Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-09-01

buying a note of his of $3.50 81 given Il
Joseph Brooks as administrator Of tn,
estate Of John Cannon.
z. Hite informs travellers that the Mis-
sissippi bottoms from Memphis to Littl,
Rock are now passable. free of swimming
water and ia a situation that will enabl,
the traveller to get along without Difficult
ty. Peter Cooke. who has just come il
from Little Rock with the mail in tire,
days and a half, eertiies to the sam,
thing. Mr.. Hite had a good ferry, ans
was anxious TO set travellers across.
Thirteen out of the twenty.four col
umns are taken up with advertisements
People believed 10 advertising then a
much as now. The market report il
short and to the point. Green apples
81 to 2 so; butter, l23 to lac; cotton, Z
to SIC; country cigars, 81 to l % pei
1000; -four, s. to 6; molasses, 80 to SIC.
sugar, 7 to 9ei French brandy, 81 to 225i
peach brandy, 60 to Toe; apple brandy
% to SSc (good old times); whisky. 40 ia
soc, etc, etc.
We have thus been careful to mention
almost every business man and official
who advertised here in 1882, to give an
idea Of the style prevailing at hat day.
1t is evident hat Memphis was ever
then a live place, aud contained the liv'
ing, enterprising genius of future growth
aud prosperity. We have rarely seen a
paper better filled with advertisements,
and the evidences Of actual competition
in every line Of regular business. OF all
who have been mentioned how few are
alive to-day Not half a dozen. The
reproduction Of the dingy old paper
teaches us a lesson of the mutability OF
time, the sho-tness of life, and the ne
cessity for active exertion if we would
succeed.
The reading matter is well selected.
Horace Greeley had not then made edi.
toriels a feature of journalism. A
speech from the Globe upon the subject
of improving the Ohio and Mississippi
rivers, by Mr.. Sewer, of Arkansas, takes
up three aud a half columns. Congress.
men of the present day would profit by
reading it. The foreign intelligence,
over two months old. occupies a column.
Among other items Mr.. Van Buren,, in
view Of the alarming increase of cholera
at Paris, had determined TO embark for
England and thence for home. The
number Of fresh cases in day increased
to 9S5; deaths, 1856.
The Baltimore Convention, on the 23d
ult, had nominated Van Buren, for
Vice President, on the Jackson eleeto.
raj ticket, and the following delegates
from Tennessee had issued an address
to the people of the State: John Over
ton, j. II. Eaton, Jesse Wharton, Geo.
G. Childress, Robert Woods, David Polk,
David Burford, Dixon Allen, John Blair,
Jas. V. Anderson, J.. W. WHY, Joseph
Earnest, VIM. Fitzgerald, David Dem
tress, George W. Terrell. The following
committee was appointed for Tennessee:
Morgan W. Brown, George c. Childress,
A. Foster, Robert Allen, James
Aaron V. Brown, f. W.
Huling, VIM. L. Kennedy, F. S.IHeiskell.
NJ. Anderson, Peter Parsons,
W. WHY, George W. Terrell,
Robert /. Chester, David Fentress.
Other extracts might be Of interest,
but we have already exceeded our limits,
to call back memories Of the days when
our fathers were ba%ckwoodsmen sur.
rounded by Indians and wild beasts,
and Memphis was only an active trading
post on the Mississippi. The changes
that have taken place since then will be
fully realized by turning to other parts
Of this paper where the Memphis Of
1877 is faithfully photographed.