Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-05-11
ST. CHARLES H0rEL,
New Orleans April 81, 1854


Correspon dence of the ate Journal.
ST.. ChARLEs HorEE,
New Orleans April 81, 1854.
Dear Journal Il am afflicted With the
idea that l ought to write you letter, Cor
respondence from the insurrectionary dis
trlcts is so very rare nowadays, that trust
you and your readers viii excuse my malady
have been in this sunny cline several
months, stopping some of the time in this
city, in Baton Rouge, Natchez and Vicks-
burg Ia fact, have been up and down the
river here so frequently, that I think could
now command fatboat as successfully as
did our lanented friend, Col Botkin or even
Father Abraham himself! If have been
seeking my fortune, or looking out for the
main chance" | havn't found either so far
as the returns are in What the supple
ments" may show, remains to be seen. have
however had good opportunities for seeing
the country, men and things in general, and
have learned good many things which won't
do to tell, and some which will.
On looking over this great "threshing
floor" | am convinced that Southern society
and aristocracy, as such, are destined to be,
or already, by the war, permanently blot
ted out African perspiration was their cor
ner-stone this article will soon no longer
yield its strength to their support, but will
send forth its fragrance from many vital
point in the great arch of Union and Liberty.
The accumulated fortunes of our "wayward"
secesh brethren are exhausted by the war;
they don't know how to work and are too
proud to if they knew how, and there will be
little left among them to steal. So repeat
that their glory has departed, and they have
got to prick anew.
This beauteous land viii be occupied and
possessed forever by freemen-by the brave
heroes who have won it from traitorous foe,
and, by strong handed, industrious emigrants
from all oppressed nations. Under such
use it must become immensely more
prosperous than in its brightest former days.
This is the opinion of many intelligent south
erners with whom l have conversed, and
whose sorrowful countenances indicate their
belief in its truth. Let mo say then, to such
of your readers as have never visited this
part of the country, that the soil is richer,
more fertile and productive by far than in
anv northern State, and the cultivation by
free labor of the peculiar products of this
soil, cotton and sugar, will pay at the lowest
rate of peace prices many times the profit
per acre that can be obtained in any agricul-
tural operations north. These facts have be-
come known to the army and will be known
wherever intelligence can reach. Then as to
climate, il is at times slightually warm" to
be sure About as many die here from heat
man is ''sun strck" here, another is frozen TO
death there. The chiefpoint here is to keep
| COOL at the north to keep warm. Neither
| extreme is pleasant, but | venture that the
| South has the advantage in evenness of tenn
| perature, and that the acclimated citizen
| here is not so much affected by the weather
| as at home. The mercury here rarely ever
gets above 80 degrees, and seldom reaches
| that point in the heat of summer, and never
l1T, ton HIla OF NaAI hau 70
| seen it all the way from 108 degrees above
! to 40 degrees below. As to health, l am told
! by old citizens here and physicians of stand
| ing that the average of mortality is not great
| er than in northern cities, and is less than in
| some of them; that while people die here
| some seasons pretty rapidly from yellow fe-
| yer, an equal proportionate number will die
| in New Y ork for instance, during the same
season. from consumption, which is a rare
| disease here, and that on the whole the yell
| low fever is not so fatal a disease as the ty-
| phoid that many more people have been
| scared than hurt by 1t, especially among the
| Yankees, whom every effort has been made
by all sorts of q clap-trap" to keep out
| of the country. This is the way they talk
/" down south,' and / am disposed to think
there is a big vein of truth in it.
The general appearance of the country,
| particularly along the lower river where the
| ravages of war have not married it, is all that
| heart could wish Immense fields, dwellings
| palatial, neat and tasteful outbuidings trees
| and shrubs from every cline, beautiful gar
| dens, rich foliage, flowers of every hue, fra
| GRANGE in every gale, meet the eye and greet
| the sense on every hand. One cannot but
| wonder as he grieyes that the serpent should
| breed seething treason in such Paradise as
| this, but he was willy and made them not " as
| gods" but as devils, men and women alike.
| The evidences of "the fall are everywhere
| visible, the feminine gender exhibiting, If
| anything, the most remarkable instances oft.
| 1t will be thus apparent that rich Inherit
ance awaits our brave and conquering heroes,
"when this cruel war is over" as reward to
| the loyal and punishment to the rebellious.
The field for legitimate business here is
| excellent, and Northern brains and muscle
: are occupying it, but there is room enough
| for more, and | believe no point presents
| greater inducements than this Crescent City.
| Our friends who are now packing up for Ida
| no, with golden visions, had, instead, better
| ''tie loose for down the river. Not that
! fortunes are made in minute as rule, but
that genius and hard knocks, industriously
| applied here, are extremely productive OF
| greenbacks. Those disposed to be venture
| some will find a field to their liking in the
cotton trade, and will likely make a pile il
| they don't get their necks stretched.
We civil Northern people have little idea
of the way the machine is run in these
semi-loyal districts, and no conception what
| ever of the systematic fraud and corruption
practced by officials of all grades and sta
tons. You wouldn't believe me if / should
relate what | know about it. I wouldn't be
| lieve it myself if l hadn't seen it.
There is one great evil, however, W mich the
| Government ought to be, and no doubt is adj
vised of, but does not correct. 1t arises un-
| der Secretary Chase's absurd regulations for
trade with rebellious districts. Under these,
parties outside the lines can come in unmo
Tested and by taking what is called the " bread
| and meat OATH" get permit to buy sup
plies, which by hook or by crook enables
| them to carry off immense quantity OF
| goods to the enemy, on pretence of being for
| private consumption. credibly inform
| ed that hundred thousand dollars worth per
week are carried out of Vicksburg alone, and
/ from many other points the same. The enemy
are thus, at near points, growing fat and sleek
| at our hands. Our soldiers curse the policy
which nurses viper to turn and sting them,
| and if Chase don't abolish it, it will be be-
| cause his legion of suneryisOry agents and