Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1880-02-09
On the WING.

flCksBURG. Jan. 2S, lSSO.-HsVlng taken |
nov departure" moi entirely devoid of inter-
eat. asaia make my bow to the patrons OF the
cherished old G. z.tte that they may receive q
modcum Of pleasure from the new garb if not
the cid lace Of your correspondent. Some days
ago, awcaty Of The cold winds Of st. Louis,
| BOARDED tho good ship John Ii. Soudder,"
bound Tor Tho Crescent City via the broad boz
som Of the mighty Mississippi, and soon the
Future Great vanished in tho black night
her million Lights tRinkling into exinguish-
mcnts. till no oEo was visible to tic strained
visoa, save tho Central lamp Of the gigantic
shadow casting o masterpitc, of engineering
skill-thc St. Louis bridge. The curtain Ct
night Was not pinned back by tho stats and
tho abaeuc, Of this original piI-back of dame
aaure was caused by Tie preseLc, of her ex-
oc:able cHspring-Foe; so tho cabio was sought,
where pleasant gathering OF passengers were
illustrating rot tho least agreeable feature OF
travelling by water pale 8. The c)nt ssiica
hands OF limo and Stephenson may have do.
stsoytd many OF the onoe attendant charms of
travel upon tho MISSISSIPPI, yet there romaln
legion, and tho "Scuddcr" brought to mind
many Associations Of tho grand old rivers past.
ilCr captain or master. A. j. Carter, whose
| az css'rg aro net aleu- to tho "Oli Dominion"
is = rcntIrman Of tho cid ehoo, and was 10
| the Mississippi, born in the balmy days of
kilney, Blackburn and ether fresh wator tars;
dilm?uds rare, though rough aud OF tho first
water, supported by able officers, has we'll won
the li!at pr2: irom On apprcclai1c travelling
public Her steward. WIN. Smith. gave us u
daily menu that discounted Potter Palmer, and
Jimmic Martin presiding over the we'll stocked
bar, proved himself Gannymede. whom tho
| gods never summoned in vain. Thanks to the
| fog, the next morning found us of Carondslat
| ard opposite tho Jefferson barracks and arse
| Dal, Whose grounds ara elegantly laid oft, and
lis "t0ns ard scramble" suggcsivo of tho
Washington arsenal. from this point Of the
;iy1r tho Missouri border is q continuation OF
bold and beautiful bluff, point and Loadland
scenery, while that OF illinois is falls, drealy
AID tame. Passing llorsetail Bend, SO called
irom pilots mistake, and Island No. 4, VIC
Passed Castle Rock, hugo rock rearir {
w ia tho stream many feet, and sulmounted
ty cls'le'llke residence Of retired river cap
tain. Before reaching tho mouth OF the Ohio
river we sighted Carlo on its banks, and leaving
tho Mississippi We steamed up the Ohio about
thrco miles. and tied to the wharf boats of that
atl,cabiG city, good for an eighteen hour stay,
owing TO several hundred tons OF freight to Gc
slowed away 10 cur mammoth holo. Cairo is
lot p.epOssesslnt; built upon tho narrow Point
between tho two great rivers; mud is its elo
| MINIS, main ard constituent, yet it has O 70.
DEF ming trait in lis business activity caused
hy he rivers and ccntcriDg railroads. A lew
handsome residences aud substantial stores
grace, wLilo lis chief avenues disgrace it Oh
account OF muddincss that cvon Prince William
wcu'd disclaim, add suggests as au improve
mant the dyke and canal system of Holland
and the condolas OF FCn!c'. We visited it's
only thla 70 that night, and tho performance,
low variety, YVES certainly novel, and tho bust
OF Avoo's Immortal bard over tho stage repre-,
scn!ed them we'll busted. We bad enough Of
this Egypt Of Illinois. and why it should still
shout "hosannahs to Johnnie L2gan and God, 1"
ai least to tho first mentioned was no longer O
vcYcJ problem. Sec Cairo and die" for you
will MT care to 1.-Two longer. Dropping down
tho lluo waves OF tho Ohio. We soon elidtd into
the muddy chauncl Of tho Father OF Waters,
and cle long, Wcro passing BolmoLt, where,
nonrIy two decades ego. some 1900 boys 10
b.ue anl gray met for the first timc 10 lcthal
C mbats, and laid the key skull to tho GoIgotha
that msy yet be capped by tue crown and sop.
ter OF Ulysses 1t is a low, Tricky tmbered
stretch OF land or the Missouri side, ending 10
tho little hamles Of Belmont, and noting tho
points Wbcro tho Felerals disembarktl few
miles above and Columbus ;ctoss the river
from NheLcI tho Coufcdtrates wero reinfolc ID,
q Gear cor elrtlon is gotten of the sharp strug.
se, which ended in the Fcdcral5 hastily 70
crnb1rkifg Capo GiroGcau, No., i, rery
handsome river town, aud tho scat OF st. Vim
cent 8 College. We next reached Hickman, q
lovely little village, situated on the base and
upon some beautiful hills of tho Ozark and
Bloody Ground" Hero exquisite yerdus first
greeted the longing eye. We have now reach.
ed tho Tennessee border, aud that long range
OF cmbattled bluffs overhauging The river is
Fort Pillow, upon which here and there REM
nants ct breast works, such as crown the AleXan.
drla hills, Indicate the line Of fortiicllions over
Hh;c1 Forrest and Chalmers drove their slave
iocmen int0 the relentless currents Of the two
great rivers. But oil is pcac 9iul and quiet now,
and nesting at tho end of tho range is the it'll,
town OF Fulton. all u1mindlu of those terrible
days. We retchel Memphis on the Sabbath
m0ra, and tho warm breath of old Sol gavo us
an idea OF how he sc5rches the fated Bluff City
AID tho GuyOso bayou looked stagnant with
its grocn slime. Tho city is situated on high
tleifs, md has splendid levee Ian itc.iuod
piano from the igcr's edgcI and broad, well
paved streets. running straight up into
|
and mary large business houaes-au excellent
Coult House Masonic Hall and other public
buildings. In the centre Of the city is a beauti.
full park called the Courts squsro, with mag
nillcont fountain, surrounded by ltatuary, and
olive and magnolia troos and shrubbery. Among
tho statuary is fine statue of "Old Hickory
which has cut upon it. among others, this in.
acription, Tho Union must and shall be pre-.
! served" We counted ton undertaking eslsb.
| lshmontS and noted many ladies in full mourn
| ing, and n'ed not have visited tho cemeteries to
INC Ihd evidences Of the hand laid SO heavily upon
never desert il so long as its remains, as it is the
| most important tradc-centre between st. Louis
| and New Orleans. The Memphisns say they
can make moro money there in six months than
| elsewhere in the whole Twelve. Leaving Mem,
phis, along the Arkansas line it is uniformly low
and marshy, and Helena and Napoleon, though
thriving towns, poasess no notable features We
ARC now gliding betWoon Mississippi and Louis.
lana The former presented for many miles
tothlng but swamps, and as the river was very
high, much of these were overhowed. The lat.
ter, though its border is often lower than the
| river, IL we'll protected By its leyees and hre,et.