Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-01-25
AMERICAN LETTERS. No. 9.
FURTHER DESCRIPTIONS OF TRAVEL IN
THE SOUTH.

MONTGOMERY, Ala, Jan. 10, 1889.
have dropped down notch south;
not enough to escape the winter, as fires
are in order, though in the cars during
the day windows were left open some.
Montgomery is us miles southwest
from Atlanta. The country between is
slightly undulating, and of the southern
type; that is, 1t produces cotton and the
southern pines. We crossed the Chatta-
hoochie, one of the larger southern riv-
ers, at West Point, 35 miles above Column
bus, Ga.
My attention was called at Atlanta this
morning to the new State capitol, now
nearly completed. 1t is of granite of fair
proportion, but Of unfortunate position,
having very little grounds. The immense
pile Of stone at Albany is surrounded
with the same deficiency. Connecticut's
capitol at Hartford both adorns and is
adorned by Bushnell park. And even
our capitol at Montpelier, though backed
against hill, has very handsome grounds
in front.
| iAbC iiOOcEs AuODlLr, ild.s
| January II, 1899.
Though old, having been built now
some 40 years, this is one of the model
American hotels. 1t could hardly be
nicer. Every part excels; bedrooms,
dning-room, parlor, gentlemens writ
ing-room, halls and office. And its
furnishing corresponds. Comfort, stabil-
ity and looks are blended. 1t was built
by company, the stock of which was
owned chiefly by the Battle family, then
a wealthy family of Mobile, and after
whom it was named. 1t was kept for a
number of years by Messrs. Chamberlain
q Darling. Mr.. Chamberlain, believe,
was Boston man, recently deceased, and
Mr.. Darling is now of the Fifth Avenue
Hotel, New York. Since then it has had
numerous lessees, and has passed out en-
tirely from the ownership of the Battle
family. That name still remains in North
Carolina, but believe is extinct here.
Montgomery, the capital of Alabama,
is city of some 2000 inhabitants. 1t
looks a little like Tallahassee, except
larger and less flowers. The State House
is of granite, and a building of some pre-
tension, very well placed on high ground,
the principal avenue of the city leading
up to it; but | am sorry to say its Repre-
sentatives hall and Senate chamber pre-
sent only scene of litter and destruction.
spent much of the day with C. w.
Kennedy, Esq, gentleman who has had
much to do with the early trotting horse
history of Kentucky and Alabama. The
results of my interviews with him will
appear in the Horse department of the
REGISTER.
The Alabama river flows by Montgom-
cry and is navigable to Wetumpka, 35
miles beyond There are two steamboats,
now, large and well-appearing flat-bot-
toned boats, after the southern style,
that run regularly between Mobile and
Wetumpka. Time, about 60 hours each
way. The distance from Montgomery TO
Mobile by rail is $50 miles; but by river
it is estimated to be 1870. 1t will be seen
that the river course is very tortuous. 1
understand that most of the freight car
ried by boats is from those places that
are not on the railroad.
We left the Windsor Hotel, Montgom-
cry, this morning at half-past seven, and
Montgomery at half-past eight. The
country is slightly unduating nearly to
the Mobile river, which is crossed about
IS miles above Mobile. Every few miles
we passed saw-mills. The lumber indus
try is now large in Alabama and other
southern States. 1t is mostly of the
southern pine and the lumber here, was
told, was worth at the mills from IS to
$40 a thousand feet. There are no places
of much size between Montgomery and
Mobile, indeed there are few of much size
in the State. The Mobile river, where
we crossed, is very wide, big enough for
the Amazon or Mississippi. 1t is formed
by the confluence of the Alabama and
Tombigbee and empties into Mobile bay
about a mile from the city. This bay
sets up 30 miles from the Gulf of Mexico.
After crossing the Mobile, we entered
country of rivers where they are as thick
as plums. Our train paused some when it
tackled the big river, but the Others it
flew by like an arrow. Soon we came
again to the Mobile; at our left, its shores
covered for miles with dried cane or
rush that in several places was burning.
Beyond this in the blue distance was an
other glimpse of forest.
Mobile is a fiat city. reasonably well
built, and has IL 900 inhabitants. Its COM
merce, which is quite considerable, con-
sists mainly of lumber and cotton. There
is also a large trade in resin and spirits
of turpentine. In 1876 this amounted to
81 100000.
Alabama-the land that we love-was
first visited of any European by the
Spaniard De Soto, in 1910. De Soto, with