Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1852-03-20
Government Speculation.

In arecent speech in the West, KossuTH stated
that He had purchased &c, 600 muskets at two dol
lars apiece, for which he had paid in part. As
these muskets, according to his statements, were
for actual service and not for parade, and designed
to nut the Hungarian democrats on footing with
the best appointed troops of Europe, no little Gu
riosity has been excited to find out the benevolent
trader who has consented TO equip forthcoming
revolution al so excessively narrow price. AS
far as We have heard, he has not yet been founo )
bus some suspicion OF his trace has come 10 HSht
in the fact hat the only house that ever has been
known 10 sell new and niceabIe muskets at TWO
dollars a piece is the United States Government
Whether they sel continue the business on that
scale remains to be found out.
+ EAlluson was made III connection with this state
ment of Kossuth to a sale OF United States mus
kets in New York just after the Mexican war, at
a price which would allow the buyer to dispose OF
them for the sum named, and make moderate
profit It was supposed that these were the arms
now sold to Kossuth. they were however, rep
resented as condemned and worthless arms In an
swer TO all this Mr. George Law, who was the
purchaser from The Government and still holds the
muskes, 10 the number of $50, 600, publishes a
card in which he states fatty, that not of them
has been sold to Kossuth; that the were
not CONDEMNED, but new and good-costing the
Government to make them, thirteen dollars a
piece and that they are worth that price now.
This card of Mr.. George Law has called out
from the Evening Post statement covering the
whole transaction, which certainly was one OF the
most curious speculatlons ever made even by the
Federal Government. We copy the gist OF the
Posts statement in its own words.
.sIn the month of February, 1849, advertise
ments appeared in several of the city papers of a
/ lot of go 900 muskets to be sold on government
account by L. NJ. Holman and Co. auctioneers of
this city.
lon the 9th, or about that day, the sale took
place at the Atlantic Dock. 10000 were sold
not of the best class, they We new but the barrels
were coored at prices varying from 40 cents to 81
70 the gun.
Then he first class-with bright barrels--were
put up, but go guns only were sold, the auction
eer refusing 20 continue lle sale at the prevailing
bids the highest OF which did not exceed SO rs a
gun. About that time, or shortly afterwards, the
agent OF the Government sold at private sale to
George Law and his associates from one hundred
and fifty to two hundred thousand of these first
class guns at price considerably less than that at
which the auctioneer had been instruced TO stop
the sale, on the 9th of February. 1t did not ex-
coed SO gun"
Moreover the same authority states that the
terms of the sale, made at auction, were cash in
ten days." but that Mr.. Law and his associates
were allowed one year TO make payment, and that
at the end of that third year, which has not yet
expired. We repeat that the United States is-the
only known trader that has ever sold and SER
viceable muskets at two dollars piece, and it is
very much TO the point to inquire whether 1t is fill
ing the orders of Governor Kossuth on the same
terms