New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1858-06-01

The New York Times says Of the steamer Arctic
which has been dispatched to the Gulf to look after
our commerce
She will carry thres guns-two s2-pounders and
one lspounder swivel her forecastle In order 70
monnt these properly, two extra port holes were cut
amidships, on line abaft the house on the mairI
deck. the space between it andthe smoke pipe offer
ing the only deck room in which to work the guns.
These are 70 be mounted on the ordinary carriage.
ihe orecastie Is very high, and not protected By b1
warks at all. baltdozen men grouped there work
ing the swivel wonld be an excelient mark for MIME
rifles. The poop-deck which covers the cabin and
officers quarters, is also very high, and wholly ur-
protected BY bulwarks. From the deck Of an enc
mys vessel the man at the wheel can be seen from
the sole Of his boots to the crown OF his tsrpaulin
To stranger the Arctic would be taken for Dutch
gaifott, With an extra large stoveppe projecting
above her galley The grass upon her bottom Is sew
ierity OF her movement Her ordinary rate OF speed
at sea ID four to five knots. Under steam alone and
with gale Of wind, fair, she has been known TO
move through the water at the extraordinary nate OF
eight knots an hour. The idea OF dispatching such
q an old tab TO Cuba, to cope with feet q pow
erful British gun-bosts is considered at the NAVY
Yard the best joke Of the season.
The steamer Water Witch, now In command Of
Lieut. Lowell, arrived at the Navy Yard Brooklyn,
yesterday morning, from Boston, with detachment
OF fifty men which she Is Transporting TO the urac-
tieeship plymouth, at Washington. The Mater
Witch y 70 be fitted for service in the Gulf soon
III
placed in charge Of Commander John Rogers She
Is small side wheel steamer of about $50 tons and
although in point Of speed will beat the Arctic che
Is considered by the most experienced officers at the
yard equally unfit for effective service as warvessel
" One shell from an enemys vessel say these know
ing ones, :" would shver her TO atoms" This is the
vessel which visited the Paraguay and was fired into
one shot crushing through her light topwork, aud
killing man on her qanrter.
This sounds like truth. but the following, from q
Is most preposterous assertion: 4.
There is no vessel in our naval establishment.
though IL costs some ten millions year that Is at
for the service OF capturing the Syx aud the Vixen.
1t Is well enough to expose the defects and the
weakness Of our Navy, but II is ridiculous to speak
of it in this way. The Styx sa steamer carrying six
guns, and the Vixen Is, believe. gun.boat armed
with single gun. The Colorado, with her fifteer
enormous Dshlgren gnns-probahly the most fosrnid
able armament ever put Into yessel-isunder order
for cruising in the Gulf and is fully capable Of dis
posing of any antagonist she can meet in those
waters. So also is the Wabash. of 40 guns.
LOUISIANA ISTELLIGENcE. The Baton Rouge
Sugar Planter of Saturday has the following
The weather for the past week has been extremely
warm, although the time has been interspersed with
cooling showers. The rain has much benefited our
crops, which, by the way, are unusually promising.
To see bad stand OF cane In any OF our planters
fields is rarity What little cotton there Is grow
ing in one parish promises an abundant yield. Corn
is also 10 splendid condition. The river seems to
have given up its formerly expressed intention Of
going down and remains at about q stand.
The Plaqnemine Sentinel OF Saturday says:
The river has been again rising at this point for
the last two or three days. It is not at all probable
however, that II will again reach the high water
mark Of the present year, which was about four
inches lower than the high water OF 1850. There
were repeated showers during the week, which have
given renewed impetus to the growth OF cane and
corn. which are generally in as good condition as
could be wished. Mornings cool, but unusually warm
for the season. when the sun approaches meridian.
The Pointe Coupee Echo Of Saturday says:
On Wednesday last we were visited by severe
wind storm, which occasioned considerable damage.
It sprung up SO suddenly and unexpectedly that
every was taken by surprise, and ere the storm
ceased, several buildings in our neighbofhood were
eveed to the ground Fortunately for all, 1t sub.
sided in few moments, and was then succeeded by
a heavy rain.
The Caddo Gazette Of Saturday last has the follow
ing:
The weather has been clear and warm for the last
two weeks. 1t has produced wonderful change in
the vegetation Fields OF luxuriant corn as high as
mans head, greet the eye OF the traveller In all the
adjoining parishes. The cotton which has suffered
SO much from cold and wet weather Is beginning TO
grow rapidly. The gardens in and around Shreye-
port very fine, and vegetables are abundant in
market.
During the last week the weather has been very,
very warm. The rapid alienation from heat to cold
has rendered life almost intoerable to fat people.