Middletown transcript., 1871-02-11
C5rre,p .endtncs ef the Mddieto~n Transcript.
MEMPHIS. Tgxx. Feb. 1st, 1871.


during the year, through the kindness o.
friends in the goot old diamond State,
have received copies of your valuable,
sprighily aud interesting journal, and hav.
ing spent several years in time honorcd
hundreds Of st. Georges and Appoqnini-
mink. find much Of interest conceri.inglmy
old friends and oequnintanccs there hr-
ciprociiy is christian virtue, and IL has
occurred to me that word from wan
dcrng nesting of the famous Blue Hen.
might not be devoid of interest to the
chicks who still remain under her shelter
ing wing
Memphis is terrible place. that Of
course you know, since you read The pa
pers, aud they the northern papers. tell
you what heathcnish set Of folks VIC are
down here. The ancient philosopher SUNNI.
ed up all his wisdom in two words know
thysclf." and sure It's well ito see our
selves as others see us. and moreover to
know how many of our friends are daily
shot down on streets. or otherwise brutal
ly murdered, even it such blood aud thun-
der episodes do originate in the fertile
brains OF some cnierprising % yankee
reporter But we cant sec it, Cannot
be convinced that we have been shot or
hanged By kG-klux, nor yet that his sa-
,anic majesty torril kingdom is para
disc in comparison with our fair Bluff city &.
! hare icca iir'ng herr tro ycars a,.a kno,r
wi,rrJ ! iqsak. / left my carpet bag in
the North for some poor Office seeker who
needed il; for, ha,iY come % aay, |
needed my trunks.
Having, rs ho,ght posted myself on
the moral status of Memphis, landed in
her limits with fcar and trembling with
forty rounds Of ammunition aud three days
ratiuns. NJ fears passed soon TO joys, Cor
on every hand found cordial welcome,
such a one as i, given all over the South
10 those who come wiki willing hands and
good purpose to help build up the almost
ruined fortunes of this fair land
\ few general remarks will suffice for a
description of a city SO well known as ours
Being Of SO rapid growth. Memphis some.
times disarran's new ccmefs. who com.
pare il with older and more northern ci-
tics II must be confessed that goaayHcss
l. yet ono of i characteristics. though 81
M,ly and ,ieerous i. i,s youth tha, it puts
10 shame the creeping growth total stag.
nation or sur decay Of many Of her elder
sisters.
Though there are many business blocks
# much architectural hcaaly. the main
portion of the city lacks ,hat cnmpactncs.
50 characteristic OF citlcs ut tho north The
dwelling houses are surrounded by wards.
hrautlirl with much ,hrubbrry aud trees;
among the latter is the Magnolia trand-
ilora. which. from the richness of its ever
green foliage, and its exquisite flowers is
the chiet ornament of the city. Churches
are numerous. and though 10 denomina-
ton can boast Of any fine buildings, scve-
raj are in process of construction. Snn,
Peters Cathedral, Roman Catholic, is n,
present the finest church in the city. But
rs your papers say W. need more n jail
for the custody Of the sinners than church,
Is or tabcrnaelcs for tht saints. we have
recently erected county jail. II handsome
and costly structure, well adapted 10 the
watt Of the d" dangerous classes"
,hiak, however that m improvement
could be added ly adopting Delaware
modes of furnishing itc evil doors
City public school, have been establish
ed here FOR twenty years, and greatly to
the credit Of the people, were well sus-
tanned during the war They are well
graded and ably conducted, both white
and eolorci children heMg provided for
The city is we'll paved with Nicholson
pavement. hes well regulated police aud
the bes, fire department in the country
SO good. indesd, that insurance IS one of
the most thriving departments u money
getting at present.
Quite number Of x-confedcrates are
making Memphis their home. among whom
are Jefferson Davis, cx-t,ov Harris. Gen
Forrest. Gen. Pillow and Jacob Thomp-
son Politics is n subject nof often intro.
dnccd. True. we have our little local po-
lticnl fights 'twould seem e'ld, indeed, to
an old forester not To see n little excite.
mcnt in that way. Cuifcc aud Sambo have
subsidized somewhat since they discovered
that man doth not live by voting alone.
and that politicians. whether Rad or Red
are but summer friends There will be
no Tennessecan Rcreis yet, in tho Capitol.
Mal.adminis,raiinn and the fortunes oi
war having plunged the city in debt. her
tax payers are bearing heavy burdens. bu,
wise aud eeonmicAl municipal police bids
fair to repair past losses and provide for n
prosperous future.
In spite Of the gross misrepresentation
We have undergone. fortune seems once
more to be smiling upon us. Nearly eve
ry trace Of the late war has disappeared
from the face Of the country; the planter
aud the merchant are fast retrieving their
scattered fortunes. Memphis will soon be
second TO no cotton market South The
number Of bales received here this year
will exceed four hundred thousand, which,
at an average Of seventy dollars per bale.
brings to nur city the neat little sun, Of
twenty eight million dollars.
Ia. zf Al. Sz..I "a