extent, the pride, the exclusiveness, the selfishness, the thirst for sway, the contempt for the rights of others, which distinguish the nobility of Europe—­it gives us their education, their polish, their munificence, their high honor, their undaunted spirit.  Slavery does indeed create an aristocracy—­an aristocracy of talents, of virtue, of generosity, of courage.  In a slave country, every freeman is an aristocrat.  Be he rich or poor, if he does not possess a single slave, he has been born to all the natural advantages of the society in which he is placed; and all its honors lie open before him, inviting his genius and industry.  Sir, I do firmly believe, that domestic slavery, regulated as ours is, produces the highest toned, the purest, best organization of society, that has ever existed on the face of the earth.”

That this retraxit of former follies and delusions is not confined to the mere politician, we have the following proofs:—­

The CHARLESTON (S.C.) UNION PRESBYTERY—­“Resolved.  That in the opinion of this Presbytery, the holding of slaves, so far from being a sin in the sight of God, is nowhere condemned in his holy word; that it is in accordance with the example, or consistent with the precepts, of patriarchs, prophets, and apostles; and that it is compatible with the most fraternal regard to the good of the servants whom God has committed to our charge.”—­Within the last few months, as we learn from a late No. of the Charleston Courier, the late Synod of the Presbyterian Church, in Augusta, (Ga.) passed resolutions declaring “That slavery is a CIVIL INSTITUTION, with which the General Assembly [the highest ecclesiastical tribunal] has NOTHING TO DO.”

Again:—­The CHARLESTON BAPTIST ASSOCIATION, in a memorial to the Legislature of South Carolina, say—­“The undersigned would further represent, that the said Association does not consider that the Holy Scriptures have made the FACT of slavery a question of morals at all.”  And further,—­“The right of masters to dispose of the time of their slaves, has been distinctly recognised by the Creator of all things.”

Again:—­The EDGEFIELD (S.C.) ASSOCIATION—­“Resolved, That the practical question of slavery, in a country where the system has obtained as a part of its stated policy, is settled in the Scriptures by Jesus Christ and his apostles.”  “Resolved, That these uniformly recognised the relation of master and slave, and enjoined on both their respective duties, under a system of servitude more degrading and absolute than that which obtains in our country.”

Again we find, in a late No. of the Charleston Courier, the following:—­

“THE SOUTHERN CHURCH.—­The Georgia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, at a recent meeting in Athens, passed resolutions, declaring that slavery, as it exists in the United States, is not a moral evil, and is a civil and domestic institution, with which Christian ministers have nothing to do, further than to meliorate the condition of the slave, by endeavoring to impart to him and his master the benign influence of the religion of Christ, and aiding both on their way to heaven.”]