New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-05-16

The city is literally dull We have had nothing
exciting for a month past excepting our annual
moving season, which this year has been Of unu-
sual interest in consequence Of the scarcity Of
dwellings and the exorbitant prices for both
rental and sale, houses having ranged from two
thousand to twenty FIVE thousand dollars per an
mum and stores eyenmore, property owners think
ing nothing Of asking $4,000 per annum for a
store and then DESTROYS for tenants to take lease
for term Of years, showing evidently that they
think something is going to split more than
what's cracked before another May day rolls
around. Indeed, few :" balloons can safely be
anticipated when you think that some of our mer-
chants are paying for rental what might be called
q very nice little business of itself,
All classes of business are very dull, amounting
to almost a stagnation, Your correspondent was
told the other day by large house, that where six
months ago they received an order for 1000 cases
of goods they now only got one for lOO and it is
equally quiet in all branches of trade. speeula
ton is tame, although money is plentiful and
cheap stocks are inactive and paper is scarce.
Cotton is at standstill, we receiving but very lit
tie here and it having fallen SO rapidly. Specula-
tors are holding for rise, while very little changes
hands. The high rate of insurance undoubtedly
drives quantities Of cotton from this port, to that
philadelphia and Boston, as there insurance is
one per cent, while here it is five per cent, which
has been ocoasioned by the heavy fires occurring
here Of late. Speaking of insurance, the board Of
underwriters have lately increased the rates of fire
insurance very materially on all classes of mer.
chandise, and the companies are now charging the
advanced rates, to which very little objection is
offered by the assured, as they could not help but
see that continuation of thelow rates which have
existed for some time past and were constantly
decreasing in consequence of great competition
would have soon driven many companies into
liquidation, as it was next to impossible for them
to continue with the small income which they re-
ceiyed in proportion to their expenses and the
risks which they assumed.
The cholera at quarantine is not increasing At
this writing we have had but three cases in the
city as yet, and those far up town; but it is com,
mon subject of conversation, as well as a bone of
contention between the two schools of physicians
we having had some warm correspondence be-
tween the homnpathists and allopathists on the
| superiority Of their own course Of treatment. So
far the hom@pathsts have the lead, they having
furnished data showing the per eentage Of deaths
under their treatment, both in Europe and this
country, to be less than one-Aaf of that under the
old school treatment, .u .
The theaters are not doias well. Lester has
finished his short season, which was perfect oYa-
ton from the night of his re-entre to that of his
withdrawal. Grau, with his Havana company, is
now furnishing us with short opera season.
The failure Of the Merchants National Bank at
Washington has shaken confidence some what and
it is thought that the government deposits will be
transferred to the sub-trsasuries.
Yesterday was our first Sunday under the new
excise law; and what a sight it was to see New
York without bar-room open. OF course it was
a sad denial to all those who wait for Sunday to
have Jolly drunk /" and especially to the Ger
mans who make Sunday ring with their brass
bands and lager; but they all swallowed the law
instead of their lager and gin, and we had an or
derby, quiet Sunday, with no prohibitions except
public intoxcation. We have had few meetings of
the liquor Dealers to organize combination to test
the law; and the association of liquor dealers have
advised the lager sellers to continue their sales on
Sunday, and they viii protect them under deci-
sion Of one of courts that lager would not in.
toxcate. Pecunariy it is working admirably, as
the board has received over $4,000 for only 100
licenses granted, and prior to the passage Of this
law, about $50 out of nearly 10000 liquor shops
were licensed, and the income from that few
merely nothing