“Ranaway, Henry, about 23 years old, has one of his upper front teeth out.”

D. Herring, Warden of Baltimore Jail, in “Baltimore Chronicle,” Oct. 6, 1837.

“Committed to jail Elizabeth Steward, 17 or 18 years old, has one of her front teeth out.”

Mr. J.L.  Colborn, in the “Huntsville [Ala.] Democrat,” July 4, 1837.

“Ranaway Liley, 26 years of age, one fore tooth gone.”

Samuel Harman Jr. in the “New Orleans Bee,” Oct. 12, 1838.

“50 DOLLARS REWARD, for Adolphe, 28 years old, two of his front teeth are missing.”

Were it necessary, we might easily add to the preceding list, hundreds.  The reader will remark that all the slaves, whose ages are given, are young—­not one has arrived at middle age; consequently it can hardly be supposed that they have lost their teeth either from age or decay.  The probability that their teeth were taken out by force, is increased by the fact of their being front teeth in almost every case, and from the fact that the loss of no other is mentioned in the advertisements.  It is well known that the front teeth are not generally the first to fail.  Further, it is notorious that the teeth of the slaves are remarkably sound and serviceable, that they decay far less, and at a much later period of life than the teeth of the whites:  owing partly, no doubt, to original constitution; but more probably to their diet, habits, and mode of life.

As an illustration of the horrible mutilations sometimes suffered by them in the breaking and tearing out of their teeth, we insert the following, from the New Orleans Bee of May 31, 1837.

$10 REWARD.—­Ranaway, Friday, May 12, JULIA, a negress, EIGHTEEN OR TWENTY YEARS OLD.  SHE HAS LOST HER UPPER TEETH, and the under ones ARE ALL BROKEN.  Said reward will be paid to whoever will bring her to her master, No. 172 Barracks-street, or lodge her in the jail.

The following is contained in the same paper.

Ranaway, NELSON, 27 years old,—­“ALL HIS TEETH ARE MISSING.”

This advertisement is signed by “S.  ELFER,” Faubourg Marigny.

We now call the attention of the reader to a mass of testimony in support of our general proposition.

GEORGE B. RIPLEY, Esq. of Norwich, Connecticut, has furnished the following statement, in a letter dated Dec. 12, 1838.

“GURDON CHAPMAN, Esq., a respectable merchant of our city, one of our county commissioners,—­last spring a member of our state legislature,—­and whose character for veracity is above suspicion, about a year since visited the county of Nansemond, Virginia, for the purpose of buying a cargo of corn.  He purchased a large quantity of Mr. ——­, with whose family he spent a week or ten days; after he returned, he related to me and several other citizens the following facts.  In order to prepare the corn for market by the time agreed upon, the slaves