Newspaper Page Text
Zfhe (JJuitMau gamier.
F. R. FILDES, - - Editor.
QUITMAN, GEO.
FRIDAY, JUDY 20,1B«7.
Capt James Ii Moseley
Is onr millii)rir.i'j (ioneral Agent, to procure mid
receipt fur sulmcriptioiln and advertising tor the
Quitman Banner.
r.niigration.
At (lie request of Rev. 0. L. Smith, we
publish to -iluy nnot ; or long letter from
Mr. It. R. Di v.ti, descriptive of British
Honduras, to which country he sailed,
from Now Orleans, on the 25th inst.
It is not strange that many of onr peo
ple should be looking to foreign climes,
for that peace ami happiness, which is
denied them at home. Yankee oppres
sion lias drove many of onr best men to
the verge ol desperation; and rather
than submit to the burthens placed upon
them by the arrogant and exacting con
queror, they arc disposed to obandon ev
erything, and confide their future to the
destiny of a foreign clime lint whilst
\vu admit that this is a natural impulse,
wc arc far from conceding to it sound
judgment or ir/se discretion.
It is true that the political heavens
hear the line of midnight darkness—the
nation is convulsed by diabolism—and
fiends incarnate, crazed by the recent
carnival of death, and intent upon retain
ing power and position, seem determined
to convert onr sunny South into a patidi
nionium—where the inferior race shall
rnle the Anglo Saxon—and mongrelistn
take the place of an intelligent, high
t lied and pure people. Such, we admit,
is the future foreshadowed; hut, "whilst
there is life, there is hope:" we liavo not
yet despaired of the Republic W e still
have faith i:i the ultimate glorious des
tiny of the South. We believe that our
children will yet see her Star in the as
cendcnt— ourj people prosperous, happy
and contented. The drunken political
revel will soon disgust the masses, and
then will come the reaction. Let us ro
main and aid in the regeneration of onr
land. In the language of another, “toe
had better live here in poverty than die beg
gar# in strange lands."
It is not to flee from present oppres
sion, but the shadow of the approaching
future, that has created the intense de
sire for emigration. But where will you
go? If to find an established, liberal, en
lightened government, seek not Central
nor South America, for there society has
developed tho gravest evils which we
fear for the South. Mongrclism is ram
pant from tho Rio Cl ramie to tho South
Polo. Amalgamation is a prominent
feature of society. Mr. Duval, hiinsolf a
zealous champion of emigration to Brit
isii Honduras, admits that eighteen out ol
vtoa twenty tUonsuint U«*i
country, are mongrels. Spanish Hondu
ras is still much worse, and those
who have gone to Brazil, say that the
South, 'mid all her misforluues, is a par
ad iso in comparison.
Our people, therefore, would act wise
ly to well digest the glowing descrip
tions given of foreign climes, ere they
commit their fortunes to the hazard of
disappointment. Remember you cannot
'‘rnnkc miy country yours,” and that no
man can
'* —be Iroaelirroiiß with the Walloon, ilrlnk with
The Dutch, a chimney sweeper with the Irish,
A g.inlU-niun with the llWsn, anil turn urruut
Thief with tho Knglish."
President Jnlinsou.
Congress passed a resolution forbid
ding the President to remove District
Commanders without the consent of the
Senate, unless tho General commanding
the armies so recommended. This is
nothing less than reversing the positions
of the Commander-In-Chief and General
Grant. The latter, by this resolution, is
now the chief officer of the Govern
ment.
Os course Johnson will submit. He
has uot the moral courage to resent the
indignity. In fact, he ceased to bcPrcs
d uit months ago, and would have been
kicked completely out of the executive
mansion, if he had not so well served
his Radical masters, tfe is a timid old
man—has excellent ideas as to what is
his duty—but not sufficient grit in his
composition to execute it. \Ye have
heard much about his being the friend of
tho South, and standing between us and
ruin. This is all gammon. It is true he
has given us tongue professions of friend
ship—he has boldly confronted the Radi
cal legislators, and pointed out their
iniquities; but they make sport of him,
and quietly tell him he must do as they
desire—and, of course, good old soul, he
docs exactly as direct- and. This is “stand
ing between the South and ruin,” with a
vengeance. If he hud been possessed of
the manly courage and iron will of “Old
Hickory,” twelve months ago lie would
have poured a broadside into the ranks
of the disorganizers at, Washington, that
would have impressed them with the
power of the position lie occupies, and
ere tliis have lestured to the South he: !
violated rights. But the poor old man j
has an awful dread of stilettoes, blunder- !
busses and impeachment committees, ami i
therefore the Rads are permitted to cuff'
kirn at pleasure.
MtxT A writer in the National Intelli
gencer truthful;}’ says : “Even in an
cient history we have no account where
the slaves of a conquered people were
elevated and put to rule the conquered"
The writer adds with regard to a small ;
class in the South who call themselves !
men : “Wc can respect a man that we !
lielivo const;, ntioirs in his views, Irt j
him be ever so great an extremist ; bn! i
a mao that licks the hand that smites
him when he is on his back, is about as
low down as human nature c;uv get to I
be"
>V|iidler are wt Drifting!
The Radicals and their Congress are I
passing from olio extreme to another,
and at every step the enormity of their
usurps! i it is made more glaring. Up
to the assembling of the recent Congress,
they bad not dare lay violent bands upon
the represented States—their nfroeitics
were confined to the powerless people of
the South. It is said that familiarity j
with crime makes men bold—und.we sup- 1
pose familiarity with usurpation makes
radical legislators reckless; and therefore
this tnsiy account for the adoption by the
House of a resolution, instructing the
Judiciary Committee to inquire whether
Kentucky, Maryland and Delaware have j
State Constitutions, republican in form, j
It is to be hoped the Judiciary Com-j
tniltee will report adverse to the govern
ments of the States mentioned, and Con
gress, in consequence, place them under
military law. Such a step would open
the eyes of tho thoughtful millions at the
North, and cause them to make inquiry
as to “whither we are drifting?” Ret
Congress lay "violent hands” upon the
State governments north, and it will ac
complish more towards reconstruction
than n thousand military bills. It will
open the eyes of the people, and cause
them to hurl from place and power the
distructive element of discord.
Sumner’s Gxpectutlom.
In a recent speech in the U. Senate,
Mr. Sumner declared that, “he could not
doubt that colored Senators and Repre
sentatives would soon ho welcomed into
the Capitol.” In the same speech he al
so declared, that the South shall not re
enter the Union until each Southern State
shall establish a system of schools, in
which whito children shall bo permitted
to sit alongside of their little black mas
ters and mistresses.”
If the Senate will sustain Mr. Sumner
in his position, then the South never will
again be restored to her position in the
American Union.
Governor Johnson.
Wc publish on our first page the able
and interesting letter of this distinguish
ed gentleman on tie policy of the South
ern States, and duty of the people under
tho requirements of the Reconstruction
laws of Congress. It will be read with
great interest by the people.
lion D ll Hill's Speech
We have received from the enterpris
ing proprietors of tho Augusta Chronicle
& Sentinel, a pamphlet copy of lion. B.
H, Hill’s speech on the condition of the
country, delivered at Atlanta, July 10th,
and Kx-Governor Johnson’s letter on the
situation. They are able documents, and
should be read by every one. Price five
cents.
These publishers have also issued, in
parnp- let firm, lion. B If. Hill’s “Notes
on tho Situation,” which have attracted
such great attention throughout the coun
try.
The President’s Veto.
We publish elsewhere the telegraphic
synopsis of President Johnson’s Message,
vetoing the recent Supplemental Act of
Congress. It was promptly passed over
tho veto by more than a two-tli rd vote,
and is now a law of the land. The ten
Southern States are now under complete
control of Military satraps, and civil offi
cials hold their offices solely at tho option
0 f the Dictator.
MyH(eri«uß Infamous.
The Wash InMligeneer says
that it lias recently come to light, "that
the commission of Military officers which
tried and condo ned the conspirators,
united in a written recommendation to
t o President, for the pardon or commu
tation of the punishment of Mis. Surratt.
It is now stated, upon what authority
we are not apprised, that the President
never saw this paper, nor did ho ever
hear of it until recently through the
newspapers.”
If this is true, then has some high of
ficial committed an heinous offense a
gainst humanity and justice. Did Sec
retary Stanton pocket the "recommenda
tion for pardon,” and thus forestall the
President from performing an act of mer
cy? If I o did, then is ho guilty of ‘'mur
der most foul.”
From Texas.
A dispatch from Galveston, Texas,
July 20th, says that headquarters arc
overwhelmed with reports of outrages in
the Red River country. "The colored
men dare not accept appointment, and
the registers are threatened with death.
Judge I.itimer, a prominent Texan, has
resigned an appointment to the Bureau,
as he is afraid of his life. The chief out
law is named Guest. The colored peo
ple Uee to ti e woods at his approach,
lie shot a freedwoman and cut out her
womb with a living child in it, and ex
hibited it in drunken glee in a barroom,
lie was arrested, but escaped. Sterling,
Robinson county, colored church, was
assaulted and two men ami one woman
killed. Captain Randal, Bureau agent,
raised a hundred freedmen and arrested '
two of the ringleaders.”
W e believe the foregoing dispatch to !
l>e an infamous radical lie, manufactured
for the s, le purpose of advancing the in
terest of the Radical party North.
Sleefixo Car. —Our Savannah exchan
ges inform us that one of the sleeping
cars, (the arrival of which was noticed
last week,) has been placed on the road, j
and will be run between Savannah and
Lake City, Florida. Our cotemporaries
pronounce it an elegant public convey-!
atice, and no doubt will be highly appre
ciated by travelers.
A bill was passed, by the lute Congress
to the effect, that no person shall te dis- 1
qualified, by i eason of race or color, from
holding office in the District of Columbia, j
' News and Ollier Items.
The Savannah Advertiser advises the :
full.overs of “t e art preservative of all;
arts,” that no employment can be had
in that eity. The offices are all over
stocked.
A Mr. Duncan who w as tried by Court
Martial over a year ago, for maltreat
ment of prisoners at Andersonville, and
sentenced to confinement at Fort Pulas
ki for fifteen] years made his escape
and sailed to a foreign port one day last
week.
Sarah M. Stirling, the American gian
toss was married in San Francisco a few
days ago. She is seven feet high, and
he is four feet eleven inches. If he don’t
do l ight she can “spank” him
A Cincinati lawyer lias within a year
obtained three divorces for the same wo
man. Shu i* a fast one.
Four hundred and twenty three tons
of iron for the Bainbridge extension of
the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad reached
Savannah on Saturday.
A lady in Dooly County, Geo., on the
11 tli inst., gave birth to three daughters
It is to be hoped her husband has a fine
corn crop. If not, he is to be pitied.
A negro woman at Jasper, however,
heats the Dooly lady. This woman re
cently gave birth to four children, weigh
ing 8, 12, Id aud 15 pounds—4B pounds
cf squalling babies.
Ten priests and six sisters of charity
were murdered and outraged by the In
dians in the west on the 19th inst.
John Forsythe, of the Mobile Register,
says there is one miriclc neither God nor
the devil could work, viz : Make any
thing hut a traitor a renegade, a coward
and a scoundel out of any Southern born
man who would desert his Southern
mother in the hour of her agony, aud be
come a Radical.
A white man in Fayetteville, N. C, re
cently made application to Gen. Sickles
for permission to marry a colored wo
man. The General issued an order per
mitting the marriage to take place, hut
i„ was coupled with anjexpress disappro
bation of the step to be taken.
Maximilliari left by his will to the
wives of Miramon and Mejia, one him
died thousand dollars each, which they
will receive in Europe.
Maximillian’s body has been delivered
to the Austrian Consul at San Louis I’o
tosi, and will be embalmed by him and
forwarded to Austria.
Ten tbousond ciollars reward is offer
ed by the Juai-ez government for Mar
quez, and he is r< ported to have about
his person one million dollars in foreign
exchange.
A new-style of Steam Carriage ap
peared in Boston a few days ago. It
was a light open buggy, carrying two
men and had no visible means oflocomo
tion save a slight apparatus under the
box. The vehicle came along a street
on tho track just behind a horno car ;
but when the car stopped the huggy
was turned aside and passed by tho oar
and was guided as easily as if a hotse
had been attached.
Yankee Conciliation.
The Northern press and politicians are
constantly Dialing about the “ci nciliuto
ry spirit” they have ever raauiiested to
wards their “on ing brethren” of the un
reconstructed States. The Montgomery
Mail cites a few illustrations of tliei
tenderness. Tt says: “They flaunt the
national flag in our faces and say,‘Damn
you, love it!” They play Yankee Doodle
in onr theatres and say ‘Damn you, ap
plaud it!’ They are asked to assist in
mending tho levees to save a drowning
people, and they say, ‘Damn you, drown!’
They are told by appointees to office that
they prefer not to take such an uncer
tain responsibility, and they say, ‘Damn
you, take it, or we will give it to some
negro!’—They read the Declaration of
Independence to us and say, ‘Damn yon,
what do your Jeffersonians think of our
interpretation?’ They ask our people
to support the Constitution and Union
thereunder, and say, ‘Damn you, how do
you like our amendments?”
Suffrage Amendment of the Consti
tution.
The iden of attempting to extend what
is called, in modern political phrase, "im
partial suffrage,” over the whole coun
try, simply by act of Congress, remarks
the Baltimore Run. is of so extraordinary
a character, that it is evident the few ex
treme leaders who proposed it have not
been ab e, as yet, to bring it up to gene
ral party acceptance. Senator Wilson
gives indication of a disposition to rely
now on more legitimate means for the
object in view, and therefore he, on Wed
nesday, introduced in the Senate a joint
resolution proposing the following amend
ment to the Constitution of tho United
Slates:
“Article—No distinction shall be made
by the United States, nor by any State,
among citizens in their civil or political
rights on account of race, color or pre
vious conditions.”
The question is thus proposed to be :
submitted to the States for their action,
and it is gratifying to see the Republican 1
Senator once more lecurring to the prin
ciple that tho regulation of suffrage is a
matter belonging to the States under the j
Constitution as it is. Should the resolu
tion pass each house ol Congress by the
constitutional vote of two-thirds, and the
requisite three-fourths of the States ratify
it, of course then the States will have j
parted with their pr.sent prerogative of
regulating the suffrage.
Registration.
From eleven counties in Georgia, heard j
from, the registration of voters foots up j
as follows:
Whites - 6,602;
Blacks ?.«8-
Total 13,980 j
Majority for blacks 9i6 j
The President's Veto.
The veto was received. Message cov-1
ers ihree columns, and argues elaborate
ly .(he inconsistencies ad unconstitu
tionality of the acts. Allud rig to the
declaration that the State governments
are illegal; he says: “A singular contra
diction is apparent here: Congress de
clares the local State governments to be
illegal governments, and then provides
lliat these illegal governments shall be
carried on by Federal officers who are to
perform the very duties imposed on its
own officers by this illegal State authori
ty. It certainly would he a novel spec
tacle if Congress should attempt to car
ry on a legal State government hy the
agency of its own officers. It is yet more
strange that Congress attempts to sus
tain and carry on an illegal State gov
ernment by the same Federal agency.”
With regard to title by conquest, he
says: “it is anew title acquired by war.
It applies only to territory, for goals or
movcalile tilings regularly captured in
war are called booty, or if taken by an
individual soldier, plunder. There is
not a part of land in any of these ten
States which the United States holds by
conquest, save only such land as did run
belong to either of these States or any
individual owner. I mean for such lands
as did belong to the pretended Govern
ment called the Coi federate States.
These lands we may clsim to hold by
conquest; as to all Other land or errito
ry, whether belonging to the States or
individuals, the Federal Government has
now no more title or right to it than it
had bolero the rebellion ”
The message concludes:
"Within a period 1c s than a year the
legislation of Congress has attempted to
strip the Executive Department of the
Government of some of its essential pow
ers. The Constitution, and the oath pro
vided in it, devolve upon the President
the power and the and ity to see that the
laws are faithfully executed. The Con
stitution, in order to carry out this pow
er, gives him the choice of the agents
and makes them subject to his control
and supervision; but in the execution of
these laws the constitutional obligation
upon tho President remains, but the
power to exercise that constitutional du
ty is effectually taken away. The Mili
tary Commander is, as to the power ol
appointment, made to take ilie place of
the President, and the General ot the ar
my the place of the Senate; any attempt
on the part of the President to ass rt his
own constiinternal power may, under
pretence of law, be met by official insub
ordination
It is to be feared that these military
officers, looking to the authority given
by the laws rather than to the letter of
the Constitution, will recognize no au
thority but the Commander of the Dis
trict and the General of the Army. If
there were no other objections than this
to this proposed legislation it would he
sufficient. Whilst I I mid tho chief exec
utive authority of the United States;
whilst the obligation rests up >n me to
see that all thelaws are taithfullyexecu
ted, 1 can never willingly surrender that
trust or the powers givrn for its execu
tion. I can never give :ny consent to he
made responsible for the faithful execn
tion of laws, and at tho same time sm
render that trust and the powers which
accompany it to any other executive of
ficer, high or low, or to any number of
executive officers. If this executive trust,
vested by the Constitution in the Presi
dent, is to betaken from him and vested
in n. subordinate officer, the responsibili
ty will be' with Congress in clothing sub
ordinates witti unconstitutional power,
and with the officer who assumes its ex
ercise. This interference with the consti*
tutional authority of the Executive De
partment is an evil that will inevitably
sup the foundation of our Federal sys
tem. But it is not the worst evil of this
legislation. It, is a great public wrong
to take from the President powers con
ferred upon him alone hy the Constitution.
But the wrong is more flagrant and mure
dangerous when the powers so taken
from the President are conferred upon
subordinate executive officers, and es
pecially upon military officers. Over
nearly one third ot the States ot the
Union military power, regulated by no
fixed law, rules supreme. Each one ot
the five District Commanders, though
not cho en by the people or responsible
to them, exercises at this hour more ex
ecutive power, military and civil, than
the people have ever been willing to c u
fer upon the head of the Executive De
partment, though chosen bv and respon
sible to themselves. They know what it
is and how it is to be applied At the
present time they cannot, according to
tho Constitution, repeal these laws. I hey
cannot remove or control this military
despotism. The remedy, nevertheless, is
in their hands. It is to be found in the
ballot box, and is a sure one it not con
trolled by fraud, overawed by arbitrary
power, or from apathy on their part too
long delayed. With an abiding confi
dence in their patriotism, wisdom and
integrity, I am still hopeful of the future,
and th-1 in the end the rod of des
potism will he broken, th armed rule of
power be lifted from the necks of the peo
ple, and the principles ot a violated Con
stitution preserved.”
From Mexico.
The news from Mexico is to the 22 rid
inst. The Brownsville Kanchcro pub
lishes an extract from a letter, written
hy Escobedo to Gomez, directing by eve
ry met ns in bis power to make the coun
try thoroughly Mexican, and as all prop
erty in the bauds of foreigners has been
acquired by Mexican misfortunes, he
should take it, and also have the power
to hunt them from the country. He said,
my motto is death to all strangers, and
■ there is no dange- of the Yankees inter
: sering with us as long as the Southern
States are kept out of the Union; besides,
the black men could side with us, and
may at any time pronounce against the
whites. Before wo get through with for
eiguers, the A ankees will think we are
iu earnest, and the time will come when
their notables will be begging for their
own heads instead of the Austrians.
Ms.quez and OTlavan had not been
found up to the 13th. Some adherents are
supposed to have them secreted in their
house, or in the house of the British Min
ister.
Santa Anna is still alive atCampeacljy
and his captors are awaiting instructions
from the Liberal Government, feeling
that he will undoubtedly be shot.
Congress Iras adjourned until the -Ist
of November; at which time it will icas
semble and pass ‘'Supplemental BiW No.
3,” for tho reconstruction ,of the rebel
Slates,
British Honduras.
Since my last publication in the Ad
vocate, so many enquiries have been
made on points not referred to in that
piece, that I make the following state
ments:
A nia'l steamer leaves New Orleans
about the 25th of each month, and gets
to Belize in about six days, making no
stoppage on the way. Fare fifty dollars
in currency.
Schooners frequently go from New
Orleans to Belize, or Kuatan Island, and
passage can he had on them fur about
S3O currency
Parties of fifty or more who would
charter a large double deck schooner
could go with their baggage and many
supplies, very safely and comfortable,
and often nearly as soon as in any other
way, aud it would cost them only about
S2O each, from New Orleans and the
ports on the Gulf On r. aching Belize
very good Iward can be had for one dol
lar and a half a day, in silver, which is
the currency of the country, and convey
ance can he had to any part of the coun
try, on reasonable terms, in boats of
various sizes, and very soon I hope l>y
steamer up the Belize liver, to Confeder
ate county. There are no roads in the
country except those running from the
mahogany forest to the banks of the riv
ers, and anew road four miles long, from
Belize to a ferry ; beyond which there ia
only a path for horses and cattle.
The English language is tiie language
of the country, hut a groat many of the
people, even the common laborers, also
speak Spanish arid many of the Spanish
and Indian races speak some English; so
that the knowledge of Spanish is not
necessary, though it is very useful and
should he learned by our people.
I advise persons who go out to Hon
duras, to take some flonr, bacon and lard
with them, hut no other article of food,
unless they may choose to take some but
ter and cheese. \Vi oleii and linen goods
are much cheaper in Belize than here,
and anything in the way of clothing and
hardware can be had in Belize ; hut it
will he well to bring a cooking stove,
and such articles of housekeeping now
on hand, as cannot he sold to advantage,
and a few agricultural implements, and a
wagon or cart and harness, if already
on hand, but don’t buy new ones to bring
as they can fie made in Honduras. Every
thing is free of duty, that is brought hy
the emigrant for his own use, aud not
for sale, and the duty charged on all im
ports for salt: is only 7 per cent., except
on wines, liquors, etc., which is very
high, and lam glad of it. Houses that
are very comfortable are built of Iron
wood posts, and boarded with rived
boards of the cabbage wood, and covered
with a kind of [ atm leaf, fastened by
vines on poles and re-isting sun and rain
equal to anything else ; and very cheap,
being u ily from SSO to SIOO, when you
hire all the work ; and'if a floor of plank
be put in, no house that can be made,
can be more comfortable, for there is no
winter, and no objection to fresh air, in
the house at any time. If stone houses
are preferred they can be built as cheap
in Confederate county as anywhere else,
all the needed materials being at hand.
In this, and other things, 1 refer to the
upper country of the Belize valley, which
I examined closely; and many other por
tions of the high lands are like it, I sup
pose and believe, but I write what I know
and leave to others to describe the rood
places which they know and many of
which I believe to be very go. .1,
In Guatemala, which lies along Con
federate county for 20 miles, all kinds of
stock can be had, by going or sending
three or four days’journey ; horses for
about $25, mules S4O, oxen $lO, cows
and calves SB, and hogs very cheap, arid
all so cheap, that until the colony shall
be well settled up, it will be better to
buy than to raise them. These prices I
have from natives ot the country. E ough
pasturage is at hand for the snppor; of
the stock that wi'l he needed in the colo
ny, but not enough to raise cattle for
sale ; I have been told tliat about 7 or
8 miles from Richmond, (that, f hope
soon will be,) there is a large pine forest
of very line timber trees, a forest of hil
ly lands with delicious springs and cov
ered with grass. Two old settlers de
scribed this as a very healthy and desir
rable place for raising cattle, but the
land is sandy, and .ot rich like all the
rest of Confederate county. This land
would produce good corn, rice, and all
tropical vegetables aud fruits, but not
coffee nor sugar, tho”gh it might suit
for cotton. Unfortunately, I had not
time to see it, but hope soon to do so,
and to have a road opened to Richmond,
or at least to the river above Richmond.
Fences are very easily made by sticking
poles of wild plum and other kinds of
wood in the ground, and in a few weeks
they have taken root, and have limbs
and leaves and grow sometimes to be
large trees ; and lime seed are planted
and in two or three years make a fence
ihat will turn any cattle, while vast
quantities of limes, excellent lor making
lemonade are produced. The game in
the woods, consists of wild cows or ta
pirs, wild hogs, peccaries, (a species of
hog,) deer, aud many smaller quadrupeds
and royal pheasants, about half as large
as turkeys, common pheasants, and many
kinds of ducks and other birds and the
wild turkey. Some tigeis aie found in
the mountain hollows near the falls of
ol the river,fifteen miles above Richmond,
but they are not feared by the people.
They would be fine game for the hunt, r,
and at the falls, there is a place on tne
mountain bank of the river, whereablind
could be made and when the tigers come
to the i therside to drink, as they do
every day, they can be very easily killed,
while the hunters will be out of sight and
out ol all danger, and only from twenty
to fifty yards off.
M iikeys and baboons, and parrots and
the splendid macaws are quite plentiful.
I think the wild hogs must have eaten
up nearly all the snakes, aud poisonous
reptiles as we only saw three snakes in
our travels. We killed one wild hog,
and found the meat very superior.
The government reminds me very much
of what we had in Virginia, seven years
ago, and is perfectly delightful to our
people, who have been here longest, as
I beard them speak most particularly.
They did not refer to any hardship or
difficulty, l-ife and property are saler
than anywhere within the range of my
acquaintance and the emigrant can in a
few days have all the privileges of natu
ralization, and the protection of that
great government, which is truly mate
rial. and diffuses such constitutional lib
erty over a large portion of tbe earth.
I have looked into the question of the
authority by which Englaud holds British
Honduras fully satisfied that British Hon
duras and am is held by as valid a claim
and will be held as firmly, as Jamaica
or any other colony. I have access to
books and papers, which I think will
satisfy onr people, but I have not time
to copy n<v authority, nor space to pub
lish all that concerns the question.
Those thot cannot ’rust England to
protect her possessions, ot course wonlil j
not feel safe under her rule. The people
of Houduras are not disturbed with such
fears, and 1, most certainly, am not. I
think the “fast audio ed isle” is trust
worthy if any nation is. 1 shall trust
her. By a treaty,, late'y made with Gua
temala, the boundary lias been settled
definitely and the crown surveyor show
ed me exactly how it ran, and told me
bow he had marked it.
The whole population of British Hon
duras, I think amounts to 20,000. Per
haps 2,000 of these are whites—English,
Scotch, Spanish and Americans, and the
rest Indians, Africans, and mixed races.
Some of these mixed races are nearly
white, and have been highly educated in
English schools, and some of tfiern are
rich These have some position in So
ciety, and some ol .them attend the uin
tiers and balls at the Governor’s house.
Every one is free there to form his own
acquaintances, and keep what company
he pleases, when it it is mutually agree
able ; but my one can dbdine any so
ciety that may not be pleasant to him.
i'suppose our Southern people will
nearly all be in settlements ot our own,
witli such Hi borers as we rn ay employ of
the African or Spanish race, and, So far
as I know, these-arc humble and reliable
domestics and farm hands. I fee I satis
fied w>- shall he I leased in our serva ts
•sp ciallv those whom we shall have ap
prenticed to us till of age. Two boys
and two girls have been offered to me for
my family, and I was told that a large
iinmber can be had.
1 expect a very large emigration this
fall and winter, and I lolly count on
having Several thousands in and around
Richmond with schools in operation, and
a church bmlt, and even a conference held
in it, in much less than a year from this
time. I think so from the number of let
ters I am receiving every day. One
writer speaks of fifty families going from
bis neighborhood, and others more than
that. Society will be all right there very
soon
The seasons are divided into dry and
rainy. The dry season begin about
January, and continues wit'- very few
showers, till the first of Ji e she rainy
season, with sometime* a short intermis
sion of a week or two of dry weather, coo
tinnes the rest of tho year, raining al
most every night, but not much in the
day time. It is cooler in the rainy sea
son, but never cold and the work except
hauling heavy logs is not as much inter
rupted hy rain as one would suppose.
As to Iho amount of money required,
I think that ariy working family, that
can bring six mouths' supply of flmir,
and bacon, and a few house keeping ar
ticles, and land in Belize with SIOO specie
can never suffer for any of the comforts
of life, for in two months peas and beaus
will be ripe, and roasting-ears of corn
soon after, and rice in four months, and
game and fish and vegetables are so a
bund iiit a plenty to eat can be had.
The land can be bad on live years’
credit a $1 25,|and costs of surveying an
acre; tire house built iu a few days; aud
taxes are so very light, a working man
of steady habits, and a clear conscience,
can certaiuly prosper and be happy.
Mechanic* will soon have work enough
in all the different trades, as always is
the case in a c< nntry that is rapidly built
up, and professional men in due propor
tion will also soon be able to make a
good living.
1 do not know the diseases of the up
per country The people, there all said
it Is lieai tiy, amt certainly it looked so
t«> RIC, l*Ut then) may mtk, fc
vers there, as in other countries, though
there can be nothing in the climate in
jurious to the lungs, and such diseases
as rheumatism, neuralgia, pneumonia,
etc., must he rare.
I have been asked if it is cool enough
to cure'bacon. 1 know that good pork
has been pickled and kept six months,
and probably the fat part of the bacon
may tie cured ns 1 have often seen it in
Mexico. Even if wc cannot cure bacon
there, lard can be made at any time, and
the sale ot the great staples ot the coun
try will a fiord means to buy the small
amount of bacon that might be needed.
A cotton factory could be worked to great
profit, for tho supply of the Guatemala
trade, and a tannery would certainly do
well, ns hides are very cheap in Guate
mala Extract of logwood could lie made
at a great profit, as the logwood in the
woods, where it grows, could be cut and
hauled to the factory for $1 or $2 a ton,
while in the North ft cos's nearly S3O,
and yet the extract sells for 10 cents a
pound wholesale. If suitable machinery
for chipping, and boilers for boiling and
evaporating, were set up and w 11 man
aged, the profit would be very great in
deed. Sugar can be raised in great quan
tities and the canes are very large Mr.
Putnam, formerly of New Orleans, now
of Belize, told me that ho had seen a su
gar cane 22 foot long and 9| inches in
'circumference at the largest part; aud
the limes and lemmons and zapote, or
mannnee apples, were all three times as
large in Confederate county as any I
saw in Mexico, rich as Cordova is con
sidered. The reason probably is. that
in Mexico the land has been cleared and
grown up again, and cleared i rain per
haps several times, but th> -> sts in
Hendnras seem to be of very great age,
some mahogany and other trees being 7
or 8 feet in diameter
West of Confederate county, in Guate
mala, there are millions of acres of su
perior coffee lands, from which a great
trade will be carried down tho Belize
river when they shall be cultivated; and
this tine back country must make Rich
mond a considerable city, as it is at the
head of steamboat navigation.
The Governmenl of British Honduras
does not give land to colonists, but sells
it on a loug credit.
It might be well for colonists to carry
out flooring plank dressed ready for use,
but I would not advise any other .umber
to be carried.
There is a great slate-quarry, about 12
miles above Richmond, about one mile
wide being the bed ot the river during that
distance, and running into the mountains
each side of the river. The siate seems
to be of excellent quality and it any per
son wishes to work this quary he can do
so on most favorable terms, and every
privilege necessary for the wo"k. Enough
slate for a whole city eau be had t-ere,
and much for export.
Belize, the only city, has a p pulation
of about 7,000, and has several large
wholesale stores, and many retail stores
and shops. There are two churches of
the Church of England, one \\ esleyan, a
very tine and costly one, one -Preshyten
a none Baptist and one Roman Catholic
i Church, and many schools.
Some ask why such a tine country has
been so long uncultivated, lor scores
!of years mahogany has been the chief
! product aid the English Government
used a vast quantity of it in building
ships of war, because when pierced ly
cannon balls it does not throw of] splin
ters like other kinds of wood, to the seri
ous danger of the men ; but since iron
has,so largely superseded, wood iu shwt
building a large'quantity of mahngatt.ff
said to be 16,000,000 feet, lias accumu
lated in the hands of the Government,
is about to be thrown into market, and
thus the mahogany business is now a
very poor one, and the persons who did
not wish any settlements on their hinds,
while they w re doing a very lucrative
business in selling mahogany, now wish
to substitute an nereas : of their com
merce (fi>r they are nearly all merchants
also ; and the sale of the : r lands for that
unprofitable business.
Messrs. Fen,day, Bander A Wolkart,
cotton brokers, 37 Garondelet street, New
Orleans, who exarni; J the spec! of
cotton I brought from Confederaic coun
ty, write ; “Wc pronounce t ■< veyv
tine, article, and very similar '
tons raised m tlu latitude and TT - ;>r
bood of Natchez. Miss The stat '. is
longer, fibre much finer, and mores y.
(jol, Watkins, of Atlanta, Ga t At iu
that, a crop of this cotton in Spanish D m
duras, wher the land is of the same ov
vati n and fertility a-s tbe table 'and of
British Honduras, weighed more 'ban
8)0 poun: sos ginned cotton to t e
for he measured the laud and we g e
the cotton himself.
The postage on a letter to B“ ,; z • ; s
ten cents, and the postage from B•! •/<•
lb afiy part of the United States, etc'
cents in specie. Persons who may w
to me after 23d inst., at which time i
shall start to Belize, will please direct
to Belize, British Honduras, a' - wk.se
enough fractional currency to buy the
eight cents’ stamp for the answer.
As to the best time to go to Honduras
I advise the people to go as soon as
they can get ready. I know no danger
in any season, and when such multitudes
are goiug it is desiral le to be in time, so
as to make advantageous locations of
land ; and as a custom house, and other
public buildings must very soon beerec
ted in Richmond, some emigrants could
probably get good employment. The
only fine building lately put up in Belize
was built bv an American, and many
workmen will soon be required
Some ask what are the evils of tho
country? I really did not see or hear any
thing bad about the high lands but the
want of ice, and that Cftti Lie supplied hy
artificial means, even if it were not very
much relieved by the use of fruits and
lemonade. If any humble and honest
freedmen wish to go there, to work for
white people,, they will he welcome.
The Government very wisely requires
property qualifications in voters and con
sequently the number of voters is small,
an 1 th ■ calamity of universal suff.age
will I hope, lie avoided in Honduras.
IL R. Duval.
New Orleans July 9, 1867
Complexion of Congressmen
“Mack,” the Washington correspon
dent of tho Cincinnati Commercial
writes:
News conics here from Virginia that
at the reconstruction of the State, it has
been agreed that the negroes shall have
at least half the officers, including one
of the United States Senators, it is safe
to predict the same iu other Southern
States, ami t.i look for a piebald delega
tion to Congress from each of them Un
der the rigid exclusion of all who, in any
way, participated in tho rebellion, it
would be desirable, I think, to send a
full negro delegation from most of tho
rebel States.
As evidence of the correctness of the
foregoing, so tar as Virn-i ia is concern
ed, Senator Wilson, a few days ag", sta
ted that the elections in Virginia would
probably be field in September, an,] the
re.Mt w uld probably astonish the mt
tion. He was certain the majority whirh
Virginia would give, would place 1 r mi
the first rank of the Uepubli an ' s
of the Union
Gkkmt Smith has addressed a letb i’ o>
Thad. Stevens, in which he takes h.m to
task ‘for his nncharitableness towards
the Southern people, aud closes ass I-
Iows: '
Would to God that Congress were »■
just and wise as, at ihio very bcsmuii to
lend fifty millions of dollars to the Con
federate States—to each of them so much
of it as would be proportionate to her
population and to what she ha-- sofferee
from the ravages of wSr ! The shan
falling to each State to be distributed
throughout her territory in 100 s u on
adequate security. This, by pro\ g tl.tr
love and pity of the North for her, would
win the heart of the South, aud would
thus produce a true and lasting peace
between them And then it would be
worth to the nation, only in a fiuaoci.il
point of view, many times fifty millu ns
of dollars. Gold would not longer bi ar
among os a premium of forty per - cent.,
amt our Government would no linger
have to pay seven per cent., nor much
more than half seven per cent, inter, st
"on its loans.
A colored man denies, through the Sji
vannab Republican, that he was a d my
gate to the Atlanta Radical G nvty*tion.
He says: “1 have resided in Slyaunah
for forty-seven years, and d.uring that
period have never known wl.at it was to
enter a guard house ox gel into trouble
with the citizens of Savannah. Cooper
age and v. u politics is my business and
bread aWfi butter.” That is a si nsiblo
darkey.
Freedom of the Press
Gen. Pope issued an order fiom Head
Quarters, Atlanta, June 3d, in which ap
pears tbe following clause:
It is the duty cf the military authori
ties iu this District to secure to the peo
ple the utmost freedom of spaech and of
the press, consistent with law; rtat to re
strain either. No satis actory execution
of the late acts of Congress is practica
ble unless this freedom is secuied and
its exercise protected by tho usual legal
means.
Avery sensible order; and wc hope
the additional authority he has recently
been clothed with, by act of Congress,
will not induce him to change his opin
ion in reference to the freedom of tho
press.
p r of. W. F. Roe,' writing from Elmira
to a Foutber i paper, says, in one year
12,000 rebel prisoners were sent to El
mira Os that number, from three to
four thousand died at that place. 1 lie
Government purchased ground in the
cemetary, and they were buried in a lo
cality by themselves, en o grave being
marked with the name of the person. It
is proposed to enclose the ground w:u
an iron fence;' to plant trots am- 11 •
graves, and make the spot attract.v .
Sae. Ado.