The upholders of slavery will in vain contend with the liberal spirit of the age; it is too strong for them. They may as well try to bottle up the sunshine for their own exclusive use, as to attempt to keep knowledge and freedom to themselves. We all know that such an experiment would result in bottling up darkness for themselves, while exactly the same amount of sunshine remained abroad for the use of their neighbors. In North Carolina, free negroes are whipped, fined, and imprisoned, at the discretion of the court, for intermarrying with slaves. In Georgia, free colored persons when unable to pay _any_ fine, may be sold for a space of time not exceeding five years. This limitation does not probably avail much; if sold to another master before the five years expired, they would never be likely to be free again. Several other laws have been passed in Georgia, prohibiting slaves from living apart from their master, either to labor for other persons, or to sell refreshments, or to carry on any trade or business although with their master's consent. Any person of color, bond or free, is forbidden to occupy any tenement except a _kitchen_ or an _outhouse_, under penalty of from twenty to fifty lashes. Some of these laws are applicable only to particular cities, towns, or counties; others to several counties. Sundry general laws of a penal nature have been made more penal; and the number of offences, for which a colored person may suffer _death_, is increased. A law passed in Tennessee, in 1831, provides that negroes for conspiracy to rebel, shall be punished with whipping, imprisonment and pillory, at the discretion of the court; it has this curious proviso--"Householders _may_ serve as jurors, if _slaveholders_ cannot be had!"[S] The Southern courts need to have a great deal of _discretion_, since so much is trusted to it. [Footnote S: The Common Law assigns for the trial of a foreigner, six jurors of his own nation, and six native Englishmen.] _Class Second._--In Virginia, _white_ persons who teach any colored person to read or write, are fined not exceeding fifty dollars; for teaching slaves for pay, from ten to twenty dollars for each offence. In Georgia, a similar offence is fined not exceeding five hundred dollars, and imprisoned at the discretion of the court. Knowledge seems to be peculiarly _pokerish_ in Georgia. In North Carolina, if a white person teach a slave to read or write, or give or sell him _any_ book, &c., he is fined from one to two hundred dollars. In Louisiana, any white person, who teaches a slave to read or write, is imprisoned one year. And if any person shall use any language from the _bar_, _bench_, _stage_, _pulpit_, or any other place,--or hold any conversation having a _tendency_ to promote discontent among free colored people, or insubordination among slaves, he may be imprisoned at hard labor, not less than three, nor more than twenty-one years; or he may suffer death--at the discretion of the court.