The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-07-18
LETTER FROM WILLIAM.
Central. Texas, july IA. 1877

corr+sDottdent il not Ge~irable 10 "A MisSls-
siDpi newspaper. Usually a glowing de-
scription of the country i the staple of his
letters, and the effect, if any, is to render
unhappy aud discontented the Mississippi
reader No such lesire Is felt by this wri-
ter Content is rich enough; aud when
parties are contented. no desire Is ielt to
takeaway the weslth of that frame OF mind
This is the proper season OF the year to
visit Texas The prairies are covered wi h
grass aud studied with ten thousand red
flowers The forests are vocal with song
/ birds. The old style mocking bird is found
/ here In greater numbers than With you. ana
i he is rivalled in sweetness OF song by
very beautiful songSter, called the scissors
! tail or Spanish moeking birl This latter
bird has number Of pieces which he sings
much after the style OF an organ made for
/ only st pieces and which will play no 9th
/ ers. lie is, therefore, properly speaking,
not a mockng bird, bur sweet singer,
since he initiates no other bird.
Az night the grove near my cabin is vo-
cal with song The rarest melody falls
upon the ear, in the deepest hours OF night.
The crops are fine. Il ain has fallen in
abundance during the season, and, not
withstanliug the ons!aughts CT gcasshop-
pers, | have never seen such prospect for
abundant yield of corn and cotton. At this
writing. Tiers is something of drought, but
it has not lasted long enough to injure the
appearance OF vegetation. Corn can be
bought in many localities at % cents per
buShel. aud cotton is very promising. It
really looks now like this is the farmers
paradise.
There are many draw backs to pleasant
life in Texas. There are more creeping
things here than can be found with you.
For instance. we have the tarantula, a hid
eous spider-looking creature about the size
of an American dollar, perhaps larger. lie
is very poisonous, aud exists in great rum
bers. Then we have stin2iGg scorpion.
that is not very poisonous, but infilcts
painful wound on the slightest provocation.
Worse than either, is the centipede, a worm
like creature with wings around his body.
Every wing sends off two feet, and each
foot is armed with javelin shaped point,
and furnished with a poison valve. When
this centipede gets on your hand he will not
wound you if you do not disturb him,
but the slightest effort towards moving him
- Sl8idl IOi nun "a VII tNtiA .JdNEllll
foot into your person and leave
wound to be relieved only by the complete
Struggling away of the part affected. All
these creatures have special fondness for
houses at night. and they invariably crawl
into bed. Ladies fresh from east of the
river, live in agony, dreading the stealthy
approach of these creatures. 1t is amusing
to see a lady from Mississippi take her seat
in cool place to view the beauties of prairie
or forest, 10 look at our matchless sun
sets. She gathers her skirts together and
folds them beneath her feet before size can
look at anything, and, if you observe her
closely, you can see shudder creep over
her, which she attempts to conceal.
All through the prairies are beds of large
ants. They make paths through the grass
and at the slightest disturbance rally for
war. Ifnot provoked, they are peaceable. |
Should, however, WEAKNESS oyertake a
Mississippi tramp, and cause hum to lie
down near one of these beds and fail asleep, |
by some unknown signal, an army of these
ants is marshaled and the sleeper is attacked |
As was Gulliver by the Lilliputians. Any |
number of smaller creeping things abound, |
and all of them sting. These are little draw
backs, but strange to say, we get accustomed |
to their presence.
There is no election here this year, and |
you hear nothing of politics. Democrat !
and Republican exist only in name ard |
theory Practically, you know, nothing Of
them. | live near the city of BRYAN. Mr.. |
Hayes has removed a regular Republican |
from tn office of Postmaster, and appointed |
a moderate Democrat. Some irregularity
in the conduct of the office caused the re-
moval. The new policy suggested the APP
pointment.
Since have been in the State have fire.
queutly met Gov. Hubbard. He is a man
of great intellectual power, an orator of the
first class, and a most genial gentleman. All
the public men l have met are gentlemen o
culture and refinement. | find many per-
sons who know your Gen. Kinloch Falconer
They made his acquaintance during the
war, and remcm Der him with much kind
ness. They are pleased to hear of his pros
poets for becoming Secretary of State
Since l wrote you before, DIR. J. l.. Carter,
house. The doctor Is delighted with
Texas, ald has fine prospects before
him | know this will CRAFTY his
friends in Mississippi. The
possibilities of this State are almost be-
yond prehension. With 270 600 square
miles of area. with a soil as rich as the delta
Of the Nile, and with all the varieties of eli
mate, from semi-tropic to temperate, with
pasturage equal TO the plains of Buenos
Ayers, it is bard to predict what will be our
future. The rain is increasing here
every year, and soon the western portion of
he State will be bio, soming for harvest
If cereals and white with cotton. | don't
write this to induce any one to come here.
All who expect to make a living in the :
hade, and all those entirely without money
lad better not come. Northwestern Texas
: more sought than Central or Southern
Texas. For cotton and sugar this and fur :
her South is to be preferred Here in the
1razos bottom is found the finest farming
lnds in the world. 1t is a rich alluYial soil
Underlying this, say six feet, is q lex d
and, through which percolates water, at Il
Il times, and furnishes under irrigation, so N
nat from forty to seventy-five bushels of te
Orn, and from one to two bales of cotton to Il
ne acre can be made. raia or no rain. cl
| am glad TO see, from the CLARION so Sc
ANY evidences of returning prosperity tn
18th you. There is no good thing that can nj
III upon Mississippi, but viii make me I'll
Apply. There are many persons here from e5
our State. and they seek each other, and do
el to each other ike kindred. We often fo
Deak of your public men, those -ow on the
age, and those gone to rest, and feel an es
)nest pride in their talents and virtues DC
early every one of us has left some mound as
earth in Mississippi, where the hearts hi
,liest affections linger, aud nearly every as
le or US has left some one behind, from