster, bound to Principe in Cuba, distant some two or three
hundred miles.

The Africans were kept in chains and fetters, and were supplied
with but a smaU quantity of food or water. A single banana, they
say, was served out as food for a day or two, and only a small cup

22

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

of water for each daily. When any of them took a little water fron>
the cask, they were severely flogged. The Spaniards took Antonio,
the cabin-boy, and slave to Captain Ferrer, and stamped him on the
shoulder with a hot iron, then put pov/der, palm-oil, &c. upon the
wound, so that they " could know him for their slave.'* The cook, a
coloured Spaniard, told them that, on their arrival at Principe, in
three days they would have their throats cut, be chopped in pieces,,
and salted down for meat for the Spaniards. He pointed to some
barrels of beef on the deck, then to an empty barrel, and by signifi-
cant gestures — as the Mendians say, by " talking with his fingers"
— ^he made them understand that they were to be slain, &c. At
four o'clock that day, when they were called on deck to eat, Cinque
found a nail, which he secreted under his ami. In the night they
held a council as to what was best to be done. " We feel bad/' said
Kinna, " and we ask Cinque what we had best do. Cinque say :
* Me think, and by and by I tell you.' He then said : * If we do
nothing, we be kiUed. We may as well die in trying to be free, as
to be killed and eaten.'" Cinque afterwards told them what he
would do. With the aid of the nail, and the assistance of another^
he freed himself from the irons on his wrists and ankles, and from
the chain on his neck. He then, with his own hands, wrested the
irons from the limbs and necks of his countrymen.

* It is not in my power to give an adequate description of Cinque
when he shewed how he did this, and led his comrades to the
conflict, and achieved their freedom. In my younger years I saw
Kemble and Siddons, and the representation of Othello^ at Covent
Garden ; but no acting that I ever witnessed came near that tO"
which I allude. When delivered from their irons, the Mendians,.
with the exception of the children, who were asleep, about -four or
five o'clockin the morning, armed with cane-knives, some boxes of
which they found in the hold, leaped upon the deck. Cinque killed
the cook. The captain fought desperately^ He inflicted wounds on
two of the Africans, who soon after died, and cut severely one or two
of those who now survive. Two sailors leaped over the side of the
vessel. The Mendians say: "They could not catch land— -they
must have swum to the bottom of the sea ;" but Ruiz and Montez
supposed they reached the island in a boat. Cinque now took com-
mand of the vessel- placed Si-si at the mdder, and gave his people
plenty to eat and drink. Ruiz and Montez had fled to the hold.
They were dragged out, and Cinque ordered them to be put in
irons. They cried, and begged not to be put in chains ; but Cinque
repUed : " You say fetters good for negro ; if good for negro, good
for Spanish man too ; you try them two days, and see how you feel.'^
The Spaniards asked for water, and it was dealt out to them in the
same Httle cup with which they had dealt it out to the Africans,
They complained bitterly of being thirsty. Cinque said : " You say
little water enough for nigger ; if little water do for him, a little do

23

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

for you too.'* Cinque said the Spaniards cried a great deal ; he felt
very sorry; only meant to let them see how good it was to be treated
iike the poor slaves. In two days the irons were removed, and then,
said Cinque, we gave them plenty water and food, and treat them
very well. Kinna stated, that as the water fell short, Cinque would
not drink any, nor allow any of the rest to drink anything but salt
water, but dealt out daily a little to each of the four children, and
the same quantity to each of the two Spaniards ! In a day or two
Ruiz and Montez wrote a letter, and told Cinque that, when they
spoke a vessel, if he would give it to them, the people would take
them to Sierra Leone. Cinque took the letter, and said : " Very
well;" but afterwards told his brethren: "We have no letter in
Mendi. I don't know what is in the letter — there may be death in
it. So we will take some iron and a string, bind them about the
letter, and send it to the bottom of the sea,"

* At the conclusion of the meeting, some linen and cotton table-
cloths and napkins, manufactured by the Africans, were exhibited,
and eagerly purchased of them by persons present, at liberal prices.
They are in the habit of purchasing linen and cotton at the shops,
unravelling the edges about six to ten inches, and making with their
fingers net fringes, in imitation, they say, of * Mendi fashion.' Large
numbers of the audience advanced and took Cinque and the rest by
the hand. The transacti- ^ > of this meeting have thus been stated
at length, and the account will serve to shew how the subsequent
meetings were conducted, as the services in other places were
similar.

* These Africans, while in prison (which was the greater part of
the time they have been in this country), learned but little compara-
tively; but since they have been liberated, they are anxious to learn,
as they said "it would be good for us in our own country." Many
of them write well, read, spell, and sing well, and have attended to
arithmetic. The younger ones have made great progress in study.
Most of them have much fondness for arithmetic. They have also
cultivated, as a garden, fifteen acres of land, and have raised a
large quantity of corn, potatoes, onions, beets, &c. which will be
useful to them at sea. In some places we visited, the audience were
astonished at the performance of Kali, who is only eleven years of
age. He could not only spell any word in either of the Gospels, but
spell sentences, without any mistake ; such sentences as, " Blessed
are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth," naming each letter
and syllable, and recapitulating as he went along, until he pi^nounced
the whole sentence. Two hundred and seven dollars were received
at this meeting.'

Mr Tappan concludes as follows : 'On Wednesday, there is to be
a large farewell meeting at Farmington ; and in a few days the
Mendians will embark from New York. May the Lord preserve
them, and carr}'- them safely to their native land, to their kindred
24

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

and homes! Su-ma, the eldest, has a wife and five children;
Cinque has a wife and three children. They all have parents or
wives, or brothers and sisters. What a meeting it will be with
these relations and friends when they are descried on the hills of
Mendi ! We were invited to visit other places, but time did not
allow of longer absence. I must not forget to mention, that the
whole band of these Mendians are teetotaleni. At a tavern where
we stopped, Banna took me aside, and with a sorrowful countenance
said : " This bad house — bar house — no good.*' But the steam-boat
is at the wharf, and I must close. The collections in money, on
this excursion of twelve days, are about a thousand dollars, after
deducting travelling expenses. More money is needed to defray the
expenses of the Mendians to their native land, and to sustain their
religious teachers.'

Being unanimous in the desire to return to their native country,
the Meridian negroes, thirty-five in number, embarked from New
York for Sierra Leone, November 27, 1841, on board the barque
Gentleman^ Captain Morris, accompanied by five missionaries and
teachers ; their stay in the United States, as Mr Sturge observes,
having been of immense service to the anti-slavery cause ; and there
was reason to hope that, under their auspices, Christianity and
civilisation may be introduced into their native country.

IGNATIUS SANCHO. >

When the subject of slavery was much agitated towards the end
of the last century, one of the most effective advocates for its aboli-
tion was a free black living in London in the capacity of valev or
butler to a family of distinction. This individual had been born in
a slave vessel bound for Carthagena, in South America, his father
and mother being destined for the slave-market there. Shortly after
their arrival his mother died, and his father committed suicide in
despair. The little slave child was carried to England by his
master, and made a present of to a family of three maiden sisters
residing at Greenwich. Being of a droll and hurriorous disposition,
he earned for himself the nickname of Sancho, after Don Quixote's
squire ; and ever afterwards he called himself Ignatius Sancho.
The Duke of Montague, who was a frequent visitor at the house of
Sancho''s mistresses, took an interest in him, lent him books, and
advised his mistresses to have him educated. At length, on their
death, he entered the service of the Duchess of Montague in the
capacity of butler ; and on the death of the duchess, he was left an
annuity of thirty pounds. This, added to seventy pounds which he
had saved during the period of his service, might have enabled him
to estabHsh himself respectably in life ; but for a while Sancho pre-
ferred the dissipated life of a wit about town, indulging in pleasures

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

beyond his means, and hanging on about the green-rooms of
theatres. On one occasion he spent his last shiUing at Drury Lane
to .^ee Garrick act ; and it is said that Garrick was very fond of his
negro admirer. Such was Sancho's theatrical enthusiasm, that he
proposed at one time to act negro parts on the stage ; but as his
articulation was imperfect, this scheme had to be given up. After
an interval of idleness and dissipation, Sancho's habits became
more regular, and he married an interesting West India girl, by
whom he had a large family. At this period of his life Sancho
devoted himself earnestly to the cause of negro freedom. His
reputation as a wit and humorist still continued ; and his acquaint-
ances were of no mean sort* After his death, two volumes of his
letters were pubhshed, with a fine portrait of the author; and in
these letters his style is said to resemble that of Sterne. As a
•specimen, we subjoin a letter of his to Sterne, with Sterne's reply.

* Reverend Sir — It would be an insult on your humanity (or
perhaps look like it) to apologise for the liberty I am taking. I am
one of those people whom the vulgar and illiberal call negroes.
The first part of my life was rather unlucky, as I was placed in a
family whocjudged ignorance the best, and only security for obedi-
«ence. A little reading and writing I got by unwearied, application.
The latter part of my life has been, through God's blessing, truly
fortunate, having spent it in the service of one of the best and
;greatest famihes in the kingdom; my chief pleasure has been books:
philanthropy I adore. How very much, good sir, am I (amongst
millions) indebted to you for the character of your amiable Uncle
Toby ! I declare I would walk ten miles in the dog-days to shake
hands with the honest corporal. Your sermons have touched me to
the heart, and I hope have amended it, which brings me to the
point. In your tenth discourse, page seventy-eight, in the second
volume, is this very affecting passage. " Consider how great a part
•of our species in all ages down to this have been trod under the feet
•of cruel and capricious tyrants, who would neither hear their cries
nor pity their distresses. Consider slavery, what it is, how bitter a
<iraught, and how many millions are made to drink of it.' Of all
my favourite authors, not one has drawn a tear in favour of my
miserable black brethren excepting yourself and the humane author
^ of Sir George Ellison, I think you will forgive me ; I am sure you
will applaud me for beseeching you to give one half-hour's attention
to slavery, as it is at this day practised in our West Indies. That
subject, handled in your striking manner, would ease the yoke
perhaps oif many ; but if only of one — gracious God ! what a feast to
a benevolent heart ! and sure I am you are an epicurean in acts of
charity. You who are universally read, ^nd as universally admired
— you could not fail. Dear sir, think in me you behold the uplifted
hands of thousands of my brother Moors. Grief, you pathetically

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

observe, is eloquent : figure to yourself their attitudes ; hear their
supplicating addresses! Alas! you cannot refuse. Humanity
must comply ; in which hope I beg permission to subscribe myself,
reverend sir, &c. Ignatius Sancho.'

sterne's reply.

* COXWOULD, July 27, 1767.

* There is a strange coincidence, Sancho, in the little events (as
well as in the great ones) of this world ; for I had been writing a
tender tale of the sorrows of a friendless poor negro girl, and my
eyes had scarce done smarting with it, when your letter of recom-
mendation in behalf of so many of her brethren and sisters came to
me. But why her brethren^ or yours, Sancho, any more than mine ?
It is by the fijiest tints and most insensible gradations that nature
descends from the fairest face about St James's to the sootiest com-
plexion in Africa. At which tint of these is it, that the ties of blood
are to cease ? and how many shades must we descend lower still in
the scale, ere mercy is to vanish with them ? But 'tis no uncommon
thing, my good Sancho, for one half of the world to use the other
half of it like brutes, and then endeavour to make 'em so. For my
own part, I never look westward (when I am in a pensive mood at
least), but I think of the burthens which our brothers and sisters are
there carrying, and could I ease their shoulders from one ounce of
them, I declare I would set out this hour upon a pilgrimage to Mecca
for their sakes — ^which, by the by, Sancho, exceeds your walk of ten
miles in about the same proportion that a visit of humanity should
one of mere form. However, if you meant my Uncle Toby more, he
is your debtor. If I can weave the tale I have wrote into the work I
am about, 'tis at the service of the afflicted, and a much greater
matter; for in serious truth it casts a sad shade upon the world,
that so great a part of it are, and have been, so long bound in chains
of darkness and in chains of misery ; and I cannot but both respect
and felicitate you, that by so much laudable diligence you have broke
the one, and that, by falling into the hands of so good and merciful
a family, Proyidence has rescued you from the other.

* And so, good-hearted Sancho, adieu ! and believe me I will not
forget your letter. Yours, L. Sterne.'

ZHINGx\— A NEGRO QUEEN.

The history of Zhinga, the famous negro queen of Angola, on the

western coast of Africa, exhibits the power of negro character, even

when untutored and left half savage. She was born in 1582, a time

when the Portuguese were planting trading settlements on the African

coast, and making encroachments on the possessions of the native

27

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

princes. When Zhingawas forty years of a^e, and while her brothe?
reigned over Angola, she was sent as ambassadress to I^panda, to
treat of peace with the Portuguese viceroy at that place. * A palace
was prepared for her reception, and she was received with the honours
due to her rank. On entering the audience-chamber, she perceived
that a magnificent chair of state was prepared for the Portuguese
viceroy, while in front of it a rich carpet and velvet cushions, embroid-
ered with gold, were arranged on the floor for her use. The haughty
princess observed this in silent displeasure. She gave a signal with
her eyes, and immediately one of her women knelt on the carpet,
supporting her weight on her hands. Zhinga gravely seated her-
self on the woman's back, and awaited the entrance of the viceroy.
The spirit and dignity with which she fulfilled her mission excited the
admiration of the whole court. When an alliance was offered upon
the condition of an annual tribute to the king of Portugal, she proudly
refused it ; but finally concluded a treaty on the single condition of
restoring all the Portuguese prisoners. When the audience was ended^
the viceroy, as he conducted her from the room, remarked that the
attendant on whose back she had been seated still remained in the
same posture. Zhinga replied : " It is not fit that the ambassadress
of a great king should be twice served with the same seat. I have
no farther use for the womaR

During her stay at Loanda she embraced Christianity, or pre-
tended to embrace it ; was baptised, and in other respects conformed
to European customs. Shortly after her return to Angola, her brother
died, and she ascended the throne, making sure of it by strangling
her nephew. On her accession to the throne, she was involved in a war
with the Portuguese ; and, assisted by the Dutch, and by some native
chiefs, she carried on the c<yitest with great vigour. At length, however,
the Portuguese were completely victorious, and as she refused the offer
which they made of re-establishing her on the throne, on condition
that she should pay an annual-tribute, another sovereign was appointed,
and Zhinga was obliged to flee. Exasperated at this treatment, she
renounced Christianity, as being the religion of the Portuguese ;
and, placing herself at the head of a faithful band of negroes, she
harassed the Portuguese for eighteen years, demanding the restoration
of her kingdom, and listening to no other tdrms. At length, softened
by the influence of advancing age, and by the death of a sister to
whom she was much attached, she began to be haunted with feelings
of remorse on account of her apostasy from the Christian faith.
The captive Portuguese priests, whom she now treated with kindness
and respect, prevailed on her to declare herself again a convert.
She was then reinstated in her dominions, and distinguished herself
by her zeal in propagating her new religion among her pagan subjects,
not a few of whom were martyred for their obstinacy by her orders.

28

* Mrs Child's Appeal,

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

Among other laws, she passed one prohibiting polygamy, till then
common in her kingdom ; and as this gave great offence, she set an
example to her subjects by marrying one of her courtiers, although
she was then in her seventy-sixth year. She also abolished the
custom of human sacrifices. She strictly observed her treaties with
the Portuguese ; and in 1657, one of her tributaries having violated
the terms of peace, she marched against him, and having defeated
him, cut off his head, and sent it to the Portuguese viceroy. Nothing,
however, not even the influence of the priests, could prevail on her
to become a vassal of the Portuguese king. One of her last acts was
to send an embassy to the pope, * requesting more missionaries among
her people. The pontiffs answer was publicly read in church, where
Zhinga appeared with a numerous and brilliant train. At a festival
in honour of this occasion, she and the ladies of her court performed
a mimic battle in the dress and armour of Amazons. Though more
than eighty years old, this remarkable woman displayed as much
strength, agility, and skill, as she could have done at twenty-five.
She died in 1663, aged eighty-two. Arrayed in royal robes, orna-
mented with precious stones, with a bow and arrow in her hand, the
body was shewn to her sorrowing subjects. It was then, according
to her wish, clothed in the Capuchin habit, with crucifix and rosary/

PLACIDO, THE CUBAN POET.

In the month of July 1844, twenty persons were executed together
at Havana, in Cuba, for having been concerned in a conspiracy
for giving liberty to the black population — the slaves of the Spanish
inhabitants. One of these, and the leader of the revolt, was Gabriel
de la Concepcion Valdes, more commonly known by the name of
Placido, the Cuban poet. Little is known of this negro beyond a
few particulars contained in one or two brief newspaper notices,
which appeared shortly after his execution, announcing the fact in
this country. The Heraldo, 2l Madrid newspaper, in giving an
account of the execution, speaks of him as *the celebrated poet
Placido ;* and says, * this man was born with great natural genius,
and was beloved and appreciated by the most respectable young
men of Havana, who united to purchase his release from slavery.'
The Poems by a Cuba?z Slave, edited by Dr Madden some years ago,
are believed to have been the compositions of this gifted negro.
Placido appears to have burned with a desire to do something for
his race ; and hence he employed his talents not only in poetry, but
als)0 in schemes for altering the political condition of Cuba. The
Spanish papers, as might be expected, accuse hipi of wild and
ambitious projects, and of desiring to excite an insurrection in Cuba
similar to the memorable negro insurrection in St Domingo fifty
years ago. Be that as it may, Placido was at the head of a con-
spiracy formed in Cuba in the beginning of 1844. The conspiracy

29

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

failed, and Placido, with a number of his companions, was seized
by the Spanish authorities. The following is the account given of
his execution in a letter from Havana, dated July i6, 1844, v/hich
appeared in the Morning Herald newspaper : * What dreadful scenes
have we not witnessed here these last few months ! what arrests and
frightful developments ! what condemnations and horrid deaths !
But the bloody drama seems approaching its close ; the curtain has
just fallen on the execution of the chief conspirator, Placido, who
met his fate with a heroic calmness that produced a universal
impression of regret. Nothing was positively known of the decision
of the council respecting him, till it was rumoured a few days since
that he would proceed, along with others, to the "chapeP' for the
condemned. On the appointed day a great crowd was assembled,
and Placido was seen walking along with singular composure under
circumstances so gloomy, smoking a cigar, and saluting with grace-
ful ftase his numerous acquaintances. Are you aware what the
punishment of the " chapel " means ? It is worse a thousand times
than the death of which it is the precursor. The unfortunate crimi-
nals are conducted into a chapel hung with black, and dimly lighted.
Priests are there to chant in a sepulchral voice the service of the
dead ; and the coffins of the trembling victims are arrayed in cruel
relief before their eyes. Here they are kept for twenty-four hours,
and are then led out to execution. Can anything be more awful?
And what a disgusting aggravation of the horror of the coming
death ! Placido emerged from the chapel cool and undismayed,
whilst the others were nearly or entirely overcome with the agonies
they had already undergone. The chief conspirator held a crucifix
in his hand, and recited in a loud voice a beautiful prayer in verse,
which thrilled upon the heart? of the attentive masses which lined
the road he passed. On arriving at the fatal spot, he sat down on a
bench with his back turned, as ordered, to the military, and rapid
preparations were made for his death. An^ now the dread hour had
arrived. At the 4ast he arose, and said : " Adios, mundo ; no hay
piedad para mi. Soldados, fuego!" ("Adieu, O world; here is no
pity for me. Soldiers, fire ! '0- Five balls entered his body. Amid
the murmurs of the horror-struck spectators, he got up and turned
his head upon the shrinking soldiers, his face wearing an expression
of superhuman courage. " Will no one have pity on me he said.
" Here," pointing to his heart—" fire here.'' At that instant two balls
pierced his breast, and he fell dead whilst his words still echoed
in our ears. Thus has perished the great leader of the attempted
revolt.'

The following is a translation, by Maria Weston Chapman, of the
beautiful hnes composed by Placido, as above narrated. 'They
were written in prison the night before his execution, and were
solemnly recited by him as he proceeded to the place of death, so
that the concluding stanza was uttered a few moments before he
30

INTELLIGENT NEGROES.

expired/ The original is in Spanish ; but the following appears te*
be a pleasing version.

* Being of infinite goodness ! God Almighty !
I hasten in mine agony to Thee I
Rending the hateful veil of calumny,
Stretch forth thine arm omnipotent in pity ;
Efface this ignominy from my brow,
Wherewith the world is fain to brand it now.

O King of kings ! Thou God of my forefathers I

My God ! Thou only my defence shalt be,

Who gav'st her riches to the shadowed sea ;
From whom the North her frosty treas-are gathers —

Of heavenly hght and solar flame the giver,

Life to the leaves, and motion to the river.

Thou canst do all things. What thy will doth cherish.

Revives to being at thy sacred voice.

Without Thee ail is naught, and at thy choice.
In fathomless eternity must perish.

Yet e'en that nothingness thy will obeyed,

When of its void humanity was made.

Merciful God ! I can deceive Thee never ;

Since, as through ether's bright transparency, ■

Eternal wisdom still my soul can see
Through every earthly lineament for ever.

Forbid it, then, that Innocence should stand

Humbled, while Slander claps her impious hand.

But if the lot thy sovereign power shall measure

Must be to perish as a wretch accursed,

And men shall trample over my cold dust—
The corse outraging with malignant pleasure —

Speg.k, and recall my being at thy nod !

Accomplish in me all thy wiH, my God ! '

CONCLUSION.

While these notices anay be (^use in aiding tlie cause of the much
oppressed negro, -are in mo respect designed to establish the
fact, that the white asM '^ark races are upQH the same native intel-
lectual level, and that education and other drcumstances effect all
the difference which is observable between them. It would, we
believe, be imprudent, however philanthropic, to attempt to establish
this proposition, for it is inconsistent with truth, and can only tend to
obstruct our arrival at a less ambitious, but still friendly and hopeful

31

INTELLIGENT NEGROJIS.

proposition respecting the negroes, which appears, both from their
organisation and external manifestations of character, to be the only
one that can be maintained— that is, that, in the mass, they are at
present far behind the white races, but capable of being cultivated,
in the course of successive generations, up to the same point ; a
small advance in each generation being all that can be achieved in
the way of civilisation even among the white races, and being appa-
rently the law of social progress. The negro intellect is, we believe,
chiefly deficient in the reasoning powers and higher sentiments :
these, though doubtless present in some rudimental form, could no
more be called instantaneously into the same vigorous exercise in
which we find them in Europe, than could the wild-apple, by
sudden transplantation to an orchard, be rendered into a pippin.
They would require, ia the first place, a species of tender nursing, to
bring them into palpable existence. From infancy they would need
to be fondled into childhood, from childhood trained into youth, and
from oiith cultivated into manhood. It is not a thin whitewash of
European knowledge which will at once alter the features of the
African mind. The work must be the work of ages, and those ages
must be judiciously employed.

There is no fact more illustrative of this hypothesis than the occa-
sional appearance of respectable intellect, and the frequency of good
dispositions, amongst the negroes. Such men as Jenkins and Gary
at once close the mouths of those who, from ignorance or something
worse, allege an absolute difference in specific character between the
two races, and yiistify the consignment of the black to a fate which

only proves the lingering barbarism of the white.

32 0