eholding families is
a subject of observation and daily remark among slaves; they are led to
observe every change in the pecuniary, moral, and social state of the
families they belong to, from the fact, that as the old master declines,
or as his children are married off, they are expecting to fall into their
hands, or in case of insolvency on the part of the old master, they expect
to be sold; in either case, it involves a change of master--a subject to
which they cannot be indifferent. And it is very rarely the case that a
slave's condition is benefited by passing from the old master into the
hands of one of his children. Owing to the causes I have mentioned, the
decline is so rapid and marked, in almost every point of view, that the
children of slaveholders are universally inferior to themselves, mentally,
morally, physically, as well as pecuniarily, especially so in the latter
point of view; and this is a matter of most vital concern to the slaves.
The young master not being able to own as many slaves as his father,
usually works what he has more severely, and being more liable to
embarrassment, the slaves' liability to be sold at an early day is much
greater. For the same reason, slaves have a deep interest, generally, in
the marriage of a young mistress. Very generally the daughters of
slaveholders marry inferior men; men who seek to better their own
condition by a wealthy connection. The slaves who pass into the hands of
the young master has had some chance to become acquainted with his
character, bad as it may be; but the young mistress brings her slaves a
new, and sometimes an unknown master. Sometimes these are the sons of
already broken down slaveholders. In other cases they are adventurers from
the north who remove to the south, and who readily become the most cruel
masters.

APPENDIX.

These two letters are simply introduced to show what the state of my
feelings was with reference to slavery at the time they were written. I
had just heard several facts with regard to my parents, which had awakened
my mind to great excitement.

TO MY FATHER, MOTHER, BROTHERS, AND SISTERS.

_The following was written in 1844:_

DEARLY BELOVED IN BONDS,

About seventeen long years have now rolled away, since in the Providence
of Almighty God, I left your embraces, and set out upon a daring
adventure in search of freedom. Since that time, I have felt most
severely the loss of the sun and moon and ele