New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-08-10
The Southerpers at Home No. TX.
From the Journal Of NQhen Traveller on Horseback.
NORTHERN ALABAMA.
THE LOWER PIEDMONT, OR COTTON-FARMIN0


THE LOWER PIEDMGST OR COTTONFARMIN0
COUNTRY.
June.-I have now reached q more distinctly
hilly country somewhat rocky and rugged, but
with inviting dells The soil 10 sandy and less fer.
te cotton fields are seen only az long intervals the
crops OH the small proportion OF cultivated lad
being chiefly corn and oats. notice also that white
men are more commonly at work in the fields than
negroes and this AZ well IN the cultivation Of cotton
~ Of corn.
The people seem to be generally poor. The
larger number of their dwellings, are rude log huts,
of only one room aud that unwhoesOmely crowded.
saw in and about one of them, not more than if
teen feet square, FIVE grswn persons, and rs many
children.
Occasionally, the monotOny Of these hub 10
agreeably varied by neat, white, frame houses
and at oae such, dined to-day, and was comfort.
ably entertained. The owner was an educated man,
and held number Of slaves, but made no cotton.
He owned q saw mill, was the postmaster Of the
neighbOrhoOd, and had been in the Legislature.
/ asked him why the capitol had been changed
from Tuscaloosa 10 Montgomery. He did not know
Because Montgomery 10 now central and easy Of
access, probably" suggested. No, d.n't think
that had anything to do with it," 'Is Tuscse0m
an unhealthy place 7" "No Sir; healthier than Mont
gomery, 1 reckon" "Was it then simply because
the people of the southern districts were stronger,
aud used their power to make the capitol more con.
don't think that was it. exactly. The fact u.s. tie
people here are not like you Northern people, they
dOn't reason out everything so. They are fondOf
change and they got tired of Tuscaloosa the Mont
gomery folks wanted it there aud offered to pay for
moving it, 80 they lot EN- have it; twas just for
change" If there really was NO better reasoa,
was it not rather wastefal to give up an the pablo
buildings at Tuscalooss 7" 'FOh, the Montgomery
people wanted it 80 bad they promised to pay for
building q new State House; 90 it did net cost
anything"
Quits on q par with the logic VI Southern Com.
mercal Conventions.
lpassed the night at the second frame house I
saw during the day, stopping early 10 the sternoos
for that purpose. 1t WIS pleasantly situated on
hilltop with peach orchard near it. The proprie-
tor owned q dozen slnyes and made cotton. He had
neehbors to tea and TO breakfast; sociabe, kindly
people, satisfied with themselves and their circum.
stances which judged from their conversation had
been recently improving. Land had nearly doubled
in value within FIVE years. One coming 10, re-
marked that he had discharged white laborer
whom be had employed for some tune past; the
others congratulated him on being "shet" of him;
all seemed " have noticed him ~ be q very bed,
lazy man, and one said be had often seen him louog.
ing 10 the Hed, rappiDg the negroes with his hoe if
they didn't work to suit hun. His employer sad
that be also had seen it and forbade him doing 20.
said woman; "he WAS Q heap meaner'n nggers.
1 reckon niggers would come somewhere between
white folks ard such 40 be-" "The first thing
tell man, said another, "when hire him, is, il
there's any wbippin to be done on this place want
to do it myself If I saw man rappin' my nisgers
with hoe handle, as j see hun, burned wouldn't
rap bim--tbe lazy whelp."
One Of the negroes here completeness my morse.
"Dahs bee Of genus in dat var hosss head
These DeOple were extremely kind in their dispo-
stion toward me. inqlring with tho simplest good
feeling sbmnt NV relations and the purpose Of my
iour,ey. When left them they begged mo to
wr;te 10 them sfter l got home. and Que Of them
walked quarter o. a n'ne 70 mare sure that went
The risht rosd. The charge for entertainment
though il wss unusually good was q quarter Of
dollar less than have generally paid before.
Juae.-The country continues to be billy and ID
thickly populated by small farmers, living in log
hUts, while every mile or two, on the more leyei
and fertile LAND, there 10 plantation with tea Of
twenty negroes at work. A few whites are usually
working with or near them, in the same field, gen
orally plow'ne while the negroes hoe; an OvecUeee
experimenting only, have not seen for the psst
three days. ill
WHITE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. AND CHILDREN.
About noon I observed a woman at work %
steep hinfide above me. She stoad on a little pro-
jectng spur in the taee Of the hill and q soOs -
The cav me-, che, with three children aud usu.
came to the edge Of the spur to look at me:
turned Of and rude up to zee what they were doing.
Another MN then appeared, and in ao.wcr " my
inquiries lid me thsy were getting Out iron orc:
One was picking Ia a ven. having excsvated shon
adit; the otter man picked lcoscr ere exterior 70
the vein. The w"mea and children shosesed ow
the ore and piled 1t en- h,lns Of TIMBER where teey
roasted it to make it crumble: II was toea cerssc
to forge, and they were paid for it BY the !oeA
They were III clothed very meanly and scsdsayII
tne woman scarcely ~ith deeeney: She woise"
90 far as I could see, - hard - ~ ~ -.
cutting down tree % ,'a% S.., y az "a
,;,o, ~ .h;i1,eu TIM even b. tho yCuugeo-s