The Republican journal., 1881-03-17
Down South Befo' de Wa.


Carolina. We propose to furnish now, as com
panion picture, some notes of trip to the far
South in ante bellum days, when slavery existed
and secession beginning to its front
New York was the starting point, and brief di-
gression here regarding the changes twenty eight
years have made in that city may be pardoned.
| The Astor House in 1853 was one of the leading
hotels, and its five o'clock dinners were the height
of style in that day. The costumes of the lady
| guests and the bills of fare alike elaborate
and the table and decorations, and the dining
room itself, were regarded as magnificent, though
! quite eclpsed by the grander hotels of to-day.
The Astor still has its portals open for the hungry
and weary, but Its restaurant and bar the chief
| sources OF revenue and the tashonabes long since
| deserted 1t for the palaces mile or more uptown.
| Nearly opposite the Astor stood Barnums Muse
| um, and chief among its attractions were the
| Happy Family, the cosmoramlc views and the
| mermaid On the site of the Museum now stands
| the stately white marble building in which the
New York Herald has its home. In art there
| the Dusseldorf gallery collection of paintings
which found many admirers then, and would be
| quite worthy of admiration lu this gal
ery the original statue by Powers, of the
Greek Slave, and painting Of the landlIg of the
first Atlantic cable at Conception Bay, Newtound-
| land. 1t represented the cable stretched along the
| shore and about it stood a group of sailors listen
| ing to the prayer of Capt. Hudson. while near by
was Cyrus W Field, with his head uncovered The
painting did not impress the writer a work Oft art,
| but as rather catch penny affair, though it was
! the work of artist who has since made name
| for himself
| But it is time to say good bye to New Y ork and
| this was done from the deck of the steamship Au
| gusta bound for savannah. The steamers James
| Adger for Charleston, and Huntsville for Savan-
| nah left their piers at the same time The latter
| figured mewhat prominently in the naval oper
atons Of the late The voyage, though not
uneventtul does not call for special mention. 1t
ended at the bar at the mouth of the Savannah
river, where the steamer being unable to cross
! passengers and baggage transferred 10 tug
| On our way to the city passed the bark = i.
| Rawhns, wicked looking beautifully modelled
! craft which had hGt recently been engaged in
bringing over hold full of unwilling emigrants
from Africa. Savannah, though its business has
largely increased since the war, has changed little
in outward appearance since 1888 The city IS
built upon bluff, thirty or forty feet above the
river. Many of the streets have wide grass plats
in the centre with double rows of shade trees and
| the residences embowered in vines and shrub
berry. The Pulaski Hotel then welcomed as now,
the coming and billed the departing guest, and
the theatre of to day was then II existence and ap
parently built about year before the city
was founded One of our party thus related his
experience at an operatic performance: "On en-,
terlng noticed the following notice in large type
conspicuously posted on the walls Gentlemen
are requested not to smoke or talk out loud in the
dress circle or parquette. | sat patiently through
the performance amid the cracking of peanut
shells by the audience, and when | attempted to
rise found myself fastened to the back of the seat
which had just been vanished
The prma donna OF the company sat opposite us
at dinner day, gorgeous with paint and bril-
liant with jewelry, and as her busy fingers, laden
with diamond rings, flew to and from her mouth we
were reminded of the iuggIers trick of swallow
ing tow and then emitting fire
Savannah has two monuments to Pulaski 1.-The
heroic Pole who fell mortally wounded while
lighting for American liberty at the seige of Say
annah Oct. 9th, l179,' as the Inscription one of
them reads
There has been great improvement in railroad
Ing in the South since the war. particularly IN
Georga-and there war room for it, Though hold
iug through tickets to Montgomery. Alabama, we
could not yet our baggage checked at Savannah
without paying extra. Five miles from the city
the tram stopped in a swamp, with not a house in
sight Here the conductor assisted young wo
man to get out called to the baggage master to
put off that small black trunk, and then carried
on a conversation of fifteen or twenty minutes du
ration, having concluded which, he condescended
to start the train We halted after that about
every quarter OF an hour and were 50 much behind
time that our party concluded to stop over night
in Macon, instead of proceeding to Columbus We
were obliged to climb into the baggage cars and
get out our trunks the sury officials in charge re-
fusing to render any assistance. We found little
comfort in Browns Hotel At breakfast next
morning after many fruitless endeavors to get the
attention OF one Of the many slip Shod darkies who
ran frauticay about the room, upsetting each
other and clustering by half dozens about single
| bewildered guest, the writer caught youthful
African, whose wooly head Just reached the top OF
the chair. and asked if they had green or black
| teas He replied. faint green, nor 'tant black
when we pours it out its white, aud when
puts milk in it its kinder yaller The table was
spread with alternate dishes of fried bacon and
! fried liver. and corn bread and ritters completed
the breakfast bill of fare
At noon took the train for Montgomery, and
after standing for three quarters of an hour with
a number OF ladies, on the platform of ear the
seats being occupied by drunken rowdles another
car was put on, which had apparently not been
cleaned since II was built Nothing that was eat
able could be procured en- route, and although that
contingency had been provided for were quite
ready for supper when we arrived at the Exchange
/ Hotel, Montgomery, at III j.. NJ. The hotel could
| give is nothing to eat however. and we had to
seek restaurant, The hotel keepers here aud
elsewhere did not fail to charge for what they did
| not furnish
| Next morning set forth ON tour of iuspeC
ton ana found very pretty little city with wide
streets shaded by trees and pretentious but di
lapdated looking State House overlooking the
other buildings Some of the party saw slave
pens for the first time, and were appropriately
horrihed at sight of the well fed well dressed and
sleek looking darkies awaiting purchasers, and who
were lolling about in the large, open ware houses
| seemingly unconcerned as to their future As
there no sales in progress we did not any
of them "knocked down"
After dinner embarked the steamer lie
Grand for Mobile Her cabin was filled with
motley crowd of passengers, most OF whom be
longed to the class known poor whites"
There twenty-five or thirty rough looking
men wearing souched hats, and suits of butter
nut-dyed home spun, and well equipped with
! bowie knives and revolvers about the same mum
Der of women, and seventy Or eighty children, of
| whom at least one-thlrd were babies
| As the boat left the shore burly good looking