The young
relatives of some of the Secretaries are being appointed commissaries,
quartermasters, surgeons, etc. They keep out of danger.

Many ladies have been appointed clerks. There is a roomful of them just
over the Secretary's office, and he says they distract him with their
noise of moving of chairs and running about, etc.

The papers publish an account of a battle of snow-balls in our army,
which indicates the spirit of the troops, when, perhaps, they are upon
the eve of passing through such awful scenes of carnage as will make the
world tremble at the appalling spectacle.

MARCH 31ST.--Cloudy and cold. No war news, though it is generally
believed that Longstreet is really in the valley.

A speech delivered by the Hon. J. W. Wall, in New Jersey, is copied in
all the Southern papers, and read with interest by our people.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

Return of Mr. Ould and Capt. Hatch from Fortress Monroe.--Quarrel between
Mr. Memminger and Mr. Seddon.--Famine.--A victory in Louisiana.--
Vice-President Stephens's speech.--Victory of Gen. Forrest.--Capture
of Plymouth, N. C.--Gen. Lee's bill of fare.

APRIL 1ST.--Cloudy all day, with occasional light showers.

No war news; but the papers have an account of the shooting of an infant
by some Yankees on account of its _name_. This shows that the war is
degenerating more and more into savage barbarism.

APRIL 2D.--It rained furiously all night; wind northwest, and snowed
to-day until 12 M. to a depth of several inches. It is still blowing a
gale from the northwest.

To-day the clerks were paid in the new currency; but I see no abatement
of prices from the scarcity of money, caused by funding. Shad are
selling at $10 each, paper; or 50 cents, silver. Gold and silver are
circulating--a little.

A letter from Liberty, Va., states that government bacon (tithe) is
spoiling, in bulk, for want of attention.

From Washington County there are complaints that Gen. Longstreet's
impressing officers are taking all, except five bushels of grain and
fifty pounds of bacon for each adult--a plenty, one would think, under
the circumstances.

Senator Hunter has asked and obtained a detail for Mr. Daudridge (under
eighteen) as quartermaster's clerk. And Mr. Secretary Seddon has ordered
the commissary to let Mrs. Michie have sugar and flour for her family,
white and black.

Mr. Secretary Benjamin sent over, to-day, for passports to the
Mississippi River for two