and carelessly along the thronged Levée, as though he carried no weight but his own thick cranium. On looking round me for a moment, on landing, I was far from agreeably impressed with the general appearance of the buildings.

"The principal street, which terminates at the ascent of the hill, runs parallel with the river, and is lined on either side with a row of old wooden houses; which are alternately gambling-houses, brothels, and bar-rooms: a fair assemblage! As we passed through the street-which we gained with difficulty from the boat, picking our way to it as we could, through a filthy alley-the low, broken, half-sunken side-walks, were blocked up with fashionably-dressed young men, smoking or lounging, tawdrily arrayed, highly rouged females, sailors, Kentucky boatmen, negroes, negresses, mulattoes, pigs, dogs, and dirty children. The sounds of profanity, and Bacchanalian revels, well harmonising with the scene, assailed our ears as we passed hastily along, through an atmosphere of tobacco smoke and other equally fragrant odours. After a short walk we emerged into a purer air, and in front of a very neat and wellconducted hotel. From near this place, extending along the Levée to the north, commences the mercantile part of the 'landing,' lined with stores and extensive warehouses, in which is transacted a very heavy business. The whole of this lower town is built upon a reclaimed flat, from one to two hundred yards broad, and half a mile in length; bounded upon one side by the river, and on the other by the cliff or bluff, upon which Natchez stands, and which rises abruptly from the Batture, to the height of one hundred and sixty feet. This bluff extends along the river, more or less varied and broken, for several miles; though at no point so abrupt and bold as here, where it bears the peculiar characteristics of the wild scenery of Dover cliffs.' The face of the cliff at Natchez is not a uniform precipice, but, apparently by the provident foresight of nature, broken by an oblique shelf or platform, gradually inclining from the summit to the base. With but a little excavation, a fine road has been constructed along this way, with an inclination sufficiently gentle to enable the heaviest teams to ascend with comparative ease.

"On arriving at the summit of the hill, I delayed a moment, for the double purpose of taking breath and surveying the scene spread out around me. Beneath lay the roofs of warehouses, stores, and dwellings, scattered over a flat, sandy surface, which was bordered, on the water side, by hundreds of up-country flat-boats, laden with the produce of the rich farming states bordering the Ohio and Upper Mississippi.' Lower down, steamers were taking in and discharging freight; while the mingled sounds of the busy multitude rose like the hum of a hive upon the ear. Immediately opposite me lay two ships, which, with their towering masts, gay flags, and dark hulls, agreeably relieved the otherwise long and unbroken line of boats. To the north, the river spreads its noble bosom till lost in the distance; while the continuous line of cliffs, extending along its shore like a giant-wall, seem to speak in the language of power, 'thus far shalt thou flow, and no farther, and here shall thy proud waves be stayed.' To the south, the view is confined by the near projection of the obtruding cliffs. Yet the river stretches boldly out many miles on its course toward the sea, till lost to sight within the bosom of the distant forests which bound the southern horizon. To the west, the eye travels over the majestic breadth of the river, here a mile wide, and rests for a moment upon level and richly cultivated fields beyond, a quiet village and noble forests, which spread away to the west like a vast sea of waving foliage, till they blend with the bending sky, forming a level and unbroken horizon. Turning from this scene of

41

grandeur and beauty to the east, Natchez, mantled with rich green foliage like a garment, with its handsome structures and fine avenues, here a dome and there a tower, lies immediately before me. very contrast to its straggling namesake below. The city proper conIt is the sists of six streets, at right angles with the river, intersected by seven others of the same length, parallel with the stream. parallel street, is laid out about one hundred yards back from the verge The front, or first of the bluff, leaving a noble green esplanade along the front of the city, which not only adds to its beauty, but is highly useful as a promenade and parade ground. Shade trees are planted along the border, near the verge of the precipice, beneath which are placed benches, for the comfort of the lounger. From this place, the eye commands one of the most extensive prospects to be found on the Mississippi. To a spectator, standing in the centre of this broad, natural terrace, the symmetrical arrangement of the artificial scenery around him is highly picturesque and pleasing."

He was present, from motives of curiosity, shortly after, at an auction of slaves in Natchez, and he thus describes the scene. It was in "Main street," the "Broadway" of the city.

"Walk with me into this street about noon on a pleasant day in December. It is the only one nearly destitute of shade trees; but the few it boasts are shedding their yellow leaves, which sprinkle the broad, regular, and well-constructed side-walks, and the warm sun shines down cheerily and pleasantly upon the promenaders.-Here, at the corner, surrounded by a crowd, is an auction store. Upon a box by the door, stands a tall, fine-looking man. But he is black; ebony cannot be blacker. Of the congregation of human beings there, he is the most unconcerned. Yet he has a deeper interest in the transactions of the moment than all the rest-for a brief space will determine whom, among the multitude, he is to call master! The auctioneer descants at large upon his merits and capabilities.-' Acclimated, gentlemen! a first-rate carriage-driver-raised by Col. mine him, gentlemen-a strong and athletic fellow-but twenty-seven Six hundred dollars is bid. Exayears of age.' He is knocked off at seven hundred dollars; and with There's your master,' by the seller, who points to the purchaser, springs from his elevation to follow his new owner; while his place is supplied by another subject. These scenes are every-day matters here, and attract no attention after beholding them a few times; so powerful is habit, even in subduing our strongest prejudices. But the following dialogue, overheard by me, between two well-dressed, smart-looking blacks near by, one seated listlessly upon his coach-box, the other holding the bridle of his master's horse-though brief, contains a volume of meaning, in illustrating the opinions and views of the blacks upon the state of their degraded race.

"You know dat nigger they gwine to sell, George?"

"No, he field nigger; I nebber has no 'quaintance wid dat class.' "Well, nor no oder gentlemens would. But he's a likely chap. How much you tink he go for?' 'I a'nt much 'quainted wid de price of such kind o' peoples. My master paid seven hundred dollar for me, when I come out from ole Wirginney-dat nigger fetch five hun'red dollar, I reckon.'

"You sell for only seben hun'red dollars!' exclaimed the gentleman upon the coach-seat, drawing himself up with pride, and casting a contemptuous glance down upon his companion: 'my massa give eight VOL. XVIII.-No. 37.

6

hundred and fifty silver dollars for me. Gom! I tink dat you was more 'spectable nigger nor dat.' At this turn of the conversation the negro was struck off at seven hundred, at which the colloquist of the same price became highly chagrined; but, stepping upon the stirrup, and raising himself above the crowd, that he might see the fool massa what give so much for a miserable good-for-nothing nigger, not wort' his corn,' consoled himself with the reflection that the buyer was 'a man what made no more dan tirty bale cotton; while my master make tree hun'red, and one of de firs' gemmans too!"

We continue our extracts, with the further view of enabling our readers to judge of the apparent contentedness, or otherwise, of the slaves; and to add another proof of the great humanity with which, (to the honour of the planters of the United States be it spoken,) as an almost universal rule, the negroes are treated.

"In 'Natchez under the hill,' the Sabbath, as a day of rest and public worship, is not observed according to the strictest letter of the old blue laws.' On that day the stores are kept open, and generally filled with boatmen and negroes. With the latter this day is a short jubilee, and, with the peculiar skill of their race, they make the most of it-condensing the occupation and the jollity of seven days into one. It is customary for planters in the neighbourhood to give their slaves a small piece of land to cultivate for their own use, by which those who are industrious generally make enough to keep themselves and their wives in extra finery and spending money throughout the year. They have the Sabbath day given them as a holiday, when they are permitted to leave their plantations and come into town to dispose of their produce, and lay in their own little luxuries and private stores. The various avenues to the city are consequently on that day filled with crowds of chatting, laughing negroes, arrayed in their Sunday's best, and adroitly balancing heavily loaded baskets on their heads, which, from long practice in this mode of conveyance, often become indurated, like a petrification, and as flat as the palm of the hand, distending at the sides, and elongating in proportion to the depression, causing a peculiar conformation of the skull, which would set phrenology at defiance. Others mounted on mules or miserable-looking plough-horses, in whose presence Rosinante himself would have looked sleek and respectable-burthened with their marketable commodities, jog on side by side, with their dames or sweethearts riding double-jaded' as the Yankees term the mode-behind them; while here and there market carts returning home from the city, (as this is also market morning) or from the intersecting roads, pour in upon the highway to increase the life, variety, and motley character of its crowd. But this unpleasing picture of a Sabbath morning, has brighter tints to redeem the graver character of its moral shades. Of all that picturesque multitude of holiday slaves, two-thirds, the majority of whom are women, are on their way to church, into whose galleries they congregate at the hour of divine service in great numbers, and worship with an apparent devoutness and attention, which beings who boast intellects of a higher order might not disdain to imitate. The female slaves very generally attend church in this country; but, whether to display their tawdry finery, of which they are fond to a proverb, or for a better purpose, I will not undertake to determine. The males prefer collecting in little knots in the streets, where, imitating the manners, bear

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ing, and language of their masters, they converse with grave faces and in pompous language, selecting hard, high-sounding words, which are almost universally misapplied, and distorted from their original sound, as well as sense, to a most ridiculous degree-astounding their gaping auditors 'ob de field nigger class,' who cannot boast such enviable accomplishments-parading through the streets from mere listlessness, or gathering around and filling the whiskey shops, spending their little all for the means of intoxication. Though negroes are proverbially lovers of whiskey, but few are to be found among them who get drunk, unless on Christmas holidays, when the sober ones are most easily numbered; this is owing to the discipline of plantations, the little means they have wherewith to purchase, and last, though not least, the fear of punishment-that argumentum ad corporem,' which leaves a stinging conviction behind it, of the painful effects of 'old rye' in the abstract upon the body."

With one more extract, we shall take our leave of this part of the subject, promising our readers, if they will turn to the book itself, many more passages of equal raciness.

"While standing upon the gallery in the evening, enjoying the various busy scenes and confused sounds peculiar to a plantation at the close of day, my attention was drawn to a lugubrious procession, consisting of seven or eight negroes, approaching the house from the 'quarters,' some with blankets thrown like cloaks over their shoulders, their heads bandaged, and moving with a listless gait of inimitable helplessness. One after another they crawled up and presented themselves, before the open passage in the gallery. Seeing such a sad assembly, I approached them with curiosity, while their master, notified of their arrival, came out to examine into the state of this his walking hospital. Of all modifications of the 'human face divine,' that of the sick negro is the most dolorous. Their miserable, abject, hollow-eyed look, has no parallel. The negro is not an Adonis, in his best estate. But he increases his natural ugliness by a laxity of the muscles, a rolling of the eye, and a dropping of the under jaw, when ill, which give his face a most ludicrously wobegone appearance. The transparent, jet-black hue of his skin altogether disappears, leaving the complexion a dingy brown or sallow, which in no slight degree increases the sadness of his physiognomy. Those who are actually ill, generally receive every attention that humanity-not interest'-dictates. It has been said that interest is the only friend of the slave; that without this lever applied to the feelings of the master, he would never be influenced to care for his slaves either in health or sickness. However true this may be in individual instances, a vast number of cases have come within my knowledge, which have convinced me that as a general censure this charge is unmerited. Planters, particularly native planters, have a kind of affection for their negroes, incredible to those who have not observed its effects. If rebellious, they punish them-if well-behaved, they not unfrequently reward them. In health, they treat them with uniform kindness-in sickness, with attention and sympathy. I once called on a native planter-a young bachelor, like many of his class, who had graduated at Cambridge, and traveled in Europe-yet northern education and foreign habits did not destroy the Mississippian. I found him by the bed-side of a dying slave-nursing him with a kindness of voice and manner, and displaying a manly sympathy with his sufferings, honourable to himself and to humanity. On large plantations, hospitals are erected for the

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The Southwest.

reception of the sick, and the best medical attendance is provided for them. The physicians of Natchez derive a large proportion of their incomes from attending plantations. On some estates a physician permanently resides, whose time may be supposed sufficiently taken up in attending to the health of from one to two hundred persons. Often, several plantations, if the 'force' on each is small, unite, and employ one physician for the whole. Every plantation is supplied with suitable medicines, and generally to such an extent, that some room or part of a room in the planter's house is converted into a small apothecary's shop. These, in the absence of the physician in any sudden emergency, are administered by the planter. Hence, the health of the slaves, so far as medical skill is concerned, is well provided for. They are well fed and warmly clothed in the winter, in warm jackets and trowsers, and blanket coats enveloping the whole person, with hats or woolen caps and bro

In summer they have clothing suitable to the season, and a raggans. ged negro is less frequently to be met with than in northern cities.

"The attendance which the sick receive is a great temptation for the slaves to sham' illness. I was dining not long since in the country where the lady-a planter's daughter, and the wife and mother of a planter-sent from the table some plates of rich soup and boiled fowl to poor sick Jane and her husband,' as she observed in her reply to one who inquired if any of her people' were unwell. A portion of the dessert was also sent to another who was convalescent. Those who are not considered ill enough to be sent to the hospital, are permitted to reThe sombre promain in their houses or cabins, reporting themselves every evening at the 'great hus,' as they term the family mansion. cession alluded to above, which led to these remarks, consisted of a few of these invalids, who had appeared at the gallery to make their evening report. On being questioned as to their respective conditions, a scene ensues, that, to be appreciated, must be observed.

"What ails you, Peter?' 'Mighty sick, master.' 'Show me your tongue and out, inch by inch, projects a long tongue, not unlike the sole of his shoe in size and colour, accompanied by a groan from the very pit of the stomach. If the negro is actually ill, suitable medicine is prescribed, which his master or the physician compels him to swallow in his presence. For, sick or well, and very fond of complaining, they will never take 'doctor's stuff,' as they term it, but, throwing it away as soon as they are out of sight, either go without any medicine, or take some concoction in repute among the old African beldames in the 'quarters,' by which they are sickened if well, and made worse if ill, and present themselves for inspection the next evening, by no means improved in health. They are fond of shamming, or skulking,' as sailors term it, and will often voluntarily expose themselves to sickness, in order to obtain exemption from labour."

two sexes.

Until very lately, the society, not only of Natchez, but of all the southwest, exhibited a lamentable disproportion between the "How different," says our author, "from the land of steady habits,' where the prediction of seven women taking hold of one man, is literally fulfilled." This, of course, is the necessary condition of a new country; the stronger sex being foremost in emigration, and returning for helpmates only when tolerable quarters are prepared for them. however, the balance more difficult to be adjusted, is, the fact that the emigrating men acquire bachelor habits not easily

What renders,