Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-11-25
A WINTER IN THE soUrH-No. TX.
ST.. srEpHEss, ALABAMA, FrBnUAnY. /


enough to secure passage up the Tombgbee and Bac
Warrior rivers and in this letter propose to embody
experiences in regard to them What has been sal,
generally in the preceding letter. Of the scenery towns
and steamboats, Of the Alabama river quite applicab
to the rival flowing through the westward section
Of the State My fret steamboat heat up the Tombigbe
took the quiet and pleasant town Of Columbus il
Mississippi between which place and Mobile was
sibe for ascertain the distance since no two Of th
natives told the story but remember that th,
andng places numbered two hundred and seventy
Our boat of she best the river but as
was strife between her and her csptain as to which
would carry the hghess head Of steam the sail was any
thing but soothing the nerves. and moreover we were
nightly besst with heavy ogs that the local vulgarsm
Of q going 1t blind was fully appreciated
With the Efforts Of our steamboat hands 10 make the
nightly darkSess visible amused for they accom-
pshed their object by hanging out huge pnewood torches
from either side of the boas and whenever she got
tangled among the trees, which frequency the case
there display of fireworks among the messy trees
more novel than interesting.
Our supply of gamblers unusually large and the
manner in which saw game Of cards broken up was
quite exciting The hero Of the incident wac rich
planter who had been swndled out of several hundred
dollars by Of marked cards. and who having mad
his suspicious roused called for fresh pack and when
the game commenced very coolly laid loaded pstol on
the table and remarked that be would shoot the very rs
man whom he suspected of foul play. As matter
OF course he lost money that trip On my way
up the Tombigbee first made acquainted with the
version of the witty incident which has done more
than any thing else to give this river its reputation.
When William H. Crawford Secretary of the Urea
sury he wrote to the collector Mobile Silas Dinsore
to ascertain the length of this river which request
worded to this effect How far does the Tombigbee
up?" To which the laconic Collector replied: ssThe
Tombgbee does not run up at ALL it runs down." and
by the return maa dismissed from Office. Mr.. Dias-
more is universally mentioned as man of ability.
fayorte theory with him that America was peopled
by the Northmen and compmentfor articles
that he wrote upon the subject the King of Denmark
presented him with diploma. The original of this
river Ich bee, which in the Choctaw tongue
means Trunk River. 1t SO called because in very
carly times lived upon it who made boxes. Those
who live its banks tell mo that is is subject to high
freshes and OF course muddy but that in it is
picturesque and very clear single day enough to
exhaust the wonders of Columbus, ws those Of its
aristocratc neghbor and rival the of Abe,
deem, beyond which steamboats, seldom ascend and
drive of two days, horrible road and unnte-
resting country brought to Tuscaloosa the Black
Warrior river i.
And what shall say of this famous Tuscaloosa which
derives its from noted Indian chief who had
honor OF giving De Soto thrashing in the times of old
is beautifully situated and astefaly laid out town
with broad streets and many pleasant residences but at
the present time sadly dlapidaed 1t formerly the
capital of the State but every thing like government pa
tconage having been transferred to Montgomery, its
people to have become dsheaytened and lost all
their former enterprise Nothing forcioy reminded
this fact than the appearance Of the hotel where
lodged which in its dimensions is quite imposing fo- it
in length three hundred and forty feet and is
three four stories high Many time in other days
has il been the home and congregatngplace of three
hundred and fifty PERSONS while its present list of board
ar dan nnfuu umbar mara fnuu rpn A
through its deserted chambers reminded of Moores
song about the halls of Tara. felt respect for the
house for its apparent antiquity and when informed that
the landlord had been stationed here nearly twenty
years looked upon him curiosity for such things
not generally permitted by the fast age in which
we live.
Many objects that stumbled upon reminded me- of the
gay life which led here the ars:ooracy of the
land and reflected upon the cause of this great
change which had taken place. and upon intrinsic
merits of the town. felt provoked with its present
of inhabitants. They stagnant people, in stag
place. but the fault is their Not only is the
the centre Of fertile and cotton growing re-
gcp but is at the head of navigation on the Black
Warrior river, and is anked by coal and iron region
ninety miles long and from thirty wide with coal
less than ten feet in thickness It's climate is
all that could be desired for health and comfort and is
interesting to naturalists constituting the extreme
southern limit to which the ancient carbonerous vegea
tion has been traced the northern hemisphere In ad
don to all this its citizens highly intelligent and it
is the seat of ourishng institution of learning the
University OF Alabama, whose officers consist of pre-
sident, eight professors, secretary, and librarian
more intelligent refined body of literary and scientific
gentlemen have never seen anywhere.
One of them, Prof Michael Tourney an amiable and
talented man, is the geoogst Of the State and has pub
lished number of able reports; and another, the
Professor Of ancient languages, Samuel NJ Stafford in
career Of official duty extending through eighteen
years, has only lost two days, aud these he was an
invalid. The college buildings occupy very pleasant
spot in the vicinity Of romantic fall of water and while
its general library of 900 volumes is particularly rich
in and valuable works, its cabinets are also of s
perior excellence
~he present number Of students is one hundred and
eight, and was informed that the expenses of obtaining
an education there, with economy and without room
niture clothing and travelling need not amount to more
than $500 per There is also going up in Tusca
loosa on extensive building intended for State asylum
for the insane 1t IS to be built Of brick is eight hun
dred feet long and while the architect Samuel Sloan is
from Philadelphia all the masons and carpenters are
slaves cotton factory and paper mill have also been
established here, and in the hands Yankees are both
doing WELL What folly, therefore, is it in the people Of
Tuscaloosa to be forever sghing the departure
their former glory, which was after ALL not much more
than fancifu idea Tuscaloosa ought to be gem of
place. and if its of property would only boast less Of
their cotton bales and smart negroes and little more
with their own perpetualy gloved hands, they would in
crease their own happiness and respectability as men,
bers Of the body polite Though very SLOW one at the
present time it former days very fast one; and
as an evidence Of this fact may be stated that every
lawyer gories in the title Of judge every sporting cha
racter IN that OF COLONEL while the titles of general and
captain and mejor are plentiful rs politicians
From my agreeable landlord and other persons in Tus-
caloosa obtained number of items which think worth
recording as illustrative of Of the peculiar phases
fortune and Southern life. The Flush Times Of Ala
harn oxuhs kauo kaar - -