The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1869-04-28
Our Charleston Correspon-
... dence.
CHARLESTON, April -, 1869.

CHARLESToN, April -, 1869.
Dame Nature never introduced
Spring-time to our Charleston finn.
ily in better humour than she has
done this Ammo Domini, 1869. All
is sunshine and warmth, and the
bursting ofbuds and the carrolling
Of birds make the heart glad. If
there DO ono thing lacking, it ia
water. Our cisterns arc dry, our
streets dusty, and our throats dri,
est and dustiest of ALL Two hours
walk on the Bay makes II man feel
as if he had u small sand-bar in his
stomach, and affords reasonable
excuse for patronizing those "mix-
ologists of tippilars" which are
to be found On every corner.
One cannot complain however
in the teeth ofso much good for
tunc as has been vouchsafod ITO this
community during the last six or
eight months: On all sides, men s
faces toll Of an increase of worldly
store. Since tho last Fall, stocks,
bonds, city property and real es-
tate in tho vicinity, all responsive
as the needle to the magnet, have
been affected by the silent under
current of prosperity. Northern
capital has sought tho Southern
field Of Investment, and men Of
means continue to arrive hero by
every 81 Gamer in search of the
mystical lamp Of A,ladin or some
now process whcrewith to swell
their riches. Money has been plcn-
tiful ; country merchants have
paid cash for their purchases cot
ton has kept ships moving, and
factors busy and every depart
ment oftrade has received fresh
and healthy impetus. Just now,
there is lull. Money is compara-
lively tight, and yet enough is do
ing to keep the blood from stagna-
ton, and the commercial coffee
pot boiling.
But what q contrast there is be-
tween April 1861, and 1869. How
terrible havo been the changes Of
eight years; equally striking is
the difference between 1865 and
1869. Then, moro than halt the
city was like desert over which
presided the genius Of destruction.
The shrick Of the shell or the
clang Of the fire-boll, where the
only sounds that broke the silence
in the region known as "down-
town." Stores and dwellings were
covered with tho ragged cmbroid-
cries Of Gen. Gilmore's guns, and
their owners were refugees from
home. The streets were ,lenuded
of pavements that batteries might
be built, and grass grow IN the
once busy marts Of trade.
Note the changes wrought in
thoso throo short years. Aban-
doncd and crumbling wharvos arc
lined with the tinestships. Scarce
ly a wrock Of tho past is to be seen.
Tho hand Of Improvement still
hard at work, hns given to us somo
elegant edificcs--a city railway,
steam engines, banks, factories and
machine shops. The "rofugoos"
who once used to moet in the coun-
try groceries stores or elsewhere,
killing time with tho discussions
on the "situation," arc now 1.-Two,
earnest business mon, who make
tho most Of evory minuto in tho
day. Many havo not recovered
from their losses by tho war, but
others BY shrowdly spccu1ating in
cotton and othor commodities
have comfortable bank accounts
and few complaints.
You would bo surprised at tho
number of Northern mon here !;
and therc is scarcely a branch of
trado in which they havo not be-
come Interested. Many largo plan
tations are either owned or leased
by,tbeso onterprising persons, and
thoy arc testing for themselves
the problem Of free labor. There
arc plonty of negroes, but not
much disposition to work. Tho
misfortunos Of tho last thrcc years
incident to tho caterpillar scourgo
hnV0 not datarrad on,, ,,oo,,Io f,.<,,,o