UNCLE TOM'S CABIN

"
138 KEY TO UNCLE TOM S CABIN.
of trade,and relievecases of individualdistress.
it means negroes sold in families? What is
There are men at the South who meant by the "
invitation, Call soon ifyou
could tell,if theywould,how, when theywant to get the firstchoice " ?
have spent the lastdollarthat theythought So much for Advertisement No. 1. Let
they could afford Aveek,they on one have us now propounda few questions to the
been importunedby precisely such a case initiated on No. 2. What does Mr. Benjamin
the next, and been unable to meet it. There Littlemean by saying that he " will
are masters at the South who could tell, if
theywould,how theyhave stood and bid young negroes
as
any trader in the
against a traderțo redeem some poor slave
of their own, tillthe biddingwas perfectly of " likelyoung' negroes " ?
ruinous,and they have been obliged to give On the third advertisement we are also
up by sheer necessity. Good-natured auctioneers
desirous of some information. Messrs.
know very well how theyhave often Bolton,Dickins " Co. state that they
been entreatedto connive at keepinga poor expect to receive
fellow out of the trader'sclutches ; and how negroes in the fall.
sometimes
and sometimes they Unfortunate Messrs. Bolton,Dickins "
theysucceed,
do not.
The very struggleand effortwhich generous
Southern men make to stop the regular
course of trade onlyshows them the
hopelessness of the effort. We fully concede
that many of them do as much or more
than any of us would do under similarcircumstances
and buyup the negroes that are for sale in
know that what
; and yet they
theydo amounts, after allțo the merest
trifle.
But let us stillfurther reason
upon the
testimony of advertisements. What is to be
understood by the following, of the Memphis
Eagle and Inquirer, Saturday, Nov.
13, 1852? Under the editorialmotto,
"
unsettled and
come
their views of slavery from this book
"regard the families of slaves as utterly
Libertyand Union,now and forever,"
vagrant."
the followingillustrations :
But,beforewe recover from our astonishment
on readingthis,we take up the
NO. I.
Natchez
75 NEGROES.
(Mississippi) Courier of Nov.
20th,1852, and there read :
I have justreceived from the East 75
assorted A No. 1 negroes. Call soon, if
you want to getthe firstchoice.
Benj. Little.
500 1VEGROES WANTED.
The undersigned would respectfully state
to the
NO. II.
publicthat he has leased the stand
the Forks of the
CASH FOR NEGROES.
Road, near Natchez,for a,
term of years, and that he intends to keep
I will pay
as highcash pricesfor a few
a large
lot of NEGROES on hand during
likelyyoung negroes as any trader in this
the year. He
will sell as low or lower than
city.Also,will receiveand sell on commission
any other trader at
this placeor in New Orleans.
at Byrd Hill's,old stand,on Adams-street, He has just
Memphis.
Bexj. Little.
arrived from Virginia with a very
likely lot of Field Men and Women ; also,House
NO. HI.
Servants, three Cooks,and a Carpenter. Call and
We
for all good negroes offered. We invite
all those having negroes for sale,
will pay the highest cash price
to call on us at our Mart,
Natchez,Sept.28,1852.
oppositethe.lower
steamboat landing. We will also have a large
lot of Virginianegroes
for sale in the Fall. We Where in the world did this luckyMr.
have as safe a jailas any in the country, where Tnos. G. James get this likelyVirginia
we can keepnegroes safe for those that wish them
kept. Bolton,Dickins " Co.
Under the head of advertisementsNo. 1,
let us humbly inquirewhat " assorted A
No. 1 Negroes" means. Is it likelythat
pay as high a cash pricefor a few likely
city " ? Do familiescommonlyconsist exclusively
Co. ! Do you suppose that Virginia families
willselltheir negroes '? Have you read
Mr. J. Thornton Randolph's last novel,
and have you not learned that old Virginia
familiesnever sell to traders 1 and,more
than that țhat theyalways club together
their neighborhood, and the traders when
theyappear on the groundare hustled off
with very littleceremony? One would
reallythink that you had got your impressions
on the subject from ': Uncle Tom's
Cabin." For we are told that all who derive
NEGROES.
A fine Buggy Horse, a Saddle Horse and a
Carryall, on hand,and for sale.
Tnos. G. James.
"
assortment" ? Probably in some county
which Mr. Thornton Randolphnever visited.
And had no families been separated to form
* Article in Fraser's Magazine for October,by a South
Carolinian.