The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1860-11-30
a TRIP 10 TEXAsl
Steamer Matagorda,
near GALyEsroN, Texas


breeze i stirring and every thing promi-
ses pleasant trip on The Gulf-how De-
lightful and refreshing, after enduring
the heat and dust Of the ciiyi
After a hurried glance at New Orleans
/ | pen you few items. Not more than
two days are required to find out that IL
is rather an expensive place. Niagara
Falls, or Saratoga, will not cxtort more
eSorbitant rates from you. One has al
most to pay for the privilege Of being
I looked nt. As the wcolthicst and most
intelligent planters Of the South reside
here, living In princely style and luxury,
such oxtravogunt demands may be ac-
counted for Society is made up Of
heterogeneous mixture Of almost all ma
tons, all who nro born here, without ref
orencc to the birth place Of their parents,
arc called Crcoles, but ore mostly Of
Frcnoh and Spanish purentago, and were
once considered az the phtricians Of the
land Family pride, punctuality ind
good faith arc their characieristics. The
industrious German, the shrowd and per-
seycfing Irishmun, and trading and cal
culating Yankee, arc important elements,
some Of zach class being in good circum-
stances. The Watcrmon, composed Of
an smphiblous raco Of human beings,
who live for a great portion Of the year
on the Mississippi, add much to the pop
ulation. Not much con be said for the
morals Of New Orleans, ar thoutrcs are
opened regularly on Sunday cvcnings-
The yards aud gardens, with flowers aud
such rank vegetation, appear like mid
summer, to one from the North.
Any ordinary rise ofthc Mississippi
river would cover the greater part Of the
city, TO a depth Of several fcat-but il il
secured from an overflow by an cmbunk-
mcnt from six 10 eight feet in height,
called the Leyecj which, for an extent
Of slK miles, Is crowicd with vessels Of
all sizes, from all quarters Of the globe,
and hundreds ofsteumbouts, HatboSts and
bqrgcs. Yesterday Il was crowded with
drays, aud cotton bales were 70 be met
with BY tho thousand. No place can pre-
sent moro busy ,bustling scene than tho
Lcvcc Of the Crescent City.
ofhnc art galleries aud public libra
ries, 80 common in Eastern cities, could
find none. or course, I would not hoyc
seen New Orleans had | failed 10 visit
hor slave markets.
The United States Custom House, In
course Of erection, is sintsndod to be an
honor to the nation. II covers a large
block Of lots, which were generously do
mated by the city. The granite Of which
IL Is built, Is from Quincy, Mass. the
blocks being squared and numbered n
ho quarrics and transported here by wa
ter. This is great leech on the public
crib--several million Of dollars having
been expended already. Fifteen yours
have elapsed since il wOS begun, and mp
parontly Il isnot now more than hafcom-
pleted
almost forgot to tell you something
about the "Hountcd House" which $ sit.
uOted in a densely populated portion Of
the city. II was once the residence and
place Of oonooulmont OF the booty Of
noted pirate, who was the terror Of the
that bis beautiful mistress
would reveal his truo character and cx-
pose his treasures, Il Is believed he muir
dercd her, aud TO this day, her spirit il
said 20 haunt the place Tho House,
once a large brick, with numerous aud
elegantly finished rooms, magnificent in
all It's appointments, and surrounded by
beautiful grounds-has been deserted
and fallen into decay and utter ruin.
These circumstances have furnished
the ground work for thrilling tale, to
which must refer you for further partic-
I'll warrant that if Yankee
could get a good title to the ruins aud lot
on which they stand, no "ieouId lag tie
ghost"
As passed from New Orleans to
Berwick Bay, several sugar plantations,
and negroes cutting down cane, were To |
be seen from the car windows.
To carry on the business to advantage,
a large capital is required, In addition to I
the ground to be cultivated and the hands
to he employed in the field, expensive
mills and machinery must be set up and
kept in motion, with a large number Of
loborcrs In attendance,
There are few things among the works
of nature more remarkable, than tho
floating prairies, which are found upon
the lakes near the coast Of the Gulf
They appear to have b,on formed by
the natural accumulation Of such yegctO-
bic matter Os lay floating upon the sur
face Of the water, supplied with a light
sub-suOtum Of soil-partly by is own de-
cay aud partly by It's roots and fbcrs at
traoting ahuvial substances from the wa
ter. Thciy crust Is several inches thick,
aud upon them grass aud weeds grow
They very much resemble terra trina.
The distance from N, O, to Galveston
via, Berwick bay, is 903 miles. The
price Of first abin passage is fifteen dol
lars,
Yours, Sc,
s, ID,
-aH-s.----.- -s--s-s,