New Orleans daily crescent., 1860-07-03
LouIsIA NA IN SLICES.
A Rambling LeRor-- Dosrn and Jp Rcd Rirer-,
Things Geaerady-S Shaggy Point aud q DnptI-
cate g Ldg" Thereon--d Gracious RAN. etc.

Things Geaeaady--Snd1gg Point and a Dnplt-
cate Lay" Ihefeon-A Gracious RdS'a. eto.
From our Special Travelling Correspondent.
ALExASDRfA. June 26, 1860.
Ed. 61esceat--I esteem it to be but the fair and
proper thing that should explain to the excellent
| readers of the Crescent who are SO deeply inter
ested in the perusal of this valuable series Of let
ters. the why and wherefore of their interruption
4 fcr two weeks past, which was in consequence Of
flyine visit that this entertaining and reliable cor
respondent found it necessary to make to the city
of New Orleans, thereby causing q suspension OF
| the touy, which is now resumed to be prosecuted
to the end thereof which will be the end oE Louis
lana. 1t may be possible that there are several OF
4 your readers who have never had the felicity OF
travelling on Red river" Old Red as it is aiec.
tionately entitled by those who have had much to
4 do with it, and have therefore experienced TO the
| full all the endearing anneyances and yexatlons
which its dubious navigation entails and if such
there be, porehance my random trip has yielded
! snch incident as will instruct if not entertain.
| Immediately after the date of his last previous
letter this correspondent took passage from Alex
antria on the very comnlodious, swift, luxurious
aud well officered steamer ConleE, Capt. Sam Law
SON sIr. Geo Hamilton. clerk, and the river being
| low spent the night on her a few miles below the
town, for the Captain wisely conceived nice dis
eretion to be the better part of yalor, and to be
snugly tied fast to the river bank to be better than
stuck fast on mud bank, and SO shrewdly adop-
/ ted tho former safe course instead OF keeping
dangerous course down river. Whendaylight came
the good steamer (now laid up for the season, as
she does not draw it mild enough in the matter
Of water to go it enthusiastically on the short COM
mons which the Rcd commonly allows to naFiga-
| tors in the summer) ooursed rapidly down the
winding stream. giving the curious correspondent
proper chance to see how the land laid along its
banks These lands are fertile, but the settlements
| and plantations are few and far between. Land
spectators are holding almost all the best lands
and demanding such prices as at present deter pur-
ehasers, but which they will realize at no distant
day for much interest is centered in this Red river
bottom country.
In Avoyelles Parish, which the river trayerses,
the construction of very extensive leFee works IS
going on at The expense of the State. These
safeguards are occasionally necessary. but the
Red is not so dangerous and powerful an enemy
10 the planter the Mississippi is, and does net
so regularly transcend the limits OF Watery pro-
priety From Alexandria to the confluence of the
Red and Mississippi rivers the distance is one hum
dred AMI fifty miles-not one hundred and ten as
was erroneousy stated in former letter. Fer
nearly the whole of this distance the prineyal
forests fringe its banks, unbroken save by the
clearings Of not more than q dozen or 50 planta-
tions, plentiful population of allgators and Wa
terfol having undsturbed possession OF its shores
The only landings of any note are "BarbLn $, 80
miles from New Orleans: "Norman's,a 993 miles,
and ssPierce's 325 miles. The last thirty or forty
miles of the river towards its mouth mostly runs
through a level and readily oyertiowed country,
having much the appearance of batture formation.
This land is generally very low and is thicky over
grown with willow and cotton wood. with occa-
sional high lands on which the oak and great
variety of trees flourish. On the southern border
of the parish of Catahoula which runs down to the
river about midway between Alexandria and the
mouth, the Red throws out two great branches,
which, with their tributaries, penetrate far mp into
North and Middle Louisiana, under the names of
| Black, Ouaehita, Tensas, Little and Dugdemona
rivers.
About sixty miles below Alexandria is e Shaggy
| point'' long, shallow, and continually shifting
bend in the channel, which is, next to the falls
| above Alexandra, the greatest stumbling *
| to the navigation Of the river. had taste Of
| Shaggy Point coming down, when the Conley hung,
| swung round, and finally crawtished off back
/ wards, after few minutes suspense. But in COM
| ing up in the steamer Telegram got full meal of
the luxury Of Shaggy point, and acquired realizing
sense OF the beauties of summer navigation of the
/ Old Red. We hung for four or five hours, midday
sun showing nomercy, and a breezeless atmosphere
giving no relief, and finally got off Of our lay on
Shaggy point by a fresh-water edition Of G club
hauling ''--hawsers were carried out to trees and
stumps onshore, the steam eapstan put to work. and
the steamer dragged through the mud for third Of
q mile by main force. Such painful circumstances
aggravated me into putting my long unaccustomed
machine to work to kill the time and TO wreak my
malice Shaggy Point, and resulted in the grind
/ ing out Of the following beautiful poem, which !
am quite certain will excite sympathetic feeling
| in the breasts of all who have ever been afflicted
by lay on Shaggy point in a small, uncomfortable
4 boat, beneath q summer sun