The south-western., 1869-04-28
1.nnisiana Items.

CLAIBORNE PARIsH.-We copy as follows from lhe
Claiborne Advocate Of the nth
The breadth Of land planted in this parish the pres
ent year will we think exceed by third that OF las'.
Much-D the corn is up and some OF 1t poWed, pnt
it shows yisbly the effects of the last cold weather
The cotton is nearly all planted and some OF 1t up
The cotton land has been much better prepared t's
spring than usual Everybody. without regard ~
race color or previous condition" seems to be dong
their level best for large crop OF cotton.
NATcH1rocHEs PARIsH-This is from the Aatchito'
ches Times of the 18th:
| The Weather and Crops.-The week has been quite
cool for the season. and apprehensons were 1eI tna'
the crops would be destroyed by the trost ou. NOT
witistanding the thermometer indicated one degree
below the frost point at Natchitoches, yet the planters
report no serious injury either corn or cotton Ihe
weather to-day friday is still cold ana uhsetlieu.
Altogether however, the season has been more la'or-
able than any since the close Of the war; and planters
are very hopeful of good results from their labor this
year.
B1Esy11LE PARISH - The following paragraph is
from the Rural Times Of the 17th
A most atrocious crime was perpetrated by some
brutal negro on the Sth inst, about five mile from
town. on the person of old Mrs. Gvens, weak minded
mendicant who has long been stroing from house to
house through this section of country, subslstns upon
the charity of the people. Alter suffering the out
rage she proceeded Immediately to the nearest house,
with her hair dseyeled her dress badly torn In Var-
Gus places number Of fresh bruises upon her arms
and body with tears in her eyes and broken heart
told her tale of horror. One freedman has been ar
rested upon suspicion, examined and discharged Inc
real monster who committed the ohense is at large.
HoMIcIDE-On Sunday last Uhe 4th inst.,) Moses
Hochwod, shot and killed DR.. W. c. Understood, IN
Scheu Levy's store, at Cliftons Mill, in this parish
The prisoner voluntarily gave himself up Immediately,
and claims to have acted entirely in self defence AS
l.; nIin,ip examination S before
the Hon. D. J. Reid, Parish Judge, we forbear any
further comments and will give the result of the exam
ination next week. The accusedis not quite seven
teen years old and acting clerk in Levys store
at the time Lake Charles Echo, Sth.
rERIoDIcAL L1rERArUEE-We have recently had
large.addton to usual supply of magazines, re-
views, &C., including the candidate for popular
favor, Appleton's Journal.
How it is, or why it is we have failed in the United
States, to establish monthly quarterly review,
that would compare with the Edinburgh or any other
British Review, cannot well be accounted for, except
upon the admission that have such writers as
Macauy, Carlyle, Jeffrey or Sidney Smith And this
is the unvarnsled fact With us the duty of review
rg is entirely confded to secondhand and very
inferior writer's, and to great extent to volunteers
either inexperienced Ignorant otherwise wholly
unfit for the work very great margin too is appro
prated to the piratical exploits of publishers, who
are base enough to the labors of foreign writer's
without any compensation therefor. In England,
however, the rule with the established organs of period
ca literature is, to pay well for contributions from
,hc best writer's.
We regret to say, we have made no advance in this
department. of letters, within the last twenty years
We know of no review to-day equal to the old North
American, er the Southern Review, in its old and
oaImy days. when Stephen Elliott wrote on Consttu-
,onal and Legare the Roman law, and GrimkG
IN popular education. The best of the kind now
published, think, is the Review published at
Baltimore by Prof. Bledsoe, and next to it, may
place De Bows Review. In mere literary excellence
t must be confessed, these will not bear favorable
comparison with the Atlantic Monthly, but for all
practical or popular purposes they superior to
hat autocrat of New England. One reason for the
learth of periodical literature is perhaps, the multi
olicaton of weeklics devoted to the same purpose
out failing to fulfill their ends.