The Sun.
London, England, 1862-07-30 00:00:00

The following is an extract from a letter-dated New Or-
leans, June 30, 1862:—" I am now going to give you an
idea of how things are in this qua-ter of the globe. We have
passed through a most exciting par, the details of which,
I suppose, will be written by sone future United States
historian. By the means of enornous armies, well supplied
with every possible war material their fleets of gunboats,
mortar vessels, and heavy
ahips d war, they have captured
this city, and will soon obtain control of the navigation of
the Mississippi River. But lam inclined to think that the
conquest has been dearly bought. Wherever their armies
approach, property of all kinds, ani more particularlycotton,
will be destroyed. How far the people are justified in such
general destruction I cannot say. The sacrifice of such vast
representative wealth is terrible to contemplate, yet it is
none the less true. An intimate fiend of mine, the represen-
tative of a large English house, tad occasion to leave 11.. re
shortly after the arrival of the United States' fleet on some
business connect d with his firm, and travelled through
Mississippi up as far as Vicksburg, through the interior of
the State. thence to the Ouachita country, and across to
North-Western Texas, down the Red River to Shreveport,
Nachitoches, and Alexandria, taking in his journey a belt
of the mo=t productive and valuable cotton lands in the
Slave States, and hence he is able t t sl eak with authority
upon the condition of affairs in the interior—perhaps better
than anyone in New Orleans just now. In Mississippi and
Louisiana, bordering on the ricer, nearly all the o tton was
being destroyed within six miles of the bank. He came
down the river some 90 miles in a skiff, and rowed through
dense masses of loose cotton, partially burnt, that bad been
thrown into the stream from the gin-houses, where it had
been lying unbaled. The Legislature of Mississippi had
taken the subject of the destruction of cotton in' o their own
hands; and, even if there should be any planter indispos d
to destroy his crop, committees had been appointed in diffe-
rent counties and parishes to proceed to every plantation,
have the cotton placed in the open field, and prepared for
immediate ignition the moment it should be r ndangered by
the approach of the Federal forces. This, he says, was not
necessary, as there did not seem to him to be any necessity
for legislative action whatever to compel the planter to this
course, for, without an exception (and he saw a great num-
ber), they were all enthusiastic in the determination to lay
waste sod destroy their crops and plantations. He saw
several who had burnt from 2,000 to 4,000 bates, and in one
instance a large planter below Vicksburg not only destroyed
his crop, but his plantation residence, gin-houses, negro
quartrs, and outbuildings, and remaved his slaves 30 miles
back from the river. This was, los says, by no means a
solitary instance, as there were many others following his
example. In the remote and almost impene•rable section
of country known as the Ouachita country, in North•Wtst
Louisiana, the same spirit of desti uction prevailed as in
Miasissioi, and in some instai.ces he met planters, whose
places were situated in Berm, Bartholotnew, and Lake
Bortenears (which are only approachable by very
light-draught boats, at a high state of water, and where no
immediate danger was to be apprehended), who had aheady
burnt their cotton, not from apprehension of its being cap-
tured, but to give the United States' authorities to under-
stand that any attempt to get possession of their cottons
would be utterly futile. He travelled from Monroe on the
Ouachita River, to Shreveport, en Red River, a distance of
nearly 200 miles, by stages, passing through an extensive
and very productive cotton region, and on every plantation
he found the cotton everywhere so prepareu that it coull be
immediately destroyed. He learned (I have myself) from
well informed planters hat the same determination prevailed
throughout the cotton country in Texas contiguous to
Shreveport and down the Red River to Alexandria. This
is no imaginary statement, for the reports received here
every day from all sections not only confirm the above, but
the determination which the planters have come to seems.
if possible, to have become even more decided than ever.
Factors, and others interested in cotton, are inclined to think
that, under ordinary circumstances and a free export, we
should have received at all the ports nearly 4,000,000 bales
The amount already destroyed is placed somewhere n the
vicinity of 300,000 bales: and, what with the waste from
the want of bagging and carelessness in picking, the avail-
able crop, presuming all our war troubles at an end at this
moment, would not exceed 3,000,000 bales-circumstances
may greatly diminish this last figure. With regard to the
prospective crop of 1862-3, it is very doubtful if sufficient
cotton has been planted to yield more than 3,000,000 bales.
The attention of planters has been turned almost entirely
to the production of cermals, and a gentleman told me that
he slaw plantations that last year produced 2,000 ba es and
upwards planted almost entirely with corn. Now, the pro-
spects of returning trade are very gloomy, and, under the
most favourable circumstances, it will take a long Vine to
restore confidence and place the commercial community
a position to afford facilities to the planters. The cotton
factors even now are hopelessly insolvent. It is impossible
to tell what this class will do in the event of further de-
struction of property in the interior. Our banks in Sep-
tember last suspended specie payments— perfect robbery,
and the subsequent withdrawals of their specie beyond the
reach of their creditors must eventually go into liquidation,
and the question is, will theit present issues ever be re-
deemed. You see now that affairs look very gloomy ; a
source of no small regret to myself, for my future prospects
were exceedingly bright. The suspension of the banks
affected me to a small degree. Everything is in a deplora-
ble state. Flour now commands 30 dole per barrel, beef
30c per lb."