The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-26 00:00:00

La the coffin.

THREE HUNDRED ATLANTIC VOYAGES.—Capt
Edward G. Lott, of the steamer Persia, of the
Cunard line, was honoured with a eomplimentary enter-
tainment on Monday evening at Delmonico's Fifth Avenue-
louse, previous to his commencing his 300th passage
across the ocean. A brilliant party was present,
many of whom were prominent citizens who had crossed the
ocean in company with Captain Lott. Mr. Henry A.
Smythe presided over the festivities. Eloquent speeches
were made after the removal of the cloth. Captain Lott
responded happily to the first toast, " The Guest of the
Evening." Samuel D. Babcock replied to " Union, in which
there is peace and prosperity." The Rev. Dr. Prime and
A. A. Low responded to "Religion and Commerce; may
they travel hand in hand throughout the world." Ex-Go-
vernor Gardner, of Massachusetts, responded in gallant and
delicate terms to " The Ladies," and Mr. H. A. Smythe
made some eloquent and finished remarks for "Absent
Friends," A beautiful silver testimonial was presented to
Captain Lott, the chairman making the presentation speech
in very felicitous speech.—New York World, January 13.
DOMESTIC TRAGEDY IN CUMBERLAND.—On Fri-
day last an inquest was held by Mr. Csrriek, coronet
for the eastern division of the county of Cumberland, on the
body of a young farmer named William Brown, who had
shot himself dead on the preceding day. Deceased lived at
the village of Oughterby, seven or eight miles west of Car-
lisle. Some months ago he married a Miss Hodgson, daugh-
ter of a neighbouring farmer. They appear to have lived
in great happiness, and to have been a very loving couple.
Abaut three weeks ago the young wife was confined of a
boy, which circumstance was destined to be the end of a
happy married life. The mother died on Wednesday last,
and the bereavement seems to have made her widowed
partner frantic with grief. On Thursday he went to his
mother's house and got a gun. Northing more was seen
of him till five o'clock, when a neighbour found his:dead
body on the road. It was lying face uppermost, and the
clothes covering the chest were on fire. A gun was rest-
ing on his body, the muzzle pointing towards his face. One
end of a string was tied to the trigger. and at the other was
a loop a few inches in length, by means of whioh he had
discharged the gun with his foot. In his pocket were
found a powder•flask and shot, together with a copy-book,
containing the following pathetic lines, written in a trem-
bling hand :—" 1 hope the Lord will forgive me. Without
my Maggie I cannot be. You need (not) mourn me, be-
cause I must go. You will all look after our darling boy.
The little sum that would fall to my darling wife and me
will make him comfortable some time after. My wish is
that we may be laid in ono grave. This is the end of eight
or nine years' courtship I Now the shot must pierce my
heart. Oh, happy shall we be I" On another leaf were
the words—" The old dog Wattie met (me) at the Croftfoot,
Kirkhampton. Put me with mylove Maggie on Saturday!"
The jury returned a verdict of temporary insanity. The
body was buried on Saturday, along with that of his wife.
Leeds Mercury.
A WILFUL WOMAN .—A determined attempt to
commit suicide by starvation has just been made at
Gainsborough, by a young woman of 22, named Mary Beech '
living as domestic servant with the toll-collector at the
bridge which crosses the Trent, and connects Lincolnsnire
with Nottinghamshire. There is a covered passage on each
side of the tollgate, with a door opening to the bridge and
another to the street, through which foot-passengers have
to pass. One of these passages is not used for traffic, and
in it the girl voluntarily shut herself up. She lay
upon the cold flags, and for five days and four nights per-
down
re-
sisted in refusing food. At length the police and the
lieving officer for the district were called in. They found
her very weak, so that it was apparent he would die if
prompt measures were not speedily adopted to make her
take food. The relieving officer, however, could only
offer the woman an order for the workhouse, which she
refused to avail herself of, and the police avowed them-
selves unable to interfere unless she were turned into the
street by her master—a proceeding the toll-collector did
not feel justified in adopting. The medical officer of the
district was next applied to with the view of ascertaining
the state of mind of the girl, for in the event of her being
pronounced deranged, the relieving officer would have the
power to remove her by force, but, on an examination
taking place, no evidence of insanity could be detected.
Persuasion, expostulation, and throats were all tried to in-
duce her to take some support, or to allow herself to be
taken to the workhouse, but to no purpose. At length
she was told that unless she consented to one of the two
courses pointed out she would be turned into the street and
conveyed to the police-station. This threat seemed to have
some wei,,ht wit ,i her, for she ult imately said "they might do
as they liked with her." Without giving her time to change
her mind a fly was obtained, and she was conveyed to the
union. She was so mush exhausted, although naturally
strong, that she had to be lifted in and out of the vehicle.
On getting her to the workhouse she was put iato a warm
bath, and was ordered by the medical officer to have no-
thing stronger than gruel given her. It is said that she
has a most ungovernable temper and a remarkably obstinate
disposition. On a previous occasion, in one of her fits of
anger, she tried to strangle herself, and she has more than
once been in prison for wilful damage.

The Condition of the Free Negroes on
Mississippi.

(From the New York Tribune.)

James E. Yeatman, president of the Western Sanitary
Commission, recently visited the various camps in which
the freedmen are gathered, from Cairo to Natchez, alone.
the Mississippi. Concerning affairs at Memphis he write
as follows :—" Within the city of Memphis, not directly
connected with any of the camps or with the coloured regi-
ments, there are some 3,000 freedmen and women, mostly
freedmen, who are employed in various ways and at various
rates of compensation. Those employed by Government
receive tut 10 dols per month, while many could readily
earn from 30 dols to 50 dols per month. Those thus em-
ployed are outside of the military organisation. I saw a
number of coloured men pressed into service (not military),
to labour at the rate of 10 dols per month, one of whom petie
dotted to be released, as he had a good situation at 30 dols
per month. The firemen on the steamboat on which I was a
passenger from St. Louis to Memphis were all coloured, and
were receiving 45 dols per month. These men were afraid to
go ashore at Memphis, for fear of being picked up and forced
into Government employment at less than one-fourth their
existing wages. Besides the fact that men are thus pressed
into service, thousands have been employed for weeks and
months who have never received anything but promises to
pay. The negligence and failure to comply with obliga-
tions have greatly disheartened the poor slave, who comes
forth at the call of the President, and supposes himself a
free man, and that by leaving his rebel master he is in-
flicting a blow on the enemy, ceasing to labour and to pro-
vide food for him and for the armies of the rebellion. Thus
he was promised freedom, but how is it with him ? He is
seized in the street, and ordered to go and help unload a
steamboat, for which he will be paid, or sent to work in the
trenches, or to labour for some quartermaster, or to chop
wood for the Government. He labours for months, and at
last is only paid with promises, unless perchance it may be
with kicks, cuffs, and curses. Under such treatment he
feels that he has exchanged one master for many masters ; '
these continued abuses sadden and depress him, and he
sighs to return to his former home and master. He,
at least, fed, clothed, and sheltered him. Some-
thing should be done, and I doubt not will be
done, to :cornet these terrible abuses when the prqper
authorities are made to comprehend them." Good-
rich's Landing presents another and more favourable
picture. It is the headquarters of the North-east
department of Louisiana, under command of Brigadier
General Hawkins, who has in command six regiments of
coloured troops, all well officered and thoroughly drilled.
One of these regiments is at Milliken's Bend, and two are
at Vicksburg engaged in working the fortifications. He is
justly proud of his troops, and has every confidence in them
as soldiers. The Infirmary Farms are intended for women
and children, and for men unable to do ordinary work.
” Dr. Littlefield, who is the physician of the Infirmary
Farms, is located at the Savage Place, where he has esta-
blished a Freedmen's Hospital. He reports he has to fur-
nish medicines and attendance to many of those on leased
plantations, especially to those on the places leased by one
man who had leased five plantations, whose negroes- are
greatly neglected and poorly provided for. The testimony of
quite a number of persons fully corroborated this statement.
One of the freedmen, Henson Jackson, working at Wilton's
plantation, said that they get corn wherever they can find it
on abandoned plantations ; that they frequently have to go
as far as Tenses Bayou, that he has been without bread.
for days, that four pounds of meat per week is all that is
allowed him, that he pays for his flour, and has worked
since April without receiving any pay or clothing whatever,
that he only receives tickets for actual days work, to be paid
when the crop is sold. Others from the same farm testi-
fied to the same thing, and labourers from other planta-
tions gave similar testimony. None received molasses, rice
or beans, and hominy only when they chose to make it
themselves. " The poor negroes are everywhere greatly
depressed at their condition. They all testify that if they
were only paid their wages as they earn them, so that they
could purchase clothing, and were furnished with the pro-
visions promised, they could stand it ; but to work and get
poorly paid, poorly fed, and not doctored when sick, is more
than they can endure. They do not realise that they are
free men. They say that they are told they are, but then
they are taken and hired out to men who treat them, so far
as providing for them is concerned, far worse than their
" secesh" masters did. Beside this they feel that their pay
or hire is lower now than it was when " the secesh" used
to hire them. This is true. At Milliken's Bend are 350
freedmen, mostly soldiers' families. At Omega, two miles
above, about 200 are engaged in cutting wood at 50c. per
cord and rations. At Van Buren Hospital are 419 persons.
and about 250 scholars, old and young. At Paw-Paw
Island, a few miles below, are about 1,550 persons in destie
tote condition. At Young's Point, D. L. Jones, of the 9th
Louisiana Regiment, African descent, is in charge of the
camp. There are now some 2,100 in this camp, in miser-
able huts, tents, and hovels. There appears to be more
squalid misery and destitution here than in any place I have
visited. The sickness and deaths were most frightful. Dur-
ing the summer from 30 to 50 died in a day, and some days
as many as 75, during the latter part of June, July, and
August. Most of the medicines received were from the
Western and United States Sanitary Commissions. At De
Soto, immediately opposite Vicksburg, there are about 275
old men, women, and children, to whom the Government
furnishes rations, but from some cause or ,other none had
been received for more than two weeks preceding my visit,
and great destitution and dissatisfaction existed. A few
were earning a little more money by washing for the
soldiers. Their cabins are poor. Below De Soto there is a
large wood yard, carried on by Mr. Sweeney, who pays his
hands promptly, who are all well satisfied. They say that
if they can only get work and get paid for it, they will
be content and happy. This was the first and only
employer met with by me who had paid his labour ers
promptly and well. At Natchez is a camp of 2,100 freod-
men, all in cabins/ which are without proper light and
ventilation, over-crowded, and most prolific sources of
disease; 75 had died in one day. "I was informed that
some had returned to their masters on account of suffer-
ing. Thousands must die for went of medicines and Ma.
dical attendance this winter. There are already teachers,
missionaries, and chaplains enough in the field; without
physicians there will soon be no scholars for the teacher to
teach, or souls for the missionary to save. This camp had.
numbered 4,000 at one time; now it is reduced to 2,100.
The same, I doubt not, can be said of other camps. Who-
ever will ride along the levee from Milliken's Bend to De
Soto, as I did, and see the numerous graves along the way,
for the distance of 2.3 miles, cannot doubt it. The whole
nuoaber of freed people gathered in camps and towns along
the Mississippi is about 2.5,000. There are about 15,000
coloured troops not included in this estimate.