Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1862-10-09
MATTERSANDTH DTHINGsINs SAVANNAH.

Present Condition Of the City-DefenceS
Completed and i'm Prosress-The Floating
Batteries "Georgia' and ..FinsaI..-
DISTINCTIONS i'm the River-FeeIing OF the
People " Hh Regard 10 the War-Proba-
bic Effect Of the Emancipation PrccIa.
nation. etc. etc.
Mr.. A. q. Spencer, formerly a merchant of
New York, but for the last two years n resi-
dent OF Savannah, Georgia, which place he
left a week ago last Friday. arrived two DAYS
ago i'll the United States transport George e.
Collins. and has kindly favored the New York
Times with the following authentic informa.
ticn with regard TO the present condition OF af-
fairs III that Rebel city:
The population of Savannah, usually about
2j,tap. is at present something less than Ij.saA.
and business is almost at a stand still. Two
out OF five OF the stores and other places OF
business are closed, and those remaining open
have very meagre stock of goods, and are do /,
ing next 10 nothing IN the way Of trade. The
blockade of the city he considers almost perfect
and does not think IL worth while for the Gov
effective.
All manufactured and imported goods are
extremely high, and scarcely To be had q; any
price. Ordinary boots bring $40 Il pair. and $50
l. charged for footing old ones. Goats worth i'm
New York SO bring from 80 10 $50, and pants
from 800 TO s25 Tea is worth SO per pound.
coffee 20 cents, butter 81, and other things i'm
proportion. Flour is Si2 a barrel, with a lim-
tied supply on hand, the wheat crop of that
region has proved almost a total failure The
crop of corn, however, has been good this sea-
.bi
cents bI shel, though, previous to the gathir.
ing of the. new crop, il brought 50. There is
great suffering among the poorer classes of the
city, and their prospects for the failure are daily
growing worse, as the contributions of the
wealthy for the support OF the soldiers fami-
lies, W hich We're freely given at the beginning
OF the war, are now greatly diminished, froIs
The inability of the contributors, and from the
fact that many Of them have been themselves
forced into the army through the conscription
act: The consumption has been very thorough,
ana almost every asie-bodied man from Io TO
10 As now m the army. The second conscrip-
tion, which is 20 include all between the ages
of % and a., had not been enforced when Mr.
Spencer left, but he thinks it will add one third
10 the lighting force OF the Confederacy, which
ne estimates at present TO be about $4,000 ef-
fective men.
The available troops in and about Savannah
at the Time he LEFT, he thinks did NOT exceed
3,0OO bnt ii was currently reported that the
Confederate Government Were about to station
10000 soldiers i'll the city. Gen. Beauregard
arrived af Savannah on the 18th Of September
and formally took command OF the defense of
that city and Charleston on the 9th General
PeInberton, who was previously in command
1t Savannah, was ordered 10 Richmond Great
preparations have been made and are now in
progress for the defense Of Savannah. and Mr.
Spencer thinks if an attempt is made to cap
ture the city by land il will require Il strong
force. Every road leading out OF the city has
been fortified for three or four miles i'm extent
and batteries have been erected on the south
side OF the river al intervals all the way from
city limits, where the gas works are located
has been mounted with eight cannons OF the
largest calibre Besides these. line OF fortifi. !.
cations is now being erected around the entire
city, commencing on the river above the city
and running round and intersecting The river
below. Over 2,0UO negroes are at present work
ing on thes fortifcations.
The water detenses Of the city consist Of the
floating batteries Georgia and Fingal. and OH
structiOns thrown in the river. These obstruc.
tons are placed about a mile below Fort Jack
son, and consist, first, Of rows OF spiles driven
into the bed of the river, and running across
from bank 10 bank, and second, Of wooden CRIBS
from fifteen 10 twenty feet square, filled with
stone, and sunk in the bottom Of the river
The cribs are forty or fifty rods below the
spiles.
As for the floating batteries Mr. Spencer does
not think they will amount 10 much, and saws
very little reliance is placed them by the
people of Savannah, as a defense for the CITY
The Georgia. Is the only one yet completed, and
this is generally admitted TO have proved a
failure. Not being able TO procure new engines
for her, they We're obliged to use old ones,
and as none could be got that were powerful
enough. she has thus far proved entirely un-
manageable. ...
They facetiously call her the foatiao botteru.
from the fact that she floats at random and
pretty much Independently of any, opposing
force offered by her engines. Still, she is heay-
lily armed with ten guns of the largest caliber
zone AT each end and four on each side is rooted
over with railroad iron, and would probably
prove formidable obstacle 10 any craft COM
damage she might be able to do as n ram, or
acting on the offensive. She is 100 feet in length,
and is constructed pretty much on the same
plan as the defunct Merrmac. The Fingal is
not yet completed, but is to be finished in the
same style as the Georgia. When Mr.. Spencer
left they had got The roof on, but not the iron
covering. She Is an English built steamer
which ran the blockade, and is being cut down
to fit her for battery. She will carry the same
number OF guns as the Georgia, and will doubt
less prove more manageable craft but she is
not built for ram, and no fears need be enter
tanned that she will repeat the exploits of the
Merrimac .-
With reference to the obsrructious in the river
the Say annah people consider them impossible;
but the United States officers at Port Royal and
Fort Pulaski informed MIR. Spencer that they
could easily be removed whenever the Gov
erpment saw lit to commence operations against
the city. -z 1tCLt
The feeling OF fhe citizens OF Savannah with
reference to the rebellion Nj. Spencer repre-
sents as being nearly unanimous in favor OF
continuing the course they have begun, and of
never yielding until they have gained their in
dependence. Many OF them openly declare
that tAey would prefer becoming the subjects