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52 before her death she knew very little; but her conversation was innocent, sometimes saying, "If it is the Lord's will to take me, I am willing to go, but I must wait his time." And He was pleased to release her after a short confinement, without any apparent disease but the decline of nature, about the seventy-ninth year of her age. And her remains were decently deposited in the African place of interment, in the city of New-York. 1. BELINDA LUCAS, a woman of colour, living in Chrystie-street, New-York, is about one hundred years old. She retains her faculties remarkably well, and in the spring of 1825, gave the following account of herself. "When I was a small child in Africa, being one day at play in the woods, some people came along one of whom catched me, and throwing me over his shoulder, ran away with me. After he had got some distance, he put me down and whipped me to make me run. When we came to the water, they put me into the ship, and carried me to Antigua. 2 "Soon after, the captain of a vessel from New-York taking a liking to me, bought me and brought me here. I was then so little, that I slept sometimes at my mistress' feet. I think there was only one house for worship in the city then; and I remember very well that up Broadway there were only a few small houses, and where the college stands it was woods. 3. "I was sold several times, married twice, and had one child, that died young. I was baptized in St. Paul's church not long after it was built; and when I was about forty years old, I bought my freedom for twenty pounds. Not long after I married my last husband; I paid for freedom, and we went to Charleston. After living there about seven years, he died; and knowing I had many friends and acquaintance in New-York, I came back. I brought a hundred dollars with me, which I put into the church stock. From that I have received seven dollars every year, and with it I buy my winter firewood. 53 4. "By working early and late, besides my day's work, I earned money, and got a life-lease on this spot of ground, and built this house, and in this room, (which is on the first floor) I have lived many years. The upper part I rent, but sometimes the people have been poor, and could not pay me, then I lost it, but these people pay me very well. I have been asked many times to sell it, but I think it is much better for me to stay quietly here than to be moving about :- and besides, I let Mr. ----- have fifty dollars, and when he failed, I lost it; and the bad folks have several times taken money out of my chest: and I was afraid if I did sell, I should lose that also, and then I should be very bad off. 5. "As I have no relation of my own, when I am gone, and don't want these things any more, they are to be divided among my husband's folks." A person present told her she should have a writing drawn, to tell how they should be divided; saying perhaps they will quarrel about it. She said, "I have told them if they did, them that quarreled must not have any thing."When asked if she could read, she answered: "Yes, when I was young I learned to spell a little, but I did not know how to put the words together, till I went to the Clarkson School, there I learned to read, and though I can't read all the hard words in the Bible, I can read Matthew and John very well." 6. A representation of the crucifixion of Christ hanging over the chimney-piece, she pointed to it, and explained very intelligibly, remarking that, "to Mary, who was kneeling near the cross, it was said, "Woman behold thy son'- and to one of those standing by, 'behold thy Mother.'" This representation appeared to afford her much interest in contemplating it, though she looked only to the Lord for consolation, and several times while giving this account, testified of his goodness and mercy to her saying, "It is the Lord's will that I should be so comfortably provided for. When I was younger, and worked so steadily, the people used to say, Belinda, what do you work so hard for, and 6
