Various features of the slave-system, most aptly described in the language of the Bible.

1. Thus saith the LORD God, Woe to the women that sew pillows to all arm-holes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, — and will ye pollute me among my people, for handsful of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people, that hear your lies? Ezek. xiii, 18.

2. If a man be just and hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment; hath executed true judgment between man and man, he shall surely live, saith the LORD God. Ezek. xviii, 5-9.

3. Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to de stroy souls, to get dishonest gain. Ezek. xxii, 27.

4. And her prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the LORD God, when the LORD hath not spoken. Ezek. xxii, 28. ⠀

5. The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy; yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. Ezek. xxii, 29.

6. They traded the persons of men, and vessels of brass in thy market. Ezek. xxvii, 13.

7. Break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Dan. iv, 27.

8. He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand, he loveth to oppress. Hos. xii, 7.

9. And they cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink. Joel iii, 3.

10. The children also of Judah, and the children of Jerusalem haye ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border. Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompense upon your own head. Joel iii, 6.

11. Thus saith the LORD, for three transgressions

of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punish ment thereof, because they sold the righteous for sil ver, and the poor for a pair of shoes; and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name. Amos ii, 6.

12 Let man and beast be covered with sackcloth; and cry mightily unto God; yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands; who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? Jonah iii, 8.

13. He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Mic. vi, 8.

14. Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robberies; the prey departeth not; the noise of n whip,- because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favored harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts. Na. iii, 1-4.

15. Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth; for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proteedeth. Hab. i, 4. .

16 Thus saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter, whose possessors slay them,

and hold themselves not guilty; and they that sell them say, Blessed be the LORD, for I am rich; and their own shepherds pity them not. Zec. xi, 4.

17. Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers? Mal. ii, 10.

18. And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts. Mal. ii, 5.

NOTES ON CHAPTER IX.

1. Will ye hunt the souls of my people?

A negro hunt is a common occurrence in the slave States. "When negroes run away from the happiness which their masters say they enjoy at home, a hunt is immediately set on foot. In the pursuit, with dogs and guns, there appears to be not the least hesitation in shooting the fugitives, or tearing them in pieces I recollect an extract from a private letter written near Edenton, N. C., two or three years ago, (before the Southampton insurrection) which, among other matters of no great moment, mentioned that they had had great negro shooting lately.' I have heard of shooting negroes from trees with as little concern, and apparently with as keen a zest,

as a northern sportsman drops a squirrel or a quail.” — [D. L. Child, Esq.]

"Occasionally armed parties of whites go in pursuit of them, who make no secret of their determination to shoot down all that refuse to surrender - which they sometimes do. In one instance, a negro who was closely pursued, instead of heeding the order to surrender, waded into a shallow pond, beyond the reach of his pursuers; refusing still to yield, he was shot through the heart by one of the party. This oc

curred near Natchez, but no notice was taken of it by the civil authorities; but in this they were consistent, for the city patroles, or night-watch are allowed to do the same thing with impunity, though it is authorized by no law.

"Another mode of capturing run-aways, is by blood-hounds; this I hope is rarely done.

Clairborne county, Miss.

house in the night.

a tree.

The

An instance was related to me in A runaway was heard about the hound was put upon his track, and

in the morning was found watching the dead body of the negro. The dogs are trained to this service while young. A negro is directed to go into the woods, and secure himself upon When sufficient time has been allowed for doing this, the hound is put upon his track. The blacks, also, are compelled to worry the hounds, till they make them their implacable enemies; and it is common to meet with dogs which will take no notice of whites, though entire strangers, but will suffer no black, besides the house servants, to enter the yard. Captured slaves are confined in jail till claimed by their owners. If they are not claimed within the time prescribed by law, they are sold at public sale, and in the mean time are employed as scavengers, with a heavy ball and chain fastened to one of their ancles."-[A. S. Record for March, 1835.] 2. Hath spoiled none by violence.

How often are we told that the slaves of this country are