The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1854-07-25
Correspondence of the Dispatch.
os THE MISSISSIPPI AND Hfo, FOR LOUIS. !
VILE, July 18th, 18th and 10TH


Enquirer, conducted by Mosely and Finnie, and
dipt my fingers IA fatality with mel into printers
ink. Moseey served bis time in the Enquirer office
| at Richmond, and has been here about Is years.
mere are or nearly quite many papers published
In Memphis with about one third of the population
as at Richmond. If the one saw be fair specimen,
the printing Offices are upon more extensive and
perfect scale than ours With all the social ease and
quiet OF the Virgnian there is mental activity
n these South Western states than with us. The
force that's in man, physical or Intellectual, is
the only aid to wealth and Influence and the want
OF it the only hindrance. Each man is an integer
and the pivot of his own affairs. There is no look
ing up to this Great Mob" or the other to indicate
the course any man any community shall pur.
sue-but on the contrary there is the greatest !ai
iitude and freedom of individual and social action
Rank, family influence, and all that are jost,ed
aside with as little ceremony as the house maid dis
penses TO the dust and cob web The patronsing
airs that some of our South Eastern gentlemen as.
sumo, would be as amusing to these people as the
most tiatulent hero of broad farce To young
men, therefore, who fell the STRINGS within them
OF conscious force and power, matter of what
klnd, the Southwest affords ample scope. | meet
V1rginians at every turn from 30 to years res'.
cence. They make up at least one half of the peo-
pie and their uniform language is 81 would rather
live in old Virginia than any other place in the
aoorld, but couldn't do any thing there What a
commentary! However, things with US look
ing brighter. There is still too much of fudali-
ty in people, and still to many political and So
cial demagouges and too little OF individual and
nT1hI mad Ind IS %Io -
left Memphis at one o'clock at night, or rather
morning OF Saturday. Being booked and informed
by the porter that boat had arrived, ''bound up
asked where tor" ITO St Louis" "You haven't
aminute to lose" sprang up and jumped into
my outer integuments, while he snatched my
trunk and hat box, and made for the hack at the
door, and after him. We ratified in the darkness
down the bluff, and jumped on board the magrif-
cent boat the Crystal Palace" aud found the stu
pid negro had mistaken Louisville for St. Louis
There was no time for retreat, and telling when
St Louie boat would arrive. and succumbed to
fate; got state room lit cigar and sat down to
muse. The boat just before starting, blew of
steam, which sounded like thunder, when some
fellow walked suddenly by the noise, and seeing
the glare of the torch lights from the Shore shout.
ed out 'tfre," "the boats on fire." Knowing my
self that 1t was impossible, was calm spectator
of the saloon, about 300 feet in length, vomiting
forth both sides, half its sleeping occupants with
looks of terror, and cries of fire. Such rushing
of gentlemen and ladies in unmentionable night
clothing never before beheld and leave to your
imagination Those OF US who were up, soon
quieted the men, but the aoonsen, dear creatures !
unmindful of caps and curl papers, disheveled
hair, and linen. that usually is invisible, WOULD in-
sst that the boat was fire. Some of the younger
ones thought rather enjoyed the unsual excite.
ment of a nocturnal stampede on the father os
floods, and were disappointed but perhaps this
is cynical
Those who have not been on the Ohio or Missis
sippi can form no idea of Western Boat and
shall attempt description further than to saw that
this Boat is 30l feet from bow to helm, and about
80 BEAM She has three decks above the freight
hold The first one Ia occupied by machinery light
freight, &c, &c; the nextis occupied by the sa
loon being as said, about 290 feet, with rows of
State Rooms either fide opening into the saloon
and out on to the deck. Everything Is very ele-
CANT with too great tendency to the gaudy. There
is rather much of carving and gliding and ambitious
ornament. The table is always well appointed and
pretty well served, with the reservation that the
servants, (mostly free) the only condescendine
and patrOniZiRg persons you encounter
The usual passage money from Memphis to Lou
isvie $50 miles, is $40 with meals included; but
this being way boat and boats being scarce and the
river low they availed themselves of the OCCASION
and made it double.
From Louisville to Cincinnati, they charge only
81.
slidden banks OF the Mississippi are unsightly and
tedious and it is quite relief to get into the clear
water, narrower stream, and more verdant banks
of the Ohio At sunset last night 18Th, we passed
Point Pleasant and New Madrid, on the Missouri
~ od bo Ohio in r,iuh md bav
this morning at 10 O'Clock passed Paducah, in Ken
tucky town of thrifty appearance and new build
inss where we stopped to exchange freight and
passengers aud now, some miles up, the word is
given that we must exchange passengers and reish
with the Southerner," lighter boat coming from
Louisville bound to st. Louis; the Southerner re-
turning to Louisville and the Crystal Palace going
down the Ohio and up to st Louis. The Crystal
Palace could hardly get to Louisville, ewing to the
low water They do on these boats what | had not
supposed-keep the lead sounding every hour
40 and oftener-for fear of bars.
Tom Placide the actor, found the joint occu-
napt of my state room and we have had good
merry chat which will not record here.
NV letter is intolerably long and prosy, know,
but as am only half way to Louisville and must
mail il there, shall reserve space tor any adven-
ture with which to annoy your readers. We are
running within stones throw OF the Illinois
shore, the banks of which are lined with species
of willow We passed, not far back, Smithville, at
the confluence OF the Cumberland river with the
Ohio.
running very slowly, owing to low water between
the Indiana and Kentucky shores. We have passed
Evansville in Indiana, town of about 10000 inhab
itants 1t is built chiefly of brick and stone, and
looks very solid Below that, last evening, we pass
ed The cave in the rock" This is in Illinois: a
wall of rock, some forty feet or fifty high at the
highest point rises perpendicularly from the river
sloping up gradually you ascend the river, and
down again about to the eye $50 yards, along the
bank. In that solid rock cave 0pens-the capa-
city of which could not learn, If indeed be at all
known to any, except the band OF robbers which
formerly occupied It with their booty, and oil whom
the notorious Murrell was the Chief son OF Erin
seated near me, gave me vastly indefinite account
Of its size.
We are now on bar, opposite, just above, New
burgh In Indiana, and avail myself OF the tempo
rary quiet of the machinery to write From New
burah to this point, some mile or 30, perhaps more
| have observed three coal pit mouths, worked by
steam, and at every one there is large sign coal
at cts" The coal is bitun,inous, like ours ana is
equal to our best CRATE coal. Will you hgure out
for your Richmond gentry the difference oil price
here and thcref An early settler whose log house,
still standing has been transmitted into ne stone
dwelling near by, is the lucky owner OF mile or
so of these coal hills feet seam. The PITS 90 NOT
descend as ours but run on plane with the base
of the hill and into it, from the river bank The
boats on the river consume great quanIines sIusng