but excludes all new-comers. I found Dr. Brisbane as much disturbed as
it is possible to conceive.

Of course I stayed over with Mr. R. another night to attend the
church. It was a fine morning, and we found a pretty large attendance,
both black and white. Parson Phillips was there and opened the
services. Mr. French followed, urging them to go ahead at once and
locate their lots. General Saxton followed, saying but little, but
urging them not to sleep till they had staked out their claims.

Father French begged leave to differ, for he wanted them to respect
the Sabbath. Mr. Hunn followed, saying they had better do it _to-day_,
for it was no worse to drive stakes Sunday than to keep thinking about
it. He condoled them on the small pay they had been getting from
Government and private speculators, saying, "What's thirty cents a day
in these times for a man who has to maintain himself and his family?"
(Great sensation among negroes, and a buzz, with mutterings of "that's
so," etc.). Then a paymaster made a spread-eagle speech. Then Colonel
Ellwell was called out by Mr. French. Then Judge Smith mounted the
pulpit and explained to the negroes the meaning of preemption, how it
was formed of two Latin words. Colonel Ellwell contrived to mystify
the people a little as follows. After expatiating on the goodness of
President Lincoln, he said he was so kind he had even offered pardon
to the rebels, and perhaps we should see their old masters back here
some day, with a whole county of scoundrels to swear they had always
been loyal Union men, etc. The whole fandango lasted till nearly three
o'clock, and then we had the usual amount of shaking of hands, etc.,
outside. I lost no time in finding Mr. Hunn and informing him that I
had paid an average of over fifty cents a day through the whole season
of working cotton. If he had been a younger man, I should have said,
as I thought, that it was not a true kindness to these ignorant people
to say anything tending to make them discontented with the rates of
pay that had been established with a good deal of care by men who had
been quite disinterested and well calculated to judge of such things.
In fact, I might have told him, what I certainly believe, that a much
higher rate of pay than they have been receiving would tend to
diminish the amount of industry rather than to stimulate it, by
rendering it too easy for them to supply their simple wants. I held my
peace, however, and was conten