From our Brooklyn Correspondent.

DEAR DOUGLASS:—It is dread winter!—Perhaps this truth is more fully realized
here than anywhere else. Hemmed in on
all sides as we are by brick, stone and mortar, we really taste the bitter drought of
winter. It is houses-streets-streets-houses. This is all. There is no other variation. Nothing to give relief. Dreariness
sadly curtains my lonely abode. She even
veils my window-the sole one of my HUT,
(the same one I occupied last winter,) with a
snow-cloud; so that the few passing objects
are obscured from my sight; so I turn from
it, and sit me down to read, for the first time
(rather late you will say,) the English,
French, United States, and Haytien correspondence-five of the great powers of the
world; concluding, find this picture before
me. Let me present it to your readers—England, France, United States, Hayti-and Ti
ger, Hyena, Wolf, Lion. The first three con
spire to subdue and destroy the latter, for his
own benefit; though each eats the other up in
the event. Having feasted and fatted on
flesh; having piled each his lair with the
bones of the slain; each his mouth, still reeking with the warm blood of his victims, they
jointly repair to the Lion’s Den, and inform
him that he must not, in any manner, disturb
the nests of vipers, vermin, and unclean
beasts sequestered in the back part of his
den; and with great gravity tell him of his
exceeding ferocity. Now this Lion-yes,
that is the name-was supposed to be, as Mr.
Walsh informs us, very docile and very ignorant; moreover, not over strong, being quite
young-having once been chained for a long
season in a close place. But on being thus
approached by this trio of wild beasts, he
showed signs of resistance, much to their
dismay. Being rather sharply poked, all the
ferocity of his nature exhibited itself and
growling rather too savagely; the other three
beasts, after snarling in turn, made off, each
to his lair. Now, the others, unawares of
his intent, the Wolf, with his usual low cunning, sneaks off, but to return with a horde
of his bastard cubs, that he may, if possible,
destroy the whole, and get entire possession.
Ere he reaches the spot-behold! the Hyena is there! He has crawled in the back
part of the den, amid the vermin, &c., &c.,
and with claws extended, threatens to piecemeal the whole brood of Wolves, if they venture near; whereupon said Wolf sets up a
woeful howl, to the effect that the Hyena has
trespassed upon premises that were to be his

when the Lion was ejected. The Tiger, with
his usual caution, meanwhile, is advancing,
and as he advances, hears the howl of the
Wolf; quickens his pace; joins and makes
common cause with him; hoping, in the
event, to secure the whole for himself. They
return. Now for the fight!!!! At it they
go, hot and fierce; give weakness and youth
time and care, and they will gain both
strength and manhood; so has the lion; and
just at the moment of deadly strife-the decisive moment, this Lion, once ignorant, docile, young, weak-now vigorous, fierce, rampart-rouses up, and with one fell, swoop
crushes Tiger, Hyena, Wolf, vipers, vermin
-all-all to earth. Now look on this picture! Behold! now, a powerful Black Empire!! composed of Hayti, Cuba, and the
adjacent Islands! A Black Empire, the most
splendid the world ever saw, You don’t see
it, you say. Wait awhile and you shall
though. Its passage through this tripartite
battle siege was as necessary to produce and
bring out its beauty and splendor, as is the
heated furnace to the perfecting of the gold;
or the winged clouds to the warmth and
splendor of a July sun.

* * * Many fine-spun sermons
have been unravelled, because of the death of
Daniel Webster. Now hear Ethiop’s: A tremendous giant lifting up a strand whale upon
the shore of Marshfield-letting him fall,
bursts him into a thousand pieces! Giant,
Theodore Parker; Whale, Daniel Webster.

* * By the way, Theodore has been
delivering himself of one of his lectures in
Gotham, recently. Men go to hear him with
great fear and trembling. Their very knees
smite together as they enter his presence.—They seem as though some dreadful tempest
or tornado was about to pass by, or earthquake to occur; and they had left their
homes, and huddled together to await, in
fearful agony, its effect; each expecting each
moment it would carry him off. When I
look at their condition I don’t blame them.
Poor souls!!!

* * * Dr. Pennington has, as
perhaps all your readers know, been appointed Moderator of the New York Presbytery-one above all others for its wealth,
pride, &c., &c. Well, an ordination is to
take place soon, in one of the up-town
churches, where none but the upper-ten go;
and the Dr. is, of course, to preside, and put
the constitutional questions to the candidates. The Dr. will doubtless nerve himself
to the task; and it will be a curious spectacle
in this age. If nothing happens, Ethiop intends to find a place somewhere in that
Church on that occasion, if it be even in the
smallest corner of the smallest gallery
therein, so as to apprize your readers of the
whole affair.

The Bible tells us that Esau’s hand was

against every man, and every man's hand
was against him. Fortunately for our times
however, for Ethiop and your readers, a modern Esau ; Esau of Brooklyn, ESAU from under the Heights, has so far repented of his
obstinacy as to turn his face, at least, towards Ethiop-make friends with him, communicate now and then an idea to him, and
through him to your readers. From his
hostility to men and things as they usually
are, what he will suggest will be doubtless
of the sharpest character, softened down and
smoothened by the mild and easy temper of
Ethiop.

Esau from under the Heights, wishes to
know why the blacks have not had a course
of Lectures for their benefit this winter?—Ah! says a lady of color, "the whites have
courses of lectures-attend them." Have a
care lady; or this Esau will say some harsh
things. Do you not know that the lectures
got up for the whites are not adapted to, nor
tend to benefit the blacks? They need
special teaching. Away with your fastidious
and hair-spliting notions about special teaching and separate teaching when necessity
calls for it.

A very neat little affair in Africo-American
high life came off a few days ago in Gotham
which, had it not so far gone by, my mention
of it should not be so brief. Enough to say,
now, the occasion was called forth in consequence of the first fledgings of a young
physician, and St. Philip's Row the place
selected, and the elite were there.

Yours truly,
ETHIOPWilson, William Joseph ("Ethiop")

William Joseph Wilson (1818–?), a free black man from New Jersey, operated a bootmaking shop in New York City as early as the 1830s. In the 1840s he became a secondary school teacher and later a principal of a black school in Brooklyn. He was an activist on behalf of black education, encouraging access and attendance, and even opened his own library. Wilson also campaigned to secure the franchise for New York African Americans. He served as a member of the Committee of Thirteen, organized by New York black leaders to stop enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act. In the early 1850s Wilson’s letters appeared frequently in Frederick Douglass’ Paper, and Douglass referred to him as the newspaper’s “Brooklyn correspondent.” Wilson’s letters to the newspaper, published under the pseudonym “Ethiop,” were often part of an ongoing debate about the condition of blacks in New York and the United States. Wilson’s most frequent sparring partner in the war of letters was “Communipaw,” actually James McCune Smith, a prominent black physician in New York City. Carleton Mabee, Black Education in New York State: From Colonial to Modern Times (Syracuse, N.Y., 1979), 54, 63-67, 123, 129, 155, 158; Foner and Walker, Black State Conventions, 1:79-88; Quarles, Black Abolitionists, 87, 212, 229; Ripley, Black Abolitionist Papers, 4:144-45n.