Northern papers received yesterday evening contain a letter from Mr.
Lincoln to the Illinois Convention of Republicans, in which I am told (I have not
seen it yet) he says if the Southern people will first lay down their arms, he
will then listen to what they may have to say. Evidently he has been reading of
the submission of Jack Cade's followers, who were required to signify their
submission with ropes about their necks.
This morning I saw dispatches from Atlanta, Ga., stating that in one of
the northern counties the deserters and tories had defeated the Home Guard
which attempted to arrest them. In Tennessee, North Carolina, Mississippi, and
Georgia, we have accounts of much and growing defection, and the embodying of
large numbers of deserters. Indeed, all our armies seem to be melting away by
desertion faster than they are enlarged by conscription. . They will return
when there is fighting to do!
A letter from Col. Lay, dated North Carolina, to the Chief of the
Bureau of Conscription, recommends the promotion of a lieutenant to a
captaincy. The colonel is great in operations of this nature; and Col.
Preston is sufficiently good natured to recommend the recommendation to the
Secretary of War, who, good easy man, will not inquire into his age, etc.
Gold is worth from 1000 to 1500 per cent, premium; and yet one who has
gold can buy supplies of anything, by first converting it into Confederate
notes at low prices. For instance, coal at $30 is really bought for $3 per
load. A fine horse at $1000 for $100. Bacon, at $2 per pound is only 20 cents;
boots at $100 is only $10, and so on.
Thank Heaven! the little furniture, etc. we now have is our own — costing
less to buy it than the rent we paid for that belonging to others up to the
beginning of the month. A history of the household goods we possess would, no
doubt, if it could be written, be interesting to haberdashers. I think we have
articles belonging in their time to twenty families.
The following list of prices is cut from yesterday's paper:
“Produce,
provisions, etc.—Apples, $30 to $35 per barrel; bacon is firm at $2 to $2.10 for
hoground. Butter is advancing; we quote at $2.50 to $3 by the package. Cheese
has advanced, and now sells at $1.50 to $2 per pound; corn, $8 to $9 per
bushel; corn-meal, $9 per bushel, in better supply. Flour, at the Gallego
Mills, new superfine, uninspected, is sold at $25 per barrel; at commission
houses and in second hands, the price of new superfine is from $35 to $40;
onions, $40 to $50 per barrel; Irish potatoes, $5 to $6 per bushel, according
to quality; oats firm at $6 per bushel. Wheat—the supply coming in is quite
limited. The millers refuse to compete with the government, and are
consequently paying $5 per bushel. It is intimated, however, that outside
parties are buying on speculation at $6 to $6.50, taking the risk of
impressment. Lard, $1.70 to $1.75 per pound; eggs, $1.25 to $1.50 per dozen;
seeds, timothy, $8 to $10; clover, $40 to $45 per bushel.
“Groceries.—Sugars: the market is active; we hear of sales of
prime brown at $2 to $2.15; coffee, $4.25 to $4.15 per pound; molasses, $15 per
gallon; rice, 25 cents per pound; salt, 45 cents per pound; soap, 50 cents to
80 cents, as to quality; candles, $2.75 to $3 per pound.
"Liquors.—We quote corn
whisky at $20 to $25 per gallon; rye whisky, $38 to $40, according to quality;
apple brandy, $25 to $30; rum, $28 per gallon.”
SOURCE: John Beauchamp Jones, A Rebel War Clerk's
Diary at the Confederate States Capital, Volume 2, p.
34-6
No comments:
Post a Comment