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this has been fulfilled to the letter in our own country; and it is about to be fulfilled too in Asia.
The two greatest powers in Europe, or the world, Russia and England, are making rapid inroads upon the Asiatic provinces: the latter at this time controls little than two hundred millions of people in that section of the globe. While the Russian eagle, as hungry and insatiable as Albion’s lion, is whetting his bill and pluming himself for a flight, and a banquet on the land of Shem, the fate of Asia is inevitable. The tents of Shem there, as here, will be occupied by his younger brother—and that obscure and unknown spot on which this memorable prediction was uttered, will witness its final consummation. Let the infidel and sceptic look at these facts.
Canaan, it is said in the 24th verse, “shall be a servant of servants to his brethren.” This is a singular prediction, but most singularly fulfilled, as I have seen both in the South and West Indies; where, on large cotton, coffee or sugar plantations, the slaves are divided in companies with a leader over them of their own color, who is also a slave, and is responsible to his overseer, or master. And these leaders, in general, are far more severe to their fellow slaves than their masters or overseers are.
And, in some parts of the West Indies, many free negroes are owners of many slaves, who were formerly slaves themselves.
Nor is this all—for, Canaan was to be a servant to his brethren, Shem and Japheth—all of which I have seen fulfilled: as the Creeks, Cherokees and Seminoles have many slaves among them.
These facts satisfy my own mind of the truth of our theory; and they are submitted to your consideration.
It may be necessary for the information of some of our hearers to make some remarks relative to the first introduction of slaves into this country.
The first slaves brought here, were prisoners taken in war among the African tribes, and, according to the universal custom among all savage nations, these prisoners had, by the fortune and rules of war, forfeited life and liberty, and were at the mercy of their captors to be killed, sold into slavery, or retained for their pleasure or service, just as passion, interest or caprice might rule them. The same privilege was also given to the Jews by a law of the commonwealth of Israel. Those Africans, then, who were first imported into this country, were not made slaves by that transaction: it was the fortune of war, that made them such: they were the property of their conquer-
