Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-02-24
FROM THE UN!TEn STATES

:nous'y high pric-s:"
liz is.i:e: sersons the ladies g7umsled q.
paying twelve cents per yard for blsached
laus:ius; but they now willingly take 1t ct
| ti;ithy aoT2u and q half cents, and tho san
IL y ~ s';d ii reference tu al cotton goods.
In mreh.:r. :iuch choice bran. - the Us;s
Mills, L"ns.:sle, Wau,sutta, WiIlamsyills aod
scores II! others equally good, that were for
n'eFIf ct'fc;! for twelve hn4 half cents, arc
no. a:geiIy sought 1t thirtysevsn and
nail Gems Cotton shsetirgs, two and half
yAr.'s wide. arc bringing seventy-tiva to sigh
:y-hva ceats peg yard, and pillow castings in
the IL. ee ratio Cotton tiannels, cri!lings and
iickirgs sc held still "ighsr, owing to the
larger proportion IF material CONSUMED in
tha'r rraIrcLicn, and it is the cost Of mate
Ii.l, 10; hat uf manufacturing, that il now
mskins itself felt on the market
Table danesk Ivy he yard, such Us was
ior:.'tfIy sold Tor one dullsr, is fns vurth
ono dolisr aud fifty cents. Linen sheo,iigs,
pillow Gasiuss towolingn, nspkins, 4, aave
advanced IN tia same proportion, SID Il AL
;hI'ttd uacer TIE present tariff, end psid ioT
81 toe pa 3ont rate Of exchange, aust 60
much higher. Stirring linens that we,o 81.
le'e1 one year ago for fifty cents per ysrd
$40 10" selling for seventy-fYe, and fnn
linens, nniIahlo for adies' woar, ditto. Dot
ton goods Lave had monopoly in families
for so:no years psst, and NO suppose they
Will hold ii; but just now they arc giving
way slightly to articles manufactured from
lax, because tie latter are not much more
expensive, aud arc great deal more durable.
There was time when it WAS considered
| rathet ';mesn" to wear cotton shirts, lice
cotton aGsctiuge, &c and the same prejudice
assirat cotton still exists in the vordant
boso IS of soma old fashioned folks, but is
graduslly dying out, and the Southern staple
IS daily acquiring stronger claims TO ita
royal title. If the war continues much
longer, w1 need not be surprised TT serinc
tho best brands Of cotton shirings 8. ling for
h'ty cents and upwsrds and, even wore tho
struggle to have an earl y termin alton, arli
"lcs manufactured Of cotton will not DO likely
tn fall 20 the old prices for feW years
hs crop produced on Southern plapta
TONS since the commencement Of the war
is rot large ono: the stock on the bands Of
the manufacturers and brokers two years
az" ia almost exhausted; the manufacturing
and commercial world is crying out Tor O
fresh supply. sud, until matters reaulpe The
| old routine and !ar some months offer, there
will not be much decline in articles mapufac-
tn:ed wholly or in part nj the great South
arm staple.
Even spool cotton, an article Of ttifl,ny
importance, it il trro, that was fnrmeily
sold nt four cents, is now ten, and cs;,nGt
nn'7 he rcoatshiy produced az the latter
prias.
/" '!fs's good. the prospect of large as
| 4 r
gath "''"n with lsd es If shopping proren-
siliel-is not enc ..nraging.
Tho demand frr Silks has b on unprece-
le"tedly largo during the winter, and st the
present so :son, wien merchants a, supposed
IN be engaged "tssug stock they find that
thn unusual activity among thosa who S,sh
TO invest Their surplus funds in fashionable
or Questionable drossas, interfe!es materI4i-
i, but Nc: unpieasantly, With their arrange
ems
At nc lima in tho psst ten years Ens
G g:s.:nr .ctiVrIy noticeable IN the retail
| stc.es be: geo, the sessonG than ~ pres
eEt. Wa i::.:r heard lsd;s, say, when asked
| why ihey S.e no eager To purchase st this
! early stags Ct siis sessou, that they hsye che
moray, nnri that thsy prefer making their
| rarchaana nG#, 20 cunning tho lisk OF hay
| rs TO Fsy mi advance oil So psr cent. nue
north hcrce- And they ere right, no
6oaAt, faT we ne sssu.ed by arst class au +.
| thGr;ty TIA: .hs advance vii! he sreste.
| Eh=n i'e n,"p!e-t At is the choppers"
aurfosa.
THE EMANCIPATION FaccLaMLTtoN.-Ho It
ToaEs.
It's :aiIc wing lister, written by Z Yankee
soldias. nut which, owing 70 tie ;rrsgularity
OF The Ius'le. never reached its destination,
will giys cur renders some idea of how the
emancipation proclamation of King Abraham
, ID working:
WIsTss QuAR1EAs 24rH Mich. VoIs.,}
January 18th, 1863.
Ny DEAR SISTER:
We are lying in winter nosr Belle Plains,
aud expect TO stay here all wirter-that il, if
Generals Lse and Jackson allow us to stop in
SO close quarters to them. Me and my chum
have fancy little house built, which, for
| SIZE and accommodation, reminds me of the one
| in the old song Of "Hard Times'-tsn feet by
six. You don't know, Mary, how patriotic ain
getting since toe emancipation act has gone
into effect. 1t makes one feel SO glorious.
am ready ut any moment to sacrifice and en-
danger my life to depopulate half this coun-
| try lo make room for such an intelligent set
of beings. Don't you at the North, Mary
| think it 2 glorious cause for Whist are the
livca OF o few hundred Thousand poor dupes
| like us in comparison with the freedom of
such alt i'll used and prosecuted race as the
ponr ntgeoes? How | feel for them, to see
hO.r sad " III
the nicetiea and comforts Of living On short
rstions aud aleeping on the damp, cold ground
while thoy havo TO putup with all the COM
forts and lu1ures tho government can afford
then. Ought not ne to be thankful, Mary,
that Ne have such good government to live
under snd to protect us? Ought Wa not to
be happy, and willing to have chance to
fight for end uphold it? Mathinks hear you
Say, "yes," fer then you can ssy, too have
lost brother, who fell nobly fighting to sus-
tain such good cause. Only to think what
q MICA little time we bad even at Fredericks-
burg the other day, and the advantages we
had over our advsraaries In seeing the bsau-
tiful sights md bearing such charming music;
for We were cut on en- open plain, with no
thing to obstruct our rise or stop those mu-
steal little hummng birds, sometimes vulgar
ly called bombshells, which act with such
charming effects as to cause some of our mon to
stand upon their heads and othcrs to drop their
gums and lie down right in their ranks, against
all military rules and army regulations, while
our euemies, poor fellows, bsi - stsnd way
back behind their breastworks -, the woods,
and their Generals even mado hem lie down
In bitches, so they could not :s the play at
all, Pror fellows! know the, snvied US our
pleasure. Thanks to cur gala little Burn
side for giving IL such 3 fair view of the
masquerade. he even went 90 far as to see
us hnck horn' safe across tbe, 'er again, only
those I'm: ell asleep at the play. and he did
not take the trouble tn wax. them, but sent
oveT anne covered carriage for those that
vera indisprsod, and th,v save oil ar