The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-06-25
CURRENT TOPICS.

country, and the universal scarcity OF money,
every eye looked hopefully forward to the next
harvest as the time for general ameoration OF our
social, financial commercial as well as our pohtlcaf
relations. The wish was father to the thought.
Many Of us can always see whatsoever we may
wish to see Reports came in from every quarter
Of Unprecedented "fne stands" There is not q
paper in all the South for the past two months
that has not been filed, day after day, with the
most glowing accounts Of the crop prospects, we
had our misgivngs as to the correctness OF tho
data knowing that was too soon In the history OF
| the cotton plant confidently to predicate any
result upon it. Moreover, it was bad policy
to blazon forth such surmises, for while
! they ean do neither good nor harm here at home,
they have undoubtedly exercised considerable
influence in the North and in Europe, in keeping
cotton ut it's present low figure. Calculations
have already been made by speculators, based
| upon these facts (?) that the coming crop would
be fully 8, 600 900 Of bales. Now there is nothing
to warrant such calculation. There is more corn
and other cereals planted this year than there was
last year, or the year before, while We do not
think that there is any more land under cultiYa-
ton than before and as far as we have been able
| to observe, upon o recent trip to the interior,
/ the stands Of cotton are nothing to boast OF
The weather has not been favorable thus far
too much cold and too much rain. II the remain
der of the season prove propitious, we may stn be
i blessed with good crop, but it is too soon GER
tany to give vent TO reckless predictions as 10 the
extent of the crop, seeing what Importance Is
attached abroad to every such uttsrance. We
shall always, however, be glad to receive from ow
friends in the country accounts Of the condition OF
the crops in their vicinity. 4i.,'
PARIS letter writer tells this story Of the elder
DUMAS: "M. ALEXANDER DUMAS went before q
court Of Justice lately under these characteristic
circumstances. He had, for great many years, 9
M. FoErAME as secretary. The latter recently
died. His widow and daughter claimed to be cred
itors OF NJ. ALKxADER DUMAs, and levied an at
tachment on the money at his credit with Messrs.
MICHEL, LEVY FRKREs. They alleged he owed them
$50 francs, the amount Of seven notes given by NJ.
Dunas, and s577 francs, with interest, being the
amount Of the balance Of N. FoNTAMK's salary
from 1856 to 1851, N. DUMAS most positively denied
he owed single cent. Thereupon the plaintiffs
(as warranted by French law) challenged him TO
answer upon oath whether n. FoarAnE had not
been his secretary and whsther he did not owe
the latter balance Of account. NJ. DuNAs made
this explanation THAT excellent fellow, CON-
fess. remained with me for nearly twenty
wears o. secretary. employed him TO
make researches for me. He lodged and lived
with me. Like everybody, when he wanted
money, he took it from my secretary
when there was any there. One day his
mother was III. I gave him everything had
about me- Il was five hundred francs. There was
never any agreement between us. He drew money
out Of my secretary Just as myself did, and as he
wanted it. My confidence in him was boundless,
and must say he deserved it. When was on
the eve Of going to Caucasus. I gave him money,
| not because lowed him money but because had
money, and found pleasure in sharing it with him.
When, subsequently, went to Italy, carried him
with me. = He accompanied me to Naples,
but must say here was obliged to dismiss him,
as the Neapoltan wine did not agree with him.
The court decided In favor Of the defendant.
THs BRUTE m human form, the Rev. JOEL LIND
sKr, who whipped his little boy to death, taking
two or three hours to do the work, snd then care
fully covered the manned, bruised and blsckened
corpse, and placed it himself in the coffin, after be-
ing once convicted Of his crime was granted new
tnal at Albion N. Y, last week, and the jury-dis-
criminating men-failed to agree. Satisfied with
the doubt, his lawyers had succeeded in throwing
about his wickedness, the reverend scoundrel and
murderer was good enough to plead guilty 10 man
ssughter in the fourth degree, and was promptly
sentenced by the court to pay o fine OF $3.50.
Whether the costs were also included Is not
stated, but it was certainly cheap al the
yrice, Hereafter little children in New York;
State may be slowly tortured to death by tn
human creatures for what may be considered
slight cost for the qualification thus Afforded to
atrocious and barbarous instincts. The stricter
code of Justice might have imposed, II not hang
ing, at least series Of offoggings which would have
allowed the reverend JoEL fair comprehension Of
his little child's sufsrings or, If his tender
system revoked at such discipline, an ilnpris-
onment permitting him reflection -remorse hs
could not probably feel-would have been saluta-
~. But these are singular days. The child
was white, and 30 was his parent. Had he been .
southerner and the victim Of his cruelty black
boy, not entitled by relationship to any special
affection, the papers would have rung with de-
mands for severe penalty. Bat color condones.
I % 70 | 4
Mucn INTEREST is felt in the attempts still ma
king to cultivate cotton on large scale in Cali
fornia, and it is believed considerable breadth
Of land will be planted to the staple this
year. We were shown to-day some samples
Of green seed or upland cotton grown in, sa-
cramento county last season, and represent
ing shipment Of Six bales, or about one ton
in weight, The ssaple is Of fair quality,
and will compare well with the medium grades
Of the same variety grown in tho Southern States.
The fibre is about fve-eghts OF an inch long; is
Of good color and fneness, and remarkably strong
when twisted. In the absence Of knowledge as to
the yield and cost Of culture it is not possible to
speak as to its proftableness as crop, but the
quality Of the cotton is good beyond cayi. 1t is
now over three years since the first experiments
in ootton-growing was mlde in California, and
its culture has since been steadily prosecuted
in several districts. One would naturally suppose
that by this time the business would have formed
regular channels through which some accurate
knowledge could be derived as to culture, yield,
etc.; but such Is not the case. The sale OF home
raised cotton is confined to very few parties in
this CITY, yet these parties are 90 much in the dark
as to the extent Of the crop Of 1866 as to be unable
to definitely state whether it was 10000 or 100
pounds; neither can they give any particulars con-
nected with it's growing.
TIE PRESENT season seems to be one OF unusual
moisture throughout the length and breadth OF
the United States. how remarkably wet our
spring has been, from beginning to end, in this
part OF the country, Is present to the mind OF
I,,k {y,1f hof Nou
England, the West, and far-of Texas, have suf-
fered from the Same cause. A Louisiana paper,
the Caddo Gazette, says: "We have conversed with
our planters from several Parishes in this State,
and from Counties in Eastern Texas. They report