Eighty residents of Mobile County sign a petition to complain that they are unable to raise sheep because of the "unreasonable number of dogs in the country, not only among the whites, but among the slaves." The wool from sheep was "increasing yearly as an article of commerce," mutton was an excellent food, and sheep were "the best fertilizing machines on a plantation," but entire flocks were being destroyed, the petitioners contend. They note that "there is a statute making it penal in masters to permit slaves to have dogs" but it had remained "a dead letter for more than thirty years." They seek some "efficacious remedy," noting that "the wealth and comfort of the people would be augmented by the multiplication of sheep in our state."

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Court Petition to the Hon. the Legislature of the State of Alabama

Filing Date:1851-December-8