peace of Charleston."

"You would, would you?" said another. "Then you would incite the fury
of an ungovernable mob to endanger the man's life for carrying out the
instructions of his government."

"That don't begin to be all that he does, for he's meddling with every
thing, and continually making remarks about our society," said Grimshaw,
evidently intending to create ill feeling against the consul, and to
make the matter as bad as possible.

"Now, Mr. Grimshaw," said the factor, "you know your jail is not fit to
put any kind of human beings into, much less respectable men. It's
an old Revolutionary concern, tumbling down with decay, swarming with
insects and vermin; the rooms are damp and unhealthy, and without means
to ventilate them; the mildew and horrible stench is enough to strike
disease into the strongest constitution; and you aggravate men's
appetites with food that's both insufficient and unwholesome, I know,
because I visited a friend who was put in there on 'mesne process.'"

"There is little confidence to be placed in the stories of prisoners;
they all think they must be treated like princes, instead of considering
that they are put there for cause, and that a jail was intended for
punishment," interrupted Grimshaw, anxious to change the subject of
conversation, and displaying an habitual coldness to misfortune which
never can see the gentleman in a prisoner.

"Yes, but you must not measure men by that standard. Circumstances which
bring them there are as different as their natures. I've known many
good, honest, and respectable, citizens, who once enjoyed affluence in
our community, put in there, month after month, and year after year,
suffering the persecution of creditors and the effects of bad laws. Now
these men would not all complain if there was no cause, and they all
loved you, as you state. But tell me, Mr. Grimshaw, would it not be even
safer for our institutions to make a restriction confining them to the
wharf, which could be easily done, and with but small expense to the
city? Niggers on the wharves could have no communication with them,
because each is occupied in his business, and ours are too closely
watched and driven during working hours. As soon as those hours end,
they are bound to leave, and the danger ends. Again, those niggers who
work on the wharves are generally good niggers, while, on the other
hand, bad niggers are put into jail; and during the hours these stewards
are allow