Thus early were the minds of our forefathers awake to this manifest infraction of human rights, and having their consciences and feelings enlisted in the cause, though often thwarted in their pur. poses, they still continued to renew their efforts, so that more than one dozen of acts may be counted upon our statute books, tending directly or indirectly to repress or abolish slavery prior to our Revolution. Finally, the memorable act of 1780, when we had "set up for ourselves," for ever released us from the thraldom of "Sinews bought and sold!"

A letter of 4 mo. 1715, from Jonathan Dickinson, a merchant of Philadelphia, and a Friend, to his correspondent in Jamaica, says, "I must entreat you to send me no more negroes for sale, for our people dont care to buy, They are generally against any coming into the country. Few people care to buy them. except for those who live in other provinces."-Vide the Logan MSS.

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Some benevolent individual, as early as the year 1722, advertised in the Mercury Gazette of Philadelphia, that "a person, lately arrived, freely offers his services to teach his poor brethren, the male negroes, to read the Holy Scriptures without any charge."

The celebrated Whitfield embraced the benevolent scheme of ameliorating the condition of the blacks he saw in our colonies. In 1739 he published his letter to the southern planters, against the practice of slavery, and in favour of the blacks; at the same time he takes up 5000 acres on the Forks of Delaware, (the same sold to Count Zinzendorf for Bethlehem,) in order to erect a negro school, &c. His choice of Pennsylvania for his negro colony and settlement, showed thus early his favourable opinion of the good feelings to that race in Pennsylvania.

At the same time we may perceive, that as a slave holding colony the odious features of slavery were necessarily to be seen among us, such as the public buying and selling,-their arrival and landing from ships, &c. I give the following facts in illustration of things as they were once among us, to wit:

Year 1736-William Allen and Joseph Turner, merchants, advertise for sale some likely negroes from Barbadoes; another about the same time advertises for sale a likely breeding negro woman and her boy of two years old.

Year 1762-Messrs. Willing and Morris advertise for sale 170 negroes just arrived from the Gold Coast.

It was the common incident of the day to vend blacks of both sexes at public sale, at the old London Coffee House, setting up the subject upon the head of a cask for display to the purchasers around.

After better views and feelings had long prevailed, old recollections were strongly revived in an incident which occurred in the year 1800.-The Ganges sloop of war captured two vessels engaged in slavery, and brought them into our Delaware-one had 118 and the other 16 slaves. In encamping these at the Lazaretto

for the benefit of free air and health, a husband and wife, separated in the ships. never expecting to meet again, recognised each other. Their mutual recognisance was passionately fond and affecting. The sudden surprise and joy was too powerful for the wife, and she became a premature mother. But through the well directed kindness of the Abolition Society she was restored to health and freedom.

Before the Revolution it was a common incident in Philadelphia to send family servants to the jail to get their dozen lashes, for acts of insubordination. This was done at the pleasure of the master, and was usually executed on receiving a written message from the owners. An old gentleman told me of a case which he witnessed :-A master sent his servant, Hodge's Cato," with his letter, wherein he requested to have him well whipt. The black was shrewd, suspected it conveyed some ill to him. and fell upon a device to shun it. He stretched himself on the stall at the market house near the prison, affecting to have been seized with violent cramps and pains in the bowels. When he had succeeded to excite the pity of some bystanders, he begged a black fellow near him to hurry away and deliver his letter, as it was a matter requiring haste. The appeal answered the purpose fully; for, maugre all his remonstrances, he received all the lashes bespoke for "the bearer!"

When slaves were purchased in early times with intention to be taken to other colonies, there was seen, even in Philadelphia, the odious spectacle of "the drove," tied two and two, passing through the city towards the country.-Several of the aged have told me of witnessing such things even in the gentle city of Penn!

Many can still remember when the slaves were allowed the last days of the fairs for their jubilee, which they employed (light hearted wretch !") in dancing the whole afternoon in the present Washington Square, then a general burying ground-the blacks joyful above, while the sleeping dead reposed below! In that field could be seen at once more than one thousand of both sexes divided into numerous little squads, dancing, and singing, "each in their own tongue," after the customs of their several nations in Africa. Finally, a discerning lady, who has witnessed the former years," and has seen the comparative happiness of the blackshas felt too, her strong affections and domestic relations to her family servants-thus speaks of her sense of the change produced in family comforts! In the olden time domestic comforts were not every day interrupted by the pride and profligacy of servants. The slaves of Philadelphia were a happier class of people than the free blacks of the present day generally are, who taint the very air by their vices, and exhibit every sort of wretchedness and profligacy in their dwellings. The former felt themselves to be an integral part of the family to which they belonged. They experienced in all respects the same consideration and kindness as white

servants, and they were faithful and contented." The truth is, in numerous cases where they were freed, they preferred to remain and receive their wages till their deaths.

Kalm, the Swedish traveller, speaks of the then only free negroes in Philadelphia in 1748, as having been manumitted by a Quaker master-probably referring to Ralph Sandiford, who freed all of his in the year 1733, and probably presenting to us the first instance of the kind known in our annals.

There is an ancient charity for the blacks of Philadelphia, founded as early as the year 1696, and yet, although in actual operation, is as much unknown to the mass of our citizens as if it were in Africa!

It originated with the Rev. Dr. Bray, American missionary, the Bishop of London, and Mr. D'Alone, Secretary to King William. Its primary object was "the conversion of adult negroes, and the education of their children" in the British plantations. Its operation with our Philadelphia blacks began about the year 1760. And in 1774 the ground rents of a large lot in our city was set apart for the payment of the expenses of two schools for blacks, one for each sex, to be educated gratuitously. The Associates" in England are perpetual; and from their appointments, three of our citizens, churchmen, constantly serve the schools as directors and governors.-Those now in service are William Meredith, Thomas Hale, and James S. Smith, Esquires. Such a charity, supported by foreigners, deserves to be better known, and especially by those blacks who may become its beneficiaries.

REDEMPTION SERVANTS.

NUMEROUS persons used to arrive every year from Germany and Ireland, who engaged themselves for a term of years to pay their passages. Some of them turned out frugal and industrious, and became in time a part of our wealthy citizens. In some few cases they appear to have been convicts from Ireland. In one case the servant was found to be a Lord, and returned home to inherit his estate. The general facts are to the following effect, to wit:

In 1722 the Palatine servants were disposed of at 10£. each, for 5 years of servitude. About this time a MS. letter of Jonathan Dickinson says, "Many who have come over under covenants for four years are now masters of great estates."

1728-An advertisement reads, "Lately imported, and to be sold cheap, a parcel of likely men and women servants.”—These were probably servants from Europe.

1729-In New Castle government there arrived last year, says the Gazette, 4500 persons, chiefly from Ireland; and at Philadelphia, in one year, 267 English and Welsh, 43 Scotch-all servants, 1155 Irish, and 243 Palatines, of whom none were servants.

In 1737, an article appears in the Pennsylvania Gazette to the following effect, to wit: An errant cheat detected at Annapolis! A vessel arrived there, bringing 66 indentures, signed by the Mayor of Dublin, and 22 wigs, of such a make as if they were intended for no other use than to set out the convicts when they should go ashore." Thus these convicts were attempted, under fraudulent papers and decent wigs, to be put off as decent servants, and especially when surmounted with wigs! Same time is advertised "for sale, a parcel of English servants from Bristol."

In 1741, public information is given to merchants and captains that Augustus Gun of Cork, bellman, has power from the Mayor there, to procure servants for America for this many years past.

Such an advertisement in a Philadelphia paper, was of course an intimation that the Mayor of Cork was willing to get off sundry culprits to the colonies.

In 1750, some of our good citizens take alarm at the idea of having criminals, "unwhipt of justice," imposed upon them. They thought the offences of such, when among us, swelled our criminal list. One writes upon the subject and "When we see our pa

says

pers filled so often with accounts of the most audacious robberies, the most cruel murders, and other villanies, perpetrated by convicts from Europe, what will become of our posterity! In what could Britain injure us more than emptying her jails on us? What must we think of those merchants, who, for the sake of a litle petty gain, will be concerned in importing and disposing of these abominable cargoes." From the tenor of the preceding article it is probable they got premiums in some cases for taking off such unwelcome guests. In some cases the severity of British laws pushed off young men, of good abilities, for very small offences, who made very capable clerks, storekeepers, &c. among us. I have knowledge of two or three among us, even within my memory, who rose to riches and credit here, and have left fine families. One great man before my time had been sold in Maryland as an offender in Ireland. While serving his master as a common servant, he showed much ability, unexpectedly, in managing for him an important lawsuit, for which he instantly gave him free He then came to Philadelphia, and amassed a great fortune in landed estate, now of great value among his heirs.

When Kalm was here, in 1748, he speaks of wages of hired people as from 16 to 20£. currency. A servant woman got from 8 to 10. a year, and laid up money. About the same rate of wages continued down to the period of the Revolution. At such wages families were better served than now, and most of them were accustomed to remain in the same families for years.

The case of Lord Altham, who came to this country in 1728 when a lad, and served out his servitude, as James Annesley, with a farmer, on the Lancaster road, forms in itself a curious and interesting recital. The circumstance has furnished the groundwork for Roderick Random, and for the popular novel of Florence M Cartey. The facts are as follows, to wit:

The facts concerning this singular case are taken from the evidence given on the trial, and may be depended on as authentic.

Arthur Annesley (Lord Altham) married Mary Sheffield, natural daughter of the Earl of Buckingham. By her, in the year 1715, he had a son, James, the subject of this memoir. In the next year the parents had some differences, which terminated in a separation. The father, contrary to the wish of the mother, took exclusive possession of his son James, and manifested much fondness for him, until the year 1722, when he formed some intimacy with Miss Gregory; and about the same time his wife died. Miss G. expecting now to become his wife, exerted herself greatly to alienate his affections from his son, by insinuating that he was not his proper child. She succeeded to get him placed from home, at a school in Dublin. In November, 1727, Lord Altham died; and his brother Richard, wishing to possess the estate and title, took measures to get rid of his nephew, James, by having him enticed on board an American vessel, which sailed from Dublin in April, 1728. He was landed at Philadelphia, then in his thirteenth year, and sold as a Redemp