The daily phoenix. (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, September 15, 1865, Image 2
_COLUMBIA.
Friday Morning, September 15, 1865.
Wisdom in September.
"Nemo semper sapiens," is. the Latin pro?
verb which a venerable but sprightly friend
persists in translating, "No one is wise in
September;" "for," quoth he, "to say that
no one is wise at all times, would be to utter
a mere truism, and a truism uttered with
gravity in good society, is a mero imperti?
nence. Tlie Latin really' meant to say that
September is a month in which nobody can
have his proper senses about him. And he
is right. Aud you, and I, and all of us,
are not the same men in this month that we
ore at ordinary periods. Therefore, wo
should attempt nothing in September that
involves tho necessity of right thinking,
close logic, deep research, aud, briefly, wis?
dom. There should be no legislation this
month-no convention-no constitution -
making. Whatever is done now is sure to
be a blunder-to be full of blunder?. The
season operates upon thc human brain, as
thc same season is said to act upon the rat?
tle-snake. His venomous secretions, at this
time, are described to bc of such a nature as
to make him blind; and so of the secretions
of the human brain. They blind thc under?
standing. I could probably trace out the
processes, and show th 4 why and wherefore,
of this result; but I wilt not trust myself at
any logical effort till we get fairly into Oc?
tober. Require it, of me then, and you
shall have the rationale of -it,, and perhaps
bc able to ascertain why it is that thc month
of September is fatal to all wise thinking.
Wc arc not reasonable animals this month, j
We are jaundiced. We see as through a
glass darkly; we hear through false media, j
We think through tortuous processes, such
as make our dreams incoherent and pm-- j
poseless. The skin is never in good order,
and there is not an inch of your brain in its,
right place, under its proper bump or organ.
We should do little more in September than
sleep and dream-should only read those
books which produce sleep-those poets
only who are absolutely lucid, whom you
see through at a glance-who ask no think?
ing and exhibit none-listen to no compli?
cated music, only love songs, such as thejy
sang in Arcadia, to the trickling watery
So, instead of going to the Convention, I
am for Sidney Park, where, stretched upon
onejof the benches, I can see the boys play
marbles, and hear thc last mock-bird sing?
ing above me the very air to which Moore
wrote his inoffensive ditty, the Last Rose ol'
Summer.';
So much for our good friend's philosophy.
Wc leave it to our reader's comment and
forbear oar own. At all events, it will be
good policy, whatever may be the wisdom
we still boast to havo in this equivocal
month, to take our steps heedfully, and not
be too sure of the accuracy of our paces.
Policy of th? State-Reconstruction nnd its
Coincidents.
Thc communication which follows, is con?
tained in a private tetter received yesterday
from a venerable and distinguished citizen.
It contains suggestions of value, and is no
mere collection of common-places. The
ideas are, some of them, of a character upon
which we may well brood awhile. We do
not concur, in certain respects, with the
v writer, especially as regards his nicety of
detail in arranging the matter of future free
nogio labor. The detail should be left
with tho individual parties contracting.
But, perhaps, one objection really lies in
the question, eui bono? As we have little
faith in this labor, or in any of the contracts
of which it is the subject, AVO are disposed
to waste but little time in its consideration.
This matter aside, the ideas of our correspon?
dent are worthy of consideration, and wc
trust will receive it, especially from the dis?
tinguished persons now sitting in Conven?
tion:
MYDKAKSIU: * * * *
The world does not improve. Tho pub?
licist of the present day glows as he reads
the just sentiments of pagan Cicero on war?
fare, and tlie ease of delicate conscience oi
the elder Cato, he details in his work oj
morals, written nearly 2,'lHX) years ago. Ir
the middle ages, the 'isolated Incas of Peri
shaped ont ogmore enlightened belligerenl
policy than overdid any other people; inex
haustible forbearance and oft-repeated prof
"fers of peace on the mildest bains. An?
yet they were invariably successful. Whei
Hostilities ceased, they supplied the van
quished with food aud clothing, cared foi
4iie wounded, confirmed inheritances and rc
pee feed their custom?!.
mowardthe close of the nineteenth cen
i people w ho recognized tin
volving the loss of amounts in value, and ;
causing crime und misery to a degree never
before embraced in imagination or in net
among men. Most assuredly the world
does not improve.
********
Since the old State Constitution was sanc?
tioned before, it cannot be deemed wrong
now. Lot it be re-affirmed, with the singlo
modification of gradual emancipation. In
this way the constitutional question, the
question of compensation, tho question
of th? extension of the right of suffrage, i
and all controversy in relation to the pro- j
clamation, would be gotten rid of. The
General Government having satisfied any
supposed obligation incurred, and perfectly
aware that control given to officials, inex?
perienced, and without sympathy with the
interests involved, must necessarily cause
mischief, would gladly leave thc whole mat?
ter with the States. Wages having been
proposed to our laboring class, let wages be
i conceded; however, so fur as plantations are
I concerned, not monthly, but a certain por?
tion of the clear proceeds of the year's trans?
actions, to be distributed at the Christmas
holidays. Lot the maintenance, medical
attendance, &c., be continued, as hereto?
fore; the labor, where its nature will admit,
i bc task-work, aceordingj^to the established
I custom of the country*" flu* headman each ;
j day reporting delinquents, they to be heard \
j in their defence, and arbitration had when
i claimed. A monthly abstract, showing the
time lost by each idler, to be made out and
read to the assembled workers. Provision
to be made for educating the young. For
the first five years let the remuneration be
one-tenth of the net annual income from j
plantation accounts and sales, made, at the i
discretion of the planter; for tho second, j
one-eighth; for the third, one-sixth; for the ]
fourth series, one-fifth; and for thc final j
i semi-decade, one-fourth. This would be a j
I veritable apprenticeship, giving a progres- !
j sive state to the present generation, and j
j preparing the rising ono for the eventual j
conflict of capital with labor. The system j
would bc a new one; not the checking <>it" I
by the proprietor for his own benefit tho
short-coming of service, but a mutual
surveillance by the operatives themselves, i
The negroes are averse to leavingtlus conn
try. Tho employment of force would be
banishment, a punishment for crime, and ;
the courts would interfere. Their coloniza- !
tion cannot be effected unless the Slates, \
ignoring the proclamation, enact gradual
emancipation and impose as t he condition
[ of freedom, that it shall be optional to send
! them, excepting quadroons, out of tho I
' country. That action, under cover of States j
rights, is the only mode by which the (Jen- !
' oral Government, influenced by the domi
! nant party, now repentant of its suicidal
Lcourse, can retrace its steps; for if the Con- j
[ vcntioii yield to the usurpation of tlio pro
bfiatnation, all will be lost irrevocably. The
I exhausted slavcholding States have not tie."'
j means of building and keeping up the hos
pit?is, infirmaries and ufltTifioiutljuil.*, made ;
necessary by the sudden and radical change
forced on the country by the proclamation.
With the-means furnished, the exigencies';
of the situation could not be met in time,
which alone is conclusive against the policy ?
of the Federal Government. Pledge should
I be exacted of all candidates fin- the Logisla
' turo or for Congress, that in case? gradual
\ emancipation cannot be effected, then that
i they press for the hiebest compensation, in
j every way andatevery turn, and as auxiliary
j to it, that repudiation of tho United States
I debt be strenuously demanded. For three
j years the State should levy no more tax
than merely enough to pay a few indispen?
sable salaries, eking out with certificate's,
&c. Not more than 010,000 should be al?
lowed for covering the. New State House
with a shingle roof and furnishing it withj
i pine benches and tabb's. __j
CniKcnat lam of llio Soiit??.
Wn-avrsGTox, September 10, 1805.
Mu. EDTTOR: In my last letter, after a
i brief survey of our actual position, and of
i the legi dative measures necessary for tem
j porary relief, we arrived at the conclusion
? that the only prospect of a permanent and
secure industrial system, and of a restored
I prosperity, was in the increase of our white
I population. A glad and hearty welcome to
j Connan and Irish, English and Scotch,
j French and Italian. This is our true policy,
?though it is possible "that in treating in a
! cursory and discursive manner, a subject
1 which concerns the future, and which is,
( ! consequently, largely speculative, Immy not
have impressed my views sufficiently upon
all to bring them to tlie same conclusion as
ourselves. A few still blindly sigh over the
ruins of the past, and hope to prop np again
the fallen edifice. Others, of a more san
; ; gaine temperament, anticipate permanent
? ! relief and prosperity from the new relations
^ ! of the African a nd Caucasian Tacos; but thc
l ! majority will, I think, upon reflection, agree
i that lt is only by large additions to our
k white population that we eau look for as?
sured prosperity. Id is idle to suppose this
I tho sentiment of men embittered by loss ol
i property. Could the whole white popula
" tion of the South be transported and theil
' ! places lilied by inhabitants of New Eng?
land, it would only assure*, and vastly accele
- ' rate, tho. fate of tho negro. A highly im
3 j prove? industry, however indoctrinated
\ j with ideas concerning tho equal rights ol
. mankind, gemid nat and would not endim
their improvidence. Besides, the habits
and ties of a hfe-tinie, nay, of generations,
though rudely shattered, cannot all at onee
b/? totally destroyed; and even those, who
think the presence of tho race a curse, feel
kindly towards many individuals. It is,
therefore, with regret that we come to our
conclusion: we would that it wen- otherwise,
but we cannot shut our eyes. And, while
firmly confident of the idtimate result, are
still determined to deal justly, with these
people and as kindly as we e?in, consistently
with self-preservation and our duties to
ourselves.
Of the obstacles which present themselves
to white immigration, the first is tho pre?
sent military rule and the ?onseqnent inse?
curity of all civil rights. As there is every
reason to hope that this will soon bo re?
moved, it may be counted as the least seri?
ous, and wc may pass to the consideration
of those winch existed in time past, and
may, therefore, more properly be deemed
permanent. The world generally said that
our climate was too hot aud too unhealthy,
and we agreed with the world ; nay, 1 am
not sure hut wc helped to cram this opinion
down the world's throat, by declaring that
only the negro could labor in our fields. J
remember still, with amusement, meeting,
some ten years ago, ?Sir Francis Head at
Langer Schmalbach, in Germany, and his
look of utter astonishment at learning that
so healthy a man was a native of Carolina.
"Charleston, sir; a wonderful clear com?
plexion for that sickly locality." There was
not so great ignorance among educated and
travelled mon nearer home, but still great
misconception existed on the subject, not
only among tho masses of tho North, but
even in our own communities. That this
opinion has had sonic clTeet in deterring im
migmuts from coming among us. is true,
but by no means so great an effect as has
been usually supposed. Thc average health
of those who have come hay been such as
to serve, in a great measure, to counteract
the opinion of the general unhealthiness of
thc climate. And assuredly, although the
heats of summer last longer with us, they are
neither more intense nor more enervating
than in the Northern States. At least one?
-half of this State, (all that which lies North
and West of a line drawn through Edgofield,
Columbia and Cheraw,) rejoices in a climate
equal in salnbriety to any in tlie world; thc
soil is excellent for farming, and the culture
of tho vine and fruit trees, and it possesses
an extent of water power and sites for man?
ufacturing purpose?, not surpassed by thc
same extent of territory in any other por?
tion of the United States. A more healthy,
vigorous race docs not exist than thc inha?
bitants of these portions of the Statt?. Be?
tween this line and the sea coast, lies a
country mostly covered with pine, with oc?
casional rich alluvial lands on tho groat
rivers. With a climate possibly not so brac?
ing as that before spoken of, it is generally
healthy, *nd even those localities which arc
not, will become so when the forests arc
cleared, the lands drained and put in a
proper state*of cultivation. The third see
tion of the State, that directly adjoining
the sea. is, in many places, unhealthy, bu
not'to the extent that has been generally
supposed. This the experience of the wai
h.'.s demonstrated. /The contending forces
; of either anny have idvouaeked, done pick
1 et duty and fought, during the late war, it.
I places that were considered totally nniu
I habitable before. They have spent who!
j summers in localities, to spend a night ii
I which, previous to 1800, was deemed deati
. for a white man. And these men have eu
' joyed, on the winde, c ?niparatively goo<
: health. -Even those portions of this regioi
i generally cousiden d among the most un
: healthy, the rice lands on the Pee Dee
; Waccamaw, Saidee, Cooper, Combahee am
JAshcnoo rivers, are not much more so, a
Whe present lime, than the low lands on th
^Delaware, the Chesapeake and the norther
j IVkos. Besides, there is 'scarcely a spot i
I the whole low country, however unhealthy
i within a mile of which some healthy loe;
j tion for residence may not be found, eithc
i in the pine land or on the ocean beac!
: The experince of the past, nay, the exper
I euee ol' men of only twenty-five or thirt
! years of age, demonstrates that in propo:
j tion as the lands are cleared and drain?e
j the hearth improves, so that the improvt
! mont of the country in point of health wi
! go hand in hand with its material prosper
? ty. These certainly arc not reasons sui'
I cient, to account for the absence of imm
: gration to this State.
; Ag lin, it is not only in this State; in a
. the Southern States foreign immigratic
1 ha*, in no respect, compared with what
, has been in the Northern and North-wostei
States; ?uni that, too, in portions of counti
i adjoining the Ohio, Mississippi and Mi
I souri, notoriously unhealthy. Virginia, po
' sessing, probably, the most healthy, deligh
i ful and bracing climate, hhs, in the respe
: <>f the increase of her population by ima
. gration, fallen far behind States infinite
, j inferior in advantages, whether for heall
! or productiveness. The average health
! this State is at least equal to, ii' not great
1 j than, that of the State of Illinois; yet, ma
i the difference in the increase of populatio
? ' If the climate of the Southern States h
! really had anything to do with this matt?
I it has been in an indirect way, and rath
?on account of its superior salnbriety th;
' \ thc reverse. Tho negro, whose tropic
. ; constitution could not support the cold ai
.'rude winters of the Northern States, i
? creased and flourished in our mon? gen
' (dime. He becom< s the institution ol' t
? ' country. Upon this base rose a soci<
. I possessed of many high qualities and gr.
i i merits. Of these it is not our part to spca
. we arc viewing the subject now purely as
1 industriel system and in its relation wi
' white immigration. Upon this it exereis
- I a most unfortunate effect. Tho whole ca]
I I tal of thecouutuy was locked up, not in t
?Jftbe^ of.the black man, but in himself a:
Ehis prog* ry, and was thus diverted fr<
l||.se enterprivs which would develop t
^HLmrci- of the country .'?nd attract hom
Bg; hutu*, while that labor itself shunn
?Ej^^^aitlt s<, idle,, thriftless a
B. t.!. ajid fleeTjTbni it ?is from t
9 8? Here lies the real seeiet ol'
Ri\e!y small increase of populath
an ovil which grew and increased, year by
year, with the material prosperity and I
rapid increase of the African race. Will j
the recent change in our social system effect j
this evil? and how? What can we do to
remedy it? These aro questions locked in I
tho womb of the future, and which time
alone can answer definitely; but on which I \
propose, with your permission, to hazard a
few speculations in my next letter.
CAUCASIAN.
COI?TJMBIA, S. C., September 13, 18*15. ;
Mn. Kimon: In your issue (weekly) of ;
the 12 h inst int, you publish a "letter ,
from a gentleman of thc first character," ;
residing at Newberry, S. C., with reference
to the death of Calvin Crozier, who essayed
to kill, ami did horribly cut, a- member ol'
the liSd U. S. C. T.
Presuming that you are in favor of tho
/urtu in the case being known. I desire to
! correct two errors in the letter of your cor?
respondent in Newberry, and which are
erroneous. First, your correspondent says
that "others participated"' in the "fight"
between Crozier and the soldier, "and in
self-defence Crozier used a knife," &c, ;
while the concurrent testimony of all who I
were present immediately after Crozier had
committed the crime, (even including the .
statement of tho commencement of the !
affair from Crozier himself,) prove that the
soldic r was alone ancLuaassistcd throughout
the fight-. Si corni, your correspondent :
says the "sergeant in charge tired a pistol
! ball through bis head," which is ???true, j
j tho b ill aforesaid having ?been fired by a '
I p ri v. de. without orders from or knowledge '
j of tin - sergeant.
If Crozier was a "perfect gentleman," he
I must hiwukanirn that if a soldier was intrud- I
j ing, or endangering the life of himself, or
that of any one in bis charge, there was a
j legal way of proeeedure for bringing the
I offender to condign punishment. Crozier,
immediately after committing the bloody
crime, attempted to escape, and was.' r re: t jd 1
a distance from the place of tiie commission
of the crime. Tho /acts, even as staled hy
your car-respondent, cannot justify Crozier
I in tho free use bo made of his knife. The
I facts court investigation, Very respectfully, i
Au.. L. S. LANGLEY, * i
Serg?ant-Major E3d U. S. C. T. ?
[Wc freely publish tho preceding comara
incition, and leave it to our Newberry coe
respondent to reply if he deems it necessary. !
But our Sergeant-Major mistakes in one
thing. Tt is one thing to bring au offender
to punishment, and another to prevent him
promptly at the moment of offence; and where
ladies aro concerned, and at night in an
open "car, a subsequent court-martial must
always be considered rather a cold und
tardy proceeding. Our Sergeant-Major,
however, says not a word to justify the
j summary execution of Crozier, apparently
I without order and without a trial. Nor has
he boen taught, by the law-.s of any country,
that where no homicide has been committed,
though a knife may have been used in an
affray, that death is the penalty for thc
offence. We do not see that the. present
correspondent meets the real diflicultios of
! the case.-ED. PJICE?'IX.]
I Co'.rm.KTiox OF Trrc SUEZ CASAI*-A little
i item in thc foreign news by the Halifax
I steamer, announces a great, fact, namely,
i tho completion of the famous "Suez Canal,
and tho passage of a vessel from the blue
j waters of the Mediterranean into tho lied
Sea-the same Red Sea through which
i Moses and Aaron led the children of Israel,
I and which swallowed up tho pursuing hosts
I of King Pharoah.
? Tho Isthmus of Suez, which bas thus
i been cut by a commercial canal, connects
j Europe and Asia, and is about seventy-five
j mile* broad. With the exception of two
: small ridges, of tho respective medium
I heights of thirty and forty-five feet, the
j surface is only elevated from five to eight
i feet above the level of thc adjoining seas,
I with a general depression towards the Me ?
diterranean. The work of digging a canal
across this strip of land was undertaken in
1S52, by a joint stock company, undi r the
j auspices of M. de Lesseps, a French cngi
. noer. Tho company commenced operations
in 1859, with a capital of $40,000,000. The
j canal runs between the town of Slijpz and
I the Gulf of Pelusiam. It is some ninety
[ j miles long, twenty feet deep at low water
; level*of the Mediterranean, and three hun?
dred and thirty feet wide. Its prospective
. importance as a "short cut" botweeu the
. two continents can. at this time, scarcely be
. I over-estimated.-New York Krprcss.
-
, ' SOTTTHERN FEELING.-A correspondent of
. { the New York Keening Post, writes from
: Aiken, S. C., "that it. is an extremely pleas
! ant duty to mention tho good feelings of the
I citizens towards the United States soldiers.
. Reserved seats in churches, invitations to
: dinners, to parties, to rides; recognition by
the many young ladies who sometimes pro
< monade in the streets; salutes by thc young
gentlemen, and a welcome into cheerful
[. bonn':'., rewards.the soldier for any interest
i lu; takes in the welfare of the community.
1 He feels that he is in tho United States,
I that he is among friends, and bc exerts
- himself in turn to benefit those friends.
1 Tlu; discussion of politics is eschewed by all
, _it is not proper to say both parties here,
? for there is hardly more*than one. Occa
t sionally, it maybe, a lady says of the war,
; 'it Avas all wrong from tho beginning,' as ;i
I quietus to some prejudiced talker, and thc
i convers?t ion turns on travel or the resources
1 of the country."
> The death of the Admiral of the Br?i rdj
i fleet, Sir Francis William Austin, (I. C. !>.,
x is announced. He was born in 1771, ami
. I was the son o? the Rev. (5. Austin. Edn
t I cated ?it lite Royal Navy College, he served
1 I in the Mediterranean, East find West Indies,
1 j Baltic amt North Sea. From 18-15 lie wa.?
? ! Commander-in-chief of tho West Indian
[. ! and North American stations, ?ind. in lxVi3,
. ! was Vicc-Admiral ol' thc United Kingdom.
Xiocal Items.
Owing lo tho pressure upon our columns, wo
are compelled to defer thc pnUlieatioii of th?' -n-o
ccedings in thc Convention yesterday.
ESLAKHEMENT OK mr. PHOENIX.- Our hird, tho
Phoenix, sprung from Hie ashen of Coluudiia while
Uer ruins wort- yet smouldering, lia? had succcss
?vc and rapid growths, and now, this day, y?,
forth <:t newer ami broader wings, for r> ! ?.!]>..?. ..
longer and more continued (light. Sin .; 11 ..
hird of thc advent. She took brr fi i ?cht when
other bird dared t:d;r advantage .>! the shy. ? -
ble, fettered,*cabined, cribbed, confined_bise h? .
yet, at all times, spoken freely the birribi n of )i< >.
thought, such MS became herself and the natu c
of a great people, desolate, overthrown, (nit not
extinct*, and with .soul enough still roorovi tnichtv
.*>.. M State. She has not vet soared her futi. - t
Hight-?ho has yet embarrassments to campier;
but, boin what she hus don**, snfiicitmt evidence
has Ix ;'ii shown of her ability, not only to main?
tain her giound, but to cinpa-H still "wider em?
pires. Let her flit ?id., wait li}><ui h fr wit1! pati< nee,
and th ev sliall ?ll he made happv bv lier oerform
anc,ia- _..
>5taiEXADK. -Thc Ph'Knix was honored, let
ni^rl? t. with a charming serenade, di scour .mg such
rich sweet sounds in her cars, as roused her up
from dreams, and made her heart throb against
ber ribs, making a music of*il- own, such as the
humming bird develop ;, when his enjoyment is at
thc highest, in the bosom of a honey-suckl .. TL o
fairy strains are still ringing in ber oars, and : ..me
cf them so sadly sweet that they :v?nj t-. be like
those of a swan at the hour of ber departure. We
arc certainly about lo lo?e onei l oar y.-.im;: nut: '.
ciaos. Alas! ala*! who can ii be? What dear
youth is about to depart cr get married nod go
off? What dams.) is about lo deprive her?el? of
individuality, and becoming a happy wife, lose all
tin ; precious privileges of being adored as a sove?
reign. How terrible to exchange these privileges
for the duties of seeing after dinner, washing up
the cups, making clothes for the baby but why
enumerate, when th? catalogue of dome1 ti.- mise?
ries is so endless? Stu; will have mt moro c.-re?
mides by the light of the moon, and must h. con?
tent with her single sir-iti-aid by the light of a
farthing candle. The subject is very saddening
to these pom* things, thus voluntarily sui r< nderhig
themselves to bonds, when they had to themselves
all the bird privileges of ??ght and music.
NEW AxtAxninsEirEN'TS.-Attention is called lo
the following advertisements, which are published
for the first lime this morning:
Regular Meeting Palmetto Lodge.
\V. It. Cathcart -Cottage, to Kent.
.lohn Stork -Wim s, Cordial.*,
i ? - Lot for Sab*.
I Dr. I*. Melvin Cohen- Pure Wines. A.c.
Mai. fien. Amos - (?em ral Orders New. I, 3 and 5.
i I.. C. Clarke -Drv Coeds and Groceries.
Rcl-ort brvco -Itriel. Ollices le R-n?-.
John W. Caldwell -Residence f.?r Sale.
< Opposite Hitchcock*;* Stables - Lumber for Sal..-.
Dnrbec.v Walter Furniture, ?Ve.
A. lt. ridllips- Mules, Wageti and l?ame-'.
1 Richard ON. al.' .v Swn-Storage i,f < lotton.
John Fripp-Horses, Wagon, ?c. -tor Sab-.
. J. 15. White -Hillsboro Military Academy.
Tile Arrival of Foreign Capitalists.
By the arrival of the Scotia, yesterday, a
large number ttl' Our conntrymeii ?md of !u rs
from various sections ol' thc* country laid
the grati heath n of welcoming unite a num?
ber of gentlemen from England, who an?
the representatives of British and European
, eipital, and who ure especially interested
in railroad enterprises on this continent.
The party of visitors consists of thirty-two
persons, many of them distinguished for
their wealth, others for their scientific
achievements, and other's also, for makhfg
; known, through their literary ability, the
! progress of commercial enterprises, which
; muy benefit mankind. Five, in the last
classification, are gentlemen who come here
as representatives of the chief London
journals-, and they will regularly report
through their correspondence whatever they
may perceive in their tour through this
j Western world that may be worthy of the
i attention of foreign capitalists,
j It will bo perceived ?it once that this is no
'? trivial mission. We have had soldiers, re
; formers, and even princes, to make the tour
j of this country in a public way, but never
I have we had so important a body to wel
: come as the present one. The party have
j corni! at an important epoch in om* history.
? Their purpose is to carefully survey our
railroad system, the character and working
I arrangements of our roads, and particularly
j to notice those which have been built by
j thc* aid of foreign capital. That they may
! have every facility for learning all that is to
j be known on these important subjects,
special trains will be provided for them,
I that they may be transported from point to
j point with ease, security and promptitude,
I and with as little fatigue as may be possible
I while fulfilling so onerous a mission. Our
I principal railroad men of the Northern and
? Middle Stab's have been active in address
i ing themselves to these guests of the coun
I try. and such of our Southern capitalists
j and enterpris'ng managers of railroads as
! are here, aro equally ?dive to the importance
: of introduc ing gentlemen of so great influ
I enc<* abroad toa knowledge of the vast profit.
1 to be derived from thc application of capital
, ' to the wants of the railroad companies in
I the South. The enterprises in railroads in
, I tin* South are not like experimental affairs,
or like those in which competing capital
. ! over-designs and creates the means of trans
. j portation. Every rota! in the South i.. a
i i necessity of the population and essential to
I the increase of production, and with the
I now order of things will become vastly more,
I remunerative than ?it any former period.
; ; Hence capital may be safely directed to?
ward the South. The exhaustion of tho
war calls for,repairs and renovation, and
capital well applied will more w isely be ex?
pended, we think, on Southern railroads
than on those which are under the disad?
vantage of great and still increasing comped
titi n. HowiV-Tj the gentlemen on this
mission, who representan enormous amount
of British capital, will he able to draw their
own conclusions after they have made their
surveys, and we shall be much surprised if
in their reports to European capitalists,
vs i111 whola they are associated, they do not
justify the views we have expressed with
regard to the splendid field for investments
now open at the South. -New Yftt'Jc Nen-:
A Brownsville correspondant says the he
of the itio Grande is growing dark
t Vi ops.