con._; its opponents being two New York men who had been my
fellow-passengers from Augusta. On this occasion, as I have always
observed amongst Southern men, the right of separation from the Union
was vehemently insisted upon, even whilst the policy of such a movement
was deprecated; the principle, in fact, of nullification was maintained
by those who were against the practice of such an experiment.

The condition of justice upon these wild frontiers was next freely
canvassed, and was on all hands admitted to be weak and short-armed
enough: very few, in truth, seem in criminal cases to seek for or
approve of its interference, except in some so monstrously atrocious
that no sympathy can be felt for the criminal; and even in such cases
his flight, if he condescends to such a movement, is a matter of small
difficulty.

Most of the many murders committed are the result of quarrels or
personal rancour. Jealousy of a favoured rival, a gambling or a
political dispute ends in a defiance, mutual and deadly, the ever-ready
dirk affords present means; or, if the interposition of the bystanders
prevents this, one of the party shoots down the other on the road or at
his own door; when, if the slain man has friends, the feud is adopted by
them, and the first homicide is revenged by another, or several, as may
be. These affrays are by convention termed duels; and, in fact, as on
our borders a century back, each man rights with his own hand his
wrongs "wherever given," in street or forest, in the court of justice or
within the house of prayer.

In the mean time, notwithstanding all this, the frontiers flourish;
trade yearly increases; and, as well as I can learn, civilization and
security also slowly but steadily march onward; but, from the very
nature of the country, it must be long before the wild spirits
congregated here can be subjected to the wholesome rule of
well-administered laws.

At Talboton we found six passengers, the freight of the stage preceding
us, which had been upset in the swamp the night previous; one of them
had a couple of ribs broken, and all were badly bruised. One young man
begged to be taken on the seat of our coach, which was readily
permitted, with cautions against his venturing on such an experiment.
The additional mail-bags were also to be carried forward; and the
largest were accordingly stowed into the coach, in the space usually
considered by passengers as designed for their legs; complaint, however