Year: 1872




sew oRLEANs. SUNDAY. MARCH 81. 1874.


Letter FROM PELICAN.


P1AouEM1xE March oath, 1872.
Editor Morning Star and Catholic Messenger.


But little of general interest has tran
spired with us since last wrote, although
time has been full of its thousand little
events, many of which might have been
turned to account by more regular corre-
spondent..
the great question is the condition and
prospect of the crops, aud it is truly the
question, for, when mother earth fails to
- blossom as the rose," the material int T.
est Of "the busy tribes of men" move
drearily along the surging stream of time.
Along the coast the sugar crop claims,
and unfortunately receives, the attention
of our people to the almost entire exclusion
of all other crops, and consequently when
it fails to any extent, embarrassing results
follow.


Last year, owing to the costinued heavy
rains that fell, the quantity of water poured
upon the earth being over ninety-two
inches-it was very difficult to work the
crops properly; aud as general thing,
every effort was directed towards the cul.
smaller crops sometimes grown. This did
not save the sugar crop from general
partial failure, and the result is that our
planters have little money and scarcely
any corn or proveuder, hence we have the
old cry of hard times and they truly are
so. Nor is this all. The prospect of a
crop this year, notwithstanding q large
amount of seed-cane was saved, is poor
and must fall below the average Of what
the same acreage would produce in more
favorable seasons.
great deal of the seed-cane was found
to be rotten when planting begun in Janu-
l,oa tn W NOT
planted, and, in some instances, after II
was planted the decay continued to a con.
siderable extent, thus making matters
worse. This is ascribed to the rains
aforementioned, and it is feared the stub
BILE and rattoon are likewise injured
perhaps net to such an extent.-
Upon the whole this is hard year upor
our coast planters as far as we can now
judge, and it's evil consequences for mex
year are likely to be very serious unless ouI
people give their attention to the produc
tion of corn and other things which we cal
eat. We can raise our own bread and mea
and we must do it or ever have hard time
lingering Ground the cabin door,"


Another important question just now i
how to pay the enormous taxes imposed
upon us. Our State requires over two pc
cent on the assessed valuation of property
be the same much or little and it is gener
ally much, and every trade or profession
lS OuTU6Deu Will ucAVy lccuScS. <Auu y
this nearly one per cent for Parish tax an
we have about three per cent lin your cit
Il believe it is fue) direct taxation. This
ahuge little paragraph in brief on reform
and when we take into consideration til
facts that State and Parish obligations ar
worth but about sixty cents per dollar an
the State debt over forty millions of dol
lars, the taxpayer of Louisiana, who ha
had hut little to say in the direction of al
fairs during the past five years, finds
most powerful, if not irresistible plea ft
State reputation.


Our Catholic schools here, am please
to say, are doing pretty well, particularl
the convent. The recent semi-annual e1
animation held in that institution gay
very satisfactory proof of the progress
the pupils in attendance this year.


The season of Lent is drawingto clos
To-day-Palm Sunday, is cold, wet an
disagreeable with us, and so was last Sui
day.


Owing to the bad health of our kind pa
tor, Father D'Hemecourt, the usual i
structions of this holy season have be-
irregular in "St. Johns" this year, ia
we regret.


The STAR used to reach us pretty reg
larly every Sunday, but here of late 1T
not SO regular in its welcome visits. Th
we must set down to Uncle Sans ridic
lous mail arrangements, which for som
time past have been regular only in thu
irregularity. PELICAN.


When the heart comes in magnetic pow
and sympathetic glow to the great ideas
immortality and nerROnal reRDOQslDlll