for abolitionism, it was,
for all they knew, a demon of destruction. Hence they would wait, and
see. We do well to rejoice at once, exclaims Dr. Channing. If a
man-child is born into the world, says he, do we wait to read his future
life ere we rejoice at his birth? Ah, no! But then, perhaps, this
offspring of abolitionism is no man-child at all. It may, for aught we
know, be an abortion of night and darkness merely. Hence, we shall wait,
and mark his future course, ere we rend the air with shouts that he is
born at last.

This man-child, or this monster, is now seventeen years and four months
old. His character is developed, and fixed for life. We may now read
his history, written by impartial men, and determine for ourselves,
whether it justifies the bright and boundless hopes of the
abolitionists, or the "cold indifference," nay, the suspicions and the
fears, of the good people of the free States.

We shall begin with Jamaica, which is by far the largest and most
valuable of the British West Indies. The very first year after the
complete emancipation of the slaves of this island, its prosperity began
to manifest symptoms of decay. As long as it was possible, however, to
find or invent an explanation of these fearful signs, the abolitionists
remained absolutely blind to the real course of events. In 1839, the
first year of complete emancipation, it appeared that the crop of sugar
exported from the island had fallen off no less than eight thousand four
hundred and sixty-six hogsheads. But, then, it was discovered that the
hogsheads had been larger this year than the preceding! It is true,
there was not exactly any proof that larger hogsheads had been used all
over the island, but it was rumored; and the rumor was, of course,
eagerly swallowed by the abolitionists.

And besides, it was quite certain that the free negroes had eaten more
sugar than while they were slaves, which helped mightily to account for
the great diminution in the exports of the article. No one could deny
this. It is certain, that if the free negroes only devoured sugar as
eagerly as such floating conjectures were gulped down by the
abolitionists, the whole phenomenon needed no other cause for its
perfect explanation. It never once occured, however, to these reasoners
to imagine that the decrease in the amount of rum exported from another
island _might_ be owing to the circumstance that the free blacks had
swallowed a little more of that article