The New Orleans crescent., 1868-03-31

R,sc,a, orr.spoudenes Of the New Orleans crsscsnt
PonrE C0UPEs PARISH, March 27.
The people Of this parish had little cause for
merriment Iast Christmas. Successive annual in.
updatious Of their best lands and the failure of
the crops on those which escaped overflow. had
deprjsed our people Of their " last dollar % and
left them without credit abroad and insuffieieot
means at home to recommence the struggle for
subsistence. Generally abandoning hope of max.
ing this year cotton or other money crop -
the white population prepared, as best they could
to cultivate corn, potatoes, garden vegetables
etc. The negroes were undetermined what to do,
and misled by repres sntations and advice from
the city radicals, they waited for the "new law,
of the convention, which was to compel the land.
owner to pay large wages and make the earth
bring forth abundant fruits without labor.
The farmers were Indifferent whether the me-
groes worked or not, 50 invariably unproitsble
and often ruinous had the experiment Of planting
resulted OF late years. Continuous rains aud the
besitancy OF the negroes to begin work made our
crops backward, but they were promising and the
low stage OF water In the Mississippi was en-
couraging. Then came positive assurances that
Srsnd Levee was to be reconstructed; that a
Northern company had undertaken the coniracs,
and since we have been taught to believe the cap,
ital and resources OF the North are exhaustless We
were sangulne and rejoiced in the certain accom-
pnsnment OF tne work True, some of the more ex
per'enced and prudent dared to suggest that the
new work might not become sufficiently compact
IN time TO resist fhe pressure of the water should
1t come. but with the mass of the population.
ne wish was father to the thought" and the
opinion prevailed that the levee would be made
and the river would not be out OF its banks this
season. But the contract was abandoned. and
then the river did rise, and now our fond hopes
are cruelty disappointed by the actual rushing of
the waters through the crevasse and the low lands
are being rapidly converted into lakes Some
eun hope that, as the water comes more Qradu.
ally this than it did last year. it NAV find outlets
before It has inflicted much damage. But last
year the overflow lasted some four months before
IL subsided, and demonstrated that the on.lets
were 100 small TO empty the food into the
Gulf so long as the river renamed full. of
the probable rise and fall Of that river the tele.
graph will inform you days before we can form a
reasonable conjecture on the subject. s1tF
The season u backward. Some have not fin
ished planting cane. Very few are able to make
much progress for lack Of food for their mules
Some cotton viii be planted, but 40 longer asa
preferred crop 10 which others must yield the first
place. siEa q " $50 s.a l1ir 5lH
Politically, there is little stir. An able and en-
ergetc Democratic parish committee has been se.
lected, and other measures will be adopted to Sc
cure all the votes possible, against the " Consttu-
shun.D There are but few avowed ofice-seekers
as yet, but there will be no lack of candidates In
this or any parish. After long vacation we are
TO have term of the District Court here next
month. Alas 1t can effect little in civil matters
in these days but oppress debtors without reliev-
ing creditors The criminal docket Is said to be
large, to embrace charges of every ofense known
to the law, and that the jail s full of prisoners
awaiting trial. Not long since fears were ex-
pressed that the prison doors would be thrown
open, the sheriff having notified the police jury
that the credit of the parish did not enable him to
procure food for the inmates of the jail Bat
probably, the near approach of court time. giving
promise of reduction In the number of those re-
cipients Of the parish bounty, permitted some ex-
pedient by which starvation Is kept for time
longer outside the criminal cells. T.