Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1850-06-22
Extra Session Of The Legislature.

I'll ~ 'NI' ii'iitf'E vi VIZ ~ " LIN y
long letter rom Cen Felix Huston nd-
dressed to the Governor Of the State OF
Louisiana. Gen Huston takes decided
ground IN favor IT al early conversation d
the leaisiatnte-sny 18th Of October next.
80 tl,at that body may take under consider
ntipn ways nnl mems III prevent the MI
ntnl oyeriluWs which have ~catlse,l sttfh IN
immense destruction If rrpIrerty-alh
| whicl, have. this yrat. ~ . ,ttling to lis est.
mate, tleso'utel Diit-tllird Of the fairest and
%ticlest portion Of tile State.
A. everytl,ing relative1p the overflow
Of the Father Of WEers" aud the
mems Of preventing his aMeroacl,nent4, is
interesting, we pfSopose making u few ex.
tracts from Gem Illusions letter. TIE
following theory is new to Us, and worthy
Of examination
"1'he lwt,nm Of the Mississippi is like
that u~ferery other stream. with occasional
bars. mud deep holes above aud below them
When the wnter Is liiul, there is little chr
rent at the bottom, which tnakes a deposit
If sand and mud on those bars. rpising
them rE,arlv even, clear across the bed o
the river. If the river falls early, md con
tinurs low for Il long time, the current is
l,enr the bottom. and broad and deep chan.
nels are cut through, these bars, aud then
- ..ll .-I H. .. .--,IL... I-. ...4a.
years. But if the river does not fall low,
ar continue down lnt q long time. the bars
remain. and the next years water raises
them still higher,
Now, The Mississippi hns not beer
low for three yeats-in 1917 it lacked iour
or Eve feet Of being down to low water
mark. and there was u rise in October
Of IS or 20 feet, III 1919 it lacked sever
or eight feet Of low water, and was down
| but - short time last year-lHip-=tht
river did not fall but fur n very short time tc
less than eleven feet Of low water and
| this yetr. il there is an early rise IN the
fall. it is probable that it will not tie lower
than it was last year. The consequence
IS. That il takes less water to make Al
overflow each year, than it did the yeal
before. "
The General thinks it absolutely ln1i=.
pnnsaf,le that m extra session Of the legis-
laturo should be had, not only to make
provision for protection against another
overflow. but to afford aid to those Of orr
distressed citizens whose prospects have
been hligl,ted by the stlmlersion of illei,
plantations. Ivy a remission OF their taxes
for the present year, ut least.
The General tl,ts briefly presents his
remedy Tor the crushing ills with whiel,
our river planters are now afflicted
This taken il connection with the III
cronFe Of water. by the clearing ont OF
land on the upper rivers. maltesi it probable
that uvetilnwa may continue for sorle yrnrs.
There is another thing which makes it
absolutely necessary that We should lose
no time. Tie State Of Mississippi has
wisely passed MI admirable law Tor l~eveeing
the river from the Yazoo Pass. just below
Memphis. downto the mouth Of the Yn1oo,
just above Nickehpay-tlle effect Of which
will ln to rontinc Me water, whore it is
now seventy miIIss wide, to The channel Of
the river. ] know The mon who have This
matter in hand, and that they will carry it
ont in two years,
ut may I've asked What are we to dol"
$50 many plans have been suggested,
that | again must fall back on common
sense.
al think that omrno Ect,se would shy
that. above thc mouth Of Rcd River, no
good can he done. except by ~levucs. Below
that point. clear out, open. and widen the
natural outlets aud when that IL done. if
it is found necessary, make artificial outlets.
The principle of the raising Of the bars,
does not apply to the lower part Of The
river, rs high az the tide-water extends.
which Is to the mouth of Red River, and
below that the water must be let off.
My opinion ia that 100000. judiciots|y
expended IN widening, clearing out, and
cutting through the bends OF the Atchatal-
ava. would save millions Of tlollnrs to the
State. II would relieve the country below,
aud for two hundred miles above. And. |
am further satisfied, that it would not in
Jtlre any one
We do not pretend to he sufficiently well
versed i "river matters to give n valu-
able opinion upon the merits of any pro.
lect for carrying oil the superintendent
water which mt this time covers hundreds
of tho falrest and richest plantations the
sun ever shone upon. But one thing is
evident the tSfplus water of the Missis.
ut high food, must be carried off in
some way, or either the most valuable por-
ton. of the State will be irremediably
ruined. The only reasonable way to effect
this most desirable object, it seems to our
humble comprehension, would be to open
and widen at once and ~e1ectually, all the
natural outlets Of the river, and if that be
found insufficient toyaircst the devastating
progress of the waters, to make aytafc10i
ones. We trust that some practicable
means may be devised to accomplish this
Movement Of Troops.
1.-The 7th Regiment u. S. Infantry