l. Northrop to allow full rations of
meal to the engineer corps; to-day he returns the order, saying: "There
is not sufficient transportation for full rations to the troops in the
field."
Last night the Secretary sent for Mr. Ould, exchange agent, and it is
thought an exchange of prisoners will be effected, and with Butler. A
confidential communication _may_ have been received from Butler, who is
a politician, and it may be that he has offered _secret_ inducements,
etc. He would like to establish a _trade_ with us for tobacco, as he did
for cotton and sugar when he was in New Orleans. No doubt some of the
high officials at Washington would _wink_ at it for a share of the
profits.
The Southern Express Company (Yankee) has made an arrangement with the
Quartermaster-General to transport private contributions of supplies to
the army--anything to monopolize the railroads, and make private
fortunes. Well, "all's well that ends well,"--and our armies may be
_forced_ to forage on the enemy.
I copy this advertisement from a morning paper:
"NOTICE.--Owing to the heavy advance of feed, we are compelled to
charge the following rates for boarding horses on and after the 1st
of March:
Board per month $300.00
" " day 15.00
Single feed 5.00
"_Virginia Stables._ JAMES C. JOHNSON,
W. H. SUTHERLAND,
B. W. GREEN."
Congress and the President parted at the adjournment in bad temper. It
is true everything was passed by Congress asked for by the Executive as
necessary in the present exigency--a new military bill, putting into the
service several hundred thousand more men, comprising the entire male
population between the ages of 17 and 50; the tax and currency bills,
calculated to realize $600,000,000 or $800,000,000; and the suspension
of the writ of _habeas corpus_. These were conceded, say the members,
for the sake of the country, and not as concessions to the Executive.
But the Commissary-General's nomination, and hundreds of others, were
not sent into the Senate, in derogation of the Constitution; and
hundreds that were sent in, have not been acted on by the Senate, and
such officers now act in violation of the Constitution.
Dill's Government Bakery, Clay Street, is now in flames--supposed to be
the work of an incendiary. Loss
|