to the Royal Society, in which he states the circumstance most fully, and recomputed all the observations in which that instrument was used Unfortunately, from the original observations of MrRoss being left on board the Fury at the time of her loss, the transcripts of his results could not be recomputed like the rest, and were consequently useless OF THE UNION OF SEVERAL OFFICES IN ONE PERSON Although the number of situations to which persons conversant with science may hope to be appointed, is small, yet it has somewhat singularly happened, that instances of one individual, holding more than one such appointment, are frequent Not to speak of those held by the late DrYoung, we have at present:-- MRPOND--Astronomer Royal, Inspector of Chronometers, and Superintendent of the Nautical Almanac CAPTAIN SABINE -- An officer of artillery on leave of absence from his regiment; Secretary of the Royal Society; and Scientific Adviser of the AdmiraltyBRANDE--Clerk of the Irons at the Royal Mint; Professor of Chemistry at the Royal Institution; Analyser of Rough Nitre,

The words were sometimes the well-known and common hymns sung in the churches about, and sometimes of a wilder, more indefinite character, picked up at camp-meetings The chorus of one of them, which ran as follows, was sung with great energy and unction: ?Die on the field of battle, Die on the field of battle, Glory in my soul Another special favorite had oft repeated the words? ?O, I?m going to glory,?won?t you come along with me? Don?t you see the angels beck?ning, and a calling me away? Don?t you see the golden city and the everlasting day?? There were others, which made incessant mention of ?Jordan?s banks,? and ?Canaan?s fields,? and the ?New Jerusalem;? for the negro mind, impassioned and imaginative, always attaches itself to hymns and expressions of a vivid and pictorial nature; and, as they sung, some laughed, and some cried, and some clapped hands, or shook hands rejoicingly with each other, as if they had fairly gained the other side of the river Various exhortations, or relations of experience, followed, and intermingled with the singingOne old gray-headed woman, long past work, but much revered as a sort of chronicle of the past, rose, and leaning on her staff, said??Well, chil?en! Well, I?m mighty glad to hear ye all and see ye all once more, ?cause I don?t know when I?ll be gone to glory; but I?ve done got ready, chil?en; ?pears like I?d got my little bundle all tied up, and my bonnet on, jest a waitin? for the stage to come along and take me home; sometimes, in the night, I think I hear the wheels a rattlin?, and I?m lookin? out all the time; now, you jest be ready too, for I tell ye all, chil?en,? she said striking her staff hard on the floor, ?dat ar glory is a mighty thing! It?s a mighty thing, chil?en,?you don?no nothing about it,?it?s wonderful And the old creature sat down, with streaming tears, as wholly overcome, while the whole circle struck up? ?O Canaan, bright Canaan I?m bound for the land of Canaan Mas?r George, by request, read the last chapters of Revelation, often interrupted by such exclamations as ?The sakes now!? ?Only hear that!? ?Jest think on ?t!? ?Is all that a comin? sure enough?? George, who was a bright boy, and well trained in religious things by his mother, finding himself an object of general admiration, threw in expositions of his own, from time to time, with a commendable seriousness and gravity, for which he was admired by the young and blessed by the old; and it was agreed, on all hands, that ?a minister couldn?t lay it off better than he did; that ??t was reely ?mazin?!? Uncle Tom was a sort of patriarch in religious matters, in the neighborhoodHaving, naturally, an organization in which the morale was strongly predominant, together with a greater breadth and cultivation of mind than obtained among his companions, he was looked up to with great respect, as a sort of minister among them; and the simple, hearty, sincere style of his exhortations might have edified even better educated personsBut it was in prayer that he especially excelledNothing could exceed the touching simplicity, the childlike earnestness, of his prayer, enriched with the language of Scripture, which seemed so entirely to have wrought itself into his being, as to have become a part of himself, and to drop from his lips unconsciously; in the language of a pious old negro, he ?prayed right up And so much did his prayer always work on the devotional feelings of his audiences, that there seemed often a danger that it would be lost altogether in the abundance of the responses which broke out everywhere around him While this scene was passing in the cabin of the man, one quite otherwise passed in the halls of the masterShelby were seated together in the dining room afore-named, at a table covered with papers and writing utensilsShelby was busy in counting some bundles of bills, which, as they were counted, he pushed over to the trader, who counted them likewise ?All fair,? said the trader; ?and now for signing these yerShelby hastily drew the bills of sale towards him, and signed them, like a man that hurries over some disagreeable business, and then pushed them over with the moneyHaley produced, from a well-worn valise, a parchment, which, after looking over it a moment, he handed to MrShelby, who took it with a gesture of suppressed eagerness ?Wal, now, the thing?s done!? said the trader, getting up ?It?s done!? said MrShelby, in a musing tone; and, fetching a long breath, he repeated, ?It?s done!? ?Yer don?t seem to feel much pleased with it, ?pears to me,? said the traderShelby, ?I hope you?ll remember that you promised, on your honor, you wouldn?t sell Tom, without knowing what sort of hands he?s going into ?Why, you?ve just done it sir,? said the trader ?Circumstances, you well know, obliged me,? said Shelby, haughtily ?Wal, you know, they may ?blige me, too,? said the trader?Howsomever, I?ll do the very best I can in gettin? Tom a good berth; as to my treatin? on him bad, you needn?t be a grain afeardIf there?s anything that I thank the Lord for, it is that I?m never noways cruel After the expositions which the trader had previously given of his humane principles, MrShelby did not feel particularly reassured by these declarations; but, as they were the best comfort the case admitted of, he allowed the trader to depart in silence, and betook himself to a solitary cigar Chapter 5 Showing the Feelings of Living Property on Changing Owners MrShelby had retired to their apartment for the nightHe was lounging in a large easy-chair, looking over some letters that had come in the afternoon mail, and she was standing before her mirror, brushing out the complicated braids and curls in which Eliza had arranged her hair; for, noticing her pale cheeks and haggard eyes, she had excused her attendance that night, and ordered her to bedThe employment, naturally enough, suggested her conversation with the girl in the morning; and turning to her husband, she said, carelessly, ?By the by, Arthur, who was that low-bred fellow that you lugged in to our dinner-table today?? ?Haley is his name,? said Shelby, turning himself rather uneasily in his chair, and continuing with his eyes fixed on a letter ?Haley! Who is he, and what may be his business here, pray?? ?Well, he?s a man that I transacted some business with, last time I was at Natchez,? said Mr ?And he presumed on it to make himself quite at home, and call and dine here, ay?? ?Why, I invited him; I had some accounts with him,? said Shelby ?Is he a negro-trader?? said MrsShelby, noticing a certain embarrassment in her husband?s manner ?Why, my dear, what put that into your head?? said Shelby, looking up ?Nothing,?only Eliza came in here, after dinner, in a great worry, crying and taking on, and said you were talking with a trader, and that she heard him make an offer for her boy?the ridiculous little goose!? ?She did, hey?? said MrShelby, returning to his paper, which he seemed for a few moments quite intent upon, not perceiving that he was holding it bottom shop upwards

?There he is, I do believe!? said PhineasGeorge and Jim both sprang out of the wagon before they knew what they were doingAll stood intensely silent, with their faces turned towards the expected messengerNow he went down into a valley, where they could not see him; but they heard the sharp, hasty tramp, rising nearer and nearer; at last they saw him emerge on the top of an eminence, within hail ?Yes, that?s Michael!? said Phineas; and, raising his voice, ?Halloa, there, Michael!? ?Phineas! is that thee?? ?Yes; what news?they coming?? ?Right on behind, eight or ten of them, hot with brandy, swearing and foaming like so many wolves And, just as he spoke, a breeze brought the faint sound of galloping horsemen towards them ?In with you,?quick, boys, in!? said Phineas?If you must fight, wait till I get you a piece ahead And, with the word, both jumped in, and Phineas lashed the horses to a run, the horseman keeping close beside themThe wagon rattled, jumped, almost flew, over the frozen ground; but plainer, and still plainer, came the noise of pursuing horsemen behindThe women heard it, and, looking anxiously out, saw, far in the rear, on the brow of a distant hill, a party of men looming up against the red-streaked sky of early dawnAnother hill, and their pursuers had evidently caught sight of their wagon, whose white cloth-covered top made it conspicuous at some distance, and a loud yell of brutal triumph came forward on the windEliza sickened, and strained her child closer to her bosom; the old woman prayed and groaned, and George and Jim clenched their pistols with the grasp of despairThe pursuers gained on them fast; the carriage made a sudden turn, and brought them near a ledge of a steep overhanging rock, that rose in an isolated ridge or clump in a large lot, which was, all around it, quite clear and smoothThis isolated pile, or range of rocks, rose up black and heavy against the brightening sky, and seemed to promise shelter and concealmentIt was a place well known to Phineas, who had been familiar with the spot in his hunting days; and it was to gain this point he had been racing his horses ?Now for it!? said he, suddenly checking his horses, and springing from his seat to the ground?Out with you, in a twinkling, every one, and up into these rocks with meMichael, thee tie thy horse to the wagon, and drive ahead to Amariah?s and get him and his boys to come back and talk to these fellows In a twinkling they were all out of the carriage ?There,? said Phineas, catching up Harry, ?you, each of you, see to the women; and run, now if you ever did run!? They needed no exhortationQuicker than we can say it, the whole party were over the fence, making with all speed for the rocks, while Michael, throwing himself from his horse, and fastening the bridle to the wagon, began driving it rapidly away ?Come ahead,? said Phineas, as they reached the rocks, and saw in the mingled starlight and dawn, the traces of a rude but plainly marked foot-path leading up among them; ?this is one of our old hunting-densCome up!? Phineas went before, springing up the rocks like a goat, with the boy in his armsJim came second, bearing his trembling old mother over his shoulder, and George and Eliza brought up the rearThe party of horsemen came up to the fence, and, with mingled shouts and oaths, were dismounting, to prepare to follow themA few moments? scrambling brought them to the top of the ledge; the path then passed between a narrow defile, where only one could walk at a time, till suddenly they came to a rift or chasm more than a yard in breadth, and beyond which lay a pile of rocks, separate from the rest of the ledge, standing full thirty feet high, with its sides steep and perpendicular as those of a castlePhineas easily leaped the chasm, and sat down the boy on a smooth, flat platform of crisp white moss, that covered the top of the rock ?Over with you!? he called; ?spring, now, once, for your lives!? said he, as one after another sprang acrossSeveral fragments of loose stone formed a kind of breast-work, which sheltered their position from the observation of those below ?Well, here we all are,? said Phineas, peeping over the stone breast-work to watch the assailants, who were coming tumultuously up under the rocks?Let ?em get us, if they canWhoever comes here has to walk single file between those two rocks, in fair range of your pistols, boys, d?ye see?? ?I do see,? said George! ?and now, as this matter is ours, let us take all the risk, and do all the fighting ?Thee?s quite welcome to do the fighting, George,? said Phineas, chewing some checkerberry-leaves as he spoke; ?but I may have the fun of looking on, I supposeBut see, these fellows are kinder debating down there, and looking up, like hens when they are going to fly up on to the roostHadn?t thee better give ?em a word of advice, before they come up, just to tell ?em handsomely they?ll be shot if they do?? The party beneath, now more apparent in the light of the dawn, consisted of our old acquaintances, Tom Loker and Marks, with two constables, and a posse consisting of such rowdies at the last tavern as could be engaged by a little brandy to go and help the fun of trapping a set of niggers ?Well, Tom, yer coons are farly treed,? said one ?Yes, I see ?em go up right here,? said Tom; ?and here?s a pathI?m for going right upThey can?t jump down in a hurry, and it won?t take long to ferret ?em shop out

That many of those engravings are quite essential for the papers they illustrate, and that those papers are fit for the Transactions, I do not doubt; but, some inquiry is necessary, when such large sums are expended I shall endeavour, therefore, to approximate to the sum these engravings have cost the Royal Society Previous to 1810, there are upwards of seventy plates to papers of Sir EHome's; in many of these, which I have purposely separated, the workmanship is not so minute as in the succeeding ones Since 1810, there have occurred 187 plates attached to papers of the same authorMany of these have cost from twelve to twenty guineas each plate; but I shall take five pounds as the average cost of the first portion, and twelve as that of the latter This would produce, 70 X 5 = 350 187 X 12 = 2244 L2594 As this is only proposed as a rough approximation, let us omit the odd hundreds, and we have two thousand pounds expended in plates only on ONE branch of science, and for one person! Without calling in question the importance of the discoveries contained in those papers, it may be permitted to doubt whether such a large sum might not have been expended in a manner more beneficial to science Not being myself conversant with those subjects, I can only form an opinion of the value from extraneous circumstances Had their importance been at all equal to their number, I should have expected to have heard amongst the learned of other countries much more frequent mention of them than I have done, and even the Council of the Royal Society would scarcely have excluded from their Transactions one of those productions which they had paid for as a lecture It might also have been more delicate not to have placed on the Council so repeatedly a gentleman, for whose engravings they were annually expending, during the last twenty years, about an hundred pounds On the other hand, when the Council lent Sir E Home the whole of those valuable plates to take off impressions for his large work on Comparative Anatomy, of which they constitute almost the whole, it might have been as well not to have obliterated from each plate all indication of the source to which he was indebted for them THE PRESIDENT'S DISCOURSES-I shall mention this circumstance, because it fell under my own observation Observing in the annual accounts a charge of 381L 5sfor the President's Speeches, I thought it right to inquire into the nature of this itemHappening to be on the Council the next year, I took an opportunity, at an early meeting of that Council, to ask publicly for an explanation of the following resolution, which stands in the Council-books for Dec "Resolved, That 500 copies of the President's Discourses, about to be printed by MrMurray, be purchased by the Society, at the usual trade price The answer given to that question was, "THAT THE COUNCIL HAD AGREED TO PURCHASE THESE VOLUMES AT THAT PRICE, IN ORDER TO INDUCE MRMURRAY TO PRINT THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECHES I remarked at the time that such an answer was quite unsatisfactory, as the following statement will prove The volume consists of 160 pages, or twenty sheets, and the following prices are very liberal: L s To composing and printing twenty sheets, at 3L 60 0 0 Twenty reams of paper, at 3L 60 0 0 Corrections, alterations,

?There?ll be the same God there, Chloe, that there is here ?Well,? said Aunt Chloe, ?s?pose dere will; but de Lord lets drefful things happen, sometimesI don?t seem to get no comfort dat way ?I?m in the Lord?s hands,? said Tom; ?nothin? can go no furder than he lets it;?and thar?s one thing I can thank him forIt?s me that?s sold and going down, and not you nur the chil?enHere you?re safe;?what comes will come only on me; and the Lord, he?ll help me,?I know he will Ah, brave, manly heart,?smothering thine own sorrow, to comfort thy beloved ones! Tom spoke with a thick utterance, and with a bitter choking in his throat,?but he spoke brave and strong ?Let?s think on our marcies!? he added, tremulously, as if he was quite sure he needed to think on them very hard indeed ?Marcies!? said Aunt Chloe; ?don?t see no marcy in ?t! ?tan?t right! tan?t right it should be so! Mas?r never ought ter left it so that ye could be took for his debtsYe?ve arnt him all he gets for ye, twice overHe owed ye yer freedom, and ought ter gin ?t to yer years agoMebbe he can?t help himself now, but I feel it?s wrongNothing can?t beat that ar out o? meSich a faithful crittur as ye?ve been,?and allers sot his business ?fore yer own every way,?and reckoned on him more than yer own wife and chil?en! Them as sells heart?s love and heart?s blood, to get out thar scrapes, de Lord?ll be up to ?em!? ?Chloe! now, if ye love me, ye won?t talk so, when perhaps jest the last time we?ll ever have together! And I?ll tell ye, Chloe, it goes agin me to hear one word agin Mas?rWan?t he put in my arms a baby??it?s natur I should think a heap of himAnd he couldn?t be spected to think so much of poor TomMas?rs is used to havin? all these yer things done for ?em, and nat?lly they don?t think so much on ?tThey can?t be spected to, no waySet him ?longside of other Mas?rs?who?s had the treatment and livin? I?ve had? And he never would have let this yer come on me, if he could have seed it aforehand ?Wal, any way, thar?s wrong about it somewhar,? said Aunt Chloe, in whom a stubborn sense of justice was a predominant trait; ?I can?t jest make out whar ?t is, but thar?s wrong somewhar, I?m clar o? that ?Yer ought ter look up to the Lord above?he?s above all?thar don?t a sparrow fall without him ?It don?t seem to comfort me, but I spect it orter,? said Aunt Chloe?But dar?s no use talkin?; I?ll jes wet up de corn-cake, and get ye one good breakfast, ?cause nobody knows when you?ll get another In order to appreciate the sufferings of the negroes sold south, it must be remembered that all the instinctive affections of that race are peculiarly strongTheir local attachments are very abidingThey are not naturally daring and enterprising, but home-loving and affectionateAdd to this all the terrors with which ignorance invests the unknown, and add to this, again, that selling to the south is set before the negro from childhood as the last severity of punishmentThe threat that terrifies more than whipping or torture of any kind is the threat of being sent down riverWe have ourselves heard this feeling expressed by them, and seen the unaffected horror with which they will sit in their gossipping hours, and tell frightful stories of that ?down river,? which to them is ?That undiscovered country, from whose bourn No traveller returns1 A missionary figure among the fugitives in Canada told us that many of the fugitives confessed themselves to have escaped from comparatively kind masters, and that they were induced to brave the perils of escape, in almost every case, by the desperate horror with which they regarded being sold south,?a doom which was hanging either over themselves or their husbands, their wives or childrenThis nerves the African, naturally patient, timid and unenterprising, with heroic courage, and leads him to suffer hunger, cold, pain, the perils of the wilderness, and the more dread penalties of recapture The simple morning meal now smoked on the table, for MrsShelby had excused Aunt Chloe?s attendance at the great house that morningThe poor soul had expended all her little energies on this farewell feast,?had killed and dressed her choicest chicken, and prepared her corn-cake with scrupulous exactness, just to her husband?s taste, and brought out certain mysterious jars on the mantel-piece, some preserves that were never produced except on extreme occasions ?Lor, Pete,? said Mose, triumphantly, ?han?t we got a buster of a breakfast!? at the same time catching at a fragment of the chicken Aunt Chloe gave him a sudden box on the ear?Thar now! crowing over the last breakfast yer poor daddy?s gwine to have to home!? ?O, Chloe!? said Tom, gently ?Wal, I can?t help it,? said Aunt Chloe, hiding her face in her apron; ?I ?s so tossed about it, it makes me act ugly The boys stood quite still, looking first at their father and then at their mother, while the baby, climbing up her clothes, began an imperious, commanding cry ?Thar!? said Aunt Chloe, wiping her eyes and taking up the baby; ?now I?s done, I hope,?now do eat shop something