Virginia Free Press & Farmers' Repository

New York Negro and a Kentuckian.—Not long since, a gentleman from Kentucky was standing at the door of one of our hotels, whence he was about starting for the steamboat. Wishing for some one to carry his baggage, and seeing a spruce-looking negro passing along the street, he called out to him: "Here, you nig, take my trunk and carry it down to the boat."

The negro stopped, and raising his quizzing glass to his eye, stared at the Kentuckian with a mixture of indignation and astonishment. Having scanned him sufficiently with his glass, he gave his hat an independent twist to one side, pulled up his dickey about his ears, drew himself up to his fullest height, and thus replied,—"Did you address that language to me, sir?"

"Yes," you black rascal; I want you to take my trunk to the steamboat."

"Indeed! I guess you came from the slave-holdin' states, didn't you, if I may take the liberty to ask?"

"Ay, you black dog—and what if I did? You take too much liberty, I can tell you."

"Why I am sure you must have come from the slave states, otherwise you wouldn't treat a gentleman in this supersilly manner, just because his skin isn't of the same colour of your own."

"Shut up your thick lip, or I'll stick my fist down your throat. We don't have any gag laws in this state."

"Well, you ought to have, to stop the mouths of such saucy black rascals as you are. I wish I had you in Kentucky once."

"I suppose you'd gouge me then. But thank heaven, I'm not in Kentucky, and not a slave neither. And what's more, I undertake to tell you, Mr. Impudence, that there's no gouging nor gagging in this free state, and one man is as much respected as another, if he behaves as well, although he is a black man, or a nig, as you call him. Behaviour makes the man, sir. For my part, I should be ashamed to show my face 'mong other gentlemen, if I 'dressed a man in the supersilly manner you did me."

Having finished his speech, the dark colored beau again raised his quizzing glass to his eye, and giving his antagonist a look of ineffable disdain, walked on: while the Kentuckian, almost doubting his senses, wondered what sort of republican principle that could be which gives a black man as much liberty as a white one.

New York Constellation.