New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-05-14
NUMBER VI.


NUMBER W.
From our Special Travelling t;orrespondens.l
wssr Yss ss5gy LIZ IEssorer,s
Mr.. Edtor-I write from the ate Of the ancient
city Of San Michel, that formerly at this point
queened It over the foods cf the Mississpps which.
in their turn, now roll triumphautly over the en-
quilted hearthstones Of what was once. ana not 10
many years ago either, an Incorporated town. the
vis-a-vis and rival Of Baton Rouge, it being as
large and pcpulous AZ that place. But the vosaei-
ous old " father Of watsrsn took liking to san
Michel and street by street he has eaten il up and
his appetite is still unappeased, though there il
nary street left, and but half dozen buildings,
one Of which is the printing Office Of our friend
Judge Hyams, Of the :. Sugar Planter, /" and then
the Lager Beer Livery Stables z Of Philip Bauer,
which establishment had the honor of entertaining
in horse style our gallant steed Crescent These
and some i've or six other buildings are all that ID
now left of San Michel, or West Baton Rouge, the
last grab the river made at it being in 1858, when
it nipped off large slice Of land, and among
others elected Judge Hyams from office and dwell
ing. and drove him into his present spacious and
airy quarters in the old courthouse. The new
ing, is some quarter Of mile distant from The
ferry. good steam ferryboat plies across the
river between Baton Rouge, the West Baton Rouge
landing and the Crosse Tete Railroad depot few
hundred yards above. Capt Dick Markham, the
most musical Of steamboat commodores, COM
mands the ferryboat, and makes time and connec-
tions with certainty and infallibiIity which the
commodores of the Cunard line, which does the
ferriage business across the Atlantic, would do
well to copy. 4
West Baton Rouge is pleasant parish to travel
In, and expect it is equally so to live in perma-
nently. 1t certainly must be IL there are many
more such genial and hospitable worthless resident
therein as our brother of the quill, Judge Hyams,
and he assures me there are many such, and In
deed, has shown me few, Capt. n: w. Allen, Of
AIlandale plantation, q beautiful estate about
eight miles from West Baton Rouge Gourt-house,
being one of them. The river made desperate
attack this estate year or two since, and took
off a large slice Of the front, making new and
very expensive ievee necessary, and this has been
the case in many parts of this parish, which con
tains some OF the most extensive recent levee
works which have noticed. These heavy levee-
ing jobs have been necessary principally in the
upper part Of the parish.
The soil Of this parish IS very productive, and its
yield is probably greater in proportion to it's size,
than that of any other parish in the State for 1t is
one Of the smallest. Its area comprises $500
acres of land, OF which about 30000 are uncult-
yated, some $4,000 in cane, 1900 in cotton and
10 900 in corn. Its total population s about seven
thousand, of whom near two thousand are whites
and the balance, except few free colored slaves.
The assessed value Of property in the parish Isl in
round numbers, abo ut $5 200 000 and its State tax
amounts to about SO 000 of which the mill tax for
public schools constitutes over $4,000. The parish
is divided into five DISTRICTS and there are five pub
lie schools, which are spoken Of as being well man
aged and efficient as is not, am sorry to say too
generally the throughout the interior parishes
There Is no postoffice at the parish seat of West
Baton Rouge, mail matter for the point being de-
lverable at Baton Ronge, across the river. There
is post-ofice at Brusle Landing, six miles below
Baton Rouge, and here is about the largest settle.
ment in the parish. There several stores there
and it is evidently an advantageous place for the
purchase Of goods, for each store has out sign,
"cheap store.n There is another post-ofice at
Lobdell's store, twelve miles above Baton Rouge.
This Lobdells store is point whence considerable
produce is shipped--sugar and molasses, and cot
ton from the back country. The cotton product Of
the parish does not amount to much--a thousand
or twelve hundred bales being raised, mostly by
small farmers. All who can, cultivate cane. There
is post-offce at Hermitage, at the lower mouth
OF False river, which is diked over and closed up
and here large, well stocked and well appointed
store is kept by Mr.. Lemuel P. Day. Hermitage is
about twenty.seven miles above Baton Rouge, and
about one hundred and sixty from New Orleans
AT Lobdell's store ST. James Episcopal church il
located, and at Brusl6 Landing is the principa
Catholic church in the parish, there being else
where one or more small chapels, where an occa
sional Mass is said, but settled ministers. Judge
Hyams boasts Of the parish as desperately moral
section of country, the most so Of any part Of the
State and sustains his vaunt by the stubborn fact
that the parish has sent but one man to the Peni
tentary since there was such an institution-ani
that the outraged responsibility Of the community
SO punished for beating his wife. The culprit i
regarded the most exquisite villain that has dis
graced humanity since the days Of Nero, and
held In lively and unremitting detestation by til
virtuous society Of West Baton Rouge.
Asis apparent from the large proportion of pop
ulation, who are slaves, there are many extensiv
estates in the parish, making from three hundre'
and fifty to . thousand or so hogsheads of sugar
/ and among the larger may mention those owne,
/ by Messrs. Sosthene Allen, Dan Hickey, Capt
i Trinidad, Capt. H. W. Allen, A. A. Williams, Dr
| Patrick, J. A. Dougherty, Alex. Barrow, Davi
4 Pipes, ]. A Bird, V. Leblanc & Co., Jas. L. Lob
dell, estate P. p. Babin, Judge W. B. Robertson
/ Co., B. R. Chinn Andrew O. Woods, John Buhler
i j. r. Deyall, DR.. W. J. Lyle, ]. L. Lobdell, Mrs
NJ Hereford, Courtney h Woods, R. ]. Barrow an
i w. d Winter.
Az n o...t.