New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-05-08
visit to the Watering Places, BILOXI
ocean Springs, Pass Christiagi, Etc.
rnn PROSPECT FOR TIE eoN1xa SEASON.

THE PROSPECT FOR The COMING SEASON,
The increase in the temperature and the rise in
the thermometer have already awakened in many
the remembrance of the old sea coast resi-
denees, and those who are not affected by ques,
lions of shinplasters and greenbaeks have ere this
contemplated the possibility of cooler draughts OF
air. Thoughts of the shops have begun to lose
their charm; your domestic partner and the LITTLE I
ones hint that they are ready for move cholera
and yellow fever are darkly limited at, and we pre-
sumo that large portion of our community WILL
as in days of yore cultivate their yonthIui leess
in these sylvan. retreats.
For the benefit of this class, we have recently
paid a fving visit to the old watering places, and
partly for their information partly for that Of those
who only travel on paper, we shall claim the priv
ileae of travellers and give below the result OF our
expedition.
You are supposed to reach the Pontchartrain
railroad at 4 o'clock. car ticket on the Dauphin
line viii carry you there if your tastes are simple
and YOU are unencumbered with baggage or other
| fgnpedineRts Several boats are to go cut this
evening, and you will find the train pretty well
laden with travellers, mostly of the elliptic skirt
persuasion. You pass over next to the Oldest
railroad in the United States and which exhibits
but little change in the interior appearance of the
cars from the time the road was first built The
map has shown you that the ground is laid out in
high sounding streets from the city to the lake;
but you remark in point of fact that these streets
exist only in swamp, and are still sacred to alliga-
tors wood cutters and dugouts.
Arrived at the lake, you discover that lively
time is going on among a few contrabands and
chldrenin the soft shell crab fisheries and still
livlier time among the city gourmands, who have
temporarily retired here to discuss the merits of
viands or pass judgment upon wines. But the
train hurries on; the Creole is about to depart,
and would you take quarters on this popular boat
I it behosves you to lose no time in securing your
berth.
The terminus of the road is now filed with pas
sengers-four boats are about starting for their
different points of destination, and Saturday after
noon is undoubtedly the high-tide of the lake-end
/ life.
Now the Creole pushes out boldly into the
4 CLASSY waters, and the low marshy grounds which
border the lake, which still retain their virgin
growth of cypress, are left far behind. This mon
otonous vegetation and the fiat shores, unadorned
with scarcely a fsherman's hut, form a rather un-
attractive landscape for the eye. You are led to
wonder if it is only the dream of the enthusiast
that this ground will some day be drained, the
city built out to the lake, and whether this desc
late Campagna may not be transformed into an
other Baoe. We leave the question to be an
swered by the future magnates of our city.
Once having left the land there is little to
remark. The boat goes shudderingly on her way,
the passengers, happy at momentary escape
from the city lfe converse with animation upon
the upper deck, and divide their time between
holding on their hats and staring below at the
water. Just about the time that the fresh breeze
has awakened painful void within, the steward
anticipates your thought with his gong, and the
meal that is furnished is not Of the kind to awaken
regrets that you trusted to the hospitality of Capt.
! Walker. Steamboat travelling in the matter of
eating seems still to maintain its antebellum
reputation.
| The three first watering places, we passed in
going, at night. We caught a glimpse of the
ancient town of Biloxi, the first French settlement
4 indeed upon this coast and coming from the hot
banquettes of our city, it presented the same
picture of verdure and bloom that Damascus did
to Mahomet and his followers of the desert. For
more than a mile along the coast there was sue
cession Of delightful residences, white and red,
/ peeping through the green foliage which made
you repine that an amiable companion, with one
of these for a dover, had not fallen to your share,
and that you might, among its grassy banks,
dream away the solstiee.
/ But closer look showed that the resideno es
made more agreeable coup d'oe1 from a dis
lance than from an inside view; the place was so
grass-grown that you could have sworn there was
not street. road, or COW path in it. The landings,
which had been built out into the water for fish.
ing and bathing purposes, showed that they had
been watched with Jealous eye by the water
gods, and had diapidated and abandoned
appearance generally. The great evil to be
guarded against in most of these places is the rise
of the water; and you consequently hear Of
houses being anchored down to the ground
at the time of their construction to prevent them
from being washed away. For quiet citizens, who
wish to escape from the exactions of fashion as
well as the heat Of the weather, and to whom a
good market and cheap rent are essential requis-
ties, we presume that the ancient town will still
remain favorite haunt.
You reach Pascagoula at 10 AN. 1t derives its
poetic name from tribe Of Indians who have
long since disappeared, and who, from the
general appearance of the place, are likely soon
to be followed by its modern inhabitants. 1t has
some thirty visitors at present from the Crescent
City, a native population in its immediate vicinity
Of something like a thousand souls, and some fifty
houses in immediate sight road extends from
one end to the other along the shore, and during
the landing and unloading of our boat we had
some Opportunity Of examining into its present
condition Its general appearance is to the last
degree unhrifty, and the blight of the war still
clings to it. No fields nor gardens appear any
where under cultivation, aud rank growth Of
grass, reeds md swamp vegetation has covered
everything.
We cannot remember ever seeing any place
which had apparently SO little connection with or
dependence upon tae soil and taltogether suggests
the idea Of some antique village which has been
lost along swampy seashore during the war and
has not been worth the finding. The porticos and
pillars which are considered the necessary ad.
Ijuncts of every house in he country, are rotting
and falling to pieces, the garden fences have dis
appeared, and the flowers ale wasting their fra.
GRANGE upon the desert air. The soldiers who
were once encamped here hayeleft their blighting
influence in the place, as everywhere else. We
were much struck with the sight presented by a
deserted house, whose walls were SCARED over by
charcoal sketches aud in whose parlor REPLACE a
I ao,It,1a of bolF annsup,a5 o;I5 y,,nro