A Slave Auction

Tle fi llowing illusirution uf American lavery is t.ike'u rom tlie corresnondence of the Neto York Observa: " I liad liever sten a human being sold! As one of tlie necessnry nttendnnts of slavc-y, I ki.ew thnt it must be n commoti nfTair in nny slnveholding city, aiid when it was meniionoú lo me tliat tlie 'rnarket' was near the .Excliange Hotel, in Richmond, v!;ere I as stnying, I delermined nt once 10 visit t. A srrnü red (lag at the door advertised the fnct of a sale in progrrss, anda wriiten ciescnplion of the property osletl up, inforinpil the p'iblic of the particular. I enteroH a large room wiih benches around ihe sides of it, on which thiity or forty men werc serUoc!, smok f g and inlking willi t'ne same inditTrrence tlir.t j'ou would observe at T;iltersell'a. In the centre of the room was a platform, soe six feet squa.-e, and ihree n heigli', or. which stood a whre well dressed BJJCtioneer, and by t!:e siiie of hi'm a colored woinnn tai a plnyfi'l -hild, three .vears old, holding upon her fingers, and miiling nl tlie company around. That wns my fust sight of n slavo tnorkct! 'Only three lumdred and fifiy dollars,' said the auclioneer, 'why U's giving away tlie property;only think of it.' liu; no one wasdisposed lo bid mor?; themoiher was sickiy looking, and the buyers worc afraid of the nveslment. - One man slopped up to tl.e stand, and nsked her how mnny cliildrcn she liad had; slie told him 'si.x,' and hc rcturned to his seat apparently satisfiefi', and made no offer to purcWo. The auctioneer cndcavored t rally the cnstomers, and induce them to bid, but ihey would nol lake, and he loUí the woman to go down. I asked her whre her otlier childrpn werc, she said she did not know, 'they liud nll been sold but this one,'anir.noeent pratlling '.hing, unconcious of a claim. Anoiher one was brought out, ed girl of eighieen, strong, well made, üvely, and laughing as slie stood uy to be sold. A man stpppd up, and taking her ly the chin, told her to show her teelh, wliich she did. He then feit of her arms her brenst, her sides, and with his foot pushed aside her (rock, and made her hold it up a littlo, that he might see the devclopemcnt of Iipt ankles ; thus lie pursued ihe examinaron of iliis female wilh Pê much minuteness and familiarity as lic would a blotid-liorfc. Eeing ploas ed with tlie lesultof his investig.iiions,he bouglit the girl for five hundred dollars Severa! uthers were siliing there lo be old, bul the riemand seemed to bo so small, nnd the sale so dull, that tlie auc."ioneer declined proceeding any farther