Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1862-12-01
LILA ITEMS.

A letter from q correspondent informs US
that on Sunday = scout of about one hun-
dred yankees came up from Williamsburg as
far as Barhamsvilie, driving in some of our
pickets and capturing others stationed at
James Gate. Turning to the left from Bar.
Evansville, they proceeded down the Diascund
road as far as our pickets Of seven men, sta
toned about a mile below the bridge, cap
turing four of them. Still continuing their
successful raid, they came upon two of the
pickets from the same post, who had been in
search of forage, and deliberately shot both
of them without even demanding a surren-
der. Having succeeded in capturing twelve
horses, killing two and making prisoners of
six of Colonel S~hingler's command, the yam
KEGS made their way rapidly back to Will
liamsburg.
TuB LATEST DIscovERY.-Yesterday we
were shown q specimen OF "rock SALT"
which a gentleman had brought from Ope-
lika, Ala, on the day before.
He says that what now appears to be an
inexhaustible supply was accidentally dis
covered by a gentleman who broke a rock
which he was using in place of a hammer
The rock had such a beautiful crystalized ap-
p~earance that he tasted it, out of curiosity,
and to his surprise found it sold rock salt.
1t is somewhat remarkable that while the
people and the Legislature of Alabama are
making such exertions to obtain salt, that it
exists in the greatest abundance, not only
under the earth, but on the surface. A deep
cut through a hill on the railroad has been
made, which exposes towering cliffs on eth
er side, of pure salt, while the cross-ties aJe
laid on the same substance. From the graph
ic description which the gentleman gave of the
excitement over the discovery, we can almost
see the little city Of Opelika standing on a
huge crystal of salt.
Why was this important discovery defer
red to such a late date ? May not such strata
exist in Georgia! Shall we have a State
Geologist? We hope 50.
YANKEE DISQUALIFICATION papers of the
21st, received at Richmond, are filled with
glowing accounts of Burnside's Onward to
Richmond" all of them concurring in the be-
lief that the rising star will make the trip"
All this is but a rehash of McClellan's grand
Peninsula campaign, and as the young Napo-
leon broke Town in the last act of the drama,
: the world will not be at all surprised to sec
Richmond standing after the curtain falls at
the conclusion of Burnside's benefit. The
stock, t~rappings and appointments are all the
same-only a change of stage managers, that's
: all. Burnside will keep his name prominent
r ly before the Yankee world, at all events, for
a while, and their trucking presses will vie
with each other in putting him, but finally he
{ will have to take his place on the retired list
r with Old Scott and Mcclellan. lie plays a
desperate game, for it is Richmond or a ruin
ed military reputation, and be knows it, and
hence we may expect some desperate fight
ing and great slaughter, but we cannot be-
lieve that Richmond will ever fall while de
+ Tended by the heroes of Malvern Hill, Boons-
boro', Seven Pines and Sharpsburg.
It The extracts before us from the latest
b Northern papers are not worth the space il
Sc would take to give them.
1t is rumored that Gen. Bragg is close ii
the rear of the Federal army at Corinth, anc
is about to open attack upon them. This
= may the reason of the unexpected retreat oil
the Federal forces to jackson, Tenn. We
= give the rumor for what it is worth, not
= vouching for its correctness in any ~particu-
~ lar.-Jackson Missisippiam.
lie From the direction of Greenville we learr
that on Monday Oath, a yankee gunboat
steamed up the river from Washington as fa
as Tafts, a few miles below Greenville, bu
was bred into by our men from the banks O
the river, whereupon they 1.-THE yankees
: wheeled about and made their course for tn,
lg town of Washington, bombing the woods al
of they went down. We have heard of no cas-
ualties on either side.-Idrboro' Southerne,
I'll OLD DRUNMER OF CHALMKTTE.-Th
bo old negro drummer, Jordan, of historic fam
is as drummer of the battle of New Orleans, il
he conformity with the order of Beast Butler
,, handed in a complete list of his property 70
~ confscation by the Lincoln Government, an
III. declared himself an enemy Of the Unite
Dr. States" The Louisiana Democrat SAYS:
The thousands of those citizens in Ney
Orleans pretending to be loyal, who hav
ds sworn allegiance to the United States for tn
nc purpose of saving their property, must hav
blushed from shame when they saw this oil
th negro voluntarily stripping himself of hi
cor hard earned gains, and becoming penniless i
~. the evening of his days, rather than VEL
= obedience to 3 Government which has becom
an object of the contempt of the ~civilize
=" world.
ow The abdication of Queen Victoria is agai
ute seriously talked of abroad. The Pa!rie sa,
~ that the discussion of the measure with b,
IS. German relations is the cause of the Queen
visit to Germany. The fact of the abdics
~. ton, of course in favor of the Prince
ps Wales, will, it is said, take place next sprir
III Immediately after the marriage Of the Prin,
with the Princess Alexandria of Denmar
pom GEoRGIA's CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE WAR.
his We gather from the official report of the A
,ain ~jutant and Inspector General of Georgia tn
the that State has in the Confederate provision
ond army fifty nine regiments of infantry, thr