Year: 1878

MOBILE, ALA. May Sd, 1878.


Mr.. EDITOR When you last heard from us we were
enjoying ourselves at Richmond, which place we
left after spending something over twentyour hours.
Our next point was Wilmington, n. c.. where we
arrived in time for dinner, but when we saw the
place it looked so much like sand pile that were
ready to leave at the end of half an hour for Coum


bia S c. Our ride from Wilmington to Columbia was
through a very poor country, being nothing much
but swamp after swamp, interSpersed now and then
for variety with sand bank and few mud huts
to relieve the monotOny The railroad is very much
out of repair, but they make good time. We left
Richmond at eleven at night and arrived i'll Column
ba in time for supper There not being much there
to see we left next morning for the pretty city Of Au
gIista Geo. where we arrived in due time. Just I'M
agine yourself in place of 10000 inhabitants with
streets from $50 to 20) feet in width and sidewalks
that are as wide as many of our streets i'll Smyrna
and four rows of shade down each street. being
one row down each side and two rows down the mid
die and an extra walk between the middle rows and
them We houses (not only here but in all Southern
cities are set back from the street far enough for
yards which are all filled with flowers and shrub
berry. 1t is mistaken idea that they have no large
factories South At Augusta we were favored with
the privilege of visiting their large factories, which
employ nearly six thousand. The largest cotton fac
tory employs seven hundred, and have yet to find
the first factory of any kind that is not running
full time and some of them run day and night. We
were very much pleased with our visit to Augusta
and regretted leaving very much TO Atlanta, which
was our next point, we had very tedious rde-werC
1917 hours getting there distance of III miles. We
found Atlanta go-ahead place. everything is lively
it being what you might call new place, having all
been destroyed by fire during the war with the ex-
ception of IL few houses. There a great many
wholesale houses here, and you purchase dry
goods and groceries here cheaper than in Phila and
New York for cash but if you purchase on time look
out A planter can, for instance, buy corn here for
SO cts per bushe cash but time they will first take
a mortgage on your crop and then charge 81 % tC
81 50 per 6ushe and then 10 per interest and al


extra 10 per cent for carrying the account thei
hook So isNany wonder that the planter here canno
do much improving? Aid they will sell them al
other goods in like proportion. Farm labor is very
low; they only get so TO so per year, peck of
and lbs of bacon per week. there is not much dan
ger of their getting the gOut In all of our travels
have not seen one hundred acres of cleared land bu
what has crop growing ON 1t, 50 you may know they
have good land, 10 stand that kind OF treatment We
have seen lots of waist high and very few uSC
anything on their land at all. From Atlanta wen
to Macon and had the pleasure OF calling on Mr.
Isaac b. English, formerly OF Smyrna. To him we fee
very much indebted for his kindness in showing u
about the city With him we visited their park anC
fair grounds which are combined, and the Rose Hill
Cemetery, which is one of the finest We have seen
He then drove us all about the city, and when VIZ
were ready to leave we felt amply repaid for Oul
stopping at Macon. From there went to Mobile
by way of Montgomery, Ala. passing through Colum
bus, where they have one of the largest cotton mill


in the State, employing over three thousand opera
tives We arrived at Montgomery at six in the even
ing and stopped there ~ hours, which gave us tint
TO see of the CITY, 1t is very pretty place Th
Capitol is built somewhat on the order OF the CapitO
at Washington, although on much smaller scale
Leaving there So o'clock, we arrived at Mobile a
3Oclock in the morning, pretty well tired out Her
We met some friends that had visited Smyrna, anC
of course it seemed more like home than an.
place we had been. Here you see the magnolia lre
in all its glory. After dinner We went out to thu
Mobile fair ground, we there saw very fine display
The grounds are Mobile bay and there is a lin,
breeze all the time We there the process Of pick
ing the seed from the cotton and many other things
last but not least some good horse racing OF cours
fair without horse races would De rather nixy II
the evening with good team and OF the fair Sc,
for company, one who could point out all the place
of interest, and went driving down Mobile bay o
what is known shell road for ) miles to Magnoi
Grove here we found large grove of magnolia tree
in full bloom. The trees where larger than any shad
trees in smyrna and the branches grow out and NEE
on each side of the road. forming an arch. 1t was
grand sight the air all about being heavily scente
with the fragrant flower. Here you also see al
varieties of flowers in all their glory We left Mobil
to-day at noon for New Orleans, (athOugh this lette
is headed Mobile, am writing it on the train goin
TO New Orleans would liked TO have spent wee
i'll Mobile If time and business would have permitted
will always think with pleasure Of the very happ
time spent in Mobile. We are nearly TO New Orlean
so will say adieu for the present.


Yours, &c, J. Z. WoRDEN