, 1865-02-15

m1ts are obtained with considerable iac1uty
and from basis for speculation oy parties
who have no other capital. as a. l1usi1a- .Hs-
ton, q very nice old lady who ia the mother
Of sn engineer of a boat, and keeps boafo7
ing house where several officers donlcte, oh.
tained recently O permit to bring In lot of
cotton. The engineer hayinS NO coEton solo
his permit to a gentleman. Ar. f., gen.
11cman Of 1T least doubtful loyalty. ior e'ght
hundred dollars, and MIR. Nv realize
somewhere between three and SIX thousand
dollars on his permit. The engineer Is per
fcctIy satisfied with lfs $500.
an informed that at Fryat's Point, which
Is about fifteen miles below Helena, and Il
one Of the most important point. on, on the
toe, that Flem Sanders, WHO commands the
Confederate soldiers. jn that vicinity, has de-
ella, ed TINT he VIII suffer no cotton TO come
to the Point except that which was bought
by certain firm q year and a hall ago:
Whether this is 60 I am unable to eay, nut
the firm referred to has been extraordinarily
favored by the agenta~ of the rebel Govern
meut and the rebel officers in the neighbor-
hood ofFryar'sP Point.' If Sanders has resolv~
ed to prevent cotton coming TO that point, 1t
may be q private speculation Of bis own rath~
CT than: orders Of the Confederate Govern
ment to stop cotton going out, which is
scarcely possibly since the necessity for OBJ
tanning supplies IS absolute with the plan
tels. i: ::
The probability is that this is trick of
handy, the confidential agent Of Dick Tay'
lor. The rebel general Dick Taylor las con-
troll Of the cotton trade on this side and the
1ebel general Kirby Smith On the Arkansas
side ol tie Mississippi river. They operate
through confidential agtrts. The, general
impre ssion among cotton operators is that
they are making all they can preparatory to
hnsty departure Kirby Smith to Mex1:o and
D'ek Taylor, 5elieycd & of bis L, command ea .;sy ey
They are both keen and unscrupiilous men.
Taylor gets drunk pretty often and talks too
much. Kirby Smith las the entirc conf
dence Of JEFF. Davis, Lee and Beauregnld.
Handy, who is Taylor's. confidential agent,
was paid recently very large sum IN gold %
ing to "bull" the price Of cotton Handy Was
suddenly missing. a steamboat coming
down the Mississippi to get the cotton under
this arrangement could hear nothing Of Han
dy although 1t ]ay around for four days blow
ing the steam whistle from time to time; As
$ hao ha Vas ga SoE CO eons5fsd asi'' sa ss 0iss ef
anybody to leave The boat. and she
had to depart with only forty-four
bales Of cotton. Word was subsequently
sent to the river that Handy was III with
dumb aqua and unable to come, but the cot
stopping Ill cotton from Grenada and other
points coming to the river, and are In great
concern Of mind. It Is believed by well In
formed Individuals that when cotton has ad-
yanced to certain rate Handy will reappear
and cotton come in as before his Illness.
Handy may have had other matters to at-
tend to. He las been getting nails and other
contrnband articles for the construction Of q
boat to take certain supplies Of which be has
surplus over to Arkonsas, where they nrc
needed, and will bring tremendous prices.
There is considerable rivalry between Dick
Taylor and Kirby Smith, and the former was
recently much gratified BY an incident on the
| Arkansas side. Mr.. Pa Memphis merchant
who took not long since Kirby Smiths
daughter under bis protection when she was
III travelling, and who is particular friend Of
Smith, had purchased large amount Of cot.
| ton in Akaneas, and had some five hundred
bales 1eady to bring out when recent Fede-
! raj 1nid came AcloS5 1t and burned the whole.
Rumoss alledges that Kirby Smiths conaden-
tial agent and the cotton buyers with whom
be deals. have an understanding with some
body on one gunboath and Dick Taylor,
| Handy and theiT friends similar understand
ing with somebody on another guuboat.
| This facilitates business. The cotton spccula~
tors say they arc able to buy whoever they
| need, and It would ustonlsh the government
to hear their confidential statements among
! themselves Of who they heve bought. One
| finn has declared its readiness to spend ten
thousand dollars to prevent the establishment
! Of military post at certain place, through
which the rebels Of the Mississippi Valley OBJ.
tain the chief part of their contraband sup
side1ab}e professions Of loyalty and has family
relations Of the most intluentiar kind.
GUERI1LAs.
These gentry have been for the last fort
night very troublesome On the outskirts oi
the city, robbing houses, stealing horses, aud
plunderlng negroes that leave Memphis.
They are not numerous, and most Of them
are nothing else than thieVea. -Four Of them,
who reside in Germantown, hare probably
committed three-fonrths Of the outragea
within q mile OF two Of ouz pickets. They
haye p1uudered Southe1ners bringing In cot
ton, aad speculating cotton brokers who ven.
tured Outside Of our lines, of 1arge amounts.
Not long since they robbed four wagons get;
Ting over oae thousand dollars from one, and
| very respectable amounts from the others.
These fellows 10 home to Germantown eyery
| night to sleep, and day after day pfowl about
one or the other u the four roads by which
persons are allowed 70 enter or leave the city.
soldiers, under commasd Of young Forrest
brother to the Gcneral~- been at Ger.
mantoHn. and have had sepr1a1 small brushes
!. with our videttes and pickles. Their objee:
: is probably to collect deserter< and surlonsh-
ed men from Hoods army. eodies Of ouIl
; these rebel troops. but were nnsucce ss1al
, Some suppose their purpose is te
!: break up the trade with this place
| | and stop the bringing in Of COTTON u.
Lis dcmeraiizcs tic Southern people. Their
is sc1ue probability IN this, as such is cert,tnl.
the effect Of trade. It is common opllio,
with many Northern people that the trad
i | permitted IL solely for The advantages Of tn
; South By furnishing supplies not othetrwis
, ob,aiuable. But no man who raises cottor
7 | brings 1t with infinite trouble into our line:
; ] submits to cxhorbltant exactions, and take
7 out goods in return, is all willing to give an
> portion Of 1t to JEFF. Davis or the rebel caus
file can avoid doing so ; and probably yer
! small portion Of the supplies thus taken o.
i are used In any way to benefit the rebellion
E The only real danger In this trade is II
r facilities which it might afford tor the suppl
e Of articles contraband Of war. There may
s some danger Of this, and It can only be pr
1 vented bT extreme care Of the supervistn
8 agents and the picket officers. It Is prett
J. difficult to take ont contrabana goods, I
+ every article that passes through the lines
= subjected to rigid scrutiny, and many tim
8 to superduous practical tests. :.