The deputy who next rose to address me was accompanied by the lady, whom, of course, I begged to be seated.  The husband—­for such he proved to be—­then spoke as follows:—­“Sir, my wife and I have been in possession of a plantation for nearly twenty years.  During all that period the rod has scarcely ever been used, except occasionally to some turbulent little boy.  We have built cottages for our slaves; we allow them to breed poultry, which we purchase from them; old slaves are carefully nurtured and exempt from labour; the sick have the best of medical attendance, and are in many cases ministered to by my wife and daughter; the practical truths of Christianity are regularly taught to them; and every slave, I am sure, looks upon me and my family as his truest friends.  This happy state, this patriarchal relationship, your proposals, if carried out, would completely overthrow.”  He was then silent, and his wife bowed an assent to the observations he had made.  My heart was touched with the picture of the little negro paradise which he had given, and I replied, as mildly as possible, “The sketch you have so admirably drawn, and every word of which I fully believe, is indeed one which might dispose me to abandon my proposals for change, did any one which I had made interfere with the continuance of your benevolent rule, as long as slavery exists; but I must call your attention to an important fact which you, I fear, have quite overlooked during your twenty years of kind rule.  To be brief—­the cheerful homes of your happy negro families can afford no possible consolation to the less fortunate negroes whose wives and children are torn from their bosoms and sold in separate lots to different parts of the Union; nor will the knowledge that on your plantation the rod only falls occasionally on some turbulent child, be any comfort to grown-up negroes and negresses while writhing under thirty or forty stripes from the cowhide or paddle.  Continue, most excellent people, your present merciful rule; strive to secure to every negro the same treatment; and if you find that impossible, join the honourable ranks of the temperate and gradual abolitionist and colonizer.”  They listened patiently to my observations, smiled quietly at the vanity which they thought the last sentence exhibited, and retired.

Scarce had the last charming couple disappeared, when a deputy arose, the antipodes of the last speaker; his manner was so arrogant, I instantly suspected his ignorance, and his observations showed such painful sensitiveness, that they were evidently the production of an accusing conscience.  His parentage I could not ascertain accurately; but, being a slight judge of horseflesh, I should suspect he was by “Slave-bully” out of “Kantankerousina,”—­a breed by no means rare in America, but thought very little of by the knowing ones.  On referring to the list, I found he was entered as “Recriminator,” and that the rest of the deputation had refused to