_St. Helena, Dec. 10._ Your letter has been a reminder of my duty, but
cotton ginning is my only excuse. It has proved much more of a bore
this year than usual, for it is nothing but _tief, tief_, all the
time. We do not get more than one fifth[191] of the weight of seed
cotton after it is ginned, and the probabilities are that they steal
the balance; but we are perfectly helpless, for we cannot prove it
against any of them. I have had about a bale of cotton stolen at the
"Oaks" since I put it in the cotton-house. I can assure you there is
nothing to be made this year.
We had a call from Dennett (correspondent of _Nation_) on his
Southern tour, a few weeks ago. He said he was disappointed in not
getting better reports of the negroes here on these islands, for he
had been looking forward to this place, feeling sure he should find
something good to offset the many evil reports he had heard of them
all the way down through the country. He thinks Mr. Soule and Mr. H.
very much demoralized on the negro question.[192]
General Gillmore was removed for being unfriendly to Freedmen's
Bureau, and General Sickles is now in command. He told Saxton[193] to
let him know what was wanted and he should have it, so things are
moving on very smoothly now. Tomlinson[194] has been on a trip through
South Carolina to see what the condition of the people was and at what
points he could establish schools. They have them started in nearly
all the principal points. He says the whites do not know that they
have been whipped yet, and many of the negroes don't know they are
free.
Mrs. Bryant has opened a pay school [at T. B. Fripp's], older scholars
paying one dollar per month and young ones fifty cents. She has about
sixty scholars. Alden has opened a store on the place.
The negroes' Union Store is raised and covered, but I guess will never
be stocked.[195]