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From Southwestern Virginia.

fine farms in the Valley — ordered to Pound Gap — the salt speculators, &c., &c.



[correspondence of the Richmond Dispatch.]

Abingdon, Va., Dec. 11th, 1861.
I left Richmond yesterday morning as ‘"your own,"’ and reached this place this morning at 3½ o'clock. The trip was deprived of much interest and incident by being accomplished, from Liberty, at night.--Thus the fine farms and the rich scenes of the Virginia Valley were shut out from the view.

I found the 56th Regiment Virginia Volunteers, Col. Wm. D. Stuart, in high glee at the supposed prospect of being ordered to Bowling Green. Their ardor was somewhat abated however, when their means of transportation failed, and they were compelled to return to this place. The order sending these brave fellows to Kentucky was countermanded, and they are now anxiously awaiting a telegram from the Adjutant-General, assigning them duty.

Since penning the above, an order has been received from headquarters directing the regiment to proceed to Pound Gap or thereabouts. As it will require several weeks to procure transportation, and the roads, now good, will be soon impassable, the hope seems to be generally indulged that this order will likewise be set aside. The material of the 55th is regarded as being so excellent, their proficiency in drill so decided, the wealth, social standing, and soldiery qualities of its officers so marked, that the readers of the Dispatch will not object to seeing a complete list of field, staff, and company officers: Col., W. D. Stuart; Lieut. Col., P. Slaughter; Major, W. F., Green; Adjutant, E. B. Goode; Surgeon, Marion Howard; Assistant Surgeon, R. M. Evans; Quartermaster, R. B. Patterson; Commissary, R. C. Nicholas; Captain Company ‘"A,"’ T. T. Boswell; ‘"B,"’ G. W. Davis; ‘"C, "’ T. Smith; ‘"D,"’ C. Patterson; ‘"E,"’ J. Taylor; ‘ "F,"’ Jno. Richardson; ‘"G,"’ T. D. Jeffress; ‘ "H,"’--Michie; ‘"J,"’ Jno. T. Palmer; ‘ "K,"’ D. C. Harrison.

To enumerate the other officers and privates would take up more space than you could spare, though not more than they deserve; for they are all as brave and glorious a set of fellows as ever breathed Virginia air.

I cannot perform a more acceptable service to the country readers of the Dispatch, particularly those who live in good old Mecklenburg, than to jot down my observations as to that very scarce article — salt. Being seated now within a dozen miles of the ‘"Washington County Works,"’ and having diligently inquired into the matter, I arrive at the following conclusion: The proprietors, two of whom by the way are Yankees, cannot furnish salt to meet the pressing and increasing demand. There are at this moment not less than four hundred wagons awaiting their turn. It would be curious to investigate the different localities whence these vehicles came. All the salt that can be had at all can be bought at 75 cents per bushel. I met with a gentleman who filed his application and deposited his money more than two months ago. He says if any person can get salt he can, and assures me that this is the only mode by which the proprietors will pretend to make engagements. An order unaccompanied by the ‘"ready"’ will receive the coldest sort of a shoulder! I would, therefore, advise the general adoption of this plan.

In every community there are persons who can furnish the money, and an agent can be dispatched to make the necessary arrangements. The present yield of he mine is too thousand bushels per day. An extra ordinary effort is being made to enlarge its capacity to five thousand bushels, which will be accomplished, it is said, by Christmas; so those who have to feed their hogs till January and February need not despair. It is no wonder that herculean endeavors should be made to increase the supply of salt, for I am told that fifteen hundred dollars is the daily income of the proprietors. This is too much money for any set of men to be making during the war, and the State authorities should take steps immediately to obtain possession of the mines and furnish salt to needy thousands at prime cost.

I have obtained several interesting facts, in connection with Abingdon, which I will communicate in a future letter. For the present, I will state that nothing exciting has transpired here, except a shooting scrape between a citizen of the town and a member of company ‘"A."’ The person who was so unfortunate as to receive the contents of a shot gun was Adoniram Brummel. The friends of Adoniram in Mecklenburg will learn with pleasure that he is now doing well, he having most miraculously escaped instant death.

Hereafter my nom de plume will be

‘"Occasional."’

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