Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1869-01-02

ana saw how people are buried in marble
ovens, tier upon tier These were decorated
with wreaths and vases Of flowers. with orna-
ments Of beads and Of paper, and designs in |
imInortekIes, and about them were growing
flowers Of every hue and kind Tropical fruits
loaded the stands along the streets All looked
gay, and bright and foreign; and it seemed
that half the people were chattering French.
Winter gaicties had just commenced, and the
jockey Club races were the topic Of converse.
ton among the upper ten" IL was hard to
realize that all this beauty and enjoyment were
above slumbcring volcano--the politieaI stdtus
Of the people. Had not Grant been elected these
streets would have again been the scene Of
violence and bloodshed. Now all is seeming
quiet; but the fire is not quenched-it only
smolders, ready for an outbreak at the least
cleaning Of success. Yet life in New Orleans
has a peculiar fascination, and the climate is
not the least of its charms. "Id rather die in
this city than live any where else was the
remark Of lady friend, and think l came
near TO being tinctured with tic same feeling!
But our destiny was cast at the North, and
soon, too soon, we were speeding thither. Up
on our return to Memphis we found the good
Minneola loaded with cotton, and soon we are
on the broad river again, and commenced our
laborious ascent TO Carlo, which stands, 80 to
speak" al the top Of the hill. One landing on
the beautiful Ohio demands notice. 1t is
Cave in the Rock on the Illinois shore Here
a mass Of finest blue granite rears its perpeHdi-
cular 'front.' close TO the waters edge, to the
height of sixty feet, and is over mile in
length. 1t derives its name from a cave in its
front, once the rendezvous Of the famous rob-
Der, Morgan, and his men. The entrance is
covered with the names Of visitors, painted
and carved and we passed 50 closely many Of
them could be read
AT Louisville we passed the falls through
tho canal. The weather had been growing
colder as we came northward the hills were
white with snow after we passed Cairo, and
the nights were so dark and stormy few steam
ers were on the river besides our own. AT
Memphis we had heard of the loss Of the two
steamers, the United States and the America,
and one dear friend had found watery grave
almost in sight of his home at Madison, Indi-
ana. We saw charred fragments of the wreck
floating down the cold and leaden water. AS
we neared the scene we almost feared to look
down, lest some ghostly, upturned face should
meet our view; and as darkness came ere the
fatal spot was reached, we gladly sought the
light and warmth of the captains "sanctum.'
Arrived at Cincinnati, We found extremely
cold weather. and cakes of ice were floating
by as we approached the city. On the 18th OF
December we left for Chicago, and arrived the
next morning in this noisy city. Sleghs were
gliding about with their merry, fur-wrapped
occupants, and the bells made accompaniment
to tongues right joyously. But to us the tran
sition from summer airs and sights and sounds
was all too sudden; and with shiver we list
ened to the asseveraton that 'the weather now
was fine, but two days ago the mercury was
nineteen degrees below o."
will not weary you by detail of oul
search for a boarding-hous to suit our tastes
We saw all sorts of the genus landady, apt
traversed many a street, and dragged ourselves
'up stairs and down stairs, into my lady'l
chamber" and at last our perseverance wa
rewarded. and we are settled for the winter, a
you will see by the heading of this letter.
church, we were startled by crash, succeeded
by running past the house of countless peo
pie. We soon learned that four-story bricl
building, the walls of which were nearly com
pleted, had been blown down, and severa
people buried beneath the ruins-also foul
horses We saw the wreck that evening, ant
heard the remark of bystander: The walli
were laid in ashesr My own concluson-",
womans," and, therefore, fallible-was tina
the mortar had frezen before drying. Wonde
if 1 were right?
am now engaged in visiting picture gale
ries and becoming acquainted with artists. A
Crosby's Opera-house seems the head-quarter
of Art; and one finds there much to interes
and study. The shops are full of people max
ing Christmas purchases, and to cross the prir
cipal streets in safety one must find police
man, as in Broadway. Wishing you a merr
Christmas, ados. y. c. W. s.