Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-05-04
The situation Mt New Orleans.

From the New Orleans Evening Delta, uav IL
As important facts in the history of the events
Of the last five or six DAYS we would state that
the occupation of this city, now momentarily
expected by the United States forces, secures to
them the control of the lives and property of
one hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants,
nearly all Of them non-combatants. The property
remaining in the city Is altogether of the dnscrip-
ton known all over the world as private
property. OF other property, which has been
recognized in all other countries, aUd ia other
wars but these as private, and not subject to
seizure in waT-that which forms the commerce
Of our people, and which has contributed mainly
to the vast trade Of our city-there is little or
none left in our port The cotton, which the
United States authorities have in other places
seized and appropriated, without authority of
any law Of nations, as recognized by civilized
communities, was oil consumed the moment the
announcement was made that The Es5eIaiists
had passed the forts
This was done by order OF the Governor of
Louisiana and of the military commander of
the Confederate States. Fifteen thousand bales
were consumed, the value of which would have
been about a million and & half Of dollars. The
tobacco now stored here, being all held by for
cign residents OF on foreign account, was not
destroyed The specie Of the banks, TO the
amount OF twelve or fifteen millions, was re
moved from the city and placed IN a secure
place so of nearly all the stores and other
property Of the Confederate States. Therecords
of the court and of all the offices of the Con-
federate States were in like manner disposed o.
There remain the public buildings, the custom
house, the post office and the mint. OF pre-
visions of every kind, there is a scant supply.
barely sufficient for the wants OF the people.
Of ships and steamers, which ordinarily al this
period Of the year crowd our wharves, as far as
the eye can reach. there is not a single one left
The only ships in our port are the armed ships
of the United States. They lie at the head of
our principal streets, commanding them with
their powerful batteries. The prospects of any
arrival Of cotton are poor. By order of the
Governor, the cotton on the banks of all the
streams has been everywhere set on fire. Not
bale could be picked up by the most diigent
and enterprising search.
The whole valley Of the Mississippi is now
being Illuminated by the conHagratiou Of ibis
most valuable article of commerce. The execU-
ton of this order Of the government, though moi
prompted by any motive of the sort, viii send
grief and misery to the great manufacturing
communities OF the old world. The Confederate
government and the people aver that they have
been forced to tins great sacrifice by the euemy's
threat and the performance of it, on a small
scale, to c0ntiscGte this valuable product TO their
own use. Il is a heavy loss to our own people.
but they claim no commiseration or sympathy
for such sacrifice. They can live without the
proceeds of their cotton, and, for the present.
the southern people are. and will be, content
with a bare subsistence. They have planted
large crops of cereals, and will soon be quite
Independent Of all other communities for the
means of comfortable subsistence.
Such is historically our situation, and ia the
presence of a hostile military force virtually
occupying the city, our functions as public Jour
nalist become those Of the ~chronicler of facts.
the mere historian of the condition of this city
and the southwestern valley of the Mississippi