The name of my big friend was Bebb, a near relative, as I subsequently learned, of His Excellency W. Bebb, the present Governor of the State of Ohio.  The history of this Governor deserves a passing notice.  He is the nephew of the late Rev. John Roberts, of Llanbrynmair, a man of great worth and usefulness, whose praise is in all the Congregational Churches of North Wales.  Mr. Roberts, when a young man, joined the Church at Llanbrynmair, began to preach under its sanction, became its pastor, sustained that office for thirty-six years, and is succeeded by his two excellent sons, Samuel and John, as co-pastors!  Towards the close of last century, Mr. Roberts’s sister, married to a Mr. Bebb, emigrated to America; as did also his brother George, who still survives, and of whom Dr. Matheson gives an interesting account in the seventh letter of the second volume of “Reed and Matheson’s Narrative,” calling him “Judge Roberts, the Pastor of the Congregational Church!” at Ebensburg, in Pennsylvania.

Mrs. Bebb was soon left a widow, with two sons, William and Evan.  But “the Judge of the widow” and “the Father of the fatherless” did not forsake her.  She is a woman of a strong mind and great piety, and a thorough hater of slavery and oppression in all their forms.  Her own principles she endeavoured to instil into the minds of her sons, sparing no efforts to fit them for acting a useful and honourable part in society.  William was brought up to the law, and Evan to commerce.  And now, in the evening of her days, the pious old Welsh-woman has the gratification of seeing Evan an enterprising and successful merchant in New York, while William enjoys the highest honour that his fellow-citizens of Ohio can confer upon him!  He is the Governor of a territory of nearly 40,000 square miles, and a population of 2,000,000.  Mr. Jones, the minister, is intimately acquainted with Mrs. Bebb, who carefully instructed her distinguished son in the good old language of Wales, so that, at the time of his recent canvass for office, he was able to address the Cambrian portion of his constituency in their mother tongue.

On entering into office, he declared his determined opposition to the “black laws” of Ohio.  Those “black laws” are black indeed.  They are the foul blot of this otherwise honoured State.  One of them is intended to prevent the coloured citizens of other States from removing to Ohio.  It was enacted in 1807, and is to this effect,—­that within twenty days after the entrance of an emigrant into the State, he is to find two freehold sureties in the sum of 500 dollars for his good behaviour, and likewise for his maintenance, should he, at any future period, be unable to maintain himself.  The Legislature well knew that it would be utterly impossible, generally speaking, for a black or coloured stranger to find such securities.  In 1800 there were only 337 free blacks in the territory; but in 1830, notwithstanding the “black laws,”