The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1862-09-02

Interesting from RichmOnd--HOw
the People Lfve--HOw they FeeI--
Their Earnestness--Je ell. Davis ~
Loud Praying Man.
The New York Times publishe. the mar
ration Of lady just returned from Richmond,
Va, where she has resided the two past years.
We quote from the narrative:
This lady has given us an account of the
condition of q ings in Richmond, as she knows
them TO be from actual inspection. There
were never so many human beings in that city
before as when she left, but great proportion
Of these within the limits Of the town are sick
and wounded soldiers. The hospitals may be
counted by hundreds. She has been in the
daily habit, for months past. of going to min.
lister to the sick and wounded. All the In
dies in the city did this-the wealthy AMI
high.born, the poor and lowly, all seemed to
try their utmost to alleviate tho sufferings Of
the Confederate soldiers. Our informant says
she performed her ,abors from motives OF pity
for tho the poor fellows; but if she bad been
possessed Of no feelings oi humanity for them,
she thinks she would have done something as
matter OF policy inasmuch as fany woman
was found to be lukewarm in the cause, she
was Immediately suspected and closely watch
ed.
Such is the extremity in which all classes Of
people are placed, that no considerations, ex
eept the great one OF life and death, are Of
any moment. This is tho one grand, all.ab
serbing thought-"How shall we prolong our
lives until our enemies are overcome" Busi-
ness matters are no. thought Of, except 80 far
as they 60 to the solution of this problem
Famine is staring them in the face, and dis
ease, in the form of slow fever of the ty-
phoid cbaracted, is wasting the army and car
rying off daily scores Of soldier and others in
the city. The army in and about capital has
been for the last two months upon half ra-
tiops, and sight of the forms Of the half-fed
half-clad soldiery is, as she represents it, a
pitiable and disgusting spectacle. No atten.
tion whatever has, for months, been paid to
the sanitary condition Of the city. The hab
its of portion of the soldiers are filthy to
the last degree, and soap and water are, in
most instances, strangers, not to be introduced
or tolerated in the camps, and TOO often in the
hospitals. Added to this, there has been, for
long time past, scarcity of provende' for
the mules and horses connected with the army.
Owing to their ill-fed condition, the famished
orutes very often drop down in their tracks
from sheer exhaustion. Wherever they fall
they are permitted to die and decay No at
tempt is made to remove them--no effort
used to cleanse the streets OF that loatbsome
mass Of decaying matter, which thus rapidly
accumultes.
The whole atmosphere in and around the
city, she represents as highly charged with
preston, "the air seems thick with disease,
and heavily laden with DEATH" Every to.
bacco warehouse and the city is full of them
-is used either as a hospital or prison. In
addition to these, very large number of
wholesale stores and other buildings have, since
the weeks battle in front Of the city been ap-
propriated to the use Of the sick and wound
ed. Very little business Of any kink is tran
sacted, and none whatever after p. M. At
that hour all the stores aud shops are closed,
and every male able to bear arms, and even.
many ofshe females, 60 to drill.
Food is very scarce and very eigh. For
three months past, no citizen, however veal
thy, has been able to procure a particle of
fresh meat Of any kind; what little Of that ar
ticle could be obtained, was given to the sick
soldiers Ths only vegetable which our infor-
mant has seen there since the beginning Of
June, were a few half grown cabbage heads,
all of which were readily sold for the sum Of
$50. The only kind of meat is salt pork,
which, though not really putrj, has a taste
so bitter and rancid, that no one can eat it un
less nearly starved Tea cannot be had at any
price. Three months ago, our informant
purchased pound of 6s tea for the sum of
SIS, since which time none could be obtain
ed. There was little coffee in the market,
at from 81 to Sc per pound. The only ar,-
Gle Of food which can be obtained readily, and
at any where near like an ordinary price, is
-four; but the citizens are in constant fear lest
their supply of this be suddenly cut short, in
which event starvation and famine will indeed
meet them face to face.
Our informant has often seen JEFF. Davis.
For some months he had his headquarters di-
rectly opposite her residence, across the Green
Ia narrow park.) She had been accustomed
to hear him at bis morning devotious. He is
represented as man Of many long prayers,
which although they are uttered in loud
voice, she does not think that, Pharisee like
he thus war ships TO be seen and heard by
men He is prominent member Of the Epis
copal Church.
Our informant is strong in the conviction
that the rebels, to use her language, "are fear
fully, terribly in earnest in the prosecution of
this war;" From what she beard during her
stay with them, il is her belief that nothing
less than the utter extermination Of the lead
ers Of this rebellion will ever bring them to
submit to the good old Government. But she
says there is no danger Of the South ever arm
ing the slaves for the purpose Of fighting her
battles. On the contrary the, invariably exer
else the most INSCRIPTIONS care to prevent
arms Of any kind from falling into the hands
of the negroes. The latter d. all the drudg.
cry, build all the for,if cations, &c, but as to
their fighting, that is out Of the question. So
far as TO social life is concerned, everything
there is dead. No mi'tb, or festivcity Of
any kind. No spirit, or inclination TO en-.
Joy The companionship Of friends. Churches
are the only places where people meet, except
it be in the drill room, or around the couch Of
the dead.
Co. Sprague has called an extra session OF
the Rhode Island Lepislature to convene on