it. I have been struck very forcibly by the sense of security which seems to prevail here among all classes. The dangers which environ this city, the chief aim of Yankee malignity, are very great. Grant, at the head of his mighty force, is only some fifteen miles off; and yet such is the unbounded confidence of the people in Lee and his noble army, that you hear them talking not only of driving the enemy back, but gobbling him up. So far, all the charges of the Yankees have been repulsed with frightful slaughter and with comparatively little loss to the Southerners, who are now for the first time fighting from behind breastworks. I had last night a few moments' conversation with a colonel who had just arrived from the front. He told me that without any sort of exaggeration the enemy lost, in front of a brigade of Georgians, no less than six hundred men killed and about three thousand wounded, whilst the Georgians are only minus four men since that fight. It is thought that Grant is going to cross the Chickahominy, and that he will follow in McClellan's footsteps towards Richmond, if he does not attempt to cross over to the southern bank of the James River; but there the gallant Beauregard waits him with the splendid army which gave Butler so sound a drubbing the other day. Everything indicates that this is the supreme effort of the North to crush out the South. Never has their fighting been characterized by such desperation and recklessness. Their battalions have been repeatedly hurled against the Southern breastworks with unwonted impetuosity and dash, but each time they have reeled back in disorder and cut to pieces. I have not spoken to a single soldier here who was not convinced that the Yankee courage in the recent battles has been screwed up by means of the strongest whiskey. One of them who was slightly wounded in one of those engagements told me that some of the Yankees were so drunk when they charged that they could hardly stand upon their legs, and that they would roll harmlessly into the entrenchments, and there allow themselves to be disarmed. In some cases they were so mad with liquor that

they would throw away their muskets and run into the cannon's mouth. Nothing is too bad for these miscreants in Washington. They now cap the climax by hurrying their own men into eternity when beastly drunk. Horrible, horrible. I hope that the missive in which I gave my dear mother an account of our successful trip through the blockaders will reach her. I confided it to the care of the purser of the City of Petersburg, requesting him to mail it as soon as he got to Bermuda. It was a great relief to find this old friend of mine lying alongside the wharf at Wilmington, for I had some time before feared that she had been pounced upon by the Yankees. She was seen attempting to run in, and was therefore obliged to put back with a pack of cruisers at her heels. They chevied her right into Nassau. There she remained for a few days in order to get a supply of coal, and then she popped in, not however without getting a shower of shot and canister. Captain Averell, whom I have had the pleasure of meeting, tells me that they had a mighty hot time of it; it almost reminded him of Seven Pines. I trust that she will get to Bermuda safely, and as she is a very fast boat there is a chance the more in her favour; but the Federals have now so many fast cruisers lurking about the two cordons of blockaders, that I consider running out fully as risky as running in. Although we managed to elude the enemy with perfect impunity, I do not look upon the blockade as child's play; in my opinion it is awfully ticklish work trying to get through it. To do so successfully, speed coupled with skillful seamanship is absolutely requisite. These two indispensable qualities I found in the Lilian. I fear she will lose her able commander, Captain Maffit, who I judge is the best of fellows and the most skillful of navigators; for his return here has been hailed with delight, and the Secretary of the Navy has given him a practical proof of it by pouncing upon him with an important command just at the time when poor Maffit wanted to make a little money in blockade running; but as I tell him, such are the drawbacks to a too exalted reputation.

This will cause the light-heeled Lilian to go down terribly in the betting. I left Wilmington on Tuesday with Lawley, who has stopped there a day in order to pen a communication to the "Thunderer" in which he recorded his impressions in the grandes emotions which I shared with him. He gave it to me to read, and I can vouch for its being graphic as well as truthful; we were not a little loath, both of us, to leave the hospitable and comfortable residence of Mr. Colby, which is like an oasis in the desert of privation. It required no little force of will to give up all these luxuries and face the filth, tediousness and thousand discomforts of our Southern railroads.

Fortunately I stumbled on Mr. John Robinson, the son of Mr. Robinson of Philadelphia, who is now military superintendent of that line. He gave us permission to camp in the baggage car, a favour which we appreciated very highly, I assure you, for with our rugs we could lie down amongst the baggage. Our couches were not of the downiest, it is true, but anything is preferable in these times to the cars, which are densely packed with soldiers rushing to the front. After half an hour's experience of them I was able fully to realize the horrors of the Black Hole of Calcutta.

Our car was wedged in between two others containing ammunition; very unpleasant neighbors at all times, but more so with an engine which throws out a regular feu d'artifice of sparks. To make matters worse a terrific storm occurred, which became so violent that the train had to be stopped. The flood-gates of Heaven were opened to their widest extent. Never have I seen rain pour down with such fury; each drop seemed large enough to fill a bucket; the artillery of the gods, too, blazed and thundered forth in deafening peals. I saw the lightning, like an immense ball of fire, descend and fell a large tree. Remembering that I was sandwiched between these two very unpleasant cars, I felt inclined to observe the first part of Cromwell's apothegm, but slightly to modify the other part

of it*

We passed through to the west of Petersburg, a district which had been the scene of the Yankee raid ordered by Butler, and when he was so handsomely repulsed by Beauregard. For miles and miles along the track the cowardly depredators had left behind them marks of their passage-the charred remains of once cosy cottages, the ruins of farmhouses, were visible in sad succession. I have been here only a few hours, and I have heard of more atrocities committed by these Vandals than I could attempt to narrate in the space of twenty sheets.

The advance of the Northern horse has been marked by more acts of wanton Vandalism than hitherto. Some counties have been entirely devastated, and among them I fear that Caroline county has been a heavy sufferer. I hear that a gentleman's house situated there was stripped of all its furniture, decorations and food. Some valuable rosewood tables and chairs were smashed into atoms and then turned into breastworks. These accounts make me very anxious to learn the fate of my uncle's estate; for that purpose I shall make enquiries not only respecting him, but also about the other members of our family.

In my next letter I shall communicate what facts I shall have been able to gather; this I shall do as promptly as possible. In future I intend writing very frequently, as that is, I think, the only way in these disjointed times of informing you of the state of my health and of my whereabouts. So far my health is all that can be desired. I have taken up my quarters at the Ballard House (Old Exchange) I here share a tolerably comfortable room with a Captain Wright, of Alabama, who plants on the same river as Lygon.

He was a fellow-passenger of mine in the Lilian, having just escaped from a Yankee prison to Bermuda. As he will pass on his way home through Montgomery, I shall entrust the present for my

*Put your trust in God, but keep your powder dry.

dear Aunt Randolph to his care. The prices here, owing to depression of the currency, are absurdly high. For instance, I pay three dollars for a couple of eggs, eight for a beefsteak, and fifteen for a small chicken. This is appalling at first if you don't bear in mind that the proportion of gold to paper is about one to seventeen. The late financial measure, however, has raised the value of paper, for now seventeen Confederate notes will buy a gold dollar, whilst a year ago twenty-seven would not do that-so you see there is an improvement, and I am told it is going on gradually-so much the better. Write very often yourself, and I beseech you to tell mother, Bella and Bessie to do the same. With this species of stimulant I know that my spirits will never be depressed.

Farewell. Your devoted son,

My last letter was dated Wilmington, 6th.

P. S.-I got here not one minute too soon, for a Yankee raiding party stopped the train which followed the one I was in, took the passengers prisoners, and after burning the cars and turning up. some of the rails, returned to Norfolk with their captives. A little more and I was in the clutches of Beast Butler. This is what the people here call escaping by the skin of one's teeth.

My dear Father:

BALLARD HOUSE RICHMOND,

JUNE 15TH, 1864.

In my last week's letter to you I told you that I purposed making enquiries about our kinsfolk in Dixie in order to give a report which I know you are most anxiously expecting. I have at length been able to glean the following facts, partly from Mrs. Lewis, and partly from your nephew, Nicholas C., who has just arrived here from the Reed's, after running innumerable perils in getting through the enemy's lines. The Yankees, during their