The New York herald., 1867-04-08
Fleeds In tho Soatb-Daty Of tho Goner,
a.8 Govornment. a.

FlOOuS IN tho 0O0t0-V0ty Oi tu0 G000r0l
Govcrnaent.
The Mississippi valley has recently been the
scene of fearful devastation. Gu; special cor
respondence from the South gives some vivid
pen and Ink sketches Of the results OF the late
foods which have broken the levees at various
acres of the richest cotton aud sugar lands of
the country, reducing the Inhabitants to des-
titution and depriving us OF vast crops OF
these staples. In the State of Louisiana alone
two millions Of acres were submerged during
the past winter, and thus rendered wholly
unproductive. This region Of country raised in
1860 over sixteen millions worth Of sugar,
nearly six millions worth of molasses two
millions worth Of cotton, and six millions
worth Of corn-thirty million dollars worth
In all. The internal revenue tax upon this
amount Of cotton, sugar and molasses, il raised
last year, would be eight millions OF dollars.
When we consider that this loss in productive
ness and revenue refers only to one section Of
one State we can imagine what the total loss
In the great Mississippi valley must be. The
commerce of the country cannot afford to lose
this contribution to Its prosperity, even to the
extent Of one years crop, and some measures
should be Immediately adopted to repair the
damage to the broken and dilapidated levees,
and the government should look to some pre-
ventive In this matter Of periodical riparian
overflow. The levees hitherto constructed
were rude embankments of earth and logs, oc-
casionally protected by imperfect masonry,
which offered little or no resistance to the
force of the current at certain points where 1t
poured with immense power at regular periods
Of the year with almost scientific precision,
and absolutely no resistance at all to the
attacks of rats, crayfsh, and the thousand other
animals known as "borers," which are the
most fruitful causes Of crevasses in all embank-
menss on q water front During the war
these lsvees were entirely neglected; some
were employed as batteries and some alto
gether destroyed by the vicissitudes Of war.
Before 1860 they were kept in partial repair
by State appropriations and by the planters
themselves. II Is unnecessary to say that tho
Southern people have no capital now to
restore them, no State taxes coming in from
the devastated lands 10 assist in such q cork.
and they are therefore dependent 0pon the
general government or Northern capital 10
rebuild the levees and save their millions Of
acres from perpetual waste. II is pretty evil
dent ..alat the old style structures are neither
permanent nor economical The absolute
need on the Mississippi river is succession
ofimpervious iron dikes to resist the pressure
Of the foods at certain known points where
crevasses periodically occur These would be
proof against the force of the current, and
would eftectually defy the encroachment of all
destructive animals. ei sl. has
While the extent Of human misery involved
In these late calamities by food In the South
calls forth all our sympathies and claims our
aid for the sufferers-and how sad the calamity
is we are tersely told by our Memphis cor
respondent, who says reconstruction and
military districts are unthought Of; wide
spread destitutioa aud misery are sysrywhsre