Mr. W. Q. Atwood, of East Saginaw, Mich., is one of the largest lumber dealers in the United States. Mr. Atwood was born a slave, but in spite of that fact he is a well-informed man in every way. He was born in Alabama, but left there for East Saginaw, Mich., in 1863. He has been a successful land, real estate and lumber dealer ever since he landed in the city. In 1863, he located 1600 acres of land and sold the same during the same year, clearing $4,000. This was his first deal. In 1868, with thirty men and eight teams, he cut and put in 3,000,000 feet of pine saw logs, and manufactured the same into lumber during the following year. He continued lumbering each year, cutting from one to five million feet, until 1877, and has made from ten to twenty-five dollars per thousand feet. [Illustration: W. Q. ATWOOD.] Mr. Atwood has given employment to large bodies of men. In all his business transactions he has endeavored to use his own capital, and has invested it very carefully. He is worth about $100,000. He is a leader in political, social and commercial matters in his city. He is the only colored member of the Board of Trade. I regard his career a worthy example of what can be accomplished by men of the race, possessing the requisite qualities of patience, enterprise and foresight. SAMUEL HARRIS. [Illustration: SAMUEL HARRIS.] I present here a picture of Mr. Samuel Harris. The subject of this brief sketch lives at Williamsburg, Va. I had occasion to visit that town a few years ago, and when it became known to the white people that I was interested in colored people, the hotel proprietor where I stopped seemed very anxious to give me all the information he could regarding the condition of the race in that section of Virginia. After telling me all that he knew, and much that he did not know, he said he wanted to take me to see a store owned by a colored man by the name of Harris. I was only too glad to go. To see a large store owned by a colored man was to me a thing of wonderful interest. We went, and I am unable to put in words how much I was helped and inspired by what I saw in that store. I got while there these very interesting facts. Mr. Harris started in business about twenty-five years ago. His capital amounted to seventy dollars, He is now doing a business of $55,000 a year; owns ninety-six building lots in his town; four large farms in the State, and property in Richmond, Norfolk and Newport News. All of the goods sold in his store are shipped in his own vessel that is manned by his own crew. WILLIAM H. DAVIS. [Illustration: WILLIAM H. DAVIS.]