In Mississippi, a white man, who prints or circulates doctrines, sentiments, advice, or _innuendoes_, likely to produce discontent among the colored class, is fined from one hundred to a thousand dollars, and imprisoned from three to twelve months. All the States which have pronounced an anathema against books and alphabets, have likewise forbidden that any colored man shall be employed in a printing-office, under the penalty of ten dollars for every offence. In Mississippi, any white who employs, or receives a free colored person, without a certificate of freedom, written on parchment, forfeits _one thousand dollars_. If any master, in that State, allows his slaves to sell any wares or merchandise out of the incorporated towns, he is liable to a fine of from fifty to five hundred dollars. In Virginia, any person who buys of a slave any article belonging to his master, forfeits from ten to fifty dollars; if the purchase be made on Sunday, ten dollars more are added to the fine for each article. This enactment is evidently made to prevent a slave from obtaining any money, or holding communication with freemen; a particular proviso is made against Sunday, because the slave has usually more leisure on that day. It is to be remembered that all a slave has belongs to his master. To carry a slave out of North Carolina, or conceal him with intent to carry him out, is punished with death. If a runaway slave die in prison, before he or she can be sold, _the county pays the sheriff and jailer_; formerly these officers depended on the life and marketableness of their prisoners for security; but even this poor motive for kindness is now taken away. If ninety-nine out of a hundred die in prison, they will be heard of only in the _jailer's bill_. I never heard or read of an _inquest_ upon the body of a slave found dead. Under the term "runaway slaves" are included many free colored persons taken up unjustly. Well might Jefferson say, "I tremble for my country, when I reflect that God is just!" In travelling over this dreary desert, it is pleasant to arrive at one little oasis: Louisiana _has_ enacted that slaves brought into that State for sale, shall forthwith be set free; but they must be sent out of the State. It is worthy of remark that England pursues a totally different course with regard to allowing slaves to communicate with free people. Their recent laws are all calculated to make it easy for the slave to obtain a fair hearing from people who have no interest to suppress his complaints. He may go upon any plantation, and communicate with any person; and whoever tries to prevent his going to a magistrate is guilty of a misdemeanor. They have abolished all distinction between white and colored witnesses. The law expressly stipulates the quality and quantity of provisions. Inquest is held upon the bodies of slaves dying suddenly, or from any suspected violence.