beings; and I would strongly advise every one of them, who possesses the means of getting to the sea-side, to work or beg his passage over, and go where he may, so that at all events he may quit his native island-that den of human wretchedness.

Before concluding the subject of emigration, I must say, though with bitter feelings of regret, that it is the intention of the people of the Illinois to constitute themselves a slave-holding State. So powerful is avarice, and so weak is patriotism, that many inhabitants, to whom I spoke upon the subject, acknowledged that it would ultimately be a great curse to the State; but this was indifferent to them, as they intended going away. These wretches think, that if their State can be made a slave state, many of the wealthy southern planters will emigrate to it, and that thus the price of land will be increased. As they wish to sell theirs, many will on that account vote for slavery.

Now the present constitution of Illinois (Art. 6.) says: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall hereafter be introduced into this State, otherwise than for the punishment of crimes whereof the party shall have been duly convicted; nor shall any male person arrived at the age of twenty-one years, nor female person arrived at the age of eighteen years, be held to serve any person as a servant, under any indenture hereafter made, unless such person shall enter into such indenture while in a state of perfect freedom, and on condition of a bonâ

fide consideration, received, or to be received, for their service." *

The legislature of Illinois meets only once in two years, and by the constitution, if any alteration be required, all that can be done by the legislature, in which the proposition for an alteration is brought forward, is to advise the people to enable the next legislature, to call a convention of the whole State, for the purpose of making the said alteration. In order to give this advice, there must be a majority of two-thirds. I grieve to say, that when I was there this majority had been obtained. As, however, the Convention cannot be called for two years, there is some little hope that the emigrants from the Northern and New England States, who are all strongly opposed to slavery, may increase so as to make head against the proposition. There is also some little chance, that the General Government of the United States will, as it ought, interfere. Neither, however, of these chances appeared to me to be very great.

Those who have been the cause of this convention, are the men who have come from the slave-holding States. On their success in getting the votes of two-thirds of the legislature, the Conventionalists assembled at two or three public dinners, at which they drank, among other toasts,

Vide that excellent little work "Constitutional Law," published at Washington, which comprises the constitutions of all the States.

"The State of Illinois-give us plenty of negroes, a little industry, and she will distribute her treasures." "A new constitution, purely republican, which may guarantee to the people of Illinois the peaceable enjoyment of all species of property."

What mortified me the most, was to find that many of the English at Albion were in favour of this iniquitous plan. Some few indeed of the more respectable are opposed to it; and Birkbeck and Flowers have even declared, that should it be carried into effect, they will leave the State. It remains to be seen how far they are sincere. There are, on the other hand, certain miscreants, who have fled from their own country, to avoid, as they tell you, the tyranny of tithes and taxes, and who have yet no hesitation in giving their vote for merciless personal slavery, and the consequent entailing of endless misery and degradation, upon tens of thousands of their fellow men. It is the conduct of such unprincipled wretches as these, that gives a handle to the serviles of Europe to declaim against liberty, by showing that there are some men utterly unworthy to enjoy it. It always annoyed me that any person in a free country should uphold slavery; but I felt it doubly mortifying, to discover, that among such wretches, there were Englishmen.

CAT'S FERRY-THE PRAIRIES-MISSISSIPPI-HARMONY.

UPON leaving Albion, I determined to "strike" the road leading to St. Louis in the State of Missouri, by taking a North-west course of about forty miles across the country. The road, or trace as it is more properly called, leading to Cat's Ferry on the Little Wabash, is through a wild country, and is somewhat difficult to find. For a considerable distance it runs through some beautiful little Prairies, which appear to be very fertile, if one may judge from the lofty stalks of Indian corn, which continue standing, during the winter, round the cabin of occasional settlers.

In travelling through these Prairies, every one must be struck with the vast number of a species of grouse, called Prairie Fowls." These very

much resemble the Scotch grouse, both in colour, and in being feathered to the feet; but are somewhat larger. They differ however in this particular, viz. that when disturbed, they will settle upon a fence or tree, if any be near. They are delicious eating, and are killed in great numbers by the unrivalled marksmen of this country. After driving up a flock of these birds, the hunter advances within fifteen or twenty paces, raises his

long heavy rifle, and rarely misses striking the bird on the head. I have witnessed over and over again this surprising accuracy, and have fired away numberless pounds of lead in trying to imitate it, but without success. I contented myself therefore with shooting the birds in the body, by which I rather tore and spoilt them. But, however difficult I found it to hit a bird anywhere with a single ball, the Backwoodsmen regarded my unsportsmanlike shooting with as much contempt, as one of our country squires feels, when a cockney shoots at a covey of partridges on the ground.

I have seen at one time, several hundreds of Prairie fowls in a flock. They would afford excellent sport to any one who could procure a smooth-bored gun-an article, which, unless brought to Albion by the English settlers, is unknown throughout the whole of the Illinois. If a person with this sort of gun were an adept in shooting flying, he might easily kill a hundred birds, or even more, in a day. But shooting flying is an art wholly unknown to the Backwoodsmen. Indeed I have often been amused, when speaking to them upon this subject, to see with what scepticism they have received my accounts, gravely asking me, whether I really meant that any one with a double-barrelled gun, could kill two birds on the wing, one after the other.

On these occasions I have been asked, when they discovered what country I belonged to,