A Tennessee Steamer, And A Tennessee Landscape

Benjamin F. Taylor, in one of hisunique lettefs to the Chiongo Journal, gives the following descriptiim of' thiuga seen and Rilt by him during a trip up the Tenuofsoe River : Tho stenraers that navigato tlio beautiful Tonne.-see are not genis of naval architecture ; the gildcd saloons re " iti the mind's eyc"; the stute-roouis aro iti a state of nature ; the wliole oralt ia scowy to a degree aud daiigerously dirty, and yet, I rather think that neilher Cleopatra nor the Doge of Ycnice ever floated in barge so graoeful as the ''Paint Koel;" fcemeii to me, beforc the battle of Mission llidgc. To be suro ska sat on the river li a tu.l, but in my eycs slie 'walked the waters likc a thing of life. ' I will paint you a picture il' I can : the last thvow ot tho loconxUive dice hoxes has tumbled you out at Bndgeport within an ace of your life, and concluding to take to the water, you makc for B tal] smoke ander the river bank, and slide down a süppery path, in n turbulunt curreut of box and barrel Uesido you, swaying like the tet.hercd clephant in the menagerie, is a broad nosed, ampliibious loukiuii creature, appareraly built roand a vc:y quaint and greasy uBgine, wbile you can hardly persuado yoursclf that the eiiimneys were not pet up on end aud thrust above the tree tops simplj becausa tlierc was bo room for tlicm beloWi O.i the odges around thia engino are asases of blue, tliinly sprinkled with sütlers anti coatraetors. ïiero and there a genlleinan in black with haveraack blaekfir stili, representa tho Chris an Comniisskro, and t'iieii a fellow in uothing in particular represento the Devil's - -1 hasten ti teil you il ia ouly the inky spirit of tlio printing press. You piek yo.ir way amid box and bale to the upper deck, with its warped and creakmg floor, and tho cabin is before you; flappviig canvasa reared on the slendertst of umbtella frames and look ing likc the tont of a side show. i h in is neiaber Sre, nor light, nor seat. - You luini) down inoo itineutly upoo the floor, and produce a oundle a sandwich froni jitur kuapsack, button up your coat and thcTt' yoa are a fust class passenger. The ijéoisfi Btüituier moaas; the soleran treee begin toglidealongthoiiverbauks; you are unidor way, and so giving your blanke i whisp you í'aü asleep, and a uight of it. In the gray of tho moming you look out, and to your dulight the steanier lies with i's nos3 to the short' and liridgeport in [ilaiu sight. - you have been waiting for the fog to lift-; you have no gone a inile. Starved witli hunger and couW you gct under tho leo of a log-cabin. two storios high, built up square and strong in the middlo of tho deck, and discovering that it ia the bullctproof pilot-house you catcli yourself wisliing yiu had a leaso of it Little bella tuiKie, big beüs olang, there is a rush of steam, tlie great wheel, hllDff OB behiud, iiko a veel at tlio stern of in emigrant' wagon, becausc ihere was no ro uu for it aboard, begins to turo ?low, and tlie craft fiwings shoreward, just abreasi of a garden to wood up. - A couple of dozoa nogroes stream dusklj out frotn the lowcr deck, and the garden fenee of red cedar is shipped ia ton minutes lea ving not u rail or a wreek behind; iunoceut oaions and iuf.iut eabb.icres, evory eaouleot and succulent of thöm all, left to lle tender mercies ol huugry pigs and the cold world. 13ang goes the bell, the hungry tires lick up the sweet morscls of cedar, the engine gives great sighs of content, we push bravely acainst the eurront, and sueh is "wooding up" on the Tonnessee. Last year nothing oould be lazier tlian a ïennessee landscape, anywhere south of Murfreesboro; villages lying asleep iu the sun, fields dosolite and foneeless; terrier Iookii:g urehins stupidly watcliing you from thresho'ds; nothing growing but rank weeds uid dirty obviaren. - There is a chango, and for tbc better. - Truc, tou seo sinall houses lazily smoking very large chinincys; plantations eüll rits togetlier without ineta or bound; tbingB yt lonk rude and ragged, but here and tliere soiiictliinr; new ie go: tï on in the fields, for the plows are niakinj. the first rougli diiift for the coming liar vest. Poor oíd Imrses that once deploy cd at the sound of the bugle or thunder cd braveiy on in a charge of cavalry, are going sobérly to and feo along the glit eniug furrows. Federal coininamlcr liave, wherever they could, furnishec loyal farmers these liorsos wherewith to Bpecd the plough and basten the spring work Tlio secuery tbrongh all this mountaii región ia etriking; vtry often exijuisitel beautiful ; sometimos rising into grand eur. Writing tliis l rocali "a thing o be;iuty,'' whieh (jrens'ral Sh?i idao saw the night after the bat tic of Missio llhlgc. lic had gqiio in pursuit on th flying enemy, and niet itb a sharp rosis taiiod i.ear Chiokarauga Station, soma Uv miles bcyond tlie Riage. At about seveu o'clock of tli.at November evening, hc sent :i regiment to tiike possetssion of lidie prótnOncrtory jutting out i ulo tjie valley, whicli wo.uldgive him a vast wivantage. The inusketry vete briskly pluying all the wliiie, im.: wa precioua, the position important, the ro lujeiii íí ími time exuc:itin tho trove niuut, aud Sheniian, anxmus and imp: tient, was watobing tlio sky lino t so the tt'oops emerge froin tho sljadow aiu move alijug tbe clear out orest ot' tli proiaonotory. The uioon, tben ttear tl full, had juit risau above tho edge of tb hill, wlien tho battalions moved out of tliü darkoeSB and exaetly lbo nioon's d se. Thero for an ngtaut was the regiment, oolors, and gleaming an.i in bolü relief and motionless; i reghneot transferred to lieaven ! And thero was tlie moon, a great medallion struck ' thu twinküng of an eye, as f ia bouor o!' lïi it deathless day. Tiic Oenciral's eve brightened : t fc the sighl. - Even there and thon i-t was something to be thought of'; to !'.! soen bat amoinont; to be remembered forever.