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Antislavery: Slavery

Antislavery: Slavery image
Parent Issue
Day
20
Month
April
Year
1846
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

'The Cctiirtwing descripliori of a visit to the lavo niarkut at Constanlindple is from the Edinburg Journal: - At lengt h weccached the place of our destination. Itwasa loiif low building, forin - ing a fcquare of coiisideriil.Li sige Wc inounled a few unsteady dirty-step?, tmd found oor etlves on a large wooden plaMVr, niuiMnpr the whole long! li of the bmlmng. It was divided into pens, shut in by wooden railings, in whieli wcre confino;! the black .-laves ; ,whüst throngh Mie open 1oots leading into the house itself wecoufd distinguish t'lio voiled forms of the whilo wonu-n gnwpod bclfind the wooden bcreens. On benches, mí placed as to command a view uf b th, vvere sêated tlie bnyer?, for the most pari heavjf i!l looking Tuiks. dresïcd in tlie h-ulcniis custom in:ro■ dicu-d by the late Siril.ua, und occupicd a usual in snnkii)jr, throiigh the quick glai.ee .f tlieir calm, picrcing eyes, soeinocl to tnke in everytliing nronnd in complete letail. - The sellers ftuod befure them, vocifrrating ■oud gcsiiculuting in the true Oriental in'n'nJier. The court bclow, wliich we wcra to vtóil afterwiird.--, was fil'ed wilb all the léss yillimblè ipitt'of tlii.-; hum in niercrianflip, Cünsisting of tiiofVnfH.it'd wit'h any inlii miiy, vcry ugvil erf-ons nnd veiy young children. It was soiue time liefore we cuinprehemlcd llie sooin,111 all tts details : it is not to be woudeed at djiat wc vere ulnpified in wituesáing hucIi a üi"lit upon Ivnopean ground. At lengtli wo opproached ono of the pens, deteiinined to .examine, to tlie fullesi c.tent,into all that was ,n;volting and honibleiii fliis of human life. - :lt wns.iilled vvith young Circhssian wonien, ome of whbni were rehiarkabjy liññdsóiñé. - ï'hry were teaioil closèd logeiher on the .ground, seemingly in nu auiludo of liöile.-s despondency, with tlieir long white gannenti :llowing round them. As wc came up, they lixed their largc datk -cyes upen us, and I certtiinly névër met n gnze of more untitlcrable tiadii'Vö. The conviution ihritied tiirougii -ure, ns my-o-yea moi thi'irt!, that diese unfurlüïiate Itiimáh being? .are not, as niodcni philaiuliropicits would 'have us belitne, uttedy uucoiiscious of, nnd i'icapable of loeling tüe dis.Uonpr aud wretcli fcdness of their fute, il fck, os il Uiiod before them, and encoinercd their soft .n.elancolv rglancc, that they looked .on .tac os Iho f'sac and hnppy stton4jür.coine to rrae on ihom in their misery. ?I'rcsciitly the slave tradcr, to Avhom the pooi creaturos belongrd, came up, íollowed by a tull ,jlIegu:atic loii;ing Turk, wjih the unmeaning features und coart-e cr.puïency whieh nre so charactciislie of hls iriation. Tlie raecchaut advanced, und se zing onc 6F the Blaves 'by the afm, 'foroed -her to etatid np "before this peronagp, vho, it ap pearod, wishcd to buy her. Ie looked at her for a few moiv.entsTrom head to foot, wlnle lier ma8ter descanted upon her. .tnoritu.; ihett he placed one hand on the back of her neck, while he jorked her head ruddy wilh th, íOlher, so as to force her to open her inouth, thal he might examine her teetli.; he roughly Hiandled her ucek and arma, tj ascertsin if tho flcsii were h'rm ; and in öhort, the examination was such, that Ido not hêsitalé to declare II have seen a horse or a 1og moro tcnderly treited under similar circiim'srja'rjce's. Aficr al!, the decisión wns unfavoiable, for the Turk stumed away with a contrniptuous movement of the head, and the slave dealer ín rogo, thrust back the .iinfortunale creature, wlio Avho -fiiink down trenibling amongst her com panions in misery. Neither my friend nor I had utlertd á word during this Fcene ; we stood silent pide by Bidc, and mechanicajly followcd our gi:ide, who led us inlo the adjuining encloswe. - TIerc we became wilnessea to a sale Ihat was jiiotabout lo be completeil. A most interestmg group ptesented ilself before us ; two young feuiale slaves both wilh most pleasing counemnco, stooo together closely cmbraced, the arm of one round tJie neck of t!ie of her ; their attitude, as well as the 6trong likeness between thom, pointing them out at once as sisters. By their side was an African slave dealer. in whose ferocious countcnance it seemed iinipossible to discern a trace of human feeling ; he was'armed wiih a large heavy stick, with which he drove them to unü fro, literally like ,a heard of animajs. Three or four Turkt were discussing, with considerable ouimation, ithe price of onc of the women ; but llie bargaiu had been just slruci before he come in, and one of the party, a 6tout good looking man, was paying down the money. When this wos completed, with nn mperious movc■mcflt of tbs hand he motioned to hie newJypurcfmsed slnve lo follow him. It was iho youngest and the most timid ol'tlic l ivo sisters whotn lic liad seleclcd ; nothing could Irtivo been more painful tlwn lo ivatcli the intense, the terriiied anxicly, with wlucli bolh h;ul tol lowed tiie prorres of sale ; and pow thut t wasconcluded, and thcy kuew that llie nioment of sepamtion hnd urrved, slie wñoso lato had been eealed, disengngi'd hersclf, nnd turning round, placed lier two llanda 0i hor stcr'tJ f-tioulilor uillinfinn gresp nnd jjazcd mto her cyes. Nut words, not tears, could liave exprci-sod one half of the mate, inmtterabie dcs;mir that dweil in that beart-rciuüng' gn.e. It wero hard to sny wliich face was the most cloijucnt ofiniiery; but ihoTuikwns iinpatienX ; he clapped iiis handá (ogetljer. This was a wcll knewn signaf. A 8Üght tremor .shook the frame of llic yoting slöve ; her anus feil nowfrlcis at her ."-de, an.l she turned '. frllovv her uiMiier. Tlie voicele?s but BgoiiïsWl farewell uus over. In onolher rrtötliént uu could just dielinsuish bet diender fiyare threading its vny lliH:;h iliu crowd, in com pany with llic otiier .-Javes belptiging to Üe Tuik. lier bijter had íihI lierself lu-liind her comnainonV, nnd how sat om tho g'roiúiJ, her head sutik upon lier folded anus.