Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1866-05-05

we'll grown; to plant tobacco between the rows,
and when the tobacco is pretty well grown,
and ready to gather, plant corn between the
rows, thus making three crops during the year;
! the lands are very rich This is the dry sea-
son, and said to be the warmest weather we
have. The wells here are about sixty feet
deep there are some running streams but
| very few. We have had two or three good
showers since have been here, tire rainy sea-
son will commence in N1sy. The lands arc
exceedingly thickly covered with bushes, vines
! aud shrubs it costs five dollars an acre to
clear them. There is a good deal of stone
upon the ground; the timber is generally
small, but in some places is sufficient 1or cross
ties for Railroads The whole country bears
evidence Of laziness and neglect, and the coun-
try is all overgrown for the want of work
there are the ruins Of large hacendas all over
the country, some of which must have cost
500 900 dollars these haciendas arc cultiva-
ted now in spots by the natives, who pay the
proprictors certain rent; they contain from
one to two thousand acres and "an be bought
for about four dollars per acre, paying onc-ifth
down, aud waiting four or five years for the
balance; these are considered better than the
Govern ment lands. The Government lands,
| about 10000 acres have a) been taken up
here, even faster than they can be surveyed.
There arc hundreds of enigrants coming here
every day from the States of the very best
people; some OF these arc disappointed, while
others are delighted and settling down. This
is fixed fact. and large and superior colony
+ settled here now there will be good Amer
+ lean society here, in a short time.
Cnrlottn is about eight miles fro,n here, all
in the bush yet; it will be some time before
any one can live there with any comfort Gen.
Price aud Gov Harris are at this place; they
have laid it out and named it in honor of the
Empress 1t is very difficult to build frame
house out here, there having been no saw
mills one or two are now being put up; cv-
cry one seems more anxious to get their lands
open for cultivation than anything else. The
country is a vast Wilderness and abOunds in
ruins of former wealth and grandeur. The
natives live in huts built of bamboo and Gov
cred with straw the higher class live in
houses built Of stone and lime, or cement
Some Of the Indians work well, and you can
hire them for fifty cents per day, finding them
selves They have the hest staging and wag-
ming here ever saw. Tue Railroad will be
here in about eighteen months; it is about
| cen miles frbm here This place is about
1850 feet above the sea. went up to town
fifteen miles above here it contains 20, 200
inhabitants, nineteen run of mill stones, three
or four fine Touring mills, and large cotton
factory with ii 600 spindlcs and 800 looms,
1t is in valley, amidst the mountains, and
0 ne of the most wealthy places J. ever saw
The city has fourteen fountains spoutng up
in every quarter of the city, and a constant
running stream in the middle Of the street,
and the streets are all finely paved. would
rather live here than any place ever saw if
there was American society, but it has but
| four or five American families. This is 1000
! feet above the sea, aud has all the tropical
| fruits this is the land of fruits and flowers
| Horses and cows arc used here all the year,
eating nothing but grass. Taking all together,
this il the strangcst and most beautiful coun-
try ever saw; one can work out here with
| pleasure morning and evening, but hot in the
middle of the days no flies or mosquitoes as
| I have seen, and not many insects or reptiles.
HIS surveying has taken him into very
wild country, fifteen or twenty miles from
here, where he had tho tiger, panther and
wolves around their camp; they were near
| to n camp Of Liberals, and were afraid to fire
thcirgun for fear they would be taken for
| French spies. We take no part in politics,
and tho Liberals do not object to our coming
here; we have not had any difficulty with any
Of them there arc somo robberies committed
on the roads sometimes. There is plenty of
deer and partridges and different kinds of
.game here. A person can live; here (eat) for
AZ q 4 ~. u II 49,