The Press.
London, England, 1855-03-03 00:00:00

217

wanted, if to be had at all, were to be had only at
rates most exorbitant. (toe thing I painfully recol-
lect, and one thing only : a dollar a bottle the
standard price for English porter; said bottle only
obtainable, if obtainable at all, by no end el breath-
less inquiry and spasmodic effort. Memory fails me
as to the sums asked for articles of clothing, saddlery,
groceries, &c. ; but prices were fabulous.
3. Another very serious evil was the high rate of
exchange. When pay was all spent, regimental pay,
staff pay, everything in the shape of pay and allow-
ances, many officers, the saicas of noble or wealthy
families, bad the power, iu souse eaten aulimitaid, of
drawing bills on England. But, thou, at what a
sacrifice ! The dollar, issued to the traps at 4s. 6d,
in these bill transactious generally stood at a far highs;
figure, especially when dollars were most wanted.
Common rates were 65., or Os. Od. The price at one
time reached 7s. 6d. In this case, if an officer stained
1(k) dollars, he had to give a bill on Eugland for
371. Ios., to procure what was worth, at par, at the
utmost, 221. 10s.
4. But the chief evil attending our financial diffi-
culties, was the damage to our military csedit, the
loss of our good name, and, as a consequence,
the additional uncertainly and delay ha obtaining
supplies for the troops. The native dealer, land-
holder, or purveyor, having furnished the provisions
or stores required, received, indeed, the commissariat
bill for the amount, but very frequently found, on
presenting it for payment, that there was no order to
pay. In this case, if the army was on the move, hie
only resource was to follow head-quarters from day
to-day, uncertain when the order would come out;
and sometimes men were thus drawn away from
their homes many days' journey ere they got their
money, if ever they got it at all. But tbis was not
the worst. The money once paid, their sorrows in-
creased tenfold. The town or village being full of
troops, probably they had no lodging where they
could deposit their dollars in safety ; and every
available conveyance being impressed for the service
of the army, the means of carrying away the cash to
a place of safety were all but unattainable. Four
thousand dollars are a load for a mule ; and much
higher amounts were often disbursed to individuals.
Then, again, supposing a horse and cart to be at
length forth Coming, still the difficulty wee not by
any means surmounted. Tile next question was how
to reach home in safety, through a country swarming
with camp-followers, stragglers, and marauders of
every class and kind, with a load which too palpably
betrayed itself, and which was too well calculated to
make any honest varlet a highwayman. Robberies
and murders under such circumstances were ke-
quent; and it was no marvel if, as the consequence,
the native producer was tardy in coming forward
with such supplies as the army needed, though the
prices paid were good.
As I find that I cannot confine my remarks within
the limits of an ordinary communication, I will, sir,
with your leave, resume the subject in your next
paper.—l tun, air, your most obedient servant,
Ate OLD PEXINSULAIL