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    liarly delicate in their nature , that we cannot enter into all those minute details which would present a true picture to the mental eye , and give thie event all that interest which properly belongs to it . We must at present be contented with a general apd brief

    history of the fact . Paul had experienced the many disadvantages of hi . s very limited education , and he resolved , as fat as it was practicable , to relieve his clxildren from similar embarrassments ; The neighbourhood had neither a tutor nor school-house ., Many of the citizens were desirous that a school should be

    established . Paul proposed a meeting " of the inhabitants for the purpose of making such arrangements- as should accomplish the desired object . The collision of opinion respecting mode and place occasioned the meeting to

    separate without arriving at any conclusion , several meetings of the sam ^ nature were called , but all were unsuccessful in their issue . Perceiving that all efforts to procure a unioa of sentiment were fruitless , Paul set himself to work in earnest , and had a suitable house built on his own ground .

    A toaster was procured and the school open to all who . pleased to send their children . Paul ' s money paid for the house , But he never demanded rent for it , nor endeavoured to obtain any extraordinary authority in the control or regulation of the school . Is this true benevolence ? JLet those who read

    judge for themselves . We leavn that a brig of ioo tons burthen is now , in the latter part of the year 1806 , buildine ; at West-port * IVIassachusets , one half of which is

    owned by Paul Cuifee . Since the year i 797 , Capt . Cuffee and his coloured crew have frequently vuited Wilmington , and their conduct has

    always furnished strong testimony in favour of the belief that the descendants of Africa are not inferior td Europeans or Americans in moral or intellectual capacity . On being

    questioned respecting the religious profession of his parents and hunsclr , Paul replied , " I do not know that my father and mother were ever adopted as mern « bcrs of any society , but tney followed the Quaker meeting" and as to Paul * * religion he ha ; walked m the siepa

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    Intelligence . 3-37

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    the whole rights of citizenship were united—If the laws demanded of them the payment of personal taxes , the same laws must necessarily and constitutionally invest them with the rights of representing and being represented in the State Legislature . But they had never been considered as entitled

    to the privilege of voting at elections , nor of being elected to places of trust and honour . Under those circumstances , being divested of the rights of Freemen , they believed themselves exempted from the burthens of taxation , and therefore refused payment of the demands . The collector resorted to * , the

    force of the laws to obtain the amount of the taxes . After many delays of the judicial procedure and vexatious entanglement * of the law , Paul and his brother deemed it most prudent to silence the suit by payment of the demands . But they resolved , if it were possible , to obtain the rights which

    they believed to be connected with taxation . They presented a respectful petition to the State Legislature , stating their . , condition and requesting the , pas * sing of such a law as should clear

    up the uncertainty , and either exempt all pefsons of colour frorn liability to taxation , or insure for them the rights and immunities belonging to other taxable freemen . This petition was" received and read in the ^ Legislature . From some individuals it met with a warm

    and almost indignant opposition . There was , however , a considerable majority favourable to their requests . They perceived the propriety and justice of the petition , and "with an honourable magnanimity , in defiance of the prejudice of the times , they passed a law rendering all free . persons of colour

    liable to taxation , according to the ratio established for white men , an 4 granting them ail the privileges belonging to other citizens . Thii was a day equally honourable to the petitioners and the Legislature . A day

    which ought to be gratefully remembered by every person of colour within the boundaries of Mas ^ achusets , and the names of John and Paul CuiFee should always be united With its recollection .

    . With the other circumstance there are several incident * connected , so pcu-

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    vol . u < a Y

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), June 2, 1807, page 337, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2381/page/49/