The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1859-12-21
Alabama Correspondence.


time to send you communication, but have
been hindered by business. We took the
Henry Clay at Lansing, July 5, making only
a short stop at McGregor. We reached
Galena that night, and remained until next
morning 0 o'clock. We had an opportuni
ty of sailing on that inimitable little river
that looks no larger than Turkey, without
meeting with any mishap, except to bump
a big stone about midship on the Lower
Rapids"
On our way down we hada splendid view
of the old Mormon city. The front wall of
the celebrated temple, and the foundation
of Joe Smiths mammoth hotel Several hun
dred feet square, are still standing This is
a splendid sitution for city. Joe Smiths
widow is still living in Nauvoo, and is mar
ried to respectable gentleman and they are
living in the old homestead. There are two
of his (Smith's) sons living in Nauvoo, re-
spectacle and influential; one of them (thc
Prophet is young man of extraordinary
talent; neither of them were ever Mormons.
should have stated something about
passing the Rock Island Bridge. We did
not get hurt in any way except in starting
brisk circulation of the blood, a rapid per-
spiration, and extending the size of Our eyes
in longitudinal direction. I would not be
scared so bad again for bridge AS the
preacher said, ''We escaped by the skin of
our teeth" The men who built that bridge
ought to be scared every day as bad as
was that time. A greater imposition upon
the commerce of our country does not exist
We reached St. Louis July 8, and only
stayed long enough to change boats. The
next boat took us to the mouth of Cumber-
land River. There we spent Sabbath, and
at night preached. Early next morning
we went on board another boat at Smith
land, and commenced our slow aud preca-
rious journey up the beautiful little river
Cumberland. We next landed at Canton.
Ky, and next day took stage for the place
of our destination, Hopkinsville, Ky. We
were soon among old friends and parishion-
ers. We made Hopkinsville and Salubria
Springs our headquarters until Sept. 10 !;
during this time was permitted to visit the
place Of my nativity. Change of climate
made me sick, until the weather became
cool in the fall. Sept 81 we landed in
Nashville, Tenn. since that time we have
visited the following towns and cities: Shell
byville, Connervile, Columbia, McLemores-
vile, jackson and Memphis, Tenn. Horn
Lake, Corinth and Oxford, Miss. Athens
and Huntsville, Ala. The large cities and
towns of the South are growing rapidly
while the smaller ones, in a majority o.
case, are dead or dying Railroads are be
ing built rapidly, and this revolutionizcs al
most everything. New Orleans and Louis
vile are connected by rail, except % miles
of unfinished road. Cairo and New Orleans
Cairo and Mobile, and Cairo and almost ev
cry other place is connected, or will be soon
Nashville, Tenn, is throwing road out to
wards that point. You can take the car
at McGregor and go to New Orleans, all tn
way by rail, except 90 miles by steamboat
from Cairo to Columbus, Ky, and 80 mile
of unfinished Road, traversed by stagesan,
hacks. Kentucky and Tennessee are boil
: waking up to the Importance Of internal i'm
provements. This puts new face upo
everything; many parts of these State
which havelaid unimproved, are being open
ed and stock farms established Tobacco
= and cotton were injured seriously by tn
dry weather in the summer.
Huntsville is certainly the most bcautifi
/ little city have ever seen. 1t is situate
+ in what is denominated "the Valley"
, is traversed by the Tennessee River, an
skirted round by the mountains. The va
: ley is $50 miles long, very level, and w,
once of great fertility; but the most abuse
q land have ever seen. 1t is covered wit
# vast cotton farms, owned by planters
q princely fortunes, and yields abundant,
y cotton, corn and wheat, besides the frui
>. common to regions north and south of
J. l think the Valley yields greater varie
Al of products than any section have ev
"a visited. If man was able to live on Il
y income of his means, | know of no pla
y where he could spend his time more plea
. antly than at Huntsville. 1t is bull. on
80 spur of the mountain, which extends 0
If into the plain. The city is headed in by
o. stream large enough to float fat-boat, a,
cotton was once shipped from here in tn
- way. There are mountains on three side
!, and on the fourth is the edge of the pla
through which the great Memphis al
Charleston Railroad passes. Next week
y, commence travelling in the mountains, lea
70 ing Mrs A., for time, among the rein
-, and hospitable people of Huntsville '
J., will soon start lower down South, when
return, and remain until the winter is oy
We have had two pretty severe blasts
=. cold already, which lasted about three da
&c each. 1t is always comfortable here VIII
~ the sun shines. Twill drop youa line aga
b. soon. Yours, j. C. ARMSTRONG.
lie, Letter from Minnesota.
nst SAINT pArI Dec 9TH 1870