Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1861-12-13
NUMBER TWENTY FOUR


a. tsfa
New ORLEANs.-A letter from New Or
leans, of recent date, to the N. Y, Arald,
after describing the joyful state Of public
feeling in that city over the tall of Sumter,
says fl.- lssraors5 uei,i
s.This state of thingc continued til, the
blockade of the mouth of the Mississippi,
about the middle of June. Then you could
see long faces; for then we were seIz d by
the throat but when the trade from up the
river was cut off, it was tightening the pres
sure past endurance. Notwithstanding the
inhabitants bore up cheerfully, for relief was
surely at hand. that everybody knew and no
one dared dispute the fact. In the month
of October. England and France would in
terfere to raise the blockade. | wishI could
impress on you the absolute certainty with
which they regarded this. 1t was unsafe to
hazard doubt about it. They would ad-
NIT no question on the subject. The coup
-. H-.ter-s produced an alarming shock
People began to open their eyes. {. hose
turn next ~ Was asked. The week went by;
october was gone, and no French and Eng
llsh neet. Then the ''southern heart" down
In New Orleans ceasei to be s'fred.'' Much
Nsr-'"rn8 Y nreyailed, and the news of the
capture OF Port KUyaI 60 - - 80
sternation. Exhausted. poverty-stricken,
trembling lest the next blow should tall on
them, it is difficult to describe their absolute
ly wretched condition. | do not believe it is
possible for the people in New Orleans to
hold out three months longer. The city is
shrouded IN funeral gloom. The river looks
like what it is-a great waste of water the
levee empty and deserted no business after
three-the hour for drill. By half past ]
O'Clock the streets are silent. Northern men
who were the loudest for secession. and who
control everything in business, look each
other IN the face, ready to exclaim, ''What
fools we have been - Meanwhile the pres
sure grows worse and worse. The following
are the retail prices for certain articles of
necessary consumption: Tea SO per 10.
coffee, Sl-burnt rice is now substituted IN
place of coffee almost universally; pork, 500
a barrel, potatoes. SO; hams, 45 cents per
pound; medicines, many kinds not to be
had, the rest at fabulous prices; Havana
segars all gone-everybody smokes pipe
some miserable penny segars selling at five
cents; claret wine, very little in the city,
and the price enormous; brandy still abund-
ant-a years supply said to be On hand;
-four 5 IA per barrel /; corn 81 p bushel
rice abundant and cheap; also, sweet pota-
toes and various vegetables (; alsO;. brown
sugar; no white sugar; beef, (all from Tex
as) moderately dear; butter SO cents per lb.;
salt very dear; clothing about - per cent.
dearer than ip New York; shoes do: CALI
Goes very dear, silks cheap enough; fashions
alas. the ladies have 70 wear their old
clothes Postage and 10 cents, according
to distance, and the mails mIserably regulat-
ed, The St. Louis hotel shut. The st.
Charles about one-third full. The banks do
not pay their own bills-only Confederate
notes, which are not payable at all, but re-
ceivable for taxes and subscriptions Cd Con-
federate bonds. Go with check for 500
to bank and the teller will throw you out
two notes for $50 each. ask for something
smaller and he will say, All L can give you
If you want small shinplasters you must go
10 broker and pay one per cent. for them.