Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1868-03-17
Letter from Loudoun County.

Letter frO" AouuOuh
Correspondence of the Alexandria Gszettel
LEEsBURG, March l4.-Our town has been
much crowded to-day By land buyers and at
tendants on the Court where criminal case OF
considerable interest was tried.
Nv attendance at the Court House in hear
ing the case prevented my getting full accounts
Of the sales.
James Whaey bought about 200 acres OF the
real estate of the late Charles Taylor, for $40
rer acre, no buildings; and another tract with
out buildings sold for upwards of $9-the ex-
act figures could not get; and another yet OF
236 acres, occupied by John H. Grcenlease,
son-in.!aW, was bought by him at S20.05 per
acre.
The Dover Mills, above Aldie and II miles
from Leesburg, we're sold to B. T. Taylor, for
$3.50. 1t is a good site, but the mill needs
repairs. ,,.u
G. N. Taylor bought the Loudoun Mills at
ST, 9OOO5, with house and AZ acres; it lies
near Merciers depot The other tracts of 200
acres each were sold to B. f. Taylor and A. NJ.
Taylor, at prices which did not learn.
The house rebuilt and occupied by Sanford L.
Ramey before the war; with about y acres OF
land, was sold to Major A. l.. Rogers tor
5000; and his farm of $50 acres was sold tor
S39. IS per acre. T. w. Skater, of Leesburg,
was purchaser. He is potter by trade, and
has made money by his industry. The Eagle
Hotel was sold to John Hammerley, Tor
$500.
Several suits on bonds, the consideration Of
which was Virginia bank notes in 1868 and
1864, we're decided at 33ii to 10 per cent. carly
! - ~ b,,to NH Ea -ln in
other cases mended their holds and got as high
as G6 per cent.
One man testified that ne sold in February,
1869, 81 200 in Baltimore at 50 per cent.
VIM. r. Jones was to-day tried upon the
charge of robbing Bernard Taylor on the night
of the 9th of November, 1864, at 10 o'clock,
Of 500 in 100 bonds.
The Commonwealth Attorney prosecuted
and Mr. Matthew Harrison and Con. Hunton
defended, and proved conclusively that Jones
was elsewhere from supper time Of the 9th to
10 0 clock Of tho 10th, which period covered
the whole transaction, and for some days before
and after. The robbery was probably commit
ted by John Mobbcry, who was somewhat no.
torious in that line towards the close Of the late
war, and who was dccoyed into an ambuscade
and shot by some Union men, who had inform
ed him that they had fine horse Tor sale.
serves great credit for the excellent selection
made by him and his deputies Of gentlemen Tor
venire men. 1t looked more like the Old time
Loudoun Circuit Court grand jures than any
! body Of men | have seen Tor many days. 1t
was the most solid venirc ever saw.
/ BY the way, the subscriptions to the railroad
loan will probably ensure its completion to
Nlercicr's in time Tor the next crop. Lands in
that ncighborhood arc looking up. A gentle
man, who about ten years ago gave $C3 per
acre for a tract Of several hundred acres, was
lately offered 500 per acre, which he declined to
take. ... ...
Court will last day or two yet.
AIIQUM.
/ VEGETATION IN THE MooN.lt was for Z
long time the common conclusion among astro-
nomcrs that the moon was without any atmo&-
phcrc, and destitute Of water; and that, con-
seducntly, neither animal nor vegetable life
could be supported on It's surface. But scVc
raj eminent modern astronomers have main
tanned the moon has an atmosphere, though OF
a very limited extent And quite recently,
Mr.. Schawbr German astronomical profess
sor, thinks he has discovered signs OF yegeta-
ton on the surface Of our SATELLITE. 1t IS
well known that there arc certain dark lines or
scratches, as they appear, extending across the
slopes Of the highest mountains in the moon.
These have been variousy explained. Profess
sor Schawbe claims to have discovered in
these lines grccnish color, which appears at
certain seasons, lasts a fey months and then
disappears. He therefore regards those lines
as belts Of vegetation.
CAUTION Our Virginia friends must be
careful They must avoid hunting in this
neghborhood lest they be tak ken for ''gorillas"
who entertain serious designs on the War De-
partment Every shot fired at an innocent
bird sends shudder through the War Depart
ment, and even our decorous neighbor of the
Republican feels called upon to give a solemn
warning that "a watchful eye is on the move
ments Of all suspected persons" The guards
have been doubled about ''the Great Carnot Of
the Rebellion" and if these sportsmen should
continue their harmful amusement we fear the
environs of the Department will not be able to
hold the "bIue coats" necessary to give the
Secretary sufficient peace to sleep Think of
such catastrophe, gentlemen; and, if you
must go cunning, fall back on the banks OF the
Rapidan. - Washington Cypress.
| THE SPRING TRADE IN THE WEST. The
Chicago Republican has the following remarks
upon this subject.
The New York commercial journals are all
predicting late spring and an early summer
trade Here, in the West, however, we have
M cnoh in1jca tionS-b11t rather othnrWiSe As