place, &c. in the night, or at any school or schools for teaching them reading or writing either in the day or night, under whatsoever pretext, shall be deemed and considered an unlawful assembly; and any justice of a county, &c. wherein such assemblage shall be, either from his own knowledge or the information of others, of such unlawful assemblage, &c. may issue his warrant directed to any sworn officer or officers, authorizing him or them to enter the house or houses where such unlawful assemblages, &c. may be, for the purpose of apprehending or dispersing such slaves, and to inflict corporal punishment on the offender or offenders, at the descretion of any justice of the peace, not exceeding twenty lashes.— 1 Rev. Code, 424-5.

Similar laws exist in most of the slave states, and in all, mental instruction is practically discouraged.

Prohibition of Religious Worship.

Many extracts from the laws of the Southern States might be given under this head. The following is but a specimen; it is from the South Carolina Act of 1800:

It shall not be lawful for any number of slaves, free negroes, mulattoes or mestizoes, even in company with white persons, to meet together and assemble for the purpose of mental instruction or religious worship, either before the rising of the sun or after the going down of the same. And all magistrates, sheriffs, militia officers, &c. &c. are hereby vested with power, &c. for dispersing such assemblies, &c. 2 Brevard's Digest, 254-5.

Prohibition of Self-defence.

If any slave shall presume to strike any white person, such slave, upon trial and conviction before the justice or justices, according to the directions of this act, shall for the first offence, suffer such punishment as the said justice or justices shall, in his or their discretion think fit, not extending to life or limb; and for the second offence, suffer DEATH.

The law is similar in South Carolina; in both states the slave is not punished, however, when he strikes, "by the command, and in the defence of the person or property of the owner, &c."

Unqualified submission to the will of the Whites required of the Slaves.

The Code of Louisiana gravely lays down the foldowing principle:

Free people of color ought never to insult or strike white people, nor presume to conceive themselves equal to the whites; but on the contrary, they ought to yield to them on every occasion, and never speak or answer them, but with respect, under the penalty of imprisonment, according to the nature of the offence. 1 Martin's Digest, 640-42.

The following are specimens of the laws by which the whole white community have made themselves tyrants over the slaves:

If any slave shall happen to be slain for refusing to surrender him or herself, contrary to law, or in unlawful resisting any officer or other person, who shall apprehend or endeavor to apprehend, such slave or slaves, &c., such officer or other person so killing such slave as aforesaid, making resistance, shall be, and he is by this act, indemnified from any prosecution for such killing aforesaid, &c. Maryland Laws, act of 1751, chap. xiv. § 9.

And by the negro act of 1740, of South Carolina, it is declared:

If any slave, who shall be out of the house or plantation where such slave shall live, or shall be usually employed, or without some white person in company with such slave, shall refuse to submit to undergo the examination of any white person, it shall be lawful for such white person to pursue, apprehend and moderately correct such slave; and if such slave shall assault and strike such white person, such slave may be lawfully killed!! 2 Brevard's Digest, 231.

Power of the Slaveholder.

Whereas, by another act of the assembly, passed in the year 1774, the killing of a slave, however wanton, cruel and deliberate, is only punishable in the first instance by imprisonment and paying the value thereof to the owner, which distinction of criminality between the murder of a white person and one who is equally a human creature, but merely of a different complexion, is DISGRACEFUL TO HUMANITY, AND DEGRADING IN THE HIGHEST DEGREE TO THE LAWS AND PRINCIPLES OF A FREE, CHRISTIAN AND ENLIGHTENED COUNTRY, Be it enacted, &c. That if any person shall hereafter be guilty of wilfully and maliciously killing a slave, such offender shall, upon the first conviction thereof, be adjudged guilty of murder, and shall suffer the same punishment as if he had killed a free man; Provided always, this act shall not extend to the person killing a slave outlawed by virtue of any act of assembly of this state, or to any slave in the act of resistance to his lawful owner or master, OR TO ANY SLAVE DYING UNDER MODERATE CORRECTION. Haywood's Manual, 530; and see Laws of Tennessee, act of Oct. 23, 1799, with a like proviso.

Any person who shall maliciously dismember or deprive a slave of life, shall suffer such punishment as would be inflicted in case the like offence had been committed on a free white person, and on the like proof, except in case of insurrection of such slave, and unless

SUCH DEATH SHOULD HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT IN GIVING SUCH

SLAVE MODERATE CORRECTION. Constitution of Georgia, Art. 4, § 12. Prince's Digest, 559.

Judge Stroud remarks :—

That a proclamation of outlawry againt a slave is authorized, whenever he runs away from his master, conceals himself in some obscure retreat, and to sustain life, kills a hog, or some animal of the cattle kind!! See Haywood's Manual, 521; act of 1741, ch. 24, § 45.

In South Carolina by the Act of 1740 the "wilful murder" of a slave was punished by a fine of

46 seven hundred pounds, current money," and inability to hold office, but another description of murder, more likely to occur, was punished as follows:

If any person shall, on a sudden heat or passion, or by undue correction, kill his own slave, or the slave of any other person, he shall forfeit the sum of three hundred and fifty pounds, current money. Brevard's Digest, 241.

By an act of 1821, the former provision was abolished but the latter was continued, diminishing the price to five hundred dollars, and authorizing an imprisonment of six months. James' Digest, 392.

It is the imperative duty of the judges to recognize the full dominion of the owner over the slave, except where the exercise of it is forbidden by statute.-Judge Ruffin, N. Carolina.

In case any person shall wilfully cut out the tongue, put out the eye, castrate, or cruelly scald, burn, or deprive any slave of any limb, or member, or shall inflict any other cruel punishment, other than by whipping or beating with a horsewhip,cowskin, switch or small stick,or by putting irons on, or confining or imprisoning such slave, every such person shall, for every such offence, forfeit the sum of one hundred pounds, current money. 2 Brevard's Digest, 241.

Louisiana imposes a heavier penalty for taking off irons than she does for the "cruel punishments," specified above, as appears from this:

If any person or persons, &c. shall cut or break any iron chain or collar, which any master of slaves should have used in order to prevent the running away or escape of any such slave or slaves, such person or persons so offending shall, on conviction, &c. be fined not less than two hundred dollars, nor exceeding one thousand dollars; and suffer imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, nor less than six months. Act of Assembly of March 6, 1819-pamphlet, page 64.

Now, in the same state, the law before quoted from South Carolina is in force, and the penalty is a fine of not more than five hundred dollars, nor less than two hundred !

In Missouri, the master is assisted in punishing as follows:

If any slave resist his or her master, mistress, overseer or employer, or refuse to obey his or her lawful commands, it shall be lawful for such master, &c. to commit such slave to the common gaol of the county, there to remain at the pleasure of the master, &c; and the sheriff shall receive such slave, and keep him, &c. in confinement, at the expense of the person committing him or her. E Missouri Laws, 309.

Delegated power of the Master.

According to the universal practice of the slave states, the master may delegate his tremendous power to any other person whom he pleases. Louisiana has the following express law:

The condition of a slave being merely a passive one, his subordination to his master, and to all who represent him, is not susceptible of any modification or restriction, (except in what can incite the slave to the commission of crime,) in such manner, that he owes to his master and to all his family a respect without bounds and an absolute obedience, and he is consequently to execute all the orders which he receives from him, his said master, or from them. 1 Martin's Digest, 616..

Right of Marriage.

The following is, unquestionably, law and fact throughout the slave slates :

A slave has never maintained an action against the violator of his bed. A slave is not admonished for incontinence, or punished for fornication or adultery; never prosecuted for bigamy, or petty treason for killing a