Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-04-09
Ar SEw ORLEANS.
The Scuppernong Viaeyarain--e'cile-
teries Above Ground = Gl,a.isiette
Cemetery and Battle tiriI sSeau-
tifuI swamp Verdu 4 -SsbMe, dc.

The Sruppern0ng viueyar,in--e -e'Cine-
teries Above Ground = Gl,a.isiette
Cemetery and Battle tiriI sbeau-
tifuI swamp yerdu 4 ssbme, dc.
Special Correspondence OF iazett" and ,lntthal
New ORLEANS, NJ rch 2S.-We alter
nate our visits tn the eXhil ition by eycur-
sions on the Mississippi to Lake Pt II ;har-
train and The Gulf of Mexico. We spent
day at Pass Rigoletts aud Pass
Christian ; the latter n famous watering
place on the gulf about so miles from
New Orleans. Our chief motive, in this
excursion, was to see the vineyards, or
rather graperies of the Scuppernong
grape, which here attains perfection and
so completely supplies all the require
ments of grapes, wine, pickles, vinegar,
marmalade and preserves that the natives
do not think il worth their while to plant
other varieties; though they claim that
most foreign varieties, grown only under
glass with us, will thrive better than in
the best vineyard districts of Europe.
The Scuppernong is grown on Hat
arbors raised six feet from the ground,
and single vine will sometimes cover
one-eighth of an acre and produce from
1000 to 1920 weight of grapes. There
are several varieties, differing somewhat
in size and color, but all are considered
of about equal excellence.
The cemeteries of New Orleans ARE in
teresting, especially from the novel mode
of burial here adopted. They do not as
do we, bury their dead in graves made in
the ground, ms the water is SO near to the
| surface. The corpse is enclosed in u
structure of stone Or brick and cement,
| on the surface, or raised to two or more
stories. Families and societies some
times have huge masses of masonry
pierced i'll regular order with oyen-like
| cavities, into which the corpse is placed
and the opening ceiled with stone fitted
into it with cement. On this stone the
date and the age are engraved.
The tomb of Daniel Clarke is in the St.
| Louis cemetery which records his death
ut the age of As. There is no record of
the burial of Mrs. Gaines who died in
| New Orleans ON the 9th of January last,
though we were told that she is also
buried in the same tomb. The st. Louis
cemetery is the oldest burial ground in
| New Orleans.
In the National cemetery at Chalmette,
some five miles outside the city, the
graves of the Union soldiers are made in
the ground, the land here being high and
| dry, nnd the thousands of graves are kept
in good order at the expense of the
| government. Chalmette is near the battle
| field where Gen. jackson achieved his
famous victory over Packenham, and the
| ghost of monument stands there to
commemorate the event. We clambered
up the rickety steps Is feet
to the top of the unfinished mon
ument, and took II survey OF
the broad, level expanse of uninteresting
country that is here spread out before us.
Even at this hight, although it afforded a
view of Lake Ponchartrain and its ad dmcent
swnmps and the villages on its higher
shores 10 or Is miles distant, we could
scarcely look over the levee of the Missis-
| sippi, so high above the land does this
mighty river roll ON its turgid food
toward the gulf.
/ The residence of General Beauregnrd
stands little beyond n stones throw OF
the jackson monument, and is one of the
most pleasant homes on the Mississippi.
1t is large, spreading mansion of one
and one-haf stories, i'll the midst of d
noble grove of live-oaks and other trees
that wear perpetual livery of green.
Some of the oaks here are large and per.
feet in formation. We measured trunk
IL feet in circumference near the ground,
which upheld thick mass of foliage
spreading over diameter of near 20C
feet.
Except by way of the levee and the
Mississippi, yon cannot go from New
Orleans without passing through swamp
several miles in extent. Much of the
swamp is covered to the depth of several
feet with water of inky blnckness, but
from which springs yerdure of the most
charming character. Already many Of
the trees, shrubs and trailing vines are
covered! with bloom, delicate pinks, reds
yellows and whites, which, mingling witt
the tender green of bursting buds, almos
causes one to forget the disgusting bee
from which they spring Niolets gen
many tufted islet, and the peach wild
cherry, blackberry and other blossoms lt
their best to hide and garnish every knoll
of earth that rises above this black poo
of pestilence. The arrogant palmetto
grows boldly ont of the very depths ant
spreads its brond. fan-like leaves upol
the water. and on this foundation hulld
mp, leaf BY leaf. its cone of beauty.
The cyprus, with never dry root
nttans lor,lly hight, and aims for tn
sky with trunk MS straight MS plunme
line: hui il is soon throttled by tn
, Spanish moss that clinss to trunk an
branch and thrives SO Justify upon it
iuices that soon the giant looks in til
distance like n towering pyramid of fleece
, , instead of n tree of living green. Nothin
is more weird, graceful and mournfr
than to see a forest of these tall, dea
II, 9l,n hlnnl al
! waving from every smallest branch til
1 flmerpal moss. like pl,tmes above
sepulchre.
: Not MI animated nature, however, is
Q sympathy with this scene, for the mo-
4 spirited rivalry is i'll progress betwec
7 the singing frogs below and the mockin
y birds above that are here plentiful IN
$ Just now in perfect tune.
: We throw ourselves ut full length q
Il the thick grass and enjoy the warm SUI
Il shine as we watch the negro women vii
their troops of children busily fishin
n The youngsters are i'll shirt sleeves AZ
e barefoot, and wade in the water and III
" their straw hats as nets to catch crawtis
e The older ones fish with pole and lin
u and get plenty of bites, but the catch
t. only cells and mud-cats. The good fis
ing Is SOlleWnul Ike tlie Hliiu VI plohiia
* which is beyond the mountain" on
le the good fishing is ''beyond the lake
n on the other side, where the salt g.
rs waters mingle with the fresh water OF t
IL lake.
M There, too is the game in the high
" woods, the people tell us, hut had we u
met IL couple oi sportsmen on their W
b. from those very shores we would have
re ii all down MS proniemntical, fh'
III sportsinen carried, as evidence, two de-
ne some thirty ducks and hundred or
1t of fine, fnt water birds OF the sni
no species They had i'll their small b,
e four dogs, and had hean absent from N
ne Orleans about u week The only ga
he we saw on what we term the "bla'
III water side of the lake WINS hig silt
en- and baby alligator
,es A MahOneisM HIndOnc.
re. The New York Times points ont s
re, niticant and early move i'll the Navy
is partment, which does not control
Life Saving Service, but which Ii
furnish clue to what is expected in
treasury. to which the aforesaid servic
attached. One of the earliest ncts
,w Secretary Whitney was to restore to
place in the Lighthouse Inspection, q
,od nander Robley DungliEon Evans, '