The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1885-06-27
THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI.
QUAINT SCENES AMONG NEGRO PLAN
TATIONs.

joaquin Miller, writing after Il
a voyage to the Lower Mississippi
River, says
Far below New Orleans we saw
real negro plantations, managed
and owned entirely by nsgroes. Yes
there are several of them not far
from the mouth of the great river.
They are small, it is true but they
are increasing in size and numbers.
And if these blacks only had little
more patient enterprise and econo-
my and less pomp and vanity and
desire for fried chicken and fine
silk hats, they might, in n few years
be very large and prosperous land
holders, for the time is opportune.
The white planter is discouraged,
and would make easy terms with
black men, if there was a hope of
finally getting their money or any
part of it, for their plantations.
The little plantation where we
tied up our boat and took up Il tenn
poraty home among the negroes,
was not the best Of the dozen or SO
which are owned entirely, and, of
course, cultivated entirely, by the
blacks nor was it the worst an
average one, | should say.
cannot insist that-we were made
very welcome at first. We had our
blankets, on board the boat. We
had guns, and claimed to be on a
hunting expedition from New Or
leans. That was a bad beginning.
The naked truth would have been
better suited to win the cofdence of
the molly lot. Neat little houses
whole rows of them, as on all plan
tations--stood little back from the
bank Of the river, among some
moss-covered and blighted orange
trees and one of these whitewash-
ed little houses, with a straw mat
tress as the only furniture, was as
signed to those of us who chose to
sleep there.
My trade as a scibe made it du-
ty as a truthful chronicler to spend
the night here. A good many half
naked little children peep in at the
door mt intervals, and old "mammy"
with II white linen handkerchief,
brought me some fairly good coffee
and Boston crackers.
In the evening | went to church
at Il ncighboring plantation manag-
ed by white proprietor, and heard
Il negro preach. The attendance
was slim, and we fought mosquitoes
constantly. The preacher was u
/ field hand on u plantltion Il little
higher up the river, and receives p
cents a day extra for his services as
a preacher. This is given him by
the white planter, because If his in
Aucnce in keeping his hands to.
gethcr during important seasons.
He wore earrings and was of great
size and strength. He read the
Bible with some difficulty, and ex-
hortcd without notes.
The negro women-about Il doz-
en- in number-neArly all had child
rem with them, children in arms,
and the stamping and the slapping
and the constant warfare with the
mosquitoes, made such Il racket on
the loose floor that could hardly
hear Or understand.
Besides that, the preacher articu-
lated badly. Then they use very
strange and outlandish words down
here. Toward the close Of the ser
mon every one seems to get wound
up, and all the women began to
rock themselves and scream. The
men began to sigh and moan and
groan.
Then, at last, when the black
preacher, whose clothes were us var
iod in color as Jacobs coat, from
constant patching, fell on his knees
and began to pound the bench and
sway his body and pray, the scene
there, in the dim candle light, as the
brothers and sisters gathered about
him, was simply indcscri6ahla,
could not understand one word
that was said all were praying
moaning, shouting, moving body
and hands and head together. They
seemed very happy and quite obliv
ious to all earthly things, mosque
toes included.
These negro plantations may b
,, literally termed the ragged edge
! of the Republic. For here, or here
| abouts, the habitations of civilize,
= man-enl almost altogether Fur
= thcr ON down the great river life
rather ON the water than on land.
! Gradually the orange trees, tn
n date and pome granatc and banana
= magnolia trees disappear, and whe
Il we drop fairly below the grass-grow
4 forts where Forroput fnuuht his 81