Correspondence of the Richmond Dispatch.
corporation election — Petitions to the Court--
oil excitement
Harrisonburg,Va., April 1, 1861.
On Saturday last our corporation election took place.
No excitement, and but few votes polled.
Dr. S. M. Bold was elected Mayor over G. S. Christie, (both Whigs,) by a small majority.
J. R. Braithwaite was re-elected Sergeant of the corporation.
Mr. Braithwaite has held the place of Sergeant for three or four years. He had no opposition this time.
Councilmen were also elected.
The submission party are still excited on the subject of the secession flag, over the Exchange Hotel.
They want it down badly, but more flags of the same sort will go up, instead of the one now up coming down.
Petitions are in circulation requesting the County Court to grant no liquor license in this Magisterial District next spring.
Really, some check should be put upon the traffic, for King A. has left his foot-prints deep in this county in the last several years.
One of our military companies — the Valley Guards--paraded on Saturday, and gave the public a chance to see the Zouave drill.
Col.Gibbons was commanding.
The Colonel was lately the Captain of this company of citizen soldiers.
He is one of the best officers in the State.
Very justly was he elevated to the position of Colonel of the Regiment.
Like the California gold fever, the Western Virginia oil excitement has reached us, and five companies have left here for the greasy region.
This oil will soon do away with many other oils.
I perceive less than half the Massachusetts whale-ships have gone out this season.
It may be, that this oil will supercede whale oil, in which case Virginia will take a very prominent part in the commerce of the world with her oil. Perhaps it would be well to grease Virginia with this oil, that she might slip out of the Union--and drown the State Convention in the same liquid.
Pen. 