at the bar. There were
many good points in it, which, if not legally pointed, were said well;
yet we should class him as belonging to the loud school.

The Captain, thinking it a good opportunity to make some inquiries about
his steward, as they proceeded, commenced in the following manner:

"Your laws are very stringent in South Carolina, I believe, sir!"

"Well, no sir," said the colonel, "if we except those which govern the
niggers; they of necessity must be so; we have had so many emeutes with
them, that no law can be made too strict in its bearings. We have so
many bad niggers poured in upon us, that the whole class is becoming
corrupted."

"Your laws, of course, make a distinction between good and bad niggers,
and free negroes?" interposed the Captain.

"We make no distinction between the colors--some are as white as you
are; but the grades are so complex that it would be impossible to make a
sliding-scale law for any fixed complexions. The law which governs
them is distinctive and comprehensive-made in order to shield the white
population from their ignorance of law and evidence. We never could
govern them in their respective spheres, unless the laws were made
stringent in their effect. As for the free niggers, they're the greatest
nuisance we have; it is our policy to get rid of them, and to that end
we tax them severely. The riddance of this class of niggers would be an
essential benefit to our slaves, as upon account of their influence our
negro-laws are made more stringent. And the worst of it is that they
increase faster. But we make it a principal point to get all the free
men we can married to slaves, and the free women run off. You, that are
accustomed to the free institutions of your country, may think some of
these things singular at first; but you would soon become accustomed
to them, and would really admire them when you saw how beautifully they
worked."

"Is there no discretionary power left?" inquired the Captain. "It
must be oppressive, if carried out; Good men-whether they be white or
black-are entitled to the advantages due them; but where laws such as
you describe are carried out, a good man's evidence being black, the
intention could not be made white. Now, according to my idea of the
law of nature, a man's merits are in his moral integrity and behaviour;
therefore I should establish the rule that a good black man was better
than a bad white man, and was as much entitled to the respect a