Year: 1863

further supplies for Louisiana and M;s,;..;n
pi from Texas will be completely an, AT bv
the blockade Of the mouth Of IN. Rod ,;r
er' the only channel by which such sunnl;s,
can be received. '''
But there is another item 10 this matter
Of fearful import to the South in oonner;or
with their supply Of food. Their great de.
pendence, so far as animal food Is concern. ,c,sr
co. which they raise themselves, is bacon.
Tor ttc white as well as for the colored non.
u'a''on' W this essential and extepsivelv
consumed article they at this moment NINA,
have very little, and that too at the verv
season when their bacon and smoke bousss
are usually overfowing. The fabulous price
that salt has so long borne renders il i'm.
possible that they could have cured snv
oacon except to very limited extent Fiftv
ana sixty dollars has for long time hack
been no unusual price for sack of salt. and
recently We hear of it even at much biobe,
rates. No one who is not familiar with
southern life car properly or fully estimate
the deficiency Of supply of their usual food
'hat must now exist even from this one
cause. But not only their hogs, but also
thelr horned cattle, sheep, and poultry nina,
all have enormously decreased under ,bo
very exorbltant prices for grain, and also
from the great supply required for, as well
as the loss 6y, the armies of friends and foes
war also Increases the consumption as we'll
as the waste and destruction of food A
man in the army, it is estimated. always re.
quIres TOR consumption and waste twice tbe
amount that he would use at home: besides
ceaslng to be a producer, be becomes only n
consumer, and that, toe, of the most waste.
ful character.


The matter would not be so grave if thew
were within striking distance of their naev
crop; but it is nearly four months before
even their wheat crop will be ready for u.e
and still longer before their corn is rine
without any probability of getting supply
OF animal food for the bacon crop." as
already stated, is an absolute failure. and
their cattle of all descriptions suitable for
food must have greatly diminished, and are
sun rapidly and alarmingly decreasing, cut
ting them off entirely from the supply
winch the annual increase of hogs, beeves,
and sheep have hitherto furnished


some OF the recent Richmond papers not
only speak Of the broken down and miser.
able condition Of their cavalry and other
army horses, but allude to the probability
OF resort to horse and mule flesh as an ar
ticle OF food. Reliable information from
the rebel army states that the rations is now
reduced to one quarter Of q pound of meat
and limited supply of bread or -four. A
Savannah paper says that the population
there are-sutfering to such an extent that
many cannot get even sufficient cornmeai to
supply the cravings Of nature, and appre.
nends popular commotion, and the Govern.
meDt has information that an extensive and
powerful raid is to be attempted into Ken.
tucky, without any hope or intention of re-
naming there, but solely for the purpose of
procuring supply of provisions, and sweep.
ing up everything 10 that line which they
can carry or drive Southwardly 10 suitable
and safe location.


In addition to the want of food, the
South has another great, if not insuperable
difficulty to encounter. Her currency has
exploded for when national paper circu-
lation is at six for one of gold, the end has
come. All legislative eZpedients and all
financial tinkering are vain and fruitless to
restore confidence under such circun stances.
and any further issue Of such paper will
only send it with accelerated speed to utter
destruction as a currency


How, then, are they now to obtain ''the
sinews of war;" They may, it is true,
suspend paying their army, and foreitly
seize supplies of every or any kind that are
accessible; but how long would such state
Of things be submitted to? And even if
they were, still there is in war, and especial
ly in such war as the South is now waging,
many and heavy items for which vast
amounts of actual cash must be had. And
the question again recurs, from whence is it
to Gomez 1t is reported they have nego-
tiated II cotton loan in Earepe-of fifteen
millions Of dollars; but, admitting that i,
is fact, such sum is a supply but for
comparatively few days --+ ai


A third great difficulty also at present
exists at the South. Their railroad are
corn out, and they cannot possibly restore
them, as regards either the roads them
selves or the rolling stock. Their own jour
nails state that the rate of travel on them
/, does not exceed ten miles per hour, but it
is even less than that, and they are daily
becoming more and more dilapiated.


Though the South may have slight CLEANS
of sunshine, by partial successful defehcss
at this or that point, their prospects we're
never more gloomy and discouragiug than
they are at this moment, and every sue
ceeding day will give them, by increased
sufferings and losses great r and greater
cause to curse and anathema,ize their wick.
cd and selfish political aemagogues and
leaders, who have thus lured them 10 ruin.