Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1867-04-04
TERMS OF ADVERTISING
A Kew Southern Staple.

Nsw Southern Staple.
A new plant has been added to the resources
Of our tropical and semi-tropica regions-a new
teytilc which will furnish the world with
c,othipg and the means of knowledge. We
have seen, within few days, long skeins of
cottou-like fibre, cotton-lke in whiteness, soft
ness, and fneness, but much stronger, which
;,now produced at the rate of five crops per
wear, in the State of Vera Cruz, Mexico,
where it has been cultivated for five years by a
Belgian naturalist and botanist, who went there
to pursue his fayorite studies and occupations
10 soil and climate which favor them.
This plant, called the ramic, is a native of
Java, was introduced thence into the Jardin
des Plantes, at Paris, by some French savant
in lS44 was regarded then as simply exhibit
lug the wonderful advantages of the tropics,
being too delicate for open air culture In cold
climates But having been planted and tried
in warmer climates than that of France, yet
not so equatorial as that of Java, it has been
found to do as we'll in them.
1t due to NJ. Benito Roez!, formerly chief
of the Horticultural Institute of Belgium, now
fSantocomapan, San Address Tustla, State
of Vera Cruz, Mexico, that we can now pro-
nounce it naturalized plant Of this continent,
aud to his present visit to this city will speedi
" owe its introduction into the field culture Of
the Gulf States, to which it will permanently
pertain.
Thramiee (its Javanese name) is a plant like
hemp, contains in its stalk the fibre for which
it is raised, and which is grown like the sugar
cane, from being planted in lengths or from its
stubble; with this advantage over the stubble
Of The cane, that each succeeding year it grows
better, and that Ia Cuba and Lower Mexico it
will furnish five, and here at least three cut
tiDgs in the year.
By a new process and some simple machinery
invented by Mr.. R. the lint can be prepared
from the stalks, taken fresh from the ground,
in twenty-four hours We all know that
months of labor and the entire discoloring of
the fibre follows the treatment by the ordinary
process of fax and hemp, while the ralnie
comes out white, clean, pure and unhurt
Eight hundred pounds of lint to the acre is to
be expected from each cutting of full growth, in
fair land. The culture is similar to that of
cane but as the plant, when once set, is hard
to eradicate, grows vigorously, and defes the
influence Of grass or rival plants, cultivation Is
only needed to promote its growth When
ripe, it should be cut; but neglect to do this
causes no special damage, so that 1t may wait
days or weeks the will Of the free republicans
OF Mexico and tie Union. The fibre is long,
Gne and strong: the plant easy to raise, and
hardy in southern latitude its preparation
for market is simple and cheap IN cost. Under
these circumstances, we may safely pronounce
that it will at an early day take high rank
among our staples. N 0. Picay1u'c.
THE MURDERER OF WELcH.-The Baltimore
Gazette says the homicide of James Welch in
that city, in November last, has challenged the
energy of all the police, but up to within a
short time no clue had been obtained to the
perpetrators About four weeks ago the police
obtained some Information which determined
them to prosecute the search. After great
deal of trouble, the watch which is known to
have belonged to Wech was found to be IN the
possession of party on south Eden street, and
it was finally traced as having come from a
young man named Gorsuch. Having obtained
information, the officers made application tor
the arrest of John Gorsuch aud Nicholas Cor
such 1t has been discovered that the deceased
Was in the company of the accused on the
night of his disappearance, and further, that
on the morning after the disappearance OF
Welch, lone of the sisters ofthe accused remark
ed that man had been killed and thrown into
the dock and she feared that John or Nicholas
would be hanged for it, Both the accused
we're committed to jail to await the action OF
the grand jury, and their TWO sisters, unable to
find bail in the sum Of $500 each, were com
mltted as witnesses.
LETTER FROM GEN. Jos. f. JOHNSTON. =
Gen. Joseph e. Johnston, of the late Coned-
crate army, publishes in the Selma Gala Ga
zette letter of FIVE columns correcting certain
statements contained in j. Esten Cookies Life
of Sionewall Jackson, and correcting sundry
errors in its report of events at and after the
first battle of Bull Run. He says that the rea-
son why the Federal army was not pursued
alter that battle by the victorious Confederate
cavalry, was that the cavalry lot which they
had but small force) was driven buck by the
strong rear guard of the T.. S. army, and that
1t would have been utter madness to rush upon
the Notifications on the Virginia side OF the
Potomac, which were strong and heavily
armed especially, as river nlte vide would
have still intervened between them and the
capital, which they had no means OF crossing.
Gen. Johnston says the victory Of Bull hun
saved the Confederacy, which was all it could
reasonably have been expected to do. Most OF
The Confederate troops regarded it Us deciding
the whole question and ending the war, and
thousands of them left the army and went
home The Union army, he says, was less
alsorganized by defeat than the Confederate
aFmy by its triumph
Heavy ROBBERY. Yesterday morning MIR.
1iaquelin P. Taylor on opening desk In bis
chamber, discovered that it had been robbed OF
small tin box, containing about seven thous;
.Iad dollars In coupon bonds, several diamond
Soreastpiss aud riggs, and some twenty odd dol
W ,ars In money. Subsequently suspicion was dl-
iected 10 John Johnson. negro boy in the
employ Of Mr.. Taylor, as The thief, and a war
.ant rant was therefore obtained for his arrest. On
,tskiing him before MIR. Taylor, be confessed the
TIelt; said he committed it last Thursday
wat ne bad divided the money among bis ac-
sonpllces-four negro boys-hut that the cou.
~ ySls he had torn up and thrown into the canal.
!! me diamonds he would make no confession
s,; sG;oas, though in search at the house OF rel
suVe OF johnson portion of them was recov
e.ea s. The boys were committed to the lower
a1atlo1-house to await q hearing Rich Tines