Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1861-06-29
Effects Of the Blockade.

A gentleman who has resided in
Madison county, Georgia, for year
past, "a former citizen of Chicago),
places us iii possession of some inn
portant facts concerning the effects Of
the blockade. Having been engaged
in mercantile pursuits there, his oppor-
tunities for observing the sudden and
appalling advance i'll the prices of all
necessaries Of life, were abundant.
Our informant left Atlanta on Mon
day, the Sd inst At that time the
price Of bacon was zoe per pound at
wholesale, and fast rising. The sup
ply comes wholly from Louisville
Flour, such rs sells in our market for
1925 per bbl., was last quoted there
at $40. Of late however, it has nearly
disappeared from the market. Coffee
was retailing at 4Octs per 10. Salt was
worth $3.50 per bushel. This import
ant article rose one dollar IN q single
day. Gunpowder was nominally nine
dollars per heg, but our informant was
refused i single keg, in the Augusta
market, at any price. Corn, the great
article Of food for all classes, was quot
ed at S. 20 to 81, AS per bushel. Cali
co prints, the products Of those aboli-
ton hot-beds of Manchester and Prov
idence, had risen from IL to lie per
yard. But perhaps the greatest dis
tress arose from a lack of medicines
to arrest the progress Of diseases and
to cure the sick. Several physicians
had joined the army IS soldiers from
inability to continue their practice
the stock of medicines having dwind-
led down to q few s'roots and YARDS"
Of southern growth. These are few
samples Of the alarming rise in the ar
ticles Of prime necessity. The whole
reliance Of the State and of the South
is upon the aid OF England and France
Everybody tells everybody else that
those powers are sending across the
Atlantic prodigous fleets to break the
blockade, when Of course the land will
flow with milk and honey. Some of
the wiser ones, Ex-Gov. Foote, of Mis-
sissippi, for instance, admit that there
is bare possibility that England and
France may stay at home and mind
their own business, in which case, it is
conceded, the "Confederate States"
would be at their Wits end. Every
pound Of provisions, every article Of
merchandise that goes down from Lou
isville has to De paid for in gold and
silver, and thus the country is being
rapidly drained Of its specie. Georgia
currency is nominally at 10 per cent.
discount, but the banks will not part
with their coin at all except where it is
imperatively required to procure the
necessaries of life, or imperatively de-
nazaaea by jeff. Davis Secretary of
the Treasury.
The scarcity of money has in a great
degree demoralized the army. The
New Orleans Zouaves who were with
drawn from Pensacola and sent to Vir-
ginia passed through Montgomery and
Atlanta. At the former place they de-
manded their pay in such mutinous
language that the citizens became ter
riiied. Their officers assured them
that they would be paid in full at
Richmond. Some Of them declared
that if not paid at Richmond, immedI-
ately on their arrival, they would burn
the town. The majority, however,
would not put off any longer with
promises. They would not bulge ar
inch from Montgomery until they
should receive their arrearage in full,
in unmistakable specie. They thus
carried their point and got their mon
-ey. Before they moved on, six Of them
were shot by citizens of Montgomery
for breaking into their houses. The
fame of these Zouayes eclipses that of
Billy Wilson's regiment. SO great
was the terror Inspired by their plum
dering and rutfianism, that the citizens
Of Atlanta would not allow their train
to stop in the town. The Home Guards
and citizens generally formed on each
side of the railroad track and told the
engineer to go ahead on pain ofinstant
death. The train accordingly sped
through town at the rate Of fifteen
miles an honr. The Zouaves on the
other hand. declared that they were
only fighting for bread, and bread they
acouN haze.
Our informant adds that all hope of
taking Fort Picksns has been aban-
doned, and that the soldiers now de-
clare they never intended to take it
unless it could be done by bribing the
sentineis-a plan in which they had
great confidence at one time. The
sspoor hirelings" on Santa Rosa Island
would do anything for pay. Latterly,
this idea has fallen into disrepute.-
Chicago Tribune.
The lash that man does not object
to have laid on bis shoulders. The