On the Tuesday I attended two Anti-slavery Meetings in the Tabernacle.  The one in the morning was that of Mr. Garrison’s party.  The chief speakers were Messrs. Garrison, Wendell Phillips, and Frederick Douglass.  This party think that the constitution of the United States is so thoroughly pro-slavery that nothing can be done without breaking it up.  Another party, at the head of which is Lewis Tappan, think that there are elements in the constitution which may be made to tell powerfully against slavery, and ultimately to effect its overthrow.  Both parties mean well; but they unhappily cherish towards each other great bitterness of feeling.  Mr. Tappan’s party held their meeting in the afternoon.  Among the speakers was the Rev. Mr. Patton from Hartford, son of Dr. Patton, who made a very effective speeches.  The Rev. Samuel Ward also, a black man of great muscular power, and amazing command of language and of himself, astonished and delighted me.  I could not but exclaim, “There speaks a black Demosthenes!” This man, strange to say, is the pastor of a Congregational church of white people in the State of New York.  As a public speaker he seemed superior to Frederick Douglass.  It was pleasing at those anti-slavery meetings to see how completely intermingled were the whites and the coloured.

I had been invited in the evening to speak at the public meeting of the Foreign Evangelical Society, and to take tea at Dr. Baird’s house.  While I was there, Dr. Anderson, one of the Secretaries of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, and Mr. Merwin, called to invite me to address the public meeting of that society on the Friday.  I promised to do so, if I should not previously have left for the West Indies.  The public meeting of Dr. Baird’s society was held in the Dutch Reformed Church, Dr. Hutton’s, a magnificent Gothic building.  Dr. De Witt took the chair.  The attendance was large and respectable.  Dr. Baird, as Secretary, having recently returned from Europe, where he had conversed on the subject of his mission with fourteen crowned heads, read a most interesting report.  The writer had then to address the meeting.  After him three other gentlemen spoke.  There was no collection!  Strange to say, that, with all their revivals, our friends in America seem to be morbidly afraid of doing anything under the influence of excitement.  Hence the addresses on occasions like this are generally stiff and studied, half-an-hour orations.  This feeling prevents their turning the voluntary principle, in the support of their religious societies, to so good an account as they otherwise might.  At the close of this meeting, there seemed to be a fine state of feeling for making a collection; and yet no collection was made.  This society is one of great value and importance.  It is designed to tell in the promotion of evangelical truth on the Catholic countries of Europe and South America.  In those countries, it employs a hundred colporteurs in the sale and distribution of religious publications.