The true Democrat., 1857-05-12
DcNeiopment oi Southern R sources. THE UPPER OlTACurTA CoAI.Erptn


 To the true lover of the South there is. in the present aspect of the times abundant carse tor 2ratulNtIon. Cotton, our great stape. con- m1ndS prices in the markets Of the world high CT than the most sausuIue producer dared to nope Tor but a decade since; while all rivalry however stimulated, ha, proved impoteut and unaVMln- The spirit of enterprise has been awakened with regard to railroads. and every day is adding to the length of those ron bani, which are now almost the svnonyme of agrcul- turA commercial and intellectual progress. h he laboratory of the chemistit wa, discovered that our turpenJine forests were rich with the cruie material of which oil in iuexhaustib,e quantities could be m uufacurcd, and the fact |, beng turned to practical advantage Cotton seed, which was formerly wasted as manure. and looked upon as of Ittle or no value. is now i'foving ltSel to be source of immense wealth IS from il an oil is extracted W hich for llumi- n'ting and other purpose, is pronounced excel let Ftctories of var Us descriptions are in- deed, rapidly spn5ing into existence in all southern cities. amt especially our own, and ,he result cannot but be a very decided advance ii our material prosperity
 There Is one thJng, however, in which New Orleans has heretofore been especially depend ent. We refer to fuel The high price at which coal has ruled in our market has operated very materially iii checking the establishment of steamship lines and factories, and the uucer- Ialnty of the supply has had a most prtiulicial effect on our general advancement Indeed, the fabulous prices frequently demanded for coal III the New Orleans market will not readily be forgotten ny those of our cltzenS whether rich or poor, who had to pay ;S2 50 for bar rel ol ScAnt two bushels,-A price considerably higher than Is generally obtane for wheat; ami they wiil with good reason, ref ,ice at the q scpvery of southern coal fl .lls from which d regular supply can be obtained at reasonable rates, without depending on the precarIous con dltlnn ot such river as the Ohio.
 From a pamphlet which has been laid on our table, by Henry Cotton Morris, esq, as we'll d, from facts within our owu knowledge, we are assured that recent discover of coal on the Upper Ouachita, by Mir Morris and others, will prove an invaluable blessing to New Orleais and all portions of the lower Mississippi In extent, the Ouacha coal embraces hundreds of squr miles, with an average thickness oi vein of from five to seven feet. This coal Is of the brown" or "lghte' variety, and similar to the celebrated Torbn Hill coal of Scotland which, being too valuable for fuel, has for sev- eral years past been exclusively used in the manufacture ot gas and illuminating and lubr- eating oils. On the English and French railroad, the oil made from this coal Is now usei in pre- ference to the best deScrptlOuS of sperm uil
 Professor Riddel who aualvzed the Onachi- ta coal, has deciared that" 1t cannot ai so far as quality Is concerned, to give entire satistac- ton fuel for domestic uses. It Is also well adapted for the production of steam-in stationa- " engines and on river steamboats" The Professor also states that there Is but a shade of difference between It and the Torbain Hill coal. This opinion is fully confirmed by Mr. Glover, ot Pennsylvania, who has recently vis- lted both the Torbaln Hill and the Ouachita mlneS, the former with view of aScertainng all that could be learned concerning the manll- lecture of mineral oils, and the latter for the purpose of ascerIalning the practicabilltv of working the mines with advantage ill order to supply the New Orleans market. The partcu- lars ot MT. Glover'S report we will elsewhere notice. Suffice 1t to say that it is alto sether satisfactory |" the parties most directly interest ei-a company of practical gentlemen wno were organized last winter in this city under the terms of a private agreement, and who have by their own agents and associates, not only tested the extent of the mines, and the quality Of the coal, but have, by purchase and other wise, obtained the exclusive control of the en- tire Ouachta coal field
 Nearly a hundred barrels of the Ouachita coal have already been brought to this city, and submitted to every description of experiment. 1t ha> heated the furnaces at the rosin oil works near the new b.sin; it has generated steam for two days in llebrard's clothing factory on Ca nal street; 1t has been tried in store stoves and in family grates; it has by one experiment been converted into oil, and by another into gas, and in every form that it has been used it has given the most uubounded satisfaction h. deed, no doubt exists that for domestic steam. boat, sugar boiling, or factory uses, 1t is greatly superior to Plttshurg coal, 1t burns freely, with but little smoke, and leaves behind neith- CT cnkers nor clnders, and no resduum save a small per centage of tiue ashes of golden hue.
 Furthermore, we are assured that the inex- haustible supply of this coal, the facility of mining, the health of the mining district, and the advantage of navigation to the very mouth of the streams for at least six months of the year will make the Ouachita coal the cheap est-as it is already pronounced, the best-that was ever introduced inte the New Orleans market.-N O. Ptcayune
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