Des Arc citizen., 1859-08-24
RIVER NEWS, &c.

GW The U. S. Mail packet Fortune, Capt.
 David B. Price, passed up Tuesday morn-
 ing, bound for Jacksonport. The Fortune
 will be down tomorrow morning, bound for
 Napoleon. B. Coles, her clerk, furnished us
 with full files of late papers.
 | GBT The U. S. Mail packet Sam Hale, Capt.
 C.. W. Coles, is due Friday morning, bound
 for Jacksonport. She will be down on Mon- 1 day, bound for Napoleon. w. F. Briscoe, her cl,rk, furnishes us with files of late papers.
 GT The Wm H. Langley, Capt. D. c.
 Williams, from Memphis, passed up Saturday evening, and returned on Monday, bound for
 Memphis Robert H. Powers, her clerk, fur nished us with late newspapers. The Lang ley is due again from Memphis, on Friday. GR The Memphis, White and Little Red rive packet Tennessee Belle, Capt. J. Little field, passed up yesterday morning, and is due to-day, bound for Memphis. Capt. Jas. P. Booker, her clerk, supplied us with full files of late newspapers.
 HT We learn from the Saint Louis news papers, that Capt. Benj. Johnson is about to repair and paint the steamer E. M. Ryland, for regular weekly packet between Memphis and White river. She will run up White river as far as Jacksonport, and will leave Memphis every Saturday. She will engage in the trade about the first of next month. V The Memphis, Bulletin, under date of the 14th inst, contains the following para
 graph:
 We learn that the Blackfoot, the brag racer of the Upper Mississippi course, will enter the Memphis and White river trade, early in the coming fall. Her owners declare that her speed is such as will enable her to make two trips each week, from this port to Des Arc. ~ Capt. Timms has gone to Cincinnati with the steamer Medora. She is to be thor oughly repaired, and placed in the Black river trade, carrying the mail from Jackson port to Pocahontas.
 | 0T The law passed by the Legislature of Louisiana, in regard to free negroes, is very stringent The following is synopsis of it: The act of our Legislature, approved March 15, 1859, introduced changes in the law as it existed before that date, and the law is now very stringent. By the first sec- ton of the act of 1859, any free person of col or, coming into this state on board a steamer plying out of the limits of the state, is to be lodged in jail immediately on the arrival of the steamer in port, and is to remain there un- til she leaves. This lodging in jail is to be done by the police authorities.
 | The second section provides that the captain may take any such person out of jail by giving | bond with penalty of five hundred dollars, conditioned that the steamer will leave the port within twenty-four hours, and that the | free person of color shall not be allowed to go on shore.
 | The third section provides that on taking i said person out of jail, the master shall pay forty cents for every day he shall have been l in jail, and no other charges.
 l The seventh section provides that the Har- | bor Masters of the port of New Orleans shall
 require from the master of any steamer plying
 without the State, written statement, on oath,
 of the number, name and place of residence of every free person of color by him brought into
 theState, on board his vessel, that trip; the mas | ter of the steamer is also bound, immediately
 on his arrival in New Orleans, to send to the
 office of the Chief of Police like statement
 on oath. And in case such master neglects | to furnish the Harbor Master with such state
 ment when called upon, or neglects to trans
 nit the same on his arrival to the office of the Chief of Police, he shall be condemned to l pay fine of two hundred and fifty dollars, re.
 coverable with privilege dh the steamer. l The ninth section provides that the act
 shall take effect from and after the first day ol
 September, 1859.
 The other provisions of the act do not af-
 feet the vessel, and relate merely to the fret persons of color themselves. There is nc
 mode of evading this law, and strict compli.
 ance is necessary. The fact that the act give:
 the informer one half of the fines collected
 and makes him complete witness, will keeT
 the police and others active.