The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-05-05
Southern Correspondence.
The Magnolia and the Palma New Tex
tile PIanf.-Scenes about Charleston.

Since visit to this lovely Southern City
the words "With Verdure Glad" have assumed
new meaning in my eyes. The foliage on the
Savannah river excels even the flowers in
beauty. The extraordinary height of the Mag
nolas, the Camelia Japonicas, as tall as apple
trees, coverd with thousands of flowers, the
Sago-Palm growing in the open air, as does the
India Rubber tree, and crowning wonder of all;
ayoung tree from the Yosemite which cost the
owner fifty pounds sterling, and which is max
ing rapid strides toward the gigantic height of
its ancestors.
All the sheltered daTlngs of our green. houses
grow profusely in the open air. The cape jes-
samines and tea roses, the latter especially,
grow all over the porches, and against the
sides of the houses, their blossoms attaining
enormous size. Augusta, known as the "Sand
Hills before its incorporation, ascends gradu-
ally from the river side TO quite high land.
This high land bears the name OF Summerville,
but it is difficult for stranger to discover
where Augusta ends, and Summerville begins,
connected as are the two places, by horse
railroad A vast difference however, in the
health of the two places exists, as is shown by
the fact that in 1854, when the yellow fever
made such havoc in Augusta, not case was
known on the heights two miles off from the
river.
Six miles fiom Augusta are the Kaolin
works. Kaolin is the white clay or decom
posed felspar, invaluable for porcelain. Not
half century since it was supposed that this
wonderful clay could be found only in China
and Japan, and to its use was credited the
superior delicacy OF their ware. Now Augusta
sends annually to the North five or six thous-
and tons, a portion of which, regret to say,
returns not in the shape of plates &C., but in
the adulteration of -four, so snowy white and
pure is this article. Although there are at
these WORKS three large kilns for the burning
of the ware the supply is totally unequal to
the demand. AT Graniteville, between Augusta
and Aiken, are the large cotton mills run by
New York capitalists, the annual production OF
which is about 100000 yards, at present In
this neighborhood, too, is the large tract of land,
where the experiment of the cultivation OF the
new textile plant has been so successfully tried.
Ran,ie is a native of the Island of Java. 1t
grows to height of six or eight feet-long and
fibrous, like flax, eeualling it in strength The
fibre, when prepared for the spinner, is snowy
white, soft and lustrous, resembling floss silk,
and readily receives the most delicate dyes. In
any of the cotton states it can be harvested
three times per annum, and is grown at small
cost from cuttings or layers, and not from seed
CHARLESTON, S. c., Apr 25.
A visit to Charleston without a visit to the
market would be like the play of Hamlet with
Hamlet left out The meat stalls we cared lit
tie for, and only asked few questions to satis-
fy ourselves that the best cats of beef, and
poor enough at the best, are but 20 cents per
Id. Thence we followed our guide quickly
toward the fruit and vegetable stalls, which
even at this season presented very tempting
appearance, heaped high as they were with
fresh peas, asparagus, artichOkes and caull-
flowers, with dainty pits of color, lent by the
radshes and crates of strawberries. AS soon
as the droll looking market women saw US,
they saw too, that we came not as purchasers.
With quaint little bob of the head and corre-
spending bend of the knees, the saleswomen
would say, "And what you tink missus OF the
Sodern market? Strawberries missus, mine all
done gone. Come aginslily mssus early in de
moInn.' Imagine tall, stately Degress with
the carriage of a princess, cOlored handker-
chief on her head, and on that perched mans
hat.
How soon will you in Portland buy peas at
10 cts. per quart, ard strawberries at 20 Cts for
two quart boxes. The frost week ago has in
jured the peas it is said to the extent OF thous-
lands of dollars, and in our drives it was sad to
see the blackened fields on either side the road.
line StraWDerrl6S were uOJ So SoNtIely iuJulCu.
friend gave me sermon that was preached
by coored clergy man. not very long since
here you have 1t verbatim.
Now Bredrin-I aint gwine to glib you
sarmon dis mornn. Pm only gwine to talk to
YOU a little bout de peculariStics OBJ de Chris
tian. Ise had it bredrin, on good authority, dat
de cedars OBJ Lebanon grow high-werry high.
Sometimes day grow to tousand feet-and
bredrin-is is SO wild de Christian! De gate
of Hebben lies low, very low. So low dat
you kin shake hands right across-bence say
wild de Sammist, Low / GOMEZ
Charleston is melancholy place.. The as
pect of neglect and decay, the peeling of OF
stucco from the houses, the gloomy color OF the
bricks themselves, OF which so large number
of the houses are built all tend to neutraliSe the
effect of the masses OF flowers. A well-dressed
person is rarely seen in the Streets and the in
habitants keep themselves carefully aloof from
the Northern visitors. 1t is buo few months
since, that notice was removed from the club,
which notice read thus:
members are hereby notified that they are
forbidden to introduce at this club any officer
of the U. S. Army, or any person who served IN
the Northern army during the late war.
OF late however since the present Governor
has succeeded in making himself so deserv-
edly popular with both parties in South Caro-
lima, and the Democrats realize the fact, that
had they succeeded in electing their nominee,
who has since died, South Carolina would to.
day be governed by black, the Lieut. Govern
or being a negro, the men have agreed to
accept their position and are honestly panied
to find their worst foes within their own
homes. The women will not yield and the
mothers, wives and sisters fan the shoulder
| ing hames-seekng to fill the hearts of their
Young children with hatred toward the North
erners "who have taken all from them." Two
thirds of the ladies still wear mourning. and
| will never, it is said, appear again in colors.
Two days weary travel brought us to Peters
| burg, where at Jarrates Hotel we found ex-
| cellent accommodations, comfortable and
| ceanly rooms-and one must have travelled at
| the South to know how rarely that last bless
| ing is found
| In the morning we had ample time to drive
| through this pretty town, and to visit the
| places of historical interest in the neighbor-
| hood
Virginia seems to have been one great battle
| field, and to be one vast burial ground for the
| dead of both armies.
| Around Petersburg were fought some of the
| deadiest battles of the late war. From the
10Th of June, 1864 to the Sd of April, 1865, tie
| conflicting armies lay in front of the city.
| With the surrender of Fort Gregg the retreat
| to Appomattox Court House, and the surrender
| of Lee on the 9th of April, all are familiar.
But it was difficult for US, as we stood this
morning on the grass-grown earth works, to
| realize the tragedy that has been enacted on
| this spot. The birds sang, the soft spring sun
| light shone, and the peach trees blossomed as
| if the scene had always been as peaceful and
| nniat az tO.daV