THE AUSTIN PAPERS 83 ns low and move Eight lfiles an hour, whereas Canal Iloats go only four.- I had last winter a Visit from Geo. Sibley of Missouri his wife and her sister 1\fiss Easton. they spent two Months with us and took away with them Mrs Sibley, Hopkins Sibleys widow, nucl her Daughter Ann. and son Harry; George has lived at Fort Ozage and they all left here for that place, but on arriving at S. Charles where Judge Eastons family Reside, George on Visiting and going over a Tract of Land he had owned for 15 years near that place which he never before had examined was persuaded to settle there and there they all are, they live in the Town the land they are im- proving comes within half a l\file; the Ozage farm and stock ll.re kept up where they have an hundred Breeding :Mares and Jennies etc. Judge Easton has the Dropsey and cannot Iive long. they give an account of the Beauty and improvements of St. Louis, Increase of Population and vVealth surpassing any Town in the 1Vest, Cincinnati Excepted.- they speak of the New Splendid Churches, Court and l\farket House as in an superior stile. the Jefferson Barracks G miles below where two Regiments of U. S. Troops are kept called the School of practice they mention as an Elegant Establishment giving great life and vareity to St. Louis. the Troops that were at Council Bluff are mov 4 down a few miles above Old Fort Qzage and is called the Cantonement Levinsworth where is a Regiment. the State of :Missouri is rapidly advancing in population 1Vealth and improvements and are for the Reelection of Mr. Adams Col Benton to the contrary notwithstanding- Our Town of Natchitoches improves slowly. we have a large tolerable handsome and well finished Catholic Church Nearly done a good looking Bclfrey and a good Bell. Several New Houses have been built since you were here, but the distruction of the great fire is scarsily repaired. all the Small Towns on the Steam Boats navigable Waters seem not to flourish. If an inhabitant wants a Twist of Tobacco he sends for it by a Steam Boat to his Agent in N. Orleans, it is sure to come in a few hours, at half what the little Jew shops would take for the Same Article-Alexandria from that cause, the Overflow and unhealthiness of the place is almost aban- doned Houses and Lotts have fallen 300 pr Cent or More.- The Planters in this Parish since the fall of Cotton (many of them) are preparing for sugar. the Ribbon Cane brought from China comes to perfection in about a Month less time than the Creole cane no doubt from the experiments already made it will succeed well in this Parish; but you have the soil and climate for that Article·; but cannot be extensively used without Slaves.-
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