Cincinnati, June 4, 1848.

Dear Douglass:—I send you my las[t] epistle from this city for the present. Since I last wrote you, I have held several meetings, all of which, like the preceding, were full of interest, by the presence of numerous anxious listeners—the ladies, as usual, forming the largest part of the assembly.

I have also been to Ripley, 50 miles above Cincinnati, in Brown country, where I held one meeting in the church of the famous Dr. John Rankin, long and favorably known to the friends of humanity in this country as a firm friend of the panting fugitive. His house has been made the resting place for the way-worn and weary for years, to the great chagrin of the slaveocrats of his neighborhood, and the slaveholders of Kentucky.—One friend informs me, and it certainly appears like an over-estimate, that he has known as many as forty to be there at a time! "packed away" in the underground depot.—This depot, as a matter of course, is not in the house of Dr. Rankin, but situated in a cavern about two miles south, of the whereabouts of which none but abolitionists are aware. This accounts for the great mistake on the part of the soul-seekers, who frequently, or at least have at different times, by brute force, entered the house of this aged gentleman, when they knew him to be unprotected—his eldest son being absent, and none but children and females at home—in search of their victims, but without success. 'Twas well it was the house of Rev. John Rankin they dared enter, and not some I wot of—yea, very well!

In Ripley, though a small village, there reside several colored families, all of whom are industrious and well-doing, one of whom is an undertaker, one had a rope-walk, another a brick-yard, in which many hands are employed; several carpenters, stone-masons, and brick-layers, all of whom are industriously employed at their several vocations. They are nearly all freeholders, and have, or are in the act of building neat and comfortable little cottages, which do them much credit.—With the assistance of an excellent and talented young gentleman of literary qualifications, who recently left Cincinnati and has taken up his residence there, much good may and will be done among the faithful few of Ripley. They have a church and a literary society there, and colored and white children go to the same schools.

Our professed anti-slavery friends at Ripley are not prepared to hear the "declaration of the whole counsel," and the "truth spoken as it should be in God;" and I am much inclined to think, with perhaps but one or two exceptions, their anti-slavery finds currency at par, on the credit of Rev. Mr. Rankin, whose solvency in that particular I believe to be beyond a controversy; and the old gentleman faithful, being absent at the time, may reasonably account for the detection on my part of the fictitious article, which only required his presence to give it credit. I called at his house, and saw his sons and daughters—frank, familiar and intelligent, though plain and unpretending. I should have been pleased to see and shake hands with the old gentleman faithful.

I return again to speak of Cincinnati, in which place I find many things of interest.—There are more, many more, mechanics in this city than I was aware of; and it requires time to find out the facts. Indeed, there are many of the most intelligent citizens of both classes who are not aware of it, and the reality is only known when an interested stranger or public man comes into the city, whose business it is to make such investigations.

In addition to other mechanical and professional enterprises named in my last, there are some colored men engaged in chemical establishments—one in particular, in which the principal chemist in the establishment is a colored man. There is also an extensive blacksmithing establishment carried on by an aged colored gentleman in Walnut street, who has a number of hands, white and colored, working for him, he standing at one "fire," who has contracts on hand with the first responsible men of the city, of from one to six hundred dollars. Occupations such as these bring men into intercourse with the first business men of the place, and establish an acquaintance and secure a confidence that nothing else will. It gives men a credit for both money and means, or articles of trade and business commodities. Men of business, merchants and others, will seek an acquaintance with men of this description, because, according to business policy, and the laws of commercial economy, an interchange of trade being necessary for the sustenance of the system, it is their interest to do so, as well as duty.

There is also, I learn, about to be established a large and fashionable staple and fancy shoe store, by a large capitalist and very active gentleman of business tact and habits, associating with him a competent mechanic, and one of the best workmen in the city—both colored of course. All this to me is news the most cheering. It is that which will raise the colored class in this country, as by enchantment, from degradation to entire manhood and actual equality with those who now dispute their susceptibility for the higher attainments.

The young women of Cincinnati, of the colored class, are far in advance of those of any other place that I have visited.—Nearly the whole of them have trades, and have continually as much employment as they can attend to. Those who are not employed by others, and do not employ, take business into their own houses, and thus gain a respectable livelihood, with all the advantages of domestic comfort and social happiness.—There is scarcely such a class to be found as colored servant girls in Cincinnati, from the fact that nearly all have trades. The white girls, such as those of "oriental" extraction, are the complete monopolists of female menialism in this city. Nor do the young women find any difficulty in getting employment in establishments controlled and owned by white persons. There is one establishment, in particular, perhaps the largest and finest in the city, for the manufacture of linen and corsets, and all kinds of linens and muslin gowns, where there are some twelve or eighteen young colored women, constantly and profitably employed. How many places may be expected to follow the praiseworthy example of the young colored ladies of Cincinnati? Cannot every place measurably come up to this standard? Determination and self-resolution only are necessary—determination to do—to "act, act, in living presence act."

To an already elevated, and refined, and enlightened people, there might appear, in this notice and encomium upon mechanics, tradesmen, and the course of the young colored women, scarcely aught to applaud or merit notice in an editorial correspondence; but when it is borne in mind that we are but in a primitive State—a people, as it were, who, like the ancient Greeks and Romans, when visited by the literati and philosophers of Africa, are just beginning to receive the germs of enlightened civilization; then the appropriateness of the course will readily be acknowledged. A practical precept of one sentence is worth a page of unintelligible jargon. The elevation of our race in general, and class in particular, is the ultimatum of our aim, and whatever respectfully and honorably contributes to this end, is among the means to be used for its accomplishment. I cannot agree with some writers, that great matters, or in other words, great things, expressed by great words, are alone worthy of great minds, or the notice of great persons. We are a small people—occupy a small sphere—constituting a small number compared with those by whom we are surrounded; also, the greater part of whom, at present, have but a small conception of things. Now, to my mind, the greatest effort that can be made is, to suitably adapt ourselves to their understanding, imparting to them a correct knowledge of things, though the language may appear homely and void of refinement, but proper. You know I care little for precedent, and therefore discard the frivolous rules of formality, conforming always to principles, suggested by conscience, and guided by the light of reason.

The Cincinnatians, I mean the colored, are a highly susceptible and very interesting people. They have been misrepresented in many particulars, and it requires an actual acquaintance with them before their true character can be known.

They have themselves a wrong conception of the people in many other places, especially their Pittsburgh neighbors, all for the want of an actual acquaintance. There are some of the noblest and best spirits to be found among our people in this city, and they only want the encouragement and approbation of the leading minds and master spirits of other places, to give them an impulse, which, like the ushering of bodies into space, shall continue forever in motion. I believe and expect much good will be accomplished among the colored citizens of Cincinnati, and they are fully determined that nothing on their part shall be wanting. They are willing and ready to bear the expenses of competent persons to come and counsel with them. Indeed, I found myself much disappointed. Instead of that spirit of selfishness and bigotry with which the Cincinnatians have been charged, I found, to the contrary, that they are kind, hospitable, sociable and unassuming in the extreme, always ready and willing to give merit its due, and, indeed, they extend their courtesies to the utmost extent of the desires of the most insatiable for such favors. Perhaps from the kindness of their hearts, they sometimes extend it where it is not due—at least, where it may not be merited. They are indeed a very grateful people, and this I conceive to be saying much. I opine, and that not without the best of reasons for saying so, that if the North Star continues to be conducted as I know it will, as a useful and instructive organ, that its conductors will always meet with a most hearty welcome from the citizens of the "Queen."

The whites, in the main, of this place are kind and courteous, and the principal reason of the distance between them and the colored citizens, is, as expressed by an intelligent colored gentleman, because the colored people themselves have never taken advantage of the opportunities they have of being sociable with them. This I believe mainly to be true, and is an eggregrious error on the part of the colored citizens. They must come forward, confront opposition, and manfully, though prudently it may be, maintain their rights in every particular. This being done, the Cincinnatians must become among the greatest and foremost in our country. The miserable influence of those Kentuckians across the river, is fast losing effect among the Cincinnatians.

One word more to the young men. I mentioned in my last that they were not doing their part. It is true that there are some—yes, an honorable few—who are found at the cabinet, in the carpenter's shop, at the shoemaker's bench, the anvil, and so on; and these I respect as honorable exceptions; but by far the greater part content themselves with inferior situations to these. Many of them have steamboating as a principal occupation, and after having worked studiously for several months, they come off the river with money sufficient to keep them respectably until they could qualify themselves in penmanship and arithmetic, sufficient for counting-house purposes, or sufficient to purchase themselves a hundred and fifty acres of good land, in Michigan or elsewhere, or to set them up in a respectable small trading business of some kind, or support them comfortably for two years at Oberlin; but instead of this, the most they appear to think about is dress and pleasure—almost discarding the young industrious mechanic of coarse clothes and plain habits; while they do nothing but buggy-ride day after day, until their capital is exhausted, and probably before their business season returns; and thus they get into debt for boarding and washing, and out of credit with everybody.

The sequel of the matter is, that they in all probability put five hundred dollars into the hands of an oppressor, who is rendered that much stronger, and consequently enabled to use an influence against them or their class; and sneeringly rebukes them by giving utterance to the fact, that a "Fool and his money soon part."

Great efforts are being made in behalf of the colored Orphan Asylum. A fair for the purpose is to commence on Monday, in a large hall in the city. The ladies and gentlemen are all very active, and determined to do their duty.

A musical soiree was held on last Friday evening by the musical band of young colored artists, of but three months' standing. They did great credit to themselves, and manifest great taste and susceptibility for the "fine art" of music. On this occasion they had a fine audience, the spacious hall being well filled. The young men are very generous, tendering their services without charge on all benevolent occasions. May they grow great and good, as they most certainly will efficient and skilful in their profession!

I leave on Monday for Dayton.

Yours for God and humanity,

M. R. D.