New Orleans Republican., 1873-08-16
BY TELE GR APH.
WASHINGTON.
Alleged Customs Frauds.

Department recently. In the examination O1
the various documents, discovered one or
two cases OF alleged customs frauds, said
to have been committed in 1867, and a few
days ago sent Mr.. Vanderbilt, Of the de.
partment, to New York, for the purpose of
examining into the case. The names of
several custOmhouse officers having been
mentioned in that connection, the chief
object of his visit to that city was to ascer-
tain whether they were implicated in frauds
or improper transactions.
Mr.. Vanderbilt having returned to Wash
ington to-day. reported to the Secretary
that there was nothing whatever to impli
cate those officers in wrong doing. This
was the only matter which occupied his at
tention while in New York; his visit had no
connection whatever with the removal OF
anybody, nor had any orders been pre-
viOusly issued for that parpose or for exam
lining into the conduct of officers and EN-.
ployes connected with any blanch Of the
custOmhOuse.
The Wawasset Investigation.
The Wawasset investigation shows that
the cause of the fire is unknown. Nearly
all aft were lost. The bow was in shallow
water and the stern in deep water. The
evidence indicates that every officer was at
his post. The death list has reached eighty
four.
Report Of the Cotton Crop.
The returns of the Agricultural Depart
ment for the first of August indicate gen.
eral and somewhat marked improvement in
the condition and promise Of the cotton
reported at different periods is as follows:
NORTH CAROLINA. .
July i-Number Of counties reporting 43;
averge condition 81.
August Number Of counties reporting
Al; average condition 95.
SOUTH CAROLINA.
July Number Of counties reporting l6:
average condition AZ.
August Number of counties reporting
Is; average condition 81.
GEORGIA.
July Number of counties reporting 5S;
| average condition 81.
August tANumber of counties reporting
! IS; average 95.
July Number of counties reporting 10;
| average condition SO.
August Number of counties reporting
| 15 average condition 103
ALABAMA.
July Number of counties reporting &c;
| average condition IS.
! August Number of counties reporting
81; average condition 81.
MISSISSIPPI.
| July i-Number of counties reporting 81;
| average condition SO.
| August Number of counties reporting
80; average condition 50.
LOUISIANA.
July Number of parishes reporting 10;
average condition 80.
! August Number Of parishes reporting
| IS: average condition sc.
| TEXAS.
July Number of counties reporting i;
| average condition 7S.
| August Number of counties reporting
46; average condition 49,
ARKANSAS.
July l-Number of counties reporting 90
average condition Sc.
August Number Of counties reporting
25; average condition 81.
TENNESSEE.
July Number of counties reporting 24
average condition 96.
August Number Of counties reporting
90; average condition "a.
The average condition for all the coun
ties reporting, in these States, was, July l.
1856; August |, 81 OS. These figures are
corroborated by the explanatory notes OF
the correspondents which, with few ex-
ceptions. are much more hopeful in their
tone than they we're the month previous.
The chief drawback is the widespread
apprehension OF insect ravages. In North
Carolina, lice are reported in tour counties
In ChOwan. old farmers say they never
saw cotton lice 80 numerous before. In
Camden, the cotton lice, i'll many instances,
have almost ruined the crop. In Poiguins,
the cotton is almost covered with lice.
The caterpillar is reported as having ap
peared in greater or lees numbers in nine
counties in Florida, and in tive counties
in Georgia.
In jackson county new enemy to the
cotton bores into the form and causes it to
drop.
Tie caterpillar worm, the army worm
and the boil or web worm are reported in
fifteen counties in Alabama, in nine in Mis-.
| sissippi in twelve i'll Louisiana, and in six
teen in Texas.
Paris green and other destructive agents
are being Experimental with; in some in.
| stances it is claimed, successfully. These
| pests, at the date of the reports, had done
| vastly more at threatening than at execu-
| ton. They being few in Mississippi, they
had, as vet. inflicted no injury; whether
| they will or not depends upon the condition
| of the weather and other exige ncies, which
no reporter can now toretell. The crop, on
| the whole, is still somewhat back ward,
though in many localities the rapid growth
in July has brought it forward to an aver
age advanc ement for the season.
! ComiDs Home.
| Judge Oureil and Counselor Billings
departed home ward tonight. Colonel
| Casey has gone to New York.