Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-06-18

1uus mAhAuB GikAtSsA mAAe9 Va
beautiful carriage drive. The
stores, machine-shop and dwell
ings cover an area Of twenty two
There is storeroom for at
two or perhaps three years
cotton,) II is said In case Of war;
There are dwellings for 100 fami-
lies, a good hotel, and buildings
for 1000 iaborers. The managers
mansion is the largest and best on
the island, and he has besides a
fine cottage in the mountain side
for use in the hot season. II re-
quired the labor of l,100 men for
four month to build the road TO
this mountain retreat. The land
was purchased from the natives
for $4,000, and there are about
1,400 acres under cultivation, pro
ducing about 100000 pounds of
cleaned cotton annually,
A Curious glscoveFY-ReAAe Of
There Is an old bOatman on the
Mississippi river, Capt. Cowdon by
name, who has a passion for hunt
ing relics Of boats and other valua-
bles lost in the Father Of waters."
He has, In his adventures, discover
ed rare prizes, and the Memphis
Appeal says his last is the discovery
ola boat which was probably used
by DeSoto's crew when they sank
the corpse OF their daring leader in
the bosom Of the Mississippi.
The Appeal, speaking ofthis event
says:
While inspecting the water line
along the eastern shore last We'd
nesday week, hc discovered the bow
of a small copper.fastened vessel,
protruding into the liver. Having
no toole, and traversihg the river
in q narrow "dug-Ont," he could do
no more than make a critical exam.
nation Of the boat, and Of the place
where It was discovered. He OBJ
served that trees from five to seven
feet in diameter grew Immediately
above the buried boat, aud that the
roots Of these gigantic expresses
were twined about the ancient YES
sci. When boats sink In some To-
calities the current drives or lifts
them up an inclined plane, and a
violent flood sometimes leaves them
above the rivers surface on an is
land or sand bar. Il Is, however,
as above stated generally true that
islands ere created by suuken YES
sells heavily f%reighted, and having
iron machinery. The selni-circu-
lar shape OF this boat, found last
Wednesday by Capt. COwdon, Its
high prov, It's dimensions, twice
as great as those Of a modern
yawl, lis copper fastening the
length Of time it has rested be-
meath the soil and water as shown
by the mighty trees that stand above
It these are facts which have excl
ted Capt. Cowdon's wonder to the
last degree. Who had such ves-
sells OIL tho Mississippi before those
great trees Sprang into exis' ence?
Three hundred Years ago DeSoto's
body at midnight, was placed in a
vessel, q Spanish built vessel (?l
and sunk in the midst Of the river.
His soldiers feared that their Indian
enemies would assail them If 1t
were known that the great chieftain
was no more. DsSotO, so the old
Spanish Chronicler, whose story is
reproduced Irving, tells us, died
near the mouth OF the Arkansas,
and here Capt. Cowdon discovered
the boat which excited all these
surmises. There is more than YER.
isimilitude in this recital. Can't.
Cowdon lain the city, and proposes
at an early day to return to the spot
where the supposed Spanish YES
sci is buried. He has agreed to
bring II 10 this city, and II he find
within II the skeleton of the Hidal-
90, will not the name of John Cow.
don and that of DeSoto be insepara-
bly, linked together through all COM
ing time? DcSoto discovered the
Mississippi, and became Immortal.
John Cowdon achieves infinitely
a greater wonder in the discovery
Of DeS to. Who dOubts2
- s-s@ -
CONDITION OF FLoRIDA.-A cor.
respondent in Florida, writing to
the Newark, New Jersey, Adver.
tiser, says:
This State can scarcely be said
to hcye ever been properly settled
at all. One Of the great States Of
the Union in territorial extent,
with an area of $4,000 square
miles, nearly as large as the whole
Of New England, its population to-
day scarcely exceeds 10000
Little more than the population Of
tue single city Of Newark. OF its
3S,OO0,000 Of acres, less than
100000 have ever been SCI off
into farms! And nearly the whole
of these are now in the mai ket,
advertised by tax collectors for the
payment Of taxes. l cannot learn
that there is a single plantation in
the State now under anything like
full cultivation. Along the whole
extent Of St. Johns river, for two
hundred miles, the most spacious
and beautiful tidewater on the con-
tinent, l am told that there are
not q dozen cultivated farms, and
this comprises the richest and most
attractive regions of the State
Observation-Disclosures of which are
still covered with the primeyal