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LOUISIANA.

had given up the culture of cotton entirely for that of Indiancorn, considering that the latter, at a dollar and a quarter abushel, would pay better than any other crop. Having alarge extent of uncleared land adjoining the river, he wascutting it down for the steamers; and his slaves, who weregood wood choppers, would yield him £166 each during theyear.

February 22, 1855.—I got on board a steamer at Natchezfor New Orleans, this afternoon, and found it full of pas-sengers, and the accommodation as good as in the one in whichI had ascended the river. Calls at different plantations werefrequently made to take in cotton and sugar. As many asforty labourers, one-half Irishmen, the other half negroes, arekept on board to save time in taking in the produce of theplantations. During the night we left the cotton plantationsbehind, and the sugar again occupied the rich bottom landson both sides. Next afternoon I was landed in the parish ofSt. James, where I had an introduction to a planter, and Ihad no more to do than to walk over the bank into the com-fortable mansion of a French family, from whom I had a kindreception.

Adjoining the river the soil of the Mississippi bottoms, con-sisting of a sandy loam, is very fertile ; but at a little distanceit is a tenacious clay, abounding in vegetable matter, whichgradually increases as we recede from the river, until thepeaty soil of the swamp is reached. The drainage of the landis imperfect, and nothing but the open-ditch system is followed.The general slope of the land from the bank of the riverto the swamp is about eight feet to a mile, which is no morethan sufficient for drainage where the surface is somewhatirregular. I saw a number of Irishmen employed by acontractor in digging drains. They were on piece-work,earning fully six shillings, English money, a day, and wereprovided with board besides. High as their wages are, thiskind of work could not be done so cheaply by slave labour,as a negro would scarcely do more than dig one-half the ex-tent of drains which an Irishman does. The Irish labourersreturn to the North during the warm season, when the sugar