Slaves,
however, are variously inclined; from the very nature of a negro—his
well-ascertained deficient intellectual capacity— the want of all
education—the knowledge of his position in society, and the almost
certainty of his never being able to raise himself above it—we need not
wonder that there should be among them some who are restless, impatient
of all control, and addicted to every vice. It is the frequent
necessity which arises for the punishment of the evil-disposed, that
has led to the supposition of the indiscriminate and universal use of
the lash. If the intellectual capacity of the negro be contrasted with
the native Indian, it will not be difficult, on most points, to decide
in favour of the latter. It is no small proof of the deficient mental
endowment of the negro, that even in remote parts of the empire, three
or four white men can keep as many as two or three hundred of them in
the most perfect state of submission. With the Indian this could never
be accomplished, for they too once were allowed to be held as slaves,
and even still are, on the northern and western frontier, although
contrary to law. The Indian has the animal propensities less fully
developed than the negro; hence he is more gentle in his disposition,
but at the same time, is much more impatient of restraint.
The
character and capacity of the negro vary very much in the different
nations. Those from the northern parts of Africa are by far the .finest
races. The slaves of Bahia are more difficult to manage than those of
any other part of Brazil, and more frequent attempts at revolt have
taken place there than elsewhere. The cause of this is obvious. Nearly
the whole of the slave population of that place is from the Gold Coast.
Both the men and the women are not only taller and more handsomely
formed than those from Mozambique, Benguela, and the other parts of
Africa, but have a much greater share of mental energy, arising,
perhaps, from their near relationship to the Moor and the Arab. Among
them there are many who both read and write Arabic. They are more
united among themselves than the other nations, and hence are less
liable to have their secrets divulged when they aim at a revolt.
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