The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1855-02-07

GEN. seorr's OP1NIos.-Confdent that most
of our readers will be interested in the opinion
Of general Scott On the seige of Sebastopol, we
COPY the following extract from a letter OF the
Washington correspondent of the Charleston
Mercury:
/ had recently the pleasure Of hearing the
criticism Of general Scott, on the war in the
Crimea. I look upos Scott as one Of the great
captains 81 the age, and I listened with great
interest to his ideas. He says the allies com
mitted a great blunder in delaying the attack
upon SebastopoI as long as they did, that imme-
diately after the leaving of Silistria, they should
have attacked Sebastopol, at which time there
was a comparatively small force in the Crnlea,
that the allies cannot take Sebastopol unless
they receive rcinforcements, giving them q su-
neriority Of force to the e~xtentof from thirty to
fifty per cent, that the Russian regular soldiers
are the best troops in the world for defense, they
never fly, but perish unless ordered to retreat.
He thinks the allies labor under a great disad-
vantage in having two commanding generals,
that the road to victory is through unity of de
sion. The inference I would draw from gen.
SCOTS ideas is, that Sebastopol will not be
taken, for doubt whether the allies can throw
such a preponderance of force there as is ne
cessary. The general further said, that the
allies could not reembark now without immense
loss of men, and allthe materials of war in camp
except the weapons in their hands.
SOMETHING FOR CoTToN PLANTERs.-We have
had on our table for some weeks, but have been
prevented from using it sooner by the pressure
Of other matter, a description in the Nashville
Farmers Banner of anew invention, called the
sCotton Leaf Cleaner and Boll-Picker.'' The
inventor has obtained a patent for it. He is a
cotton planter of Alabama, and is said to be a
gentleman of fine education and general infor-
nation. He is making alterationsin the machine,
and will soon have his models readyf for exami-
nation and trial. The object aimed abby himis
to bring into use an instrument for picking cot
ton and to improve its value, by removing the
leaf and dirt, and thus send it clean to the Gin.
Speaking of this invention, a correspondent
of the Banner says:
s'It comes a welcome ally, to aid the great
army of cotton pickers, whose labors are tedi-
Gus and severe. It bringsiron fingers and mule
muscles to do the work now done by human
and thus accomplishes in three days
what now requires six. 1t can be worked by
power that will work a gin. A portable
horse power set up in the field will be %conveni-
,nt, and can be extensively used in October and
November, when the seasons are dry. The
cotton bolls are to be gathered with as little care
IS you would corn, and taken to the machine,
either in the field or under shelter, as the case
nay be. Then the machine and the mules take
tut the bolls, leaf, dirt and everything, and the
otton comes through the gin as middling to
God middling in quality.
stC,ol .a,aI.,o 4o41a o.lto~ .... .cI
he United States, is worth millions, provided it
an be made to do what is intended by the in
entor. The object 10 be accomplished is not
difficulties, and if the first machine,
,hich will soon be presented to the public for
lspection, makes an approach to the end aimed
we may feel confident that the defects will |
BON be remedied by the genius of American
alent. and that cotton will be picked by iron
myers instead of human, which will be equal :
doubling the field force during the gathering i
t the crop. |
"A planter who cultivates with fifty hands, !;
lay, by the aid of this machine, have what is 5
l~uivalent to one hundred hands in gathering, d
I'd that without the expense of feeding them.
e is thus enabled to save all that he can make, Il
lough he may cultivate the bottom lands Of the q
ississippi. Yazoo, Arkansas, or old Caney. h
he hands can be kept out of the dew, and
cir health preserved. More lands may be n
,ened, and larger qualities cultivated, by driv =
6 two mules with sweeps and harrows thirty in
< inches wide. That's, on bottom lands where E
e rows are FIVE or six apart. u
elm the cleaning process, a small per centage
ay be lost, but you save the loss oceasioned in
standing in the field till February, exposed S;
winds and rains, and also much of the loss in 81 u
E spinning room, which is now 10 per cent. be
I'M dirt, dust, leaf" &c. h;
We shall look with much interest to the ope-
lions Of this invention. Should it prove sue 60
ssful it may in truth be characterized as a de
achine which will mark a more important K
och in the progress of the growth and manu- &c
,ture of the great southern staple, than any III
7ention since the construction of the gin. So
The LATE EARTHQUAKE DowN EAsT.-The
already mentioned as having oc- W
RED in Gorham and in Bethel, N. Y, on the ~ -.
tn, it appears was quite generally experienced 10
'oughout that State, and in Maine as far as
rtland. tel
In Portland, On Tuesday eyening, 18th, says ve
correspondent of the Portland Advertiser, at
cen minutes before 7 O'Clock, an earthquake Gu
S distinctly noticed in my family. One of ",
small children was sufficiently frightened to b b.,
nmence crying. Another shock was felt in til
course of the night, supposed to be before
o'clock. The conclusion was not quite SC tn n
lrked as in the earthquake of July II, 1858. y
BETHEL, JAN. 16.-A shock which was APP KIN
an earthquake occurred in this village
$ evening, at 38 minutes past I o'clock. 1t "
with a heavy, rumbling noise for a So SC,
' seconds, and was Immediately followed by cit
apid vlbratory motion, sufficient to cause the so
'ekery to rattle in the stores and dwelling
uses for several seconds longer. lis appa- ba
It direction seemed to be from south to north an
/ continued nearly thirty seconds. @ lie
Mount VERNON, JAN. 17.-This village was
own into something of a CONSERVATION last Ell
ming at a quarter to 7 O'Clock, by an earth s &c.