New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-05-21
NUMBER VII.

e.
NUMBER VII.
From Special Travelling Correspondent
F.. ssrsg Fsasss.v.a.u sanss sxry . nsso- /
Ed Crescent win commence this epistle, the
seventh of the very entertaining and instructive
series by your correspondent, with few words Of
explanation Of its date, which, as You perceive, il
a little Mixed az are the two places, Bayou Sara
and st. Francisyille. They are one in many things
and two in some things. Apparently they are as
much the same place as Natchez on the hill'' and
/" Natchez under the hfIl'' are, for Bayou Sara
stands at the foot of the hill and st. FraneisyiIle
on the top of the hill, and the two places run to-
gether and mingle on its declivity. They one
in having but one postoffice, which is in Bayou
Sara on the water side, and they are two in Bayou
Sara being incorporated and st. Francisvie not !;
and rather keen operation of the st. Francisvii-
lians is Sin keeping outside Of the corporation,
for being upon lofty hill they have not the least
use for the costly leVees which are necessary to
the existence Of the settlement below the hill and
which, therefore, they are not at all inclined to
assist in paying for, they would have to do, as
well as be under other expenses, we're they incor-
porated with it.
ST. FrancisviIe is the parish seat of West Feliei-
ana. ana mas L1G luc anu lnduy uhllN-
some residences to adorn it and in the central
plateau Of its lofty location stands the splendid new
| church edifce, Grace Church, of the Protestant
Episcopal congregation Of the place, of which Rev.
Daniel S. Lewis is rector. 1t occupies the site of
| the old church which it replaces, and will rank
among the most tasteful and substantial church
buildings in the country It would be edifice of
note in any city Of the South. In this parish the
81
| denomination, though there are a number of
| churches of other sects scattered through the
| country.
If st. Francisyille is stronger on the ornamental,
Bayou Sara is out of sight ahead Of her on the
practical for she does all the business, and great
deal of business is done, too. 1t is thriving and
bustling place, and contains some of the most ex
tensive and heavily stocked stores In Louisiana,
outside of New Orleans, and there are few in New
/ Orleans even which can surpass in value Of stock
| the concern of Meyer, Hoffman & Co., dry goods
dalers and direct Importers The principal mer-
chants of the place are Whiteman Bros, r. Y.
Leake & Co., Hatch & Irvine, and Parr & Winter,
receiving and forwarding and general commission
/ merchants, and dealers in groceries and western
produce. Meyer, Hoffman & Co., G. E. Tooraen
and "A. Levy 4 Co., dry goods and general mer-
chandise R. Barton, book, stationery and periodi
4 cal depot. There are, also, variety Of smaller
4 but apparently prosperous establishments, which
we have not space to enumerate: restaurants, bar
/ rooms etc., and all the aspects Of small city.
i prominent object in the town. occupying very
handsome building, is Robinson Mumford's Bank of
| Exchange and Deposit, w. 7. Mumford teller.
China Grove Hotel is the principal house of enter
tainment, there being, beside smaller establish
ments, very large and comfortably arranged
wharfboat, which, however, is not doing a very
prosperous business, the majority of citizens being
opposed to its location there. There is a Metho-
dist Church in Bayou Sara, Rev. Thomas Donner,
pastor.
4 Among the other prominent business interests Of
| Bayou Sara is horse dealing, it being the great
horse market for the surrounding country. Large
droves of horses are brought here for sale from
i kentucky and elsewhere. Messrs. Henshaw &
Halle have very extensive stables and do great
deal in horse fesh Bayou Sara is the river ter
minus Of the West Feliciana Railroad. The depot
stands upon the levee in the lower part of the
town, having been meved from the upper part
above Bayou Sara, troublesome and unnaviga.
BILE estuary which could not be permanently
bridged, save at great cost. This railroad runs to
Wocdville, Mississippi, a distance of twenty-eighi
miles. A good steam ferryboat plies across the
river to Pointe Conpee, and ought to be paying
institution, for passengers are charged fifty cents
each for the luxury of riding over on it, and two
dollars if they have horse and buggy. The
Bayou Sarans ought to amend this matter, for the
heavy ferriage prevents much custom from reach
ing their market The boat has been run nun
ber Of years and is the property of one person
The merchants ought to form company, buy the
,fot4l, 1nxro /.
expenses. They might even afford to lose a little
but it would pay better at half the present rate.
than now.
4 Bayou Sara is about one hundred and sixty
miles from New Orleans, and the other postofice
4 settlements Of the parish are at Tunica, on the
river twenty miles above, place where consider
able cotton is shipped, and there is store or two,
also an Episcopal church, Rev. Mr.. Dow, rector
Laurel Hill, station the railroad, twelve miles
in the interior. Here, also, there are one or two
stores. There is paper published in the parish,
the Bayou Sara Ledger, an able and well-known
journal, edited and conducted by Jas. r. Marks who
is Mayor of the town Of Bayou Sara. The officers
of the parish at this time are John W. Spear, Pre-.
sident Police Jury; Robinson Mumford, Treasurer
Charles B. Collins, Clerk of Court; William Hear.
sey, Sheriff; VIM I. Bell, Assessor; Robert Hale
Recorder.
West Feliciana is one of the wealthiest parishes
of the State, being high among the second rates in
wealth and population. The total assessed value
of property is about IS, 200 0oo on whc. it pays
State tax of over $4,000, over $4,000 of which
goes to the public school fund. There are thirteen
public school districts in the parish and about five
hundred edueable children. The total population
of the parish is IL o00 in round numbers OF which
about 1000 whites and about 10000 slaves, the
free negroes being few. comparatively small
portionof the land Of this parish the upper border
of which is the State line between Mississippi and
Louisiana, is adapted to the growing of cane.
Cotton is the principal product. OF the 227367
acres forming its entire area, about $4,000 are in
cotton, 5000 in cane and 10000 in corn, leaving
some l65 600 or 900 uncultivated. There il
much barren and sterile land in the parish, but
enough that is very prolific to yield q large crop
as its aggregate product. Many of the planters
grow both cotton and cane, but they are gener
ally engaged exclusively in raising either one o.
the other rather than both. Some of the planters
OF this parish rank among the largest in the State
and among the extra heavy menmay be mentioned
Messrs. Joseph A. S. Acklen, David Barrow, VIM
Ruffin Barrow, sr., VIM. ]. Fort, John Scott Smith
VIM. H. Stirling, Daniel Turnbull, etc.