Reminiscences Of Several Years' Residence At The South

I he Academy oí' which 1 had been appointed Principal, was sustained by scveral gentlemen, who, having rctired from their ,-lautations, which lay on ihe rivet Pedee, on account of the sickliuess of the situation, had settled in close proximity to. wie another, in a well watered pine woods. They had brought with tliera only the dotnestic slavcs, who are said to be welt ti caled in comparison with the field hands, Henee the stranger, who sces only this elass, furms an incorrect opini of the condilion of the slavcs gencrally. Howevcr, the siave-hoider's monstrous crimo rcuoils upon himself, and among othcr evüí, makes him a slave to passion. Wallcing to school, onemorning, in conv pany with a pupil, I heard a distinct sound, as if made by onc in great distress. The shrieks were repeated in quick successiun, but my companion remarked that each one waa preceded by a stroke of the whip, for, said he, (it is Mr. P. flogging Sal." Tliis remmded me of what 1 had witnessed at that geni Iemand house. He was a trustee of the Academy, and had invited me to take tea with him. As we were sitting in the parlor, the rain and sleet coming thro1 the windovvs, which were mere openinga in the wall, and furnished with ehutters, ihe girl was ordered to close some of the shmters. She went out to do so, but triód in vain to bring them quite together, because, as she declared, the sun had warped them. At this Mr. P. rose up, and procuring his horse whip, (an indispensablennplemcnl in Iheir families, and alwaysat hand,) ruhed out in pursuit of the poor wretch, whorn he whipped round the house again and again, while she continued to exclaim, "that she had done as well as she could." iNever shall I forget the thrili of horror which 1 then feit, as the lash resounded in my ears, and the piercing criesjof a female, who besides,as 1 thought, had done nolhing amias. I then feit that 1 was, indeed, at the "chivalrous South!"- and from that moment have I enlertained a disgust for slavery which will remain till I die. I was not reconciled either to tho breach of politeness which my host had committcd ; but he doubtless forgot that l was so freah from a land of frcemcn, and pcrhaps he thought that my sympathi.es wcro all on the side of the tyrant.. But to return. The shrieks continued' till we arrived at the Academy, and longer; for while 1 was engaged in the devotional exercises with which the school waa opened, the young man staid without, that he might count the lashes. He afterwards. infonned that he numbered 400! and that on making inquiry of the occasion of this dreadful tfagellation, he learned, that the offence which was deemed worthy of this Dracoijian punishment was the dropping of some cookery, when carrying it from the breakfast table! Mr. P.'s first act was ta seize his gun, but thinking perhaps, oL his brother-in-law's unfortunaie aflair, (thevery case describcd before as the occasion of the auction,) he exehunged it for another instrument, saying, 'ubat the next time he would kill." lic then dragged hia victirn to the polo, upon which. carpels liad been hung, and having tied her bands and her only garment over it, so that hut feet might mercly touch the ground, he commenced ilogging her with his horse whip. This he continued, every stroke leaving a perfeclly white mark after it, from tho lacerationofthescourge, until ho was quito exhausted, although he was a remarkably vigorous person, He then ccascd, only to put the whip in the hand of her oirrimother, who was the chief 6crvant in hiakitchei), and standing over her compelled her lo proceed wilh the flogging. Nor did this alniost increriible cruelty stop, unlil i'rorn prudontial consideralions, probably the monster thought it time to apply the bnno to the living fiesh. This operation cilects Uvo desirable ends. It greally aggravates the smart, and it saves the property ! The girl was of a thick set frame, and about 18 years old, and she survived. The man was not intoxicaled, except with passion, for "it was only the third hour of the day." This expiuit was, doubtless the result of a long training. IIow wcll did that honcst slaveholder, Tliomas JefVeraon, describe the process in its incipient stago. "The parent storms, the child looks on, calchcs tiie, Jineaments of wrath, puts on the sumo airs in lbo circle of smaller slave?, gives loose to the worst of passionsj indahus nursod, educated and daily cxer-, ci-ed in tyranny, cannot bat be stamped by t with odious pecuJittritjes." The perlbrm ancesjiist descril)ed took place directly bebre the house. The ladies, if sitling in he parier, might have seen it, and the vhple family, wherever they might have een, must have heard it. VVho can won Jer tli.ii afler siu.ii an:-rdncation, the cur- ent of passion, p,ot eoníined to ono class F objects4 sliould he seen ovcrwhelfiain vü na fatal tide the whites thmselvesj iow does "even-handcd justice commend he poisnued cbaljce to their own lips," ia Hng the land of the whip, the Innd, too, pisto! and the bowic knjfel