The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1860-11-20
From the Ashevilie Spectator.
LETTER FROM TEXAS.

We publish below portion of . letter received
by friend a few days since from gentleman in
Texas. The writer once lived in North Carolina,
and studied law, we learn under our fellow citizen,
Judge Baily. The extracts following may prove
interesting to many of our readers:
1t would be but an agreeable occupation to a
young man "just from the States" 10 mount pony
buckle his six shooter around him-and ride
over the State to find locality TO slit himself
viewing as he goes the "ripening besdties" of the
most inviting country in America. He would take
the six shooter along to aruse himself with shoot
ing deer and antelope the prairles, turkeys and
wild cats and wolves in the !" bottoms, and, if he
should penetrate very far on the frontier, as a
means of protection against any rascally gang of
wild Indians that might scare him up
Negro property is exceedingly valuable all over
Texas. Good field hands will hire readily in this
part of the State at SIS to S25 per month, and
when you get among the heavy cotton and sugar
plantations, they bring considerably more The
planting interest has been somewhat depressed for
the last three years in this country, west of the
Guadalupe, by the severe droughts, and once or
twice during that time, we have been pretty nearly
inundated with grasshoppers, but the prospect is
fine just now for very heavy yield to the planters
and farmers. Being the "borders of the varia-
BILE zone" do not consider this section of the
State very safe for the planter for the seasons
cannot be depended upon. When it rains we pro-
duce such crops as no North Carolinian can COM
prehend, but when it does not rain if we have not
the means of irrigation, we produce crops at all
| am told by old Mexlcans who have lived in this
country for many of years. that the droughts
are periodical, or rather exceptions to the general
rule-that they have witnessed as many as twenty
most splendid crop years in succession, when every
body produced more than they could possibly con-
sumo. and then there might be as many as five
very bad years following. This accords with my
own experience, though if l intended to till the
soil In Texas, | would not to settle very far
west of the banks of the Guadalupe. The seasons
in all other portions of the State are even admira-
BILE.
Stock raising is the main renunerative business
a man Can go at in this section. Sheep raising
pays exceedingly fine, while mules, hogs and cows
do pretty nearly as well. 1t is not an uncommon
thing to see several thousand sheep in one herd,
while the cows and mules, &c may be seen in
armies almost numerous. The praries are
always coated-summer and winter-with the most
magnificent range, and it costs more to raise
line horse or mule hers, than it does chicken in
North Carolina. They never require to be fed
unless when worked-when they have time to
be let to Craze. This is pleasant life and the
most independent can lead. Very large
crowds are continually pouring in from the old
States to engage in this business, and the great
majority OF them am happy to say. are people of
education and refinement.
Ranches near the city of San Antonio cost
rather dear, In proportion to what they may be OBJ
tanned for days travel from it. At that distance,
a dollar and half to four FIVE dollars per acre
would purchase one to suit the most fastidious.
Further North of us, in the direction of the Rio
Grande, they may be had much cheaper, and it is
a most delightful country to live in, provided one
will not allow himself to be too much annoyed with
the fear of Indians, who sometimes come down
upon our rancheros" and play the mischief in the
way of stealing horses, shooting CATTLE and running
off with young women children. IT'S not often
they do this latter thing; but they sometimes do.
They are not much to be dreaded if one goes well
armed with rifle and six shooter, and when he
meets them does not display too much readiness to
run. They are very arrant towards, take them
a general thing. The health of western Texas
cannot be surpassed, if equalled anywhere in the
world. l do not know of any diseases to which
our people are subject l never saw case of
typhoid fever pneumonia here, and just at this
moment, with large acquaintance. do not know
of sick person in the State. The women
about the only people in this part Of the world who
suffer from occasional interruptions of health and
suppose their woes, if they call them such-are
to be attributed solely to the fact of Ewes having
ever visit western Texas, you will see the healhiest
looking people the globe. l cannot say as
much for eastern Texas. The people living on the
rivers of that portion of the State, suffer and
then from chlls and fevers and some other diseases
but | do not believe that even they have more
sickness than you all. who inhabit the most salu-
brious part of North Carolina. Our towns on the
Mexican Gulf, and Brownsville, on the lower Rio
Grande, are visited occasionally with yellow fever,
but deprive them of their plague, and they have
quite as little to fear FROM sickness any the rest
of u.s.
We are below the latitude of New Orleans. but
| do not think we suffer from heat so much as the
people of North Carolina, and We have no winter
at all, except when the "northers" are blowing.
In summer there is an eternal breeze from the
6 Gulf which never sleeps except when heavy rain
storm is brewing, and the atmosphere is rendered
by it most delightfully."- refreshing. On the whole
l do not think there can be more beautiful, more
FERTILE more lovely, more healthy country in the
world than Western Texas. There may be, but
have travelled much and never seen it.
Afcr perusing the above candid opinions, you
can Judge for yourself whether you and your
friends would improve your condition by removing
to Texas.
The PoPE's TERRIroRY.-Of the provinces
which remain to the Pope. Rome and Camarca
have 326 504 inhabitants; Civita Vecchia 2O, ,7Ol;
Velletr 62,013, Frosinone 153, 500; q total of
$50 1867 inhabitants.
The PiedmoDtese have deprived him of the
Marches, Umbria, and the provinces of Viterbo.
The population of the Marches is 924,O55 of Um-
hria 4T2 639 and of Viterbo 129 372 inhabitants