f his royal Mistress and patron, Elizabeth, the
Virgin Queen, under whom he received his royal patent commission of
adventure and expedition.
Beginning their preparation in the slave-trade in 1618, just two years
previous, giving time for successfully carrying out the project against
the landing of the first emigrant settlers, it will be observed that the
African captain, and the "Puritan" emigrants, landed upon the same
section of the continent at the same time, 1620--the Pilgrims at
Plymouth, and the captives at New Bedford, but a few miles
comparatively south.
The country at this period, was one vast wilderness. "The continent of
North America was then one continued forest."... There were no horses,
cattle, sheep, hogs, or tame beasts of any kind.... There were no
domestic poultry.... There were no gardens, orchards, public roads,
meadows, or cultivated fields.... They "often burned the woods that they
could advantageously plant their corn."... They had neither spice, salt,
bread, butter, cheese, nor milk.... They had no set meals, but eat when
they were hungry, and could find any thing to satisfy the cravings of
nature.... Very little of their food was derived from the earth, except
what it spontaneously produced.... The ground was both their seat and
table.... Their best bed was a skin.... They had neither steel, iron,
nor any metallic instruments....--_Ramsay's Hist._, pp. 39-40.
We adduce not these historical extracts to disparage our brother the
Indian--far be it: whatever he may think of our race, according to the
manner in which he has been instructed to look upon it, by our mutual
oppressor the American nation; we admire his, for the many deeds of
noble daring, for which the short history of his liberty-loving people
are replete: we sympathise with them, because our brethren are the
successors of their fathers in the degradation of American bondage--but
we adduce them in evidence against the many aspersions charged against
the African race, that their inferiority to the other races caused them
to be reduced to servitude. For the purpose of proving that their
superiority, and not inferiority, alone was the cause which first
suggested to Europeans the substitution of Africans for that of
aboriginal or Indian laborers in the mines; and that their superior
skill and industry, first suggested to the colonists, the propriety of
turning their attention to agricultural and other industrial pursuits,
than that o
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