Weekly chronicle & sentinel. (Augusta, Ga.) 1866-1877, June 28, 1871, Image 1

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Weekly chronicle & sentinel., June 28, 1871, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextOLD SERIES, VOL. LXXVJII. Cbruniclt & Sratiiul. U TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. DAILY. One month - - |1 00 Three mouths.- 2 50 One year 10 00 TKI-WLLKLY. ' One year I 8 W) Six month. 3 00 '1 liree month - 2 00 WKLKLY. Three month. -I 1 00 Mix month. 1 60 One year -3 00 M KDtKKiIAF MOUM.VO. JINJI 2*. | FOR THE CHRONICLE & SENTINEL ] To the Alumni of the University of Georgia—Ho. t. Hr other tof U* Alumni : 1 have been induced by an appeal made to you through a committee appointed at our last annual meeting, to throw to gether a lew random thoughts, which perhaps may not have suggested them selves to you. I was myself mach touched by the spirit of that appeal, and I earn estly hope that it may find emotions vi brating in correspondence to it in the heart oft very Alumnus in the laud. I have by me a roll of our membership, Twelve Hundved (1200) Graduates! The record shows the tleaths, only down to 1857 ; but with the widest margin allowed for mor tality, certainly eight hundred (800) or nine hundred (900) of us still survive. Now I desire before God, whose good ness gave us the opportunities we have onjoyed, to ask Lhese nine hundred mon have you done your duty to your Alma Mater 1 And do not deem me a visionary dreamer in putting the question. I am very well aware that we eannot all of us be members of the Legislature, and, therefore, cannot all of' us vote for meas ures fraught with good to the College. This is but one of many ways in which you uan work for our Old Mother. Think of them : Ist. You can all use your personal, in dividual influence to create a more general interest among the people at largo in favor of tiro College; and there arc many modes of doing this, too ; for example, (a) you can correct the foolish, unfounded, and, still, continually recurring charge that the University is not a religious in stitution. You can say that ibe Univer sity cannot, from the nature of things, be a Denominational College, but if every other characteristic of an institution con ducted upon the strictest models of Chris tian morality aro not to be found there, they cannot he found anywhere. The Professors are every one of them, without exception, aotivo members of tbo four great religious denominations, aud there are always in attendance many students educating thomselves for the ministry. But (b) you can txert your personal influ ence to direct pationago toward the Col lege. Very few men aro in positions so lowly that they cannot affeot one man. If each of us sent one student to Athens next yeat, the College would float dear of all shoals. And again (c), you oan indi rectly influonco publio opinion by advocat ing anywhere, and everywhere) a more liberal spirit in the education of our youth. Show the vast advantages of a College Education to those recipients of it who do not abuse those advantages, and dis prove the assertion that a College is a nest of idleness, and extravagance by at tributing such results to the bad training of the boy at home, and not necessarily to temptations met abroad. As well say that religion is u humbug be cause there are unworthy members of the Chureh, as to declare a College to be a School of Evil because certain bad young moo are found within its walls. 2J. Some of you have very extraordi nary opportunities of befriending your Alma Mater. You are wealthy, have far more than will supply your wants a thou sand times multiplied. What a noble ap propriation would you make of the super fluous riohes the Almighty has given you, |,v endowing a Professorship in the State University! We hear continually of this being dono for tho Sectarian Colleges. There are Nott Professorships and Hitoh cocg Professorships and innumerable other chairs founded by the men whose names they bear. I have yet to learn of a soli tary foundation made for any State Institu tion, save the munificent donation of Dr. Terrell, constituting tho Terrell Professor ship of Agriculture, at Athons. And yet what nobler monuinent could a man erect io his memory than this? But sup,ose you aro very far from being able to endow h Chair; then perhaps you are a Minister of the Gospel, a lawyer, or a physician ; in either of these three capacities you are liable to be called to the bedside of the sick and dying wealthy, and unlimited opportunities aro afforded you of induoiLg such men to “ Dying, leave behind them, Foot-prints on the sands of time.” 3d. Some, nay, maDy. very many of you are in political life. You. my broth ers, have larger opnortumties than any of u „ of striking a blow for our nourishing mother. In what a pitifully, niggardly attitude does this great and wealthy State stand with reference to its only institution of learning. Eight thousand dollars a year, paid simply because it is a righteous debt, which would bo collectable from an individual by courso of law, is the State of Georgia's provision for the liberal educa tion of her people. Contrast with this the following inavnifioent endowment of the University ot Mississippi : “ At the session of the Legislature just closed, oo the recommendation of His Excellency, the Governor of the State, die following liberal appropriations and additional arrangements foi the promotion ot the cause of education, in connection with the University, were mado.lo go into immediate effect; “1. The sum of fifty thousand dollars per annum, for ten vears, was appropria ted to support the university and to en large its sphere of operations and increase its facilities. , „ “2. Two-fifths cf the proceeds of the fund donated by Congress to the State for the purpose of establishing a College ot Agriculture aou the Mechanic Arts, were appropriated by the legislature, to bo used in founding aou equipping such Col lege, in connection with the University. • ‘ 3 Provision was also aikde hy law that one hundred dollars should be appropria ted out of Mio Common Sahool ruud. to wards the payment ot the expenses, at the University, of one student from each coun ty, this appropriation to be termed « scholarship, and to be given to the most meritorious student, alter a competitive ex amination." . .- „ , Let every Georgian whose eye falls up on this act blush for his State. Let every \lumDUs of the State University rouse hnuself up to labor for his Alma Mater. I will continue these suggestions in future Do 1 ask too much in soliciting the press of the State to aid me in reach ms the Alumni by copying these rough notes ? An Alumnus of IhfLL NUMBER IWO. ]'rather Graduate*: -I strove yesterday, in the most forcible ( terms at my command, to impress upon you the duty you and I owe to the oW College which gave us our first .***?* in life, and I endeavored to show what means lay in almost every graduate s pow er of befriending her. Now, fellow-mem- j Ist. The University sorely needs your help. The Denominational Colleges have j swarms of iriendo fighting their battles. | Every Methodist circuit rider is an agent for Emory ; every Baptist preacher is a colporteur for Mercer-, every dyed-in-the wool Presbyterian is canvassing the otat* or Oglethorpe. Cities, towns and vil lages fight for the privilege of gtvmg them ground to erect their buildings upon. “There is a party for Caesar and * P«*7 for Pompey, and a party for Brutus, but no party for Home !’’ There is a sect tor Mercer and a sect for Oxford, and a sect for Oglethorpe, but no sect tor the Uni versity. She stands alone and friendless in her hoary age, while her ungrateful sons are prospering from the sea coast to the Kio Grande. Yes, a State institution is aptly denominated fiiius nulltus. The parent which has fathered so many can find no father for itself. Gentlemen of the Alumni, I say this is to our shame, lie, tee, fellow-graduates, are the only friends upon whom the University can re ly. Shall we not respond to her cries for aid ? For 3d, She deserve* yovr help. What ether College in the Southern States, save perhaps, the University of Virgioia. has done the work of the Uoiversity of Geor gia? It is the oldest College in the South, excepting William and Mary, and Wash ington College, Va., having been char tered is 1784, aod orgaaiztd in 1800. Her roll of distinguished graduates is longer than that of any institution of learning this side of the Potomac. Her Alumni are to be found filling positions of honor aod profit, in all professions and pursuits, all over the land—and can we— dare we say that our beloved Alma Mater does Dot deserve our help ? We can not —we dare not. She does deserve, and what is more, 3d. She can and will receive our help. I showed in my first letter to yon how we could, all of us, work for our College io our single and individual capacities. But, brothers of the Alumni, this is not enough. We must organize! Have you often attended the annual meetings of the Alumni Society, held Commencemcu , Week? Has not your cheek mantled with shame to behold the Corporal’s Guard which met, as the representatives of the twelve hundred graduates ? Why, so utterly insignificant has been our organization that the most prominent newspaper in the State had not heard of our existence until it saw the last cata logue, although t.he “ Society of the Alnrani of the University of Georgia” has been constituted and held regular annual meetings for very close upon forty years! None of ns can blame the editor. The pitiful handful of men who gather in the gloomy old chapel, as tho twilight is com ing down on the Tuesday afternoon of the College saturnalia, exchange a few kindly words, elect an Orator who hardly ever speaks, and then disperse to the various festivities of the occasion, without a thought that an Alutnnus owes the benign Mother more than this. The first step, then, towards arousing our members to a true sense of their duty, is to correct this evil. We must call a grand assembly of the clans. We must send out our sum mons throughout every State, from the Carolinas to Texas, bidding our brethren of every age to a great “ feast of reason and a flow of soul!” But said Glendower, “ I can call spirits from the vasty deep. to which Hotspur replied : “ Why, so can J, or so can any naan ; But will they come when you do call for them ?” Will the clans turn out, at cur sum mons ? I believe they will, if proper measures are taken t > induce them. These measures I propose to elaborate in a third and last lettqr—closing this with tho most earnest entreaty that every Alumnus will Dot only ponder over these things, but will confer with every other Alumnus in his reaoh, and try and fan up into a flame of living fire the smouldering ashes of our dying love for our Old Mother. I repeat the request that the press throughout the State will aid mo io finding a hearing from every graduate in the world of the living. An Alumnus op 1852. Letter from Scrlren County —Crop Prospects, die. Editors Chronicle & Sentinel: As there has been no report of crops from this county, a few words on the sub ject may not be uninteresting to those who 'base their calculations for high prioes for cotton on short crops. I havo been growing the btarlc for years, and must confess that the present is tho poorest prospect I have ever seeD. In the first place, the freedmen did 'not pretend to go to work until February, and alter they commenced, worked badly. The spring was cold and wot, causing bad stands. The rain throughout May, and up to ten days ago, has produced such a fin o yield of grass that "cuffee” prefers the blackberry patches, tho ponds and lakes, and his old shot gun, to the more important artiole, the “hoe.” MaDy plan ters havenotyct finished “chopping” out. Cot ton in many places is not two inches high, and the ground covered with grass. How ever, on a few plantations, the crops look well, and are about as forward as usual. Blooms will soon be abundant. The oorn prospect is much better than the oottoD. More oorn will be made, if the seasons con tinue good, than any year since the war. Gardens are fine; vegetables of every va riety are-abundant. I must toll you of an old gentleman in this vicinity—Rev. C. R. Nessmith—pre cise age not known. He remembers many incidents of the revolutionary war, among others, tho killing of two Tories, near his mother’s house, by Captain McCoy, Ben Green and ColonelTarleton Brown. Mrs. Nessmith died soveral years ago. Tbey had lived together nearly seventy years. Ho has a grand-son between fifty and sixty years of age. The old gentleman is spright ly aod active; talks fluontly, and is fond of talking of the days that “tried men’s souls.” His habits are regular. Ho smokes his pipe, and lives with a con science void of offense toward God and man. M. Mobley's Tomb Ga., June 16, 1871. Improvement on Broad Street.— Mr. 11. L. A. Balk, one of our most enterprising dry goods merchants, has recently had his store —No. 172 Broad street, near Washington street —greatly improved, neatly painted and frescoed, and conveniently arranged for the accom modation of his patrons and the display of of his handsome stock of goods. By in domitable energy and perseverance, and a strict regard to the wants and taste of our people, Mr. Balk has gained lor himself an enviable popularity, and a patronage which enables him to supply the needs ot his customers at the lowest prioes. He has purchased a large stock ot goods in his line of business at a recent decline in prioes at the North, by reason of which he is able to offer great bargains to pur chasers. Ladies and buyers generally are invited to call and examine his stock. Thomson. —The most encouraging ac counts come from Thomson, the county site of the new county, McDuffie. A good many new oomers are moving into the town, and several new and handsome buildings are in' procesp of ereotion. There seems to have been a brisk spring and summer trade done there, -and the merchants speak sanguinly ot the future. A proposition is now being agitated, which if it succeeds will benefit the town a great deal—the building of a large ware house. With its splendid railroad facilities, and enerprising, energetic inhabitants, Thomson should and will grow with great rapidity. APoob Jest. —A correspondent writes us that he is requested by the General Superinendent of the track of the Georgia .Railroad and branches to say that the article published by the Milledgeville Re corder, and copied by the Chboniclx, in relation to a *• terrible accident at the Oconee bridge,” on the Macon and Au gusta Road, is utterly false. No such ac cident bas happened at the Oconee, or any other point, and, altogether, as few on this road as any in the Southern coun try. It is regretted that the Cbeonicue and the public should have been imposed upon by a matter too serious for jest. The joke wa i a very poof one. The Blue Ridge Railroad.—The Columbia Fhcenix, of Saturday, says: “ Governor Scott has returned to the capital, and brings the gratifying intelli ! gene, that arrangements have been per | l'tcted in New York for pushing rapidly ’ forward the work ou the Blue Bidge Railroad. Colonel Thomas Steers, well known throughout the South as an ex perienced and thorough railroad man, will see to it that his portion of the contract is completed at the earliest moment. Ho 1 for Cincinnati and the Great West.” Correction. —R. L. Bloomfield, Esq., of ! Athens, states that at the recent North easter-. Railroad Convention he said that Mr. Grant would take a contract for build ing ten miles of the road so soon as $300,000 were subscribed, and that he would also make a liberal subscription himself to the enterprise. Augusta Factory and Granitxvillk Manufacturing Company’s Goods.— These goods have been advanced in price. We quote 4-4 sheeting at 12|; i shirting, 10f; | shirting, 8$; and drill, 12 J cent*. .[special correspondence.] ,T, Athens and Her Manufacturing Inter ests. Georgia Factory Athens factory Princeton Factory—Pioneer Paptr Mill | Foundry—Bobbin Factory, etc. The prospective opening of a railway { line between Athens and Clayton natural j ly suggests consideration of the immense natural advantages possessed by this sec tion of the State in all the agencies neces sary to the establishment of successful manufacturing enterprises. With a wealth of water power astonishing in its capacity and diffusion, the only elements essential to its development is the application of capital and the opening up of routes of transportation by which this section shall be placed withia range of the great cen tral markets for the manufactured pro ducts of the South. Manufacturing, with these eneigizmg and utilizing elements secured, is certainly destined to become the grand leading agen cy io developing the dormant wealth ot a section of the State as yet in the swad dling clothes of its ultimate greatness. In proof of this, it may not be uninter esting to readers concerned in the full de velopment of wealth-creatiDg industrial establishments, in any and every section of the State, to briefly advert to the past bis tory and present status of manufacturing enterprises in Athens and vicinity. MANUFACTURING IN GEORGIA- The history of manufacturing in Geor gia runs back more thar forty years. With in that time commendable progress has been made in the development of the re sources of different sections of the State, where capital could be secured in utilizing the great natural resources distributed with such lavish liberality in almost every direction. Yet, as compared with the un developed resources, manufacturing may be regarded as still in its infancy. Notwithstanding the lavish endowments dispensed by the -liberal hand of nature, manufacturing has been attended with vicissitudes of fortune which have exerted a depressing influence in many sections, and contributed to lessen public confidence in their success as a financial venture- A fruitful cause of this may be traced to tho fact that maDy of these enterprises have been commenced witheut the necessary capital, and conducted without suffieient prudence and skill. Thus has the pro gress of manufacturing been retarded—its development checked, and maDy capital ists induced to seek investments in more promising directions. Yet, much has been accomplished, as the present status of manufacturing enterprises in Augusta aod vicinity, in Columbus, in and around Athens, and in other sections of the State, will abundantly establish. Even our failures—disastrous as they may have proved in many instances to individual stockholders in initial enterprises—have not been without their benefits in pointing out the means of avoiding danger. Hence, the establishments that have survived rest upon a sounder and more enduring basis, probably, than they possibly could, without the opportunity of profiting by the experience of others. To Athcnß belongs the honor of erecting the first cotton factory in Georgia. This was called THE GEORGIA FACTORY. The first building of this establishment, a wooden structure, was erected in 1829, by a joint stock company, and looated on North Ooonee river, four miles from Ath ens- It weDt into operation in 1830, with 2,000 spindles and 20 looms. Io May, 1846, it beoamo the property of Mr. John Whito,. the present proprietor, who, in 1855, erected anew brick building near tho site of the old one, into whioh was placed about 5,000 spindles and 100 looms. It has since been in constant and success ful operation, spinning yarns from Nos. 5 to 20, and weaving sheetings and shirt ings. Thorc have been subsequent im provements and probably increase of capacity in the introduction ot new ma chinery, ot which, however, this writer cannot speak with aoouracy, not having had opportunity to visit these mills while executing a recent special commission of the Chronicle & Sentinel Connected with the establishment is a grist and saw mill, in good order. The water power is ample, and susceptible of increase, if necessary. The health of the place, as well as of the other factory _ vil lages in this section of the country, is as good as in any portion of the state. THE ATHENB FACTORY. Having inspected this establishment, through tho courtesy of the ugent, Mr. 11. L. Bloomfield—wbo is the aotive and ’ controlling spirit in its very successful and model management—tho writer-is enabled to speak more in detail of its distinctive features. This is believed to be the sec ond enterprise of the kind started in Geor gia. 'lt is located within the corporate limits of the town, on the west bank of the North Ooonee river, near a site whioh, up to the inauguiation of the factory enter prise, had been used for thirtv odd years for a saw and grist mill. The factory building was erected during the year 1832 and 1833 by a company, but was destroy ed by fire in 1834. Soon after this calami ity, the property changed hands. The \tbcns Manufacturing Company was formed, uew buildings were erected, and in 1836 tho manufacture of both cotton and woolen goods was commenced, and was proseouted with varied success until November, 1857, at whioh time it was again burned. In 1858 it was rebuilt, and in 1866 additions were made, increasing its capacity from 2,000 to 4,000 spindles aud seventy looms. Subsequently, its capacity has been still further inoreased, and at present about 5,000 spindles and 100 looms arc in operation, manufacturing cotton checks and stripes and wooleD linseys and jeans. Tho chief product of the mill’, however, is yarn, which enjoys a lino reputation, and which, like the cloth manufactured, finds a ready market at the South, shipments only being made to Northern markets during the slack business months of the summer. No cloth has beeo shipped North from these mills within the past four years, \bout 2,500 bales of cotton are consumed yearly, the annual business reaching about $250,- 000, upon which dividends of 15 to 20 per cent- per annum have been declared sioce the war. The company numbers at present about sixteen stockholders, and owns 110 acres of land lying on each side ot the Oeouee river. The taxable value of the mill and improvements connected therewith is placed at SIBO,OOO. Located on the east side of the Ooonee, opposite to the factory, the company have in operation a flour and grist mill, furnish ed with all the most modern gearing and convenient adaptation of buildiog. which is five stories io height, surmounted with a French mansard roof, the only one in the town. A feature of decided convenience in the construction of the building is an arrangement by which grain is unloaded from the wagon through a window, emp tied into a large hopper, resting upon a pair of Fairbtuk’s scales, where it is weighed and passes thence below into the first story, where it is lost to the sight of the milier, until it oomes out ready for the sack and barrel. The mill house is new, having been erected daring the summer of 1870. There are three setts of stones— one for flour and two for corn—with a capacity for grinding 250 bushels of wheat in ten hours and 400 bushels of corn. The product of the mill, of excellent quali ty, is consumed by local demand. The mill is in charge of an experienced W estera miller, Mr. W. U. Kemp. In extension of their capacity of manu- facture, the Athens Manufacturing O’, to ps ny in February, 1870, purchased the "Armory” buildings, erected by Messrs. Cook 4 Brother daring the war. These puildings are situated on the east side of the river, about one-fourth of a mile above the main factory. Constructed of brick, the principal building is two stories in height, having a centre room of 140 feet square, with wings on side 160 feet I long, and 3Q feet wide each. It is pro ■ posed to fill this building with 400 looms for the manufacture of gmghkms, and work is progressing in fitting up tb? budd ing for the reception of the machinery, which is to be purob&sed in a few The power to ran the mill, rated at 25 horses, will be derived from “Highland Lake,” lyiog a few hundred yards east of the building, formerly known as “Carr's Pond.” Located within one hundred yards of the river, communication between this mill and the main factory will be easily kept up by means of a boat. Con nected with this property is an ioe house, now well stored with ice, out from "Highland Lake” during the past winter, from which about 30,000 tons have already been sold this season by the oompany, at two cents per pound—which is vastly cheaper than the Athenians could eDjoy this luxu ry if dependent upon shipments from other cities, while it well rewards the commendable foresight of the management of the factory oompany in husbanding the bountiful crop of ioe furnished at their doors, with no other expense than the trifling one of saving it. AUGUSTA, GA.. WEDNESDAY MORNING, JUNE 28,1871. Consideration for the physical comfort, education and moral training of the opera tives connected with the Athens Factory claims, as it should in all similar establish ments, the active and liberal exertions of the agent of the company, in promoting the progress and culture of this too often neglected class ot people. A high and beneficial moral discipline prevails—no male operative beiDg retained in the em ploy of the company who is addicted to drink, and no female operative who is dis covered to have compromised her virtue. The operatives are taught that only in a vieious course of life is to be found degra dation—that Dutbing in labor degrades man, woman or child. The liberality of the company has pro vided a school, at which the children of the operatives have the benefit of instruc tion free of cost, and has recently been ex tended in the erection of a tasty and con veniently located Episoopal chapel, where the employees worship. This chapel is of the Gothic order ot architecture, open roof, aod is constructed of brick, rough cast on the exterior. The interior is fin ished with red cedar. The chancel win dow is a model of taste, surmounted, in stained glass, with a device of the “Crown of Glory.” The top figure in the middle panel, a memorial window, is the triune device, immediately beneath which is the dove descending, then the figure of our Saviour as the “Good Shepherd,” and in scribed at His feet: “In Memory of Mary Baxter.” The four Evangelits are deline ated—St. Mathew, is the child; St. Mark, the lion ; St. Luke, the calf; and St. John, the eagle—the emblem of Faith, the Cross, forming the centre figure of the group. The right panel exhibits the figure of the grapes and the sheaf of wheat, typical ot the wine and bread, and the left panel bears the cup containing the wine. The chancel furniture, of handsome design, manufactured in New York, from cbe9uut wood, was presented by the citizens of Athens. An organ of fine tone has been furnished. The Sabbath School library contains 250 well selected volumes. The chapel is tastefully carpeted and tho pews cushioned. This chapel was opened on Easter Sunday. The operatives select their own pastor annually. Rev. Mr. Lu cas is the present pastor. As the legitimate result of the moral and educational influences brought to bear upon their employees, the Athens Man ufacturing Company possesses a corps of operatives not surpassed in virtue, intelli - genee, sobriety, and all the elements which make up the good citizen, anywhere in the manufacturing districts. Their phy sical comfort and health has been well cared for, in the construction of neat and comfortable cottages within easy access of the faotory. Ttie buildings are not crowded, but so disposed as to allot to each oottage a piece of land sufficiently large to be cultivated as a vegetable gar den. Cleanliness prevails, and the opera tives are thrifty and economical, many of them having accumulated sufficient money since the war to invest in houses and lots in and contiguous to the city, from which they are deriving a good rental, and hold ing a home against the contingencies of accident and old age, which may unfit them for the labor connected with the spindle and loom. The President of the Factory Company is Dr. Henry Hull, who, though more than seventy years old, is vigorous in ad vancing the interests of the corporation. The business agent is Mr. R- L. Bloom field, a steam eDgino.encased m breeches ; and the Superintendent, Mr. F. M- Wil liams, a native of Athens, aud well skilled in the manufacturing business. PRINCETON FACIORY. This establishment is situated on Middle Ooonee river,, about three miles from Athens, and possesses a water power equal to about three hundred and fifty horses, only about one-sixth of which, however, is employed to drive its present ma chinery. It was built daring the years 1833-34 by a joint stook company—James Camak, A. Hull, Rev- J. Shannon, E. B. Ware, W. Lumpkin, W. Williams, H. Hull, E. L. Newton and two others—with a capital stook of $50,000. In a few years, the late Wm. Williams, one of the original corporators, became sole proprietor. After his death it beoamo the property of a company, and was operated until some time in 1866, when it was closed for a time. At the period of its suspension it gave employment to about seventy hands, in the maDufaeture of yarns, shirtings, osnaburgs and stripes, running 2,184 snindles. In 1867, its oapital stock reached $54,000. Since its resumption the Faotory has been run with success, averaging a business of about SIIO,OOO per annum, with average dividends ofabout fifteen per cent. Its present capital is $93,000. The machinery employed now consists of 2,700 spindles and 62 looms. The opera tives number 103, mostly young persons, drawn from the surrounding oountry. The labor neoessary to ruo this establishment is reokoned at least twenty per cent, cheaper than in Augusta, Columbus and other manufacturing centres in the State. Tho faotory building is constructed of brick, three stories in height, the main building 85 feet loog by 50 feet wide, with wing 40 feet in length by 20 in width- Two ohurohes—Baptist and Methodist —and a sohool house haye been provided for the operatives. Dr. J. S. Hamilton is the President of the company, and Mr. W. J. Russell, Su perintendent of the Factory. Experiment, with the most encouraging result, is now being made in the manufac ture of heavy bed tick stripes at this fac tory. PIONEER PAPER MILL. This enterprise, the oldest of the kind in the State, was commenced in 1847 by Messrs. Chase & Linton, and began the manufacture of paper in the spring of 1848. In 1858 it was destroyed by fire, and, after being rebuilt, was again burned in 1861. In 1862 it was again rebuilt. The present building is of brick, 250 feet long and 45 feet wide. It is situated on Barber’s Creek, about four miles from Athens, and bas for several years been the property of a joint stock company. The company have in use at present a capital of SBO,OOO. and the investment is regarded as safe, judicious and profitable. In 1870, about one year ago, the capa city and completeness of the mill was largely increased by the addition of the most perfect paper machine which could be selected by a skilled and experienced paper manufacturer, Mr. Louis Toblinski, a Frenchman, the Superintendent of the mill. The machine purchased was one of the 64-inch “Fourdenier” patent, the second one of the kind now in operation in the United States—the first one being erected at the mill of Jessup & Moore, Brandywine, Delaware. This machine, no less from the mathematical exactness of its construction than from its solid weight and the value of the metals employed in the manufacture of its several parts, is very expensive. Many ot its rollers and several of its parts are fashioned from brass and copper, which in other machines are made of iron, and of greatly inferior finish and weight. These advantages are only fully appreciated by those familiar with machinery employed in the manu facture of paper. The machine purchased by the Pioneer Mill, as it stands upon the floor, fitted up for operation, cost, it is said, $17,000. In the use of this machine, the quality cf the printing paper manufactured at this mill has been greatly improved, and will now bear favorable comparison with that of any other mill in the country. As located, however, the mill is subject to not unfrequent temporary suspension from flood, which renders the water required for its operation too muddy for the pro duction of a perfectly clear white paper- Measures are, however, in contemplation by the management, by which an adequate supply of pure clear water will be re served against such contingencies and these annoying and unprofitable suspen sions obviated. The mill, in all its appointments ot machinery and construction of building, is thoroughly complete—the proprietors hav ing considered it more profitable to their investment, in the long run, to place themselves io line with the best manufac tories in the country. The present product of the mill is 2,000 pounds of printing paper per day of ten hoars. The old machine, removed to give place to the new machine, ha3 been placed in position for use in tfie manufacture of wrapping paper- The mill possesses a 60-horse water power, with a 30-horse engine to supply the steam necessary. Mr. W. T. Talmadge is the President of the company, and R. L Moss, Agent. To the courtesy of the latter gentleman, the writer is indebted for a pleasant visit to the mill, as well as for much informa tion touching the manufacturing enter prise of this section. FOUNDRY AND MACHINE WORKS. These works, located within the corpo rate limits, are operated by steam power. They commenced operations in 1851, were burned in 1853, and rebuilt in the same year, since which they have been in suc cessful operation, a source of profit to the proprietors, and great accommodation and economy to the citizens of the town and snrrounding country. Although not so extensive as some ot the large city estab lishments, they are & model of complete ness. Besides an extemive repairing busi ness, these works manufacture largely of mining and mill machinery, iron railing, agricultural implements, &c., and are now engaged in the manufaciure of a complete steam engine. The Athens Manufacturing Company are now ruining thirty-five looms manufactured at these works, which afford perfect satisfaction. Mr. B. Nick erson is the agent. THE BOBBIN WORKS • are situated on a small water course, just outside the corporate limits. They were put in operation in 1852, and make the bobbins and spools usel by cotton and wool factories, together with various kinds ot turned work. STEAM TANIERY. A steam tannery is ilso in successful operation, turning out leather with such facility as to have completely revolution ized the old tanning proaess. STEAM SAW MILL. A steam saw mill is located on the river, east side, immediately above the upper bridge. Its product of lumber is consum ed by local demand. The river serves the part of transportatioa agent, the saw logs being floated down tie stream from fifteen to twenty miles above. Messrs. J. W. Pittman & Cos. are tie proprietors. STREET SsiT-IOAD. As within the range of this artiole, the writer will close ais observations of Athens and her manufmturing interests by referring briefly to ths improvement. Its construction is duo in i large measure to the practical peroeptioi and energetic exertions of a young AugutaD, Mr. Wm. P. Dearing, of the raiload contracting firm of Messrs. Born. Dearng & Cos., and son of Dr. Wm. E. Dearing of Augusta. Ascertaining that the merantiie commu nity of Athens experded inthe aggregate many thousands of dollars h the item of drayage ot goods from the Georgia Rail road depot across the river, he conceived that the building of this lineof road would result in a saving of at leaßtfifty per cent, of this expenditure, and at tie same time yield a fair per eentage of piofit upon the investment required to buid and equip the road. The project mtt with the hearty endorsement of the merchants, and the necessary stock was sotn subscribed and the track laid down froa the depot of the Georgia Railroad to a point opposite the University, covering the stores along Broad street. The operation of the road have so far been quite satisfictory to the stockholders, and of vast advantage to the merchants in redaction of the former heavy cost of drayage. An extension of the road to Cobbham is proposed, aud the put ting on of a passenger oar. The Journal of Commerce Com missioner at tlae South. LETTER NO. 3. Sea Island Cotton—Causes of Its De creased Production. [Correspondence of Journal of Commerce .] Savannah, Ga., June 7. Sea Island cotton, or long stapled cot ton, in contradistinction to the uplands, or short cotton, is grown in a belt of laud seventy to eighty miles wide, extending along the sea coast of South Carolina and Georgia, and in Florida. The cultivation of this description of cotton was highly lucrative to the planters of that region before the war, and they are said to have lived in quiet comfort' and independence. But their fortunes and modes of living have undergone a sad change. Their years of crops are reckoned from the Ist day of each September. Tho crop of 1868-59 was 41,592 bales. ) Before do 1859-60 was 45,413 do j the war. do 1868-69 was 17,956 do ) do 1869-70 was 26,656 do J do 1870-71 (prob'ly)l9,ooo do ) me war * The causes for a generally decreased production represented by these figures are various. It has been assorted that tho improvements in machinery have ren dered the uplands or short staple capable of manufacture into fine goods, but that is a doubtful theory. Still, it may be a reason operative to some extent. There is no doubt that great improvements are being made in machinery for manufacture of ootton- But the natural difference in staple still exists. The Sea Island staple is cultivated by delicate nurture, on islands and coasts of the sea. It may be pro duced anywhere on the Florida peninsula, but is not successfully cultivated north of Georgetown, South Carolina. The least irregularity of season or attack of insects seems to affect it more or less. The up lands or short ootton is much more hardy and rapid in growth. The oaterpillar will destroy a crop of Sea Island cotton, while the upland staple is rarely injured except by the army worm. The Sea Island cot ton has a long, regular fibre, of peculiar smoothness, compactness, flexibility and fineness, and can be spun into infinitesimal threads for the manufacture of the finest articles made of cotton : Fine laces, threads, cambrics and all delicate fabrios are produced from this material. But the upland staple is short, coarse aod some times curly in its fibre, and is incapable of being manufactured into fine laoe or other fine goods. The real causes for the gen eral decrease of tho production are : First—The cost of production and the diminished efficiency of the labor en gaged in it. The Government, during the war, sold those beautiful plan tations around Hilton Head, Beaufort, Edisto and St. Helena for taxes, and many of them have fallen into the hands of freedmen for cultivation. The causes— tariff, tax, &c.—that induced an in creased price of labor in the North had the same effect in the South. Labor oost in 1866 7-8-9-70, twice as much as it did in 1860. The tax sales resulted in invest ments by men whose general theories were probably good, but who lacked the inti mate knowledge of the business of fine ootton planting which was neoessary to success—especially in the lace of increased price of labor, materials, food, &e- The freedmen knew how to cultivate a good crop, but did not seem to grasp the im portant executive part of the business. They became indolent and negleotfal, while they knew that the utmost vigilance and care were necessary. Second —Continued hardships caused by injury to the crops by caterpillars since the war, especially during the years 1867, .’8 and '9. The Sea Island planters of olden days were the most comfortable livers in the country. Eioh planter had bis private fisherman, who ranged the island with a net, tackle and guD, and fish, terrapin or turtle, or shot game for each day’s meals. They raised their own sugar, and bought only clothing and groceries, or luxuries that could not be produced on their plantations. They kept droves ot cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, and poultry of all kinds. When the crop was gathered they turned this promiscu ous herd into the stubble and under growth. Between grazing, rooting, snap ping, pecking and scratching the ground, the insect life or larvae was folly exposed to the prey of birds and disposed of in embroyo or various stages of development. When the war ended, the cattle, poultry, game and even small birds had disappeared from the sea islands and shores, and the final resale was the Bppearanee of the caterpillar. Bat the stocks are now be ing slowly replenished. Third—The partial change of cultiva tion from Sea Island to upland or short cotton, caused by discouragement to plant ers from the repeated ravages of their crops by caterpillars. Fourth—The value of Sea Island cotton on the markets of Europe has been se riously impaired by long cotton, the growth of foreign countries. Previous to the late war the American Sea Island cotton had no competition in Great Bri tain, France, Switzerland and Germany. The long staple grown in other countries were inferior to them in fineness, even ness, strength and flexibility of fibre * r ' /} in preparation. Algeria and Egypt furnish ed the best of foreign growth, but for many reasons of superiority the American was preierred in all markets. The cotton famine and extravagantly ad vanned pr.CS oi the staple in Europe daring the war caused experiments for the stimulation of foreign production of all qualities of cotton. The result was successful in several quarters. Long and good cotton, successfully competiting with the Sea Island, is produced in Egypt, in some portions of Sonth America, in Aus tralia, in Tahiti, the Fiji Islands, and small quantities in a few other places. Egypt alone shipped daring the last full cotton year, 20,000 bales of 450 lbs. aver age, which ranged from common np to snch qualities as sold at 38a40c. per pound in Savannah and Charleston in the spring of 1871. The cotton from Fiji brought a much higher price in England, varying in United States' currency from 96c to $1 24 per lb. It will he seen that the American boast that Sea Island cotton was beyond the reach of foreign competition is a mis taken idea. The very finest has been du plicated from the cotton grown abroad. But all this foreign ootton was produoed from American Sea Island seed. It “runs out,” or loses its vitality and richness abroad in about three vears—sometimes in less time than that. The foreign planters therefore renew the seed each year from Charleston or Savannah. Au effort was made last year to effect a combination of fine ootton planters for the purpose of pre venting the sale of their ootton seed for export- But this proved a failure. More Sea Island cotton seed has been exported this year than ever before. Part of this exportation is explained, however, by the increased demand for ootton seed for man ufacturing purposes. An oil which is not easily distinguished from the finest olive oil, is manufactured from ootton seed, and sold as olive oil. The waste, after extract ing the oil, is pressed into cake for feeding to cattle, and has proved to be an excel lent article ot food for them. In former times, cotton seed were fed to cattle, or used as a very efficient fertilizer. Consid erable quantities are still used for that purpose. It is not probahle that the business ot raising fine cotton will recuperate until the price of labor and materials in this coun try will enable it successfully to oompete, by an approach to their standard of com pensation, with that produoed by planters in foreign countries. It should be stated that the prices of Sea • Island ootton sinoe tho war have ruled much higher than previous to it. Still the planters failed to receive re munerative prices, for tho reason that tho cost of cultivation has been greatly <>n ttauetd, and all articles of subsistence have been excessively high. POPULATION OF THE CITY —CURIOUS FEA TURES OF ITS CHANGE. In 1798 the population of Savannah was, white and oolored inclusive, 6,226. In 1860 it had increased to a total of 22,292, of whioh 13,875 were white and 8,417 colored, nearly all the latter being classed as slaves. The census of 1870 showed a population of 29,000, of whioh about two-fifths are colored, aDd about one-fifth ot the whites are foreigners. A curious feature is developed in the changes among the colored residents. One of the most prominent physicians hero has a very extensive praoticc among the colored people. He has made consid erable scientific mquiry into their condi tion. He says the increased business of the city, after the war, naturally brought a large number of colored laborers, who came, without their wives or families, from South Carolina and interior Georgia, to work in warehouses and along the docks. They took up thoir residences in portions of the city where they could hud dle together and live cheaply, and seem to take very little oare of themselves. The large preponderance of males over females has encouraged concu binage. The result has been that when children follow such intimacy they are neglected and die in large numbers. He says the proportion of births amqng the two oolors is muoh larger among the whites, while the deaths amoDg the blacks, who comprise only two-fifths of tho popu lation, is almost double that of deaths among the whites. He accounts for this through oare on one side and ncgicct on tho other. Ho believes that the colored raoe in Georgia is actually decreasing in a degree that would in course of time, if no new colored immigration should take place, entirely exhaust the species. THE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE WHITES AND BLACKS.. We of the North make a great mistake when we believe tho two races are arrayed against one another. Careful observation conviooes me that the contrary is ihe fact. The only dividing line is the social dis tinction. It cannot be expected, in any oiroumstances, that a diotam froeing slaves will causo a great privilege to follow a newly conferred right. But especially in this case, where the parties controlling the social clement are pecuniarily affected by the freedom of the slavep, and where the freedmen are of a different color, en tirely uneducated, and havo no social status in any part of the country except among themselves, no method of reason ing wou'd induce the faintest hope, or even desire, that the newly enfranchised negroes should be elevated at once from their abject condition to a social standing as equals and associates with the families of their former masters—a class as intelli gent and refined as any people in the civ’lized world. Nor do the negroes themselves expect or deßire it- Their aim is not social, but it is political distinction. They have peaceable ambitions for office. And here the races meet. It may seem a little strange when I tell you that when, in Eadieal districts, an honeßt negro is pre ferred in a nominating convention for any offioe, the first man ho oonsults as his confidant and adviser is his old master. And his former master votes for him and does all he can to help him, through a spirit of generous rivalry among them, they considering it an honor that one of their former slaves should obtain such preferment, if a negro must bo eleoted. Though this feeling has sustained some painful discouragements, yet it is still kept up. I know of a case where a former field hand was sent to the Legisla ture. Jrle remitted his salary to his old master to keep for him and support his family during his abset ce. He com menced by sending a few dollars a week, but in a short time his weekly installments reached hundreds instead of the usual tens of dollars. The surprised fiduciary wrote his ward that he hoped he was as honest in the Legislature as he was on the plantation. The intelligent legislator an swered in explanation that “ the boss ” bad paid him sums varying from S2O to S3OO each for votes given on different bills. Planters and others have a sincere desire that the negroes shall acquit them selves oreditably and prosper. In com mercial circles they deal much more liber ally with the colored people than do Northern men who come here. The social distinction maintained be tween the native white and colored people is that between superiors and dependants. The colored people, except those who are vicious and worthless, seem, to desire to maintain that relation. A Southern white man in Savannah who maltreats a negro is confronted at once by his employer or white friends, and remonstrated with or reprimanded. The white people here seem to treat the colored people with.re spect and kindness, and the treatment is reciprocated. The latter are assisted in their studies by their old masters, and several of them have already become ex pert clerks. My attention has been called by a planter who was a colonel in the Confederate army to an incident occur ring at his ' plantation near here during the war, which he assures me is one of many similar ones that took place at the time Sherman captured Savannah. The soldiers carried off many of the provisions left on the plantation for use of the family. The colored people of the plantation made ginger cakes and sold them ta the soldiers in Savannah, and to the surprise of the planter’s wife took all the money home and presented it to her to used in sup porting the family. WICKED DECEPTIONS, Few things are more certainly calcula ted to produoe a feeling of prejudice against Northern men here than the sys tem of villainous deceptions practiced upon the citizens ever since the war by North ern adventurers. Plausible acarnps come here and prove at last to be wolves in sheeps’ clothing. These deceptions per meate stll branchps of trade, but I will only recount one aggravated instance. A man of good address arrived in Savannah sud announced his intention to hire a cot ton plantation. He was treated kindly and hospitably everywhere. After look ing at several, he finally leased for a term of five years one of the largest and most productive plantations in the neighbor hood. The former alaves of the owcer of the property applied for employ^ ent) and the lessee made them an offer. The col ored people came to Savannah and con sulted their old master: He told them the wages too small, urging as a rea son that they ha<j worked all their lives on the psoperty, and oonld develop a bet ter crop on it than any other set of labor ers. They acted under his advice, and made a fair proposition in a coQty&ct drawn by their adviser. Jt was accepted, and thev commenced work. One of the stip ulations in tho oontract was that eaoh. negro should be allowed, for part of his compensation, to cultivate a little patch of specified siie, in cotton, in lieu of the money value of its probable yield. The lessee and his workmen got along well to gether until the end of the first year. They had a good yield and a large crop. But the scamp, under pretense |of doing a kind act for the negroes, stored the entire crop, his laborers and his own, in the seed, aod sold it, pocketed the money, and suddenly disappeared. He has not been heard of since. The plantation owner and the negroes were both swindled. Some more oases but little less flagrant than this have attracted my attention, and have caused me to wonder that small communities where the facts soon spread will bear these hardships as patiently as they do. The effect upon a depressed people like those of the South, in their peculiar circumstances, would naturally be the ereation of an uncomfortable suspicion towards every stranger from the North whese antecedents cannot be traoed, with out muoh effort, to honorable circles. I am surprised, however, to find com paratively little of that feeliog among the white population. The greatest distrust of our Northern emigrants exists among the negroes. W. P. C. SOUTHERN OPINION. A FEW STRONG WORDS FROM “ MABBA 808. ” Toombs on the New Departure of the De mocracy—He Thinks that There are Worse Occupations for a Gentleman than Fighting —" It is Time to Begin the War Again," dec, [Oorraspondence New York Herald.] Sparta, June 7, 1871. After a two days wearisome hunt I have succeeded iu finding Mr. Robert Toombs. I left Atlanta day before yester day morning, reached his home at Wash ington late the same afternoon, and at once made my way to his family mansion —a stately building, with huge white Grecian pillars, and an immense flight of front steps. I rang the bell and demand ed of Aunt Dinah or Lucy, or whatever was the name of the Afrioan portress, if the Georgian chieftain was at home. “ Mr. Toombs, ” she repeated, pensive ly, after me, as though the words were strange and unfamiliar, and conveyed but a doubtful meaning to her brain. “Mr. Toombs ; do you mean Massa Bob ? * “ Yes, Mr. Robert Toombs. ” “Ah 1 Massa Bob done gone away on the kyars yesterday morning. ” Following in Massa Bob’s tracks by the first train thereafter, I at last came upon the genial fire eater himself in the oonrt room of this little Georgia village, sur rounded by a scoro or so of rustics, who listened with open lnouths and staring eyes to his unceasing flow of talk, now and then applauding with a hoarse Is ugh some especially pungent ripple of political or social bitterness. I did not wait long before I recognized the one trait in his character which friends and foes alike ac cord to him—the strength and fearless ness and wit that mark his criticisms of men and things. He is one of those men who, without being bad-hearted, give free vein in conversation to every brilliantly illuminated idea that comes into his head. He is a sayer of smart things, and no fear of offending against the laws of well-bred society; no misgiving, lest the highly seasoned words may prove the seed of un dying hatred has power to ourl, his tongue. His friends warn you, ere they present you to - him, not to pay any attention to his shrewish lapses from verbal politeness. “He doesen’t mean any harm, they say ; “ when you know him you will love and admire him as we do, ’’ which is perfect ly true. After talking to him ten minutes you will see that he is very much like one of those surly unoles in an old play, who preface some unusnal exhibition of large heartedness by outbreaks of snappishness and rudeness, which, in any one else, would be simply unbearable. Bob Toombs belongs to A TYPE OF SOUTHERN GENTLEMEN which the social revolution that is follow ing on the heels of the war will probably sweep away forever. A hundred years hence some historic novelist may study him as Thackeray has studied Dick Steele or Joseph Addison—as a specimen of an extinct variety of human culture and char acter. And in ‘that day, when the evil that his prejudices have prompted him to work is well nigh forgotten, only the nobler lineaments of his nature will be brought out in bold relief. The man of the twentieth century, while he will feebly mark the energy of his misdireotbd publiq, spirit, his blind, passionate hatred of the dominant form of American civilization, and his careless impetuosity of speech, will dwell with greater pleasure upon the frank honesty that has made him ever scorn to cloak his real sentiments by equivocal or unmeauing phrases ; his gen erosity, hospitality and chivalrous gal lantry of his mind, and the breadth and acuteness, and the kindness of his heart. You cannot be iu Georgia a week with out having it impressed upon your mind that Toombs is one of HER MOST FAVORITE SONS. Every man you meet will tell you that he has the “ grandest intellect ” and the “ biggest heart ” in the State. Just now he is politically under a passing cloud of unpopularity, but his name is none the less a name of might. Endless will be the examples you will hear of his pecuniary liberality, and “ his stories ” are caught up and repeated from mouth to mouth as the quintesence of wit. One of “ HIS LATEST,” by the way, illustrates pretty well the ve nality of a certain portion of the State Government, and' may be interesting to Governor Bullock. Toombs was hired to defend a murderer, and received a fee of SSOO. The evidence, however, was too clear, and the man was found guilty and sentenced to death. His friends at cuoe went to the State oapital, and after a while came back with a pardon. They called upon Toombs to tell him of their swcoess. “ Now, how muoh did this thing oost you ?” inquired he. “ That’s not a fair question,” was the answer , “but I oan tell you this, it was ad and sight cheaper than a lawyer’s fee.” Toombs has TWO PARTICULAR WEAKNESSES, also, which oommend him to popular favor. They are the same whioh Horace Greeley, consciously or unconsciously, has used as levers upon the hearts of his countrymen. First, he ha< a passion for farming, and prides himself upon being one of the best agriculturalists in the &tate. He is ready at any time, like Horaoe, to further prove, by incontestable figures, that his farm is a pecuniary success ; but this is a thing about which even his best friends are good-naturedly incredulous. And, second, he is, in seasons of provoca tion, the profanest of living Georgians, just as Horace is believed to be the cham pion “swearist” in the Fourth ward- Si range, isn’t it, that two historic charac ters, so utterly unlike in other respoots, should so closely resemble eaoh other in these two noble American foibles ? Before I prooeed to give the conversa tion which.! held with “the General,’’ it is well to say that, in tho opinion of your correspondent, Mr. Toombs is PROBABLT MISTAKEN in thinking that his sentiments are shared by a majority of bis fellow-citi*ens. Con scious of his former popularity and power, he very likely exaggerates his present po litical strength. But while a very large msj uity of Georgians respect apd admire him, and will cheerfully sing his praises by the hour together, there afe but few who place much confidence iu his judg ment. They tell yoq be is tho greatest orator and the most generous gentleman in tho State; but they add that he is a man of tl e most violent prejLdices, and that he is little to be trusted as a party leader. Some, too, will say further, that he is a man behind bis time, and that he is 100 old ever again to ooine up with the level of his age. In appearance,Matsa Bcb. is very stout, with a pleasant, nutibrown, healthy face and bright ha*e! eyes. You might take him for a sort of better olass farmer; but the first few words he utters will be aeoom paoied by a lighting up of the features and a quick, electrio glittef of the eyes, whieh will reveal his true intellectual rank- By the way, itis inability to keep silent and the brilliancy of his conversation,were bis greatest peril when he was running away to Cuba, and several times nearly r betrayed him. “Do V CS think the people erf the South prepared to accept the NEW PLAtyCRM of the Northern Democracy,Mr.Toombs?” said !• "Why, of course they won’t aooept it, They cannot do so, without being false to every principle of justice and freedom.’’ “What are they going to ao about it ?’’ “ I don’t know. But they oaonot sup port it. For my part, I see no difference now between the Democrat; and the Re publicans. I should advise the people to make the best bargain they oan, and side with whiohever party bids the highest." “ You have given up, however, all hope of making armed resistance to the United States Government ? “ Not kt all. I don’t know but that it is about time for us to EIGHT AGAIN. Our only hope is in ourselves; every party in the North abandons us. I never expected much from Northern Democrats since they deserted us at the beginning of the war, so I am net greatly disappoint ed. I know the men who are their lead ers, and they are just as unscrupulous as the Radicals. The clique who run Tam many and the Northern Democracy don t want Democratic principles to be success ful ; they would rather loee the election than have it result m a victory for the old dootrines of the party.' They, are bond holders, and are just as much in favor of NEW SERIES* VOL. XXIV. NO. 26. a oentralizid despotism as the Radioale.” “ But you surely do not seriously mean that the war ought to begin agaiu?” “ Yee, I do.” “ A#d you remember the bloodshed and misery whioh that must involve?” “ Yes; but what ot it ? I am not a peace man. There are MANY WORSE OCCUPATIONS for a geutlcman than fighting. Resides everything nearly in the way of political freedom has been won in battle. Look at, the blood that was shed during four cen turies for the sake oi' tho six lines in Magna Cbarta, that oonUin the funda mental principles of Anglo Saxon freedom. But, terrible as was the prioe, the rights secured were well worth the sacrifice. So with us. The right we struggled for in vain—tho right of self-government—would be cheaply purchased by a few generations of fighting.” “When are going to raise the standard of revolt?” “ Whenever a favorable eppirtunity oc curs. Wo will wait until you people at the North are divided among yourselves or are at war with some foreign power. The time will come, sooner or later.. And Jheso men” (here Mr. Toombs pointed to some farmers standing near by) “would fight again, tc-day, if need be. You cannot conquer us exoept by killing us all off, and that is an impossibility.” “But if you want to st.rt fighting again, don’t you think it unviso to talk about it?” “No, sir; I think it titno to let tho Northern people know that wo are ready to fight if they won’t let us ulone. We ask nothing but that—to l>e let aloue ; and if we can’t get it, I say wo had bettor again have war than a false pretense ot peace, suoh as wo have now.” “ But suocoss iu such a struggle is im possible.” “It would be a desperate undertaking, of course. But there is always a chance of suooess, and'tho obanoe js worth trying.” “ Will nothing short of Southorn inde pendence satisfy you ?” “Oh,yes. 1 suppose the North and the South might be kept togothor on the basis of the Constitution. But you des-. troy our loonl governments and impose another government upon us at the poiut of the bayonet. That cannot long he persisted in among people who inherit traditions of freedom, without a revolu tion. When law is overthrown men nat urally tako to the sword. A lasting peace might possibly have followed generous terms, like those proposed by Sherman, but it can never be tho fruit of tho op pression that wc have had to suffer sinco the war,” “Don’t you regard the acts of THE RECONSTRUCTED LEGISLATURES, then, as binding upon tbo Southern peo ple ?" “Os course not. Those Legislatures have not been legally clceted, and what ever they done is therefore invalid. They represent only a part of tho people—and -the worst nart—and I have no doubt that most ot what they havo done will bo at some time or other undone.” “ Would that involve the repudiation of the State debts they havo inourred?” * * Os course it would. ” “ And what is your opinion about the debt of the United States ; do you think that that will bo REPUDIATED ALSO?” “ I have never believed that publio dobts in a oountry governed by universal suf frage will ever stand firm against any great pressure. Just now, the people of the North are very prosperous and tho debt is pretty well distributed among them, so there is no particularly strong cry of repu diation ; but as soon as tho shoe pinches —in some bad season —tho people will turn round and throw off evoiy dollar of their publio indebtedness. That would happen in any oounLiy where universal suffrage prevails.” “ You may say that the Democratic par ty is BEING BETRAYED by soma of its leaders who do not wish that Democratic principles should bo suc cessful.” “ Yes. They do not want to kcop this country a free republio any more than tho Radicals do. This new platform shows that. Tboy are anxious for offioe, of course. Principles are nothing to them, or rather they aro in favor, at heart, of much the same principles as the Radi cals.” » “ But they seem to be supported enthu siastically by tho masses of tho part).” “ I don’t think so. With the old plat form the. Democratic party was every year growing in strength, and would have been successful in 1872. Its loaders, howevor, have changed it, and now, so far as South ern men can see, there is NO VISIBLE DIFFERENCE in principle between Democrats and Radi cals. It is a mere scramble for office. 1 don’t care now which party wine, and think it the best policy to make whatever terms wc can, caring nothing about the name of the organization we support. The South holds still tho balauco of power, and oan probably throw victory in either scaic.” . “ But if this platform be unpalatable to the mass of the peoplo, won’t tho Demoo raoy melt away into thin air.” “ Why, you know as well as I do, that tho Northern Democracy consists practi cally oi a few score men, who have seized upon its machinery' and do just as they please. The masses are for the most part so many sheep, who follow them, and no nothing and care not very muoh about what they are voting for. Every one knows how Tammany flail sustains itself in the city of New York.” "negro suffrage, 1 suppose, you regard as tho most obnox ious provision in the amendments ? Why do you objeot to it so strongly ? In your own county a majority of the negroes aro Democrats.” “It is no particular trouble for as to make and keep them Democrats. The ' negroes all over the South might he in duced to vote for their former masters. In my oounty, where, as yon say, the ne groes are largely Democratic, we used no threats, and did not make auy false prom ises. I told them I did not think they ought to have a vote, and many of them agreed with me. It is precisely for the reason that they can so easily he coaxed into voting for us that I oppose negro suf frage. Men so easily influenced ought not to have any political power. A vote ought only to be in the possession of citizens who are conscious of the responsibility it involves, and are intelligent and conscien tious enough to use it rightly. For the present vfo might strengthen ourselves, perhaps, against the Radicals-hy the negro vote. But I look to. the future, and can see that, with negro suffrage, GOOD GOVERNMENT at the Sonth will always be impossible. The white people of the South are now a unit; hot the time will come when they will be divided, and then they will hid for the negro vote, and the worst men will naturally make the biggest offer and con trol the State. Asa good citizen, there fore, I can never consent to accept the 16th amendment.” “The Radicals believe that the negro will support them, at least for the next generation, on the soore of gratitude; hut, of course, you don’t share that opinion ? ” “It is absnrd. The best definition of political gratitude ever uttered was that. > of an English statesman, who described it as a ‘ lively appreciation of future favors.' That is especially true when you apply it to the case in point, ” “Do you think freedom has made the negro iefy and the rest of it, as was at one time predicted.? ” “;Oh, the NEGRO WILL DO WELL enough if he is only let alone. lie would never have given us the slightest trouble but for these men who have come among us and have tried to gain power by flat tering and tempting him. In some oases they have been successful, and the negroes have been demoralized by their Tying promises. But the negro, left to himself, whether freemen or slave, will always be onr most faithful laborer. He works pret ty well as it is and we find no great diffi cnlty in keeping him in order. ’ “Do you fear, as Mr. Stephens does, that this government is about to beoome a centralised despotism.” “ That is the present tendency, of oourse. I don’t think, however, the attempt will be crowned with ultimate suooess.” Such are the salient points in a couple of brief conversations whioh I had the honor of holding with “Massa Bob.” I have excluded in the above report the man's side allusions to the mean and sordid oharaoter of Northorn civilization into whioh Mr. Toombs occasionally “broke,” as they say of a restive trotting horse. .... The type of Southern man to which he belongs have for twenty years dinned into our ears our own unworthiness, and Mr. Toombs simply repeated the usual tures upon our manners and oharaoter. In his eyes, tho Southern gontleman is the embodiment of chivalrous honor and indifference to mammon and high oulturc— a generous, hospitable, oonrientious and gallant image of his Maker; and the Northern visitor- at the South oheerfully endorses the general truth of such a pic ture. But Mr. Toombs further behoves that at the North thero is neither virtuo nor honor nor liberality. The masses of our people, Iso say.-, aro tho serfs of misorablo money-making ntil • lionaires, who spring from the gutter, who amass enormous wealth by grinding the faoos of the poor, and then distin guish themselves at heme and in Europo by their vulgarity. Our clergymen aro equally sordid, and advocate any form of ism&tio theology that pays tho Lost. Our politicians—well, 1 would not like to re peat all that Mr. Toombs says about them. He is coming North himself in a couple oi weeks, and will doubtless abuse them to their faces with that lavish wealth of in veotive which strikes I'oar and trembling into the breasts of all his Southern one mica. Important Decision by Judge Krs kine.— Tho following is taken from the Atlanta Constitution ■' John H. Wallaoo filed his bill in Dis trict Court of Unitod States to I'oreolose mortgage on real estate in city of At lanta. Mortgage dated Deoombcr 18,1868. The defendant, Patrick O’Keif, by way of answer, set up as a defense the-fact that tho Ordinary ot Fulton oounty had sot apart tho mortgaged proporty as a homestead for him ami his family under and by virtue of the following provision ol' the Constitution of Georgia, adopted in 1863, and the statutes passed in persuanoe thereoi, to-wit: Artiolo VII, and Section 1, to wit: “ Each head of a family, or guardian, or trustee, of a family of minor children, shall be entitled to a homestead of realty to the value of two thousand dollars in speoio, and personal properly to the value of ono thousand dollars in specie, both to bo valued at the time they ore set apart. And no oourt or ministerial offioor in this State shall over have jurisdiction.or au thority to enforeo any judgment, decree or execution against said proporty so sot apart—including such improvements as may be made thereon from tirno to timo, exoept for taxes, money borrowod.and ex pended in improvement of this horaestoad, or for tho purchase money of the samo, and for labor done thereon, or material furnishod thorofor, or removal of encum brances theroon.” The Court held the answer insufficient to defeat tho foreclosure ; and that the homestead law, passed in 1868, and tho action of the Ordinary in pursuance there of', was illegal and void, ooming in conflict with tho right of tho plaintiff to enforeo bis eontraot and lion made nnd created on the land in 1866, as the effect of such homestead law, if carried into effect in this oaso, would be to impair tho obligation of the contract. Counsol for plaintiff, howover, ooncoded that defendant oould avail himself of tho homestead law in force at tho dato of the mortgage, and honoe tho deorco was so shaped that dcfondajt should receive SSOO of tho prooeeds of the property when sold. L. J. Gartrell and E, N. Broyles, lor plaintiff. It. H. Clarke, for defendant. A Terrible Horse Disease.— Within a few weeks past an alarming and fatal malady has made its appearanoo in the stables ofsomo of tho New York city rail road lines. Tho Sun says: “It reoontly showod itself among tho horses of the Second Avonuo lino, where there have been over ono hundred and thirty oases, although not moro than about twelve have as yet proved fatal. The first symptoms aro manifostod in tho slow and sluggish movement of tho hind quarters, and in stumbling. It is a dneaso of tho mem branes over the spinal marrow, and begin ning apparently over tho lumber vertebrae, effectually paralyzes tho hind quarters, Tho distemper gradually works itself along the spinal oord until it reaohes tho brain, when the fore legs give way, and tho horse is deprived of tho use of his limbs. The horse continues to cat and drink as hoartiiy as though ho was well ; his appe tite seems to inorcaso rathor than diminish as tho disease advanoes. Thero is no effec tual remody for this frightful malady yet discovered. A gontleman in Westohestor oounty, out of sevon fine horses, has lost five ; another gontleman on Long Island, tho owner of many fast trotting horses, has lost six from the disease, valued at $30,000- It may be notiopd as a singular coinoidenoo that corebrospinal meningitis, though not of a malignant form, is pre vailing extensively in many parts of Vir ginia.” Speed of the Mississippi Steam boats. —Wo note that tho Natohoz, which stopped at Vioksburg on her upward trip whilo tho writor was there, Kiado tho whole distanoe from New Orleans to St. Louis, 1,260 miles, in threo days and t.wenty-throo hours. On tho way she stopped at 22 landings, and was delayed by a furious storm and by fogs. Tho samo boat mado tho timo in Juno, 1870, in three days, twenty-one hours and fifty-eight minutes. The champion timo, so iar, was mado by tho R. E. Lee, last year, in thr c days, eighteen hours and thirty minutes, which was fourteen miles an hour, including stoppages, and reckoning the curront she ran against and tho delay in stopping,’she must havo mado an average of nearly twonly miles an hour whilo in motion. White and Linen Suits.— Though white and linen suits still retain their pop ularity, ladies are beginning to feci the weight of the laundry bills, consequently the ruffles and Outings, which were so pop ular last season, are not so well liked this. Upon the linen suits displayed at the fur nishing houses, folds and simplo platings have taken tbeir place. Many of the whito suits display the old and stcrotyped style of trimming, which consists of a flounce with a dozen or more tueks over it on the first skirt, on tho second ruffles and tucks beadod by another ruffle, and tho same trimming repeated on tho basque. A ruflio runs tho length of the sleeve and trims the cottom of it and the neck. It requires an experienced laundress to do up the oostumes, and as throo dollars is about the lowest ftrico which is asked, the cost of washing soon amounts to moro than the original oost of tho dress. That Alliance.— A mischievous New York paper oiiginated the statement, that Queen Victoria, desirous of preserving tho friendly relations between the Unitep States and Groat Britain, baa made a proposition to President Grant that his son, Cadet Frodorick Grant, be be trothed to her youngest daughter, the Princess Boatrioe, who is only fourtccu years of age. tho Republican press scout the idea ; but there is an uneasy, irqured tone to their disavowments, that indicates their appreciation of the fact that scarcely any ridiculous story concerning the pre tentious aspirations of “the roigning fami ly” is too absurd to gain belief. Knights or Jericho. —A meeting of the Grand Lodge of the Knights of Jericho will be held in the city of Atlanta on the sth of July, 1871. Subordinate lodges in other States are cordially invited to send representatives to this session of the Grand Lodge of Georgia, that there may be a full interchange of suggestion and thought, with a view to the revision and perfection of the Constitution and Ritual of the order. A Large Government Claim Set tled.—The Savannah Advertiijr says that for some reason, the papers have neg lected to make public the recent settle ment of the ootton olaims of Messrs. T. R. and J. G. Mills by the Court of Claims at Washington. The Court awarded tho sum of $131,000 to Messrs. Mills as a re turn for the ootton belonging to them, whioh was seized in common with a largo amdunt of the staple during Sherman’s oooupacoy of Savannah. The sum above mentioned has teen paid over to tho claim - aits.