Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1872-03-09
New Orleans NOtes-NO. 1.
The LEvEE.


A stranger especially one Of the
greenhern order, landing for the 6rst
time on the -levee at New Orleans,
might well imagine liiuBelf transport
ed ton New Werld, and so in agreat
measure he would be, to a rnihature
one at least, for on . bright-da it is
general rendevouzof detachments from
each,class of the population, not only
of the great city which it fronts, but
also of the adjacent country, above,
below aud opposite, and the shipping
and steamboats, in port. Here all
countries, classes and costumes are
represented, Europe and America,
Asia and Africa, the descendantef the
natives OF the latter country, beng
largely in the majority, SO much SO in
fact, that seeing SO many former pro-
Fducers of eur great staple, perfectly
idle, and apparently perfectly content
ed also, you wonder alike, that any
cotton or sugar is now matieTat all, or
why it should be made, when the pro-
cess requires work, and here idleness
seems to command 4 premium. All
along the steamboat landing, which ex-
tends upwards amt dOwnwards, from
Canal street four or or FIVE squares
each way. or fine day the planked
part of the levee is actually so crowed,
with colored people of b. til sexes, that
it is difficult to push your way through
the mass, and there the majority re-
main all day long, grinning and chat
tering, and doing actually nothing ex-
cept to quench thirst with a draught
of the turbid stream flowing in front
of them, fshed up with the aid OF a
tin bucket and string, or to appease
their hunger, with fried catfish non-
descript gumbo and corn bread, or
lumpy biscuits, from the numerous
stands, for the sale of those tempting
edibles.
Mixed UP with these sable kings and
queens of America, hundreds Of rosy
or sallow faced German women, boys
and girls, are always to be seen, work
ing in and out, through the masses
like busy ants, picking up every grain
of coffee or corn which Aas been vast
ed from the sacks as landed, and every
lock of cotton which had been drop
! ped. Their employment looking small
and pititul indeed, but still something
preferable to the utter laziness and
shiftlessness of the sable soverneigns
Innumerable peddlers hawking about
all sorts of wares, books, pictures,
cutlery, tobacco, cigars, and fruit Of
every kind, keep moving up and down
backwards and forwards, except in the
evening, when the boats are leaving
when they crowd upon the forecastl'
!, stairs, and forward deck, annoying thu
: passengers with their pertinacity, ex
cept when driven away by the porters
or steward, of the boat, who appear t.
. have bitter animosity against sucl
: trash as they call them, interfering ar
2 they most probably do, with their owl
anticipated profits and perquisites.
y Now and then, the crowd is ssiaAAa
. rily dispersed for short time, by tn
: advent of a squad of Kentucky o
Missouri mules, who come dashin
;. through it, holding up their heads ga
: lantly and snorting proudly, as if cor
scious of having achieved laudabl
:. action; then the getting aboar
, these unbroken denizens, Of the blu
= grass pastures, or green grass prairie'
is something amusing in the extreme
, A snowy looking mule, sleek as
= beaver, is led up to the stage, seen
ingIy willing enough, he or she put
his or her fOrefeet OH it, and takes
step or two perfectly freely, and I'll
N crew rejoices, when Suddenly snea
- which means, no you don't, and ii
!, capstan itself is not harder to get OF
= of its place, now comes cnsses, ham
!. spikes, parbuckles and whatnots al
then ignominiously, there goes yo'
!. mule, and SO the chapter ends.
~ COTTON SEED.-One of the most
at sential REQUESTS in makinga good crt
Mt of Gotten, is to have good seed to plan
ne and to this desideratum We direct Il
b, attention of our planters, to the adye