ALABAMA HEALTH AND SOIL.

opinion that the portion of Alabama which I have seen, will not equal in richness and fertility of soil Madison & Hinds Counties Miss: the latter is also I think equally a pleasant Country for residence if it is as healthy.. There is found in Ala. two distinct and different soils, one very black & sticky -the other more sandy. the first is exceedingly unpleasant in rainy weather, being very muddy. The last is much more desirable for residence. In favour of Sumpter County (that part which I saw) I believe it is much more healthy than any portion of Edgecombe County, N. C. and as a pretty fair evidence there are a great many children and I saw none but what were very healthy & fat. Indeed there is rather too much disposition to corpulence both in chilren and adults.-All my acquaintances agree in saying that their families are far healthier here than they were in N. C.

DISCOMFORTS ON BOAT.

On getting on my Boat and finding her large and her births capacious, I anticipated a very pleasant time down. But my expectations were soon marred and my hopes destined to be dashed. The river being very low, it was with difficulty our boat could keep the stream & had not gone far before she ran into the woods losing some of her Cotton & the delay was consequently considerable.-In addition to this we stopt very often to take on Cotton until finally, the decks, the gangways and every place was so crowded that scarcely a breath of air could be had. I could not go to bed before II o'clock at night, and all day the passengers were seeking every dark spot to find a little comfort. The weather for the last two weeks has been intensely hot, equal to our midsummer, and hence our situation on the boat was highly unpleasant. On Saturday the cry of "Man overboard!" was heard, the engines stopt and after some delay one of the deck hands was taken out of the water. He had swam man

fully and was thus saved.-Saturday night another cry was heard the engine stopt, and it was found the boat had run over a man in a skiff. The poor fellow was presently found and taken aboard; somewhat hurt and dreadfully frightened.

So uncomfortable was my situation that I could neither read nor write and the time from Friday to Monday passed very heavily

ACQUAINTANCES; MOBILE.

Monday 4th-11 o'clock we came in sight of Mobile and about 12 we were at the wharf and I joyfully bid adieu to the Gen Sumpter. I put up at the Waverly house, and on getting there found myself tired, very hot and very thirsty for in addition to our other inconveniences on the boat we had no water but from the river & that was both muddy & warm. A pleasant room, nice ice water, and an hours rest and I felt an hundred prct. better.. Then dressing was ready for dinner.-Soon after Mr. Stewart came in and insisted on my going to his house, and he sending for my baggage. I made his house my home.-Mr. Stewart & Mr. Parker live together, both of whom & their wives have professed religion. Mr. S. & wife are Members of the Presbyterian & Mr. P & wife Members of the Methodist Church.

I spent 3 days in Mobile and found Mr. S. & wife very kind, Mr. P. not being at home.

Mobile is a city of Cotton. It is to be found in the quay warehouses, sidewalks every where. They have recd upwards of 400,000 bales there this season & will probably reach half a million. There is more on hand now than any preceding year at this season. prices are low & must be worse. Monday evening with Mr. & Mrs. Pratt I rode three miles in the country and found several of the situations very handsome. Mobile might be made a delightful place in Winter and a pleasant one in Summer, but unfortunately

like too many of the Southern Towns & Cities but little attention is paid it by the authorities. Hence it is dirty and about the wharves very filthy & stinking. Added to this so many of the inhabitants leave there in the Summer, that their erratic life forbids them making many improvements or paying much attention to these little conveniences & comforts without which any life & especially a city one is unpleasant-Mobile has abt. 15,000 inhabitants in Winter and has been probably as unfortunte in regard to fires as any place in the U. S.-In the last 12 mos. they have had four or five that have laid some of the fairest and best portions of the city in ashes.—Only 10 days ago they had a fire & 3000 bales Cotton destroyed.

HOME NEWS.

On getting to M-I found a letter from my dear wife, the first I have had since leaving home, and only those who have been similarly situated can appreciate my feelings-All well too, thank God! he has taken care of my precious family tho I am far away.-Wednesdays mail brought me another letter from Anna Maria-News unfavorable, Richard sick, the baby unwell-It is dampening to the spirits of a fond parent, but I cannot forget that God is my friend, that he will do for them what I cannot do if I were there. O God I have trusted thee, still give me grace & faith, preserve my dear little ones, my mother, my wife, and restore me to them again. Nevertheless not my will, but Thine & O God give me resignation to that will.

The news from home has made me the more anxious to get away, and having completed my business in Mo

HOMEWARD BOUND.

bile I gladly availed myself of the opportunity of leaving the dirt and heat of the city, and on Thursday 7th at 5 P. M. on board the Steamer Jefferson I turned my

back to Mobile and once more look towards home.-My plan is to Montgomery in S. Boat, then take Stage to Greensboro, Ga:-We have a large fine boat and a good prospect of pleasant trip up the river, hope I may not be again disappointed.

ITINERARY

April 3rd 1840 Left Balt. 4 m. to Hagerstown 26 m3. 2 M. to Cumberland 40 m3. 5 ms. 7 o'clock P. M. to Union Town Pa 55 m3. 8 o'clock A. M. breakfast, to Washington Pa. to dinner 31 P. M. 36 m3. to Wheeling 10 o'clock P. M. 32 m3. 287 Ms. to Wheeling 10 o'clock P. M.

P. M. to Frederick 9 P. M. 61 A. M. to Hancock 26 ms. 8 A. P. M. to Frostburg supper II

Left Wheeling Monday 6th 31 p. m. reached Cincinnati 8th 6 o'clock A. M.-355 m3.

Left Mobile 5 p. m. 7th May detd 7 Hours arrd at Montgomery 12 o'clock Midnight 9th-405 [408?] m3. Left My 10 o'clock A. M. 10th arrd at Columbus 3 P. M. same day 8 Ms. left Columbus 4 p. m. same day arrd at Greensboro 9 p. m. 11th 160 m3. left G— 9 p. m. same night ard at Augusta 4 A. M. 12th 85 ms. left Aa— 6 A. M. arrd at Charleston 2 P. M.-136 Ms. left Charleston 4 P. M. arrd at Wilmington 7—A. M. 13th 170 Ms. left Wilmington 8 a. m. arr at Enfield 7 p. m.—141 Ms.

(Concluded.)

RECONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS.

LETTERS OF EX-ATTORNEY GENERAL EDWARD BATES TO SENATOR JAMES R. DOOLITTLE1 OF WISCONSIN.

[The copies of letters which follow were written by the late Edward Bates, Attorney General in President Lincoln's Cabinet and a well known and esteemed citizen of the State of Missouri and of the City of St. Louis, including in one of them, extracts from letters which the Attorney General had previously written to other citizens. These letters were carefully filed away by the late ex-Senator Doolittle with his other private papers and correspondence. I am informed by members of Mr. Doolittle's family that he rarely kept copies of letters pertaining to public matters which he sent to his fellow citizens from time to time. And it is not possible for me, therefore, to produce Judge Doolittle's letters which probably called forth the two shorter letters of General Bates to him. These may still be found in the private papers of General Bates.

It is interesting to the student of American history, and particularly, to those investigators who are making a study of the reconstruction period of our national existence, to carefully and critically scan these letters of the late ex-Attorney General. Even members of the legal profession and publicists, generally, can glean much of real value from the luminous discussion of the questions succeeding the great Civil War as portrayed in these interesting letters.

It is worthy of note, too, that our own Wisconsin Senator was made the object of warm words of commendation from this high and intelligent authority. And this fact should not be forgotten, viz: that Judge Doolittle's constituents, many of them, were, at the same time, only too anxious to "nail him to the political cross" for his valiant stand during President Johnson's administration, an attitude which has been more than justified by the trend of subsequent events. And it is a fact, not generally known, we suspect, that nearly all of President Lincoln's confidential advisers commended and sustained the position of Judge Doolittle during the period referred to by General Bates. Letters in my possession from Secretaries Gideon Welles, Caleb B. Smith, J. P. Usher, and Postmaster General Blair, all establish that. They are not, however, as full and complete as are these of the Attorney General.

Of course, the time has passed to resurrect dead political issues. And certainly, the questions mooted in these interesting letters are no longer active political forces in our national life. Nevertheless, any well authenticated data which gives additional light on the lives and thoughts of our great statesmen of whatever period of our national existence, cannot fail, I am sure, to beget interest in such great national characters and events. And it is believed that these letters let in a few rays of political light from sources which have