A Picture Of New Orleans

The following are extracta from Mr. Russoll's tenth letter to the London Times which is dated New Orleaus, May 25. There are doubts arising in my mind respecting the number of armed men aetually n the field ia the South, and the amount of arms in the possession of the Federal forces. The constant advertisements and appeals for " a few moro men to complete" such and such companies, furnieh some sort of evidence that men are still wanting. But a painful and startling insight iuto the manner in which " volunteers have been sometimea obtained, has been affoi'ded to me at New Orleans. In no country in the world have outrages on British subjects been su frequent, perhaps, because they have generally been attended with impunity. Englishmen, however, will be still a little surprised to hear that within a few days British subjects living in New Orleans have been seized, knocked down, carried off from their labor at the wharf and the workshop, and forced by violence to serve in the " volunteer " ranks ! - These cases are not isolated. They are not in twos and threes, but in tens and twenties; they have not occurred stealthily or in by-ways ; they have taken place in the open day and in the streets of New Orleans. These men have been dragged along like felons, protesting that they were British subjects. Fortuuately, their friends bethought them that there was still a British consul in the city, who would protect his countrymen - Euglish, Irish, or Scotch. Mr. 5lure, when he heard of the reports and of the evidence, made energetic representations to the authorities, who, after some evasion, gave orders that the impressed " volunteers " should be discharged, and the " Tiger Rifles," and oiher companies were deprived of the services of thirty-five British subjects whom they had taken frora their usual avocations. Tho mayor promises it shall not occur again. It is high time that such acts should be put a stop to, and that the mob of New Orleans should be taught to pay some regard to the usages of civilized nations, There are some strange laws here and elsewhere in reference to coinpulsory service on the part of foreigners which it would be well to inquire into, and Lord John Russell may be able to deal with them at a favorable opportunity. As to any liberty of opinión or real freedom here, the boldest Boutherner would not daré to say a shadow of either exista. It may be as bad in the North for all I know, but it must be remembercd that in all my Communications, I spcak of things as they appear to me to be in the place where I ain at the time. The most cruel and atrocious acts are perpetrated by the rabble who style themselves citizens. The national failing of curiosity and prying into other people's affairs is now ranipant, and assumes tho name aud airs of patriotic vigilance. Every stranger is narrowly watched, every word is uoted, espionage commands every key bole and every letter-box ; love of country takes to eavesdropping, and freedom shaves mcn's heads, aud packs men up in boxes for the uttcrance of " abolition sentiments." In this city there is a terrible substratuin of crimo and vico, violence, misery, and murder, over which the wheels of the Cotton King's chariot rumble gratingly, and on which rest in dangerous security the feet of his throne. There are numbcrs of negroes who are sent out in the streets every day with orders not to return with loss than seventyfive cents- anything more thev can keep. But if they do not gain that- about 3s Cd a day - they are liablo to punishment; they may be put into goal on charges of laziness, and be flogged ad Ubitum, and are sure to be half starved. Can anything, then, bc more suggestive than this paragraph, which appeared in last night's paper; " Only three coroner's inquests were held yesterday on persons found drowned in the river, names unknown !" The italics are mine. Over and over again has the boast boen repeated to me, that on the plantations lock and key are unknown or unused in the plantter's houses. But in the cities they are much used, though scarcely trusted. It appears, indeed, that unless a slave bas made up. his or her mind to incur the dreadful ponalties of flight, there would be no inducement to commit theft, for money or jewels would be useless ; search would be easy, detection nearly certain. That all the slaves are not indifferent to the issues before them ia certain. At the house of a planter the otber day, one of them asked my friend : " Will we be made to work, massa, when ole English como ?" An old doraestic in the house of a gentleman in this city said : "There are a few whites in this place who ought to bo killed for their cruelty to us " Another said : Oh, just wait till they attack Pickens !" These little hints are suggestive euough, coupled with the notices of runaways and lodgments in the pólice jails, to show that all is nat quiei bclow the surface. Tho holders, however, are firm, aud there have been many paragraphs stating that the slaves have contributed to the various funds for the State defenac; and they generalij show the vcry best fpirit.