The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-07-13
LETTER FROM PETERSBURG.
Correspondence Of the Richmond Dispatch.
PETERSBURG, July II, 1867.

PETERsBURG, July II, 1867.
It may be fairly supposed that we haS ~
a nonulation in this city, all told, OF az
least thirty thousand. This was the esti-
mate of judiccus persons last IAN, o aIu data
late registration furnishes pretty soo 49, o IN
for verifying it. In northern Civ. :l.,s The
times of warmly contested eiectlons, ' ho
number of actual voters is stated "
about one-seventh of the popula,ion. : 1' too
we have registered in petersburg 80
wh;tee which no one supposes TO Dc lnois
.han two.tbirds of the whole numoe1 y,
.rh;.o voters entitled TO register. oau
thav all zone up, there would nave oeel
". Las, 900. The number of REGISTERED
hIoots Is 24OO. Multiplying these num-
bars bv would give, respectively Po BON
lation Of $4,000 whites and nearly ia,v ,iv
h hack an aggregate OF nearly
$1,000. ,onb,ace. ex-
.ond;na over a vast area, from blahu1o '.
- Ra,tarsea, and from Pocahontas 70 d.
torwor,h's bridge, there is day unu i n3
uo,;ce of only twenty two men, lhcluulns
tba contain and lieutenant, not more 'nn
one-haf of whom are on seI''os iate as
one time. Formerly-indeed' as Srt from
last year-there were thirty D has
e , considerations the n',n nrder j.
,hecn reduced. That such goou ~ This
maintained is highly credi'ao,I'1 ,mnarc
hodv the efficiency of which VIII co,n a,;o.
50 rohlv with that of any othcl po!.Io
3" IN the country. OF course IL Is 'tli-
,U,. to prevent crime. 1t seems 10 DO
oocordance with law OF our nature,
.nh;ob can no more be guarded against
thon sickness or death: but we nave ~
more than a fair proportion, ana Tue ~
tenders seldom escape arrest anu Pun',
,nnnt We have. tits confidently Delie'eu,
~ tle nerson of our worthy Mayor one Vi
tba hest officers in the whole country.
While he is prompt, active, and vlgilah''
he is never harsh, and is as merclful as
sense Of Justice to the community VIII
hermit. Other gentlemen may possibly
an the Mace as we'll, but it must be mat
ter of deep regret to every orderly cltlIen
that he will not be eligible under Inc It.
There is something very sad also in the
thought that our City Fathers will soon De
forced to retire from the Council Board,
around which successive generations OF
orr solid men have been accustomed TO
gather. Their constituents frequently
smuse themselves at their pcccadllloes,
Int more noble set of gentlemen never
controlled the affairs of a city. They have
always worked for the prosperity OF Pe-
tersburg, and we'll represented the enter
prise and public spirit of her merchants;
In fact, it is hard to perceive how we shall
get along when the Pauls, and the he
vans, and the McIlwaines, and the Cor
lngs, land the Bollings, and the Peebleses,
and the Rowletts-and long list OF others,
if there was time to fill it out-shall be
displaced to make room for the noUt hon.
ines who will soon be in the ascendancy.
year we shall probably have
Council, like Joseph's coat, of divers
colors, in which the venerable gentlemen
above mentioned might feel no inclination
to sit. But the subject is painful one'
and may not be dwelt upon. D.