1862. 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMEE. 



207 



off and linen coats going on ; the passengers 

 are looking for the shady side of the deck, and 

 imbibing freely of iced drinks into which they 

 pour fluid that is called "Old Bourbon," a com- 

 modity that is said to have been invented in 

 Kentucky. From the efi'ect it has on some of the 

 passengers, we think it no better than ead corn 

 whisky from the use of which we wish to be ex- 

 cused. Those who are accustomed to railroad 

 travel can have little idea of the slow progress 

 of a boat up stream at the rate of six miles an 

 hour, shut in from a view of the country by the 

 interminable river forest. There is so little 

 ctange in scenery that during the long summer 

 days as you ride day after day it becomes weari- 

 some. The spell is occasionally broken by meeting 

 a steamer or the passing of a farm house; but 

 hours often intervene between the sight of either 

 and the river forests looks as unbroken as when 

 Boone first wended through its stately aisles of 

 majestic oaks, festooned with tall, climbing viaes 

 that shut out the sun. We were fortunate in se- 

 curing a state room that opens out upon the east 

 bank of the river and find such amusement as we 

 can in watching the shore and catching glimpses 

 now and then of the far off hills and the specs 

 of civilization that are sprinkled here and there 

 among the solitudes of the river forests, un- 

 broken save by the steady breathing of the la- 

 boring engine as it drives the trembling craft up 

 against the stream. 



The evidence of human life grow more and 

 more numerous as we ascend the stream ; we 

 passed a railroad bridge in complete ruins ; a few 

 miles further is the graded bed of another but- 

 ting on the river, asking to cross over — a large 

 pile of iron lies waiting for the ties ; but the men 

 that are to cut and hew them are busy with the 

 •ngines of war. The latter road is a part of the 

 line from Hickman to Nashville. 



It is said that misery likes company and so it 

 seems. The Daniel G. Taylor, a large steamer, 

 loaded to the water's edge with military stores 

 and troops, had preceded us some eight hours 

 at Cairo, but we have just passed her and our 

 passengers send ap a shout of joy to think that 

 they are not on the slowest boat ; that there is 

 one still slower ; we confess a little to the joy 

 ourself, for we had waited several long hours 

 for her arrival at Cairo. The soil has changed 

 to a darker hue, and here where a ridge of land 

 juts to the river, just above the water edge, is a 

 ledge of blue limestone, the first that we have 

 seen. 



June 21. — Another foggy night a^d its conse- 

 quent lay to. At last it is lifted from the river 

 and we again steam up stream. The ferries and 

 wood boats have been swept from the stream by 

 the gunboats, and there is little communication 

 now in fact nonebut the common du^ out or im- 

 proved skifl'. 



We now meet with high bluffs of stone and 

 ledges through which the river has cut her way, 

 and the country is broken into hills and narrow 

 valleys, and has altogether a wild and, to the 

 farmer, an uninviting aspect. Stopping to wood 

 we went on shore for an hour and took a pretJy 

 thorough look at what is called a large plantation. 

 The corn looked fine ; was fully our height, with 

 many hills a foot above. It was laid by ; this 

 had been done by a diamond plow throwing hea- 

 vy furrows against the hills ; of course, for a 

 week or two, it will make little, if any, growth, 

 until a new set of roots have time to put forth. 

 The peach trees— a dozen or two— were loaded 

 with fruit, and so of the apple trees whose 

 branches were seven to eight feet above the sur- 

 face. Our low headhobby would not answer here 

 for the nigger would pick off the fruit, but these 

 high heads are out of their reach and they must 

 be content with the windfalls. No other fruit 

 could be found in the garden which was planted 

 to early corn for roasting ears. In the field near 

 the house pole beans had been planted with the 

 corn, and were making good progrees up the 

 stalks ; with this exception we could see no veg- 

 etables designed for the table. Several negro 

 children were busy about the place, while the 

 whiter ones were staring at the passengers. The 

 corn being laid by, the older hands were busy 

 hauling up wood for the boatmen. 



June 22.— It is Sunday morning, and the sua 

 begins to pour his warm rays on to the river 

 shut in, as it is, by the forest walls and high 

 bluffs from the west wind. Three or four hours 

 more and we shall land at Hamburgh, from where 

 we have an overland journey to Corinth, which 

 we hope will give us an insight to Tennessee 

 farming, 



July 1.— Since leaving the steamer at Ham- 

 burgh, we have been taking short trips in 

 the country and attending a sick son, who had 

 been worn down by the inconsiderate forced 

 marches of General Pope's command. Eemit- 

 tant fever was the cause, but as we do not in- 

 tend to inflict our readers with any details will 

 return to our notes of the country. 



