The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-06-25
Saturday Morning, June 25, 1854.
Life in the South.


The Buffalo Commercial Advertiser, pub
fishes a long letter from gentleman in the
South, whose name and address are suppress
ed for prudential reasons, addressed to his
mo'therin in Buffalo, giving glowing picture OF
the condition Of the place Of his residence,
said TO be al important city Of the South. The
following are extracts
81 think it would be hard for a northern
man 20 realize the difficulty of living as Un-
Ion man in the South. know q Unionist who
10 now Colonel In the Confederate service,
and is likely TO be promoted to the position Of
Brigadier General. All alike are carried for
ward by the irresistible wave Of civil war;
The death gripe Is at the throat OF every man
aud boy between the ages of seventeea and
nifty. The teeth OF our political hyenas will
never be loosed, till they are knocked down
their throats. There is no such thing a. rest
for the North till IL has swept all opposition
TO the legally constituted authority out of ex-
istence; and hope that no man imagines that
peace can come in any other way. How much
those are sacrificing who have not been driv-
en- into TIE army. each one knows himself, but
he does not tell his neighbor.
Perhaps II would be interesting for you to
know how we all live here, the prices of things,
&c. / will give you the prices in Confederate
currency, OF provisions as they might have
been bought yesterday the Both day OF April,
1864; Butter, IS per pound; lard, $500 and
4,50; flour, S225 and 220 per barrel; rice,
$40 and As per hundred meal, 81 per bushel
bacon 81 per pound; salt pork, do; fresh beef
$3.50 and per pound; fresh pork $3.50 and
q; dried apples or peaches, IS per pound
green peas, In shell, $3.50 per quart; straw
berries per quart, with stems, SIS; q cabbage
head, from 81 to 5; and all other things in the
eating line In proportion. Tea Is said to be
S65 per pound; coffee 500 per pound.
"A very common dress coat sells for $780,
and from that up to $1,000. A thin summer
coat will cost from $50 to 800, such az you
can get in Buffalo for 1.50. A shirt can now
be obtained for $50. have only two vests,
pair OF pantaloons, and two pairs of shoes new
In three years. The shoes. one pair OF them
got two years ago, for S25. Subsequently
had them mended, and paid $40. am wear
ing my last coat, and 1t Is getting unmenda-
ble Mary and the children are yet tolerably
well of; but clothes will wear out, and calico
IL only $l2 per yard. which is called cheap, a.
IL has been as high as SIS. A neighbor of
ours sold silk dress pattern yesterday for
$500, which will buy just $50 pounds Of pork,
or six pairs of ladies' shoes.
"You ask how we live. The answer Is, pri7,-
eipoitg on corn meal! / have each month
little over $500, and you can readily calculate
the laxuries we are able to buy. give sixty
cents every day for quart Of milk, bat the
milk men ask one dollar. Why don't you keep
q COW and pigs? you say. A cow which will
give twelve quarts ofmilk will cost from 5000
70 81 900, and is likely to be stolen by hungry
soldiers the hrst night you get her. dozen,
at least, have been stolen recently in our
neighborhood. am going to try the pigs
twenty-five dollars each when six weeks old
but expect 10 have them taken. / have
psssible garden-about an acre and half OF
corn, an acre OF sweet potatoes, and one hill OF
Irish potatoes, the seed costing at the rate OF
tlO0 per bushel. Why don't you raise more,
you say, and get rich? All! after working on
them all spring, some morning, when about
half grown, you would look where your pota-
toes had been, and find dead vines TO reward
your labor"