Three Years in Europe | Page 8

and the speeches made upon the occasion
by fugitive slaves were of the most interesting and creditable
description. Although a residence in Canada is infinitely preferable to
slavery in America, yet the climate of that country is uncongenial to the
constitutions of the fugitive slaves, and their lack of education is an
almost insuperable barrier to their social progress. The latter evil Mr.
Brown attempted to remedy by the establishment of a Manual Labour
School in Canada.
A public meeting, attended by between 3000 and 4000 persons, was
convened by Mr. Brown, on the 6th of January, 1851, in the City Hall,
Glasgow, presided over by Mr. Hastie, one of the representatives of
that city, at which meeting a resolution was unanimously passed
approving of Mr. Brown's scheme, which scheme, however, never
received that amount of support which would have enabled him to

bring it into practice; and the plan at present only remains as an
evidence of its author's ingenuity and desire for the elevation of his
depressed race. Mr. Brown subsequently made, through the columns of
the Times newspaper, a proposition for the emigration of American
fugitive slaves, under fair and honourable terms, to the West Indies,
where there is a great lack of that tillage labour which they are so
capable of undertaking. This proposition has hitherto met with no better
fate than its predecessor.
Mr. Brown's literary abilities may be partly judged of from the
following pages. The amount of knowledge and education he has
acquired under circumstances of no ordinary difficulty, is a striking
proof of what can be done by combined genius and industry. His
proficiency as a linguist, without the aid of a master, is considerable.
His present work is a valuable addition to the stock of English literature.
The honour which has hitherto been paid, and which, so long as he
resides upon British soil, will no doubt continue to be paid to his
character and talents, must have its influence in abating the senseless
prejudice of colour in America, and hastening the time when the object
of his mission, the abolition of the slavery of his native country, shall
be accomplished, and that young Republic renouncing with penitence
its national sin, shall take its proper place amongst the most free,
civilized, and Christian nations of the earth.
W.F.

PREFACE.
While I feel conscious that most of the contents of these Letters will be
interesting chiefly to American readers, yet I may indulge the hope, that
the fact of their being the first production of a Fugitive Slave, as a
history of travels, may carry with them novelty enough to secure for
them, to some extent, the attention of the reading public of Great
Britain. Most of the letters were written for the private perusal of a few
personal friends in America; some were contributed to "Frederick
Douglass's paper," a journal published in the United States. In a printed
circular sent some weeks since to some of my friends, asking
subscriptions to this volume, I stated the reasons for its publication:
these need not be repeated here. To those who so promptly and kindly
responded to that appeal, I tender my most sincere thanks. It is with no

little diffidence that I lay these letters before the public; for I am not
blind to the fact, that they must contain many errors; and to those who
shall find fault with them on that account, it may not be too much for
me to ask them kindly to remember, that the author was a slave in one
of the Southern States of America, until he had attained the age of
twenty years; and that the education he has acquired, was by his own
exertions, he never having had a day's schooling in his life.
W. WELLS BROWN.
22, CECIL STREET, STRAND, LONDON.

LETTER I.
_Departure from Boston--the Passengers--Halifax--the Passage--First
Sight of Land--Liverpool._
LIVERPOOL, _July 28_.
On the 18th July, 1849, I took passage in the steam-ship Canada,
Captain Judkins, bound for Liverpool. The day was a warm one; so
much so, that many persons on board, as well as several on shore, stood
with their umbrellas up, so intense was the heat of the sun. The ringing
of the ship's bell was a signal for us to shake hands with our friends,
which we did, and then stepped on the deck of the noble craft. The
Canada quitted her moorings at half-past twelve, and we were soon in
motion. As we were passing out of Boston Bay, I took my stand on the
quarter-deck, to take a last farewell (at least for a time), of my native
land. A visit to the old world, up to that time had seemed but a dream.
As I looked back upon the receding land, recollections of