The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1844-06-19
MISCELLANEOUS.
Oitv Of New Orleans.

d
letter to the Congregational Journal, gives
the following interesting description of New
Orleans:
The CITY lies in a crescent formed bend,
along the eastern bank of the Mississippi, on
n plain. or marsh several feet below the high
water mark of the river. 1t is preserved from
inundation and destruction only by an en-
baukment of earth several feet high, called
the LEvEE, which extends for several hun
drcd miles up and down the river. Along
this Levee, before the city, in an unbroken
line, are moored. from three to five abreast,
the vessels which crowd this great CONNER
cial emporium. Here may be seen ships from
every cline, pouring out the productions of
the world into the lap this queen OF export
ing cities. Here, too, may be seen, coming
and going, hundreds of steamboats,, of all sizes
and descriptions These traverse every part
of the valley of Mississippi, for more than
1000 miles, crowded with passengers and
loaded with the produce Of the richest and
most extensive agricultural region of the
known world. To get some conception of
the productiveness of the egion which these
boats traverse, and of the quantity of mer-
chandise they bring 10 this city, look for a
moment. at a few FIGURES which happen to
lie before me. Within six months last past,
beginning September LIST 1S43, and ending
March ist 1874, there have come from the
interior, into New Orleans. in round numbers,
$1,000 barrels of apples; $4,000 hogsheads,
boxes and casks of bacon, and26S, 600 pounds
in bulk about $500 barrels of beans; 1900
kegs and firkns of butter; $4,000 hogsheads
and barrels of sailed beef, besides nearly b.
000 lbs of dried; 1900 barrels of corn meal,
lO7. coo barrels in the ear, and Us, 900 sacks
of sheIled corn; 256, 900 hogsheads and bar
rels of pork. besides more than IA millions
in bulk: los hogsheads; $4,000 barrels and
252 600 kegs oflard; 265, 600 barrels of flour;
60. 900 barrels and sacks of oats; 10000 hogs
heads of sugar; Al, 900 barrels of molasses.
But, must stop. have given you only a
1.-THE of the commodities which are continual
" pouring into this great depot of the South
west; have mentioned only some of the
chief articles of food, which are brought TO
this market, emitting the measureless guam
titles of other articles for the comfort and
convenience of man, and emitting even that
great staple of the COMMUNICATION, half a
million of bales which have been rolled out
on the Levee, within the same six months.
But what view DO these figures give of the
country about which am writing, and of the
commercial importance of the city which is
Orleans has so much interested and astonlsh-
ed me as this same Levee. 1t Is on this that
all the productions of the vast valley of the
Mississippi and lis tributaries are poured out.
Here may be seen, at one time, ten thousand
bales Of cotton-perhaps | might say with
equal truth ten thousands of bales: here you
may pass acres of hogsheads and barrels OF
sugar and molasscs. in a continuous mass
here is pork and beef and hams enough to feed
one of Napoleon grand armies; here, too, is
enough of the vile weed if properly mastica-
ted to float a irigate, here is cottonbagglng Il
bale rope enough we might say, almost with
ont hyperhole, to furnish wrapper and string
for the solid contents of New England
State: here too, are the products oil otHel
lands, in astounding profuslon. Here may
be seen s'heaps upon heaps every thng
which man can eat, drink, wear and use. And
what most astonishes the behOlder, is, that
though scores of truckmen and dravmen are
necessarily employed,-and grieve to say,
even on the Sabbath-in removing those pro-
auctions to the stores and warehouses of the
city, vet the Levee is never for an hour emp
w; for new freights are continually filling up
the vacancies, which those busy carriers are
continually making on the groaning Levee
And when l tell you, that there were on the
second day of March, lying at the Levee, nc
less than 1877 ships, 80 barques, % brigs, and
80 schooners, besides scores ofsteamboats ant
fiat boats, sand that there were daily and hour
" new arrivals,-you will be more ready tC
believe my assertions respecting the immensi
ty of the importations into the single city o
Orleans, and the expectations from II. Blu
must not detain you on the Levee any Ion
ger, for though place of immense CONNER
cial interest and Importance, 1t IS place
where all our moral feelings are constantly
shocked by the profaneness, drinking ant
gambling which here abound. The stree
which runs along the Levee. is faced witt
grog shops and gambling-houses and thu
gate ways Of death: and these pollute thu
whole atmosphere around them.
Passing back from the Levee, YOU ente
the city. This is laid out with great regular
itv, in streets of good width, and for the mos
part as well paved as the nature of the sol
will admit. running parallel or at right an
giles with the river The sidewalks are brick
ed, and remarkably good. The city is ais
well lighted, partly with gas, and partly b,
means of large oil lamps, which are suspend
ed across the streets from opposite posts
But, the cutters! o. the guttersll Ever,
street is supplied with these, on each side o
the pave, which are fed by countless sewers
which run across the sidewalks, are fllet
with all sorts of filth and offal. The deat
level of the city renders it very difficult t.
drain off these reservoirs Of filth; and in man,
of the cutters you will find several inches O
stagnant water, covered with thick greer
scum, sending forth an intolerable stencil
which speaks loudly of disease and DEATH
This stencil mingled with tobacco smoke
for the streets are thronged with smokers
seems sometimes to constitute the essentia
elements of the atmosphere of the city.
The general impression made on the stran
ger by the buildings Of that city is rather un
favorable. In walking through the street
with vast number of small, mean-looklng
one story, wooden buildings; and these, eve
in the most populous neighborhoods, partlc
ularly in the older and lower portions of tn
city; where the French and Spanish popula
ton chiefly congregate. In the upper o
American part of the city you will find NOR
substantial and lofty houses. But as for sucl
places as adorn the principal streets of som'