The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-15 00:00:00

friend the doctor whom I had met at Houmas, who
had crossed the river to see patients suffering from
an attack of Eucre, took us round to a little club,
where I was introduced to a number of gentlemen,
who expressed great pleasure at seeing me, shook
hands violently and walked away; and finally we
melted:off into a cloud of mosquitoes by the river
bank, in a box prepared for them, which was called
a bedroom. These rooms were built in wood on
the stage close to the river. " Why can't I have
one of those rooms ?" asked I pointing to a larger
mosquito box. "It's engaged by ladies." "How do
you know ?—"Parceque elles ont envoyes leur
butin." It was delicious to meet the French plunder
for baggage —an old phrase so nicely rendered in
the mouth of the Mississippi boatman. Having
passed a night of exrreme discomfiture with the
winged demons of the box, I was aroused towards
dawn by the booming of the steam drum of the
boat, dipped my head in water among drowned
mosquitoes, and went forth upon the landing. The
policeman had just arrived. His eagle eye lighted
on a large flat, on the stern of which Was inscribed,
"Pork, corn, butter, beef," &c. Several spry citi-
zens were also on the platform. After salutations
and compliments, policeman speaks,—" When did
she come in ?" (meaning flat). First Citizen—" In
the night, I guess." Second Citizen—" There's a lot
of whisky aboord, too." Policeman (with pleased
surprise)—" You never mean, it ?" First Citizen—
" Yes, Sir; 120 gallons." Policeman (inspired by a
bright aspiration of patriotism)—" It's a west coun-
try boat; why don't the citizens seize it ? And
whisky rising from 17c. to 35c. a gallon." Citizens
murmiir approval, and I feel the whisky part of the
cargo is not safe. "Yes, Sir," says Citizen Three,
" they seize all our property at Cairey (Cairo), and
I'm for making an example, of this cargo." Further
reasons for the seizure of the article were adduced,
and it is probable they were as strong as the whisky,
which has no doubt been drunk long ago on the
very purest principles. In course of conversation
with the committee of taste which had assembled
it was revealed to me that there was a strict watch
kept over those boats which are freighted with
whisky forbidden to the slaves, and , with
when they come from the west countryiequa y
objectionable. "Did you hear, Sir, of the chap over
at Duncan Renmer's as was caught the other day?"
" No, Sir, what was it ?" " Well, Sir, he was a man
that came here and went over among the niggers
at Renmer's to buy their chickens from them.
He was took up, and they found he'd a lot
of money about him." " Well, of course,
he had money to buy the chickens." " Yes, sir, but
it looked suspicious. He was a West country fellow,
tew, and he might have moant tamperin' with 'em.
Lucky for him he was not taken in the arternoon."
" Why so ?" " Because if the citizens had been
drunk they'd have hung him on the spot." The
Acadia was now alongside, and in the early morn-
ing Donaldsonville receded rapidly into trees and
clouds. To bed, and to make amends for misquito
visits. On awaking, find that lam in the same
place I started from ; at least, the river looks just
the same. It is difficult to believe that we have been
going 11 miles an hour against the turbid river,
which is of the same appearance as it was below—
the same banks, bends, driftwood, and trees.

Beyond the levees there were occasionally large
clearings and plantations of corn and cane, of which
the former predominated. The houses of the planters
were not so large or so good as those on the lower
banks. Large timber rafts, navigated by a couple
of men, who stood in the shade of a few upright
boards, were encountered at long intervals. The
river was otherwise dead. White egrets and blue
herons rose from the marshes where the banks had
been bored through by crayfish, or crevasses had
been formed by the waters. The fields were not
much more lively, but at every landing the whites
who came down were in some sort of uniform, and
a few negroes were in attendance to take in or de-
liver goods. There were two blacks on board in
irons—captured runaways—and very miserable
they looked at the thought of being restored to the
bosom of the patriarchal family from which they
had, no doubt, so prodigally eloped. I fear the
fatted calf-skin would not be applied to their backs.
The river is about half a mile wide here and is up-
wards of 100 ft. deep. The planters'houses in groves
of pecan and mangolias, with verandah and delve-
dere, became more frequent as the steamer ap-
proached Baton Rouge, already visible in the
distance over a high bank or bluff on the right-hand
side.

Before noon the:steamer hauled alongside a sta-
tionary hulk, which once "walked the waters"
by the aid of machinery, but which was now used
as a floating hotel, depot, and storehouse-315ft.
long, and fully 30ft. on the upper deck above the
level of the river. Here were my quarters till the
boat for Natchez should arrive. The proprietor
was somewhat excited on my arrival because one of
his servants was away. " Where have you been,
you -- ?" " Away to by de newspaper, Massa."
" For who, you -- ?" "Me buy 'em for no one,
Massa ;me sell 'um agin, Massa. " See, now, you
--, if ever you goes aboard to meddle with news-
papers I'm but I'll kill you, mind that !" Baton
Rouge is the capital of the State of Louisiana, and
the State House is a quaint and very new example
of bad taste. The Deaf and Dumb Asylum near it
is in a much better style. It was my intention to
visit the State Prison and Penitentiary, but the day
was too hot and the distance too great, and so I dined
at the oddest little Creole restaurant, with the fun-
niest old hostess and the strangest company in the
world. On returning to the boat hotel Mr. Conrad,
one of the citizens of the place, and Mr. W, Avery,
a judge of the Court, were good enough to call to
invite me to visit them, but I was obliged to decline.
The old gentlemen were both members of the Home
Guard and drilled assiduously every evening. Of
the 1,300 voters at Baton Rouge more than 750 are
already off to the wars, and another company is being
formed to follow them. Mr. Conrad has three sons
in the field already. The waiter who served out
drinks in the bar wore a uniform, and his musket
lay in the corner among the brandy bottles. At
night a patriotic meeting of citizen soldiery took
place in the bow, in which song and whisky had
much to do, so that deep sleep was difficult ; but
at 7 o'clock on Wednesday morning the Mary T.
came alongside, and soon afterwards bore me on to
Natchez through scenery which became wilder and
less cultivated as she got upwards. Of the 1,500
steamers on the river not a tithe are now in employ-
ment, and the owners are in a bad way. It was
late at night when the steamer arrived at Natchez,
and next morning early I took shelter in another
engineless steamer which was thought to be an
hotel by its owners. Old negress on board, how-
ever, said, " There was nothing for breakfast ; go to
Curry's on shore." Walk up hill to Curry's—a
barroom, a waiter, and flies. " Can I have any
breakfast ?" " No, Sir-ree ; it's over half an hour
ago." " Nothing to eat all ?" " No, sir." " Can I
can get something anywhere else ?" " I guess not."
It had been my belief that a man with money in his
pocket could not starve in any country soi-disant
civilized. Exeeptions prove rules, but they are
disagreeable things. I chewed the cud of fancy
faute de mieux, and became the centre of attraction
to citizens, from whose conversation I learned that
this was " Jeff. Davis's fast-day." Observed one,
"It quite puts me in mind of Sunday ; all the stores
closed." Said another, " We'll soon have Sunday
every day, then, for I 'spect it won't be worth while
for most shops to keep open any longer." Natchez,
a place of much trade and cotton export in the sea-
son, is now as dull—let us say as Harwich without
a regatta. But it is ultra-Secessionist, nil obstante.
My hunger was assuaged by a friend who drove me
up to his comfortable mansion through a country
not unlike the wooded parts of Sussex, abounding
in fine trees, and in the only lawns and park-like
fields I have yet seen in America. In the evening
after dinner my host drove me over to visit a small
encampment under a wealthy planter, who has