The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-01-18

sovereign people 10 deliberate upon the APP
preaching congressional election, and to
pass the time we attended the deliberations,
which were held in the courthouse yard.
One of the carpet-bsg senator's Of Florida
addressed the meeting, together with seve-
raj OF his colored compeers, among whom
were nulatto member Of the Legislature
and black justice of the peace, both
speaking with the accustomed eloquepce of
the Ethiopian forum. The negroes, was
glad to see, were very severe on the carpet
baggers. The senator was Intercepted in q
very perplexing manner by q judge residing
here: agreatdeal of screaming and howiing
was constantly going on; . dozen or more
of fights were continually impending; and
the sovereign people; with very few excep-
tons, we're drunk. The senator, instead of
spending his Christmas amid the delights
of home, had generously sacrificed his per-
sonal comfort to come to this State in order
to cast oil upon the troubled waters rolling
between the Governor and lieutenant Go
vernon. He put up at the same hotel with
us, and it was plain that his mind was i'll
at ease. The detection Of the negroes was
serious, the proceedings in the town to-day
were not encouraging, much button-holing
and palsvering had been done in the hotel
parlor without anything satisfactory result
ing, and he and his friends looked very
care worn and weary Of well-doing. ,.
Leaving Gainesville, we travelled during
bitter cold night till about o'clock IN
the morning, when we arrived at Cedar
KEYS, and were put to bed in the "Maison
Dciree tavern so called from its pro-
| prietor, Captain Msson-where we nearly
| froze to death. This establishment was de-
signed strictly for tropical climate, having
plentiful lack of window-glass, and no
less plentiful abundance of cracks and
crevices through which hundreds of airy
currents passed and repassed without let
or hindrance. We named it 4" The SILVER
ing Inn" and the pearly drops that be-
dcwed our noses, and the twinges that made
our muscular system q curse to us for days,
afterwards testified to our acumen IN mo-
menclature. -a. ,.art.
AS might have been anticipated by any
one familiar. with the habitudes OF the
steamers advertised to touch here every
Thursday, one of them had come and gone
the preceding Tuesday, and another might
be expected on any day, or not on any
day,-with the odds in favor Of the latter
alternative-for a month ahead. We were
consequently obliged to spend our Christ
mas on this desolate spot, and nowhere have
I ever seen much fewer facilities for cele-
bratiDg this sacred festival in an orthodox
fashion. "Milk is unknown within these
cowless isles" and eggs are almost as scarce
as the teeth of the hens that produce them,
while the spirituous liquor of the country
is of a. sort that, as was informed by the
captain of the steamer Lavaca, compelled
him to put one Of his men, who had stolen
bottle of it and drunk it, in irons for
month to keep him from numbering the
crew and taking the ship. Nevertheless,
the hospitality of the people is very great,
and by their kind assistance we worried
out the day-imbibing the native egg-nog
lin extreme moderation), fishing little,
doing great deal, and freezing en- noasse.
On the following morning our eyes were
gladdened by the extraordinary apparition
of the steamer bound for Cuba-wonderful
to relate, only two days behindhsnd and
on her we left that afternoon, all hands
being previously RECALLED by q citizen of
Cedar Keys with a parting collation. of
egg-nogg and cigars. Our steamer was
The Lavaca Spanish for The Cow'), and
she was very appropriately named, being
built on the model of that animal with the
legs sawed off. She was long, round and
narrow, and her capacity for rolling was
something marvellous. not to say appalling,
to land lubber. There were. only two
passengers besides ourselves; one French
man, who made no pretensions TO know
ledge of the English tongue, and the other
a Spaniard, who unfortunately did make
some pretensions, which were SO ill-sus-
tanned that it were better for us he had been
born dumb. This gentleman had embarked
at New Orleans under the delusion that he
would be taken direct to Havana, where be
had made arrangements to eat his Christ
mas dinner, and his diurnal and nocturnal
lamentations when he discovered his eyre
gious mistake were very painful to hear
especially since they were mostly expressed
in English. Twill say little of the trip,
which was tedious enough. "The Cow
rolled and pitched along, stopping YEARLY
at every available place. Cut off from COM
munication with my fellow-passengers
did little more than sit and talk with Susan,
the chambermeid, an experienced mariner,
who had followed the sea for many years,
aud spit tobacco juice into the bosom of the
mighty deep. =1
One point at which we stopped deserves
notice. This was the Dry Tortugas-the
place at which the "best Government the
world ever saw" exiles its prisoners.
more desolate scene cannot be imagined.
There are four or FIVE sandbanks in the
midst of the ocean-the largest Of them
about the size Of our Capitol Square; and
on this is built gloomy-leoking fortress.
The fort looks q little more lively INSIDE,
for here are O. few cocoanut trees ana some
shrubbery, which, by contrast, throw
shadowy idea of cheerfulness over the
place. was admitted into the fort, land
falling in with some of the officers, was
treated with the utmost hospitality and
kindness. There are now about sixty pri-
soners here, including the three &c conBpira-
tors DIR. Mudd, spangler, and Arneld.
The latter have the freedom of the
sandbank, faring just as the soldiers do,
so that it is very justly observed that the
garrison has good deal harder time of it
than the prisoners.
From the Tortugas "The Cow" rolled
herself over to Havana, touching at Key
West by the way. From Key West to Ha-
vana her rolling was awful to behold. That
night occupied one of the higher berths,
and my CONCENTRATIONS were divided be-
tween the contingencies of pitching out on
the floor and breaking my neck, which
would have been very awkward, and Of the
turning bottom upwards of our craft, which
would have been extremely provoking.
Providence befriended me, however, and
the next morning We were at Havana-of
which in my next. w. H. T.
A WESTERN MARRIAGE CEREMONY