The Weekly Washington telegraph., 1872-01-03

OF humane old darkcy, who came to
the rescue with dilapidated wagon
and team, we shudder at the conten-
plation of what might have been our
fate. This good descendant of Ham
drove us TO the nearest station on the
St Louis and Iron Mountain railroad.
where, after forswearing steamboats, as
mode of travel, we boarded the cars
for New Orleans by way Of Mobile.
The forty hours ride was productive
of few incidents of noteworthy char,
acter Very few traces of the late
unpleasantness are visible, if we except
an occasional dismantled fortification
standing out in bold relief against the
horizon, or here and there line of
breastwoiks and rifepits that stretch
themselves across the road. One of
the most noticeable features of the
journey was the evidences of material
prosperity exhibited by the people of
that portion Of Tennessee through
which We passed. That section has
made wonderful strides in the work of
recuperation. The people appeared
happy, peaceful and contented. Even
the freedmen in their squalid huts,
dirty rags and greasy faces, seemed to
share in the general happiness and
contentment Of their Caucasian
"brethren."
Mississippi, | regret to say, did not
present the same encouraging outlook.
There are, it is true, few evidences
Of improvement, but they are very
slight. The oppressive measures and
threatening attitude of King Grant
have created feeling of insecurity,
both of lite and property, that initiates
against the material prosperity of the
State, preventing, as it naturally does,
the free investment of capital in agri.
cultural, commercial, mechanical aud
other industrial enterprises. The peo.
pie seem to labor under kind Of vague
fear, an undefnable dread, of some
impending calamity. They know not
at what moment they may be made to
feel the iron weight of the tyrant's
heel-at what instant one of Grants
minions may swoop down on them,
arresting, imprisoning and numbering
Unfortunately.
What a striking contrast between
the climate of the ice.bound regions of
the North and this tropical land.
There everything is as bleak and bare
of vegetation as the crater of Mt.
Vesuvius; the people trudge about
through snowbanks, mutiled in furs,
overcoats and overalls; the cold blast
smites like a sword, and the earth is as
barren rs a desert. Here all nature
smiles in her bright mantle of green !;
the orange trees are loaded with the
luscious fruit, flowers blooming, and
birds caroling; the epicure delights in
his green peas and sweet, juicy corn
people promenade the streets in the
very lightest apparel, and complain Of
the rarm weother. One who has never
experienced a sudden transition from
the icy shores of the Northern lakes tc
the Southern Cult, can scarcely realize
the vast difference in the atmosphere.
Politics here are a dead letter, except
so far as the fight between the War
moth and Grant wings of the Radical
party is concerned. Would that the
contest might continue until the fate
Of the traditional Kilkenny cats over
took them. These bold public robbers,
or rather their representatives in the
State Senate, met the other day in
extra session, in this city, for the purs
pose of electing a successor TO the late
Lieut.. Gov. Dunn. After a stormy
and disgraceful session, the proceed
ings Of which resembled more the ca.
rousals of a drunken mob in leves
doggery than any thing | can liker
them to, they declared the notosieu
negro, Pinchback, as the most worthy
of all the people of Louisiana, to steI