The New York herald., 1865-05-20
An Opportunity to the Indus
trious of All Nations.
A New Country Already I'M
proved and Stocked to
be RepOpulated.
The Depreciated Value OF
Southern Farms.
Plantations Formerly Held at One Hundre6
and Fifty Dollars Per Acre Now Held
at From Two and Half to
Five Dollars Per Acre


Our Wilmington COrTespOnooacos
wILMlSoros N c., May rs, 1886
Persons here g. sm to take gloomy view Of tho fu-
turo rhoy regard the eutacd by this wsr s too
great to admi. Of the possibility Of revival from the In
terna resources Of South within tho nsxs thirty
years. They argue this wsy-Tho aggregate vsue OF
the whole property of the South before tho war was
about six billions OF this the negroes OF the Soush
represented one fourth ntrinsically The desrucueu o.
that amount Of labor deprcciatcs, 1t is cstmatcd the
value OF Southern property to still greater extons bosh
combined producing depreciation In its aggregate vsne
Of about foarnfths s stated, moreover that the'e.
cheney Of white labor in the South has beon materially
impaired by the war; thus diminishing still further s
actual resources Of tho South and its availability ass
producing region M
have heard instances cited by way Of argument W
sustain these vicws Lands have been mentioned TO me
which the would have brought one hundre0
and Hfy dollars per acre. that would not bring two
dollars and fifty am informed that magnificent
farm owned by James Bruce, Of Halifax county Vir'
gnia brotherin-law Of James Seldom, late Secretary
Of War in the rebel government, estimated to be worth
from one hundred and fifty dollars to two hundred dol
lars an acre years AGO. held to bo worth not
more than FIVE dollars per Tho celebrated Elk
Island farm the James river, val led before the war
at two m en anu mot en thousand The de-
precfation It will be remembered. is attributed
to destruction of slave labor, Which, in tho estima
tion of Southern planters impaired its CHIEF value 10
southern land In the Southern States especially In
the cotton growing States Hncenths Of the labor was
pcr "ormed by slaves; and, measuring even approx
inasey the depreciation Of Southern property w the
destruction of this large amount Of productive labor Ine
standard or dcT~eciation reached, according 70 tnis
Southern view is not unreasonable In short the est
mate would " be based upon the tca that tnele
can bs no found for slave labor and that white
or free labor cannot be made available which Is per-
fcctly s,llacous The Southern pthncrs--those espc
ca nthe cotton 70 o",Scrn yS lands "a uss
much MS Southern products require an nnrcDng cars
and attention their culture that is not consistent win
free labor They calculate upon the coDtDgencles0 on
Jaborcrs leaving at the. most important crisis IN the
sowing of their crops, sickness from Climatic
and many other not incident to the pccuar CLASS
Of labor 10 which they have heretofore accustomed
All these objections, however, WV be iounu e1ronecus
ny real disadvantage likely be found i'm shc system
itself Northern capitalists would IND II totnef nte
largely in rics, southern panasions from wsch they
will be certain 20 derive valuable returns ssg W
D..,h of a wealthy Loyal Citszsn-lais
Rrbel RcIatives Observation-Disclosures
tire Paroled Rebel Soldiers are Doing.
RALxron, N. G. May rs, 1895 ~
James c. Johnson ono Of the wcslthiest men In tho
South, died on the 18th instant, st his home. near
Edenton, in this State. &c dsinhcrited all his rea-
tives because they left him and identified them
selves with the rebel His property
amounting TO many millions of dollars rc left " few
okc river comprise the richest lands in the country Az
the outbreak the rebellion he told his slaves number
ing nearly thousand, that the wm would make them
Free and that they could remain with him or
20 where they pleased. He personal friend OF
Henry Clay, whose Indebtedness which, amounted to
over thirty thousand dollars Mr. Johnson is said 70
have cancelled without Mr. Clay's knowledge whs
was never able to ascertain who his benefaetos
was He was about eighty years OF age
when he died, and was devoted Union up to the
hour Of his death
In the absence of mail facilities and all inellge1cs
from the principle the people in the anterior Of
this State are afflicted with and reports both
alarming and ridiculous which can better DO imagined
than described.
The report that JEFF Davis and his generals are or
ganizing a. large sFmy the other side OF the
Mississippi and that France has recognised the
confederacy leads Johnston's and Lees paroied
men to suppose that they will be called into the
ncld again. Many Of these paroled men are preventing
the people from holding Union meetings, on the ground
that they are liable to be called into the Geld
again and that IL 10 their duty to sup
press any attempt 10 return the State to the
Union while they remain soldiers II would not
he safe for Northern Union man to remain In any
place inhe South after the withdrawal OF our troops
unless the negroos are used for garrison duty.