Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1862-05-15
FROM THE RKBELLIoUs STATES.

Southern Fears as to the Fate of Richmond
l Coz f4sncs IN the MsrTImac-Condition
Of ths Rebel Capitai-High Price of Pro-
risionS-Closs ofBHsinsSs Houses-Large
Auction Saiss-CoE. Corcoran-Defence
ofths James Rivsr-John M. Bolts.
Richmond papers, to the date Of May 9TH, have
been received here. We condense from them the
following interesting summary OF Southern
News:
The fate Of Richmond was considered depend.
ent on the army entrenched at Yorktown and on
| the Merrimac In James River. In view Of the
possible destruction Of this vessel, the Examiner
declares that Richmond would at once be ap-
proachable by gunboats, under an attack from
fensible by land forces
Experience has shown,n adds the same
writer, THAT our numerous batteries the
ing of the enemy's boats. 1.-TWO vessels could
run the gauntlet OF two formidable forts on the
lower Mississippi, and entire miles of batteries
on Its banks, surely 1t would be madness to place
anv reliance upon similar and we have no lou bt,
inferior defences on the James,"
| he city itself was In very bad condition.
Eggs were selling for IS cents Dozen and butter
| for Sl.50 a pound. Butchers meat was held
according to quality, at between IS and so cents
per pound bacon (hog round) IS cents; common
brown sugar 40 cents, and frewood, from country
carts, Is sold at the rate Of sl2 cord Unbeached
cotton is sold at from 25 to 81 and 40 cents ward
Il according to the conscience OF the dry-goods
man; bleached cotton from 80 to 40 cents per ward
| and often for 62h cents yard; spool cotton 81 a
Il dozen; Irish linen from IS cents to 81 IS ward
| and domestics at SO cents yard.
The high price Of beef was represented az In
part due to the fact that a requisition had been
made for most Of the beef cattle near the CITY for
i the use OF the army in the peninsula. The Dis
patch, commenting on this theme, observes that
L "Wh'le the butchers are anxious to make all
they can still, In their case, well az In that OF
others, limit must be set to human cupidity.
II y 20 W yh0 20
Il whilst man wants but little here below he wants
that little just as long he can hold on to IT, II
Is no less true that all men are anxious to make
their little 'all az large they con venenty can
| no matter at whose expense"
Il Business houses Were closing up throughout
Richmond, and all sorts Of property was being
soid on al auction "a larger amount Of prop.
| stocks OF merchandise, and greater variety of
/ goods have been sold at auction during the pref.
| ent week In Richmond than has ever been known
Il during the same time in the history of the CITY
The effect, Of course, has been to close greater
Il number Of stores Of the frst class heretofore
| leading houses In their several departments OF
trade, than was ever known to close In a single
Il "Colonel Corcoran," says the same paper,
| 'now confined In prison here, has been appointed
| to lucrative government office In New York his
| wife TO receive his salary during his imprison.
l ment. We suppose this has been given Corcorau
/ as sop for his martyrdom in the Lincoln cause -
L The defence OF the James river was strong lv
II II nlusI, SAYS one edltOf, 81 be made i'm
| pregnable against any force that the enemy can
bring against It. IL should be obstructed agains,
i the passage OF vessels in every posi- BILE form
which science and experience can suggest, and
| Its shJres lined with bomb proof batteries %
John NJ nor Bolts so SAYS the Examiner @,
l May 2d-has been released on parole, on condI.
l ton that he will return to his family and make
MS business arrangement, to take up bis abode
at some place " in the interior )" to De indicated
/ by the Confederate government, holding no com
/ municatiOn with others than his own family,
| except on strictly private business matters When
| bis arrangements shall have been completed he
10 to report himself to the Secretary Of War for
Il orders
The whig comments on the loss of all seapor
Il and announces that the Confederate armies now
retire within their second parallel Of defence 4,
| then marks out pretty programme az follows:
1 "We withdr raw troops from untenable posi-.
tions; the enemy detach hes troops TO occupy them
Il We fall back to a healthier region: the enemy
| succeeds to the burning suns and deadly fever,
Il which guard the coast. We can concentrate our
| columns with comparatively short marches the
| enemy must advance with weakened columns and
| increased labor.
We withdraw from the reach Of their fee,
/ scarcely less formidable than their army and
then compel the enemy to cope with us where
L bis admitted advantages are reduced nearer &c
| equality.
Should we gain a victory near Richmond or a,
Corinth, II will be impossible that the enemy
saould fall back to his gunboats In time TO ESCAPE
1 the consequences Of defeat. We shall In such 3
case gain great deal that has heretofore beer
1 lost by tolEing battle near water lines
We have foug ht the enemy on his own eroundI
1 let him now meet US on ours. Let him como rer
| the vast spaces Of the COnfederacy. Lethim keer
4 his columns together to AVOID surprise, and Et
can inhict comparatively little injury except upor
l the track Of his progress Let him allow his ineI
L to wander over the country, and 'hey will bs
subject to the Decentralization OF plunder, or to bt
l cut of In e'ail.
Hitherto the invasion has been comparatively
. without prlvatiOn TO the enemy. When they uuf
the water and advance into the interior their tel
i and dangers commence Look az the army Of
| Banks II has been IN the Valley Of Virginia fol
| more than two months, and Il has not vet pene
| trated more than one hundred miles II dread
ambushes, hank attacks, or loss Of commualca
ton It has been held In check by the small
command Of Jackson which confronted II a
| Keernestown The invaders have abandoned ths
| greater part Of Northwestern Virginia for similar
| reasons The state Of the roads and the difficult,
Of subsisting large arnay from the rear, TendSi
| the progress Of invasion slow and cautious
Having, therefore, reduced our coast defence
| and withdrawn our army, we are confident tina
ths succession Of disasters is b7oksH We ma,
| now lock 70 quail and desperate eombats weak
ening the enemy at every step, and conyincin,
him that freemen defending their homes a:e in
II tylpot