April 25th
Mr Grimball went down after his business and took a severe cold, returned & was ill, Dr Kenedy attending, he recovered very slowly. Berkley came up on sick furlough, boils on his leg, was with us 15 days, the Dr ordered generous diet, we did our best & he returned & is now better. Mr Grimball went at the same time to pay a visit to Mr Finley at Aiken, who wished him to stay with him a month, they met William coming up on sick furlough 30 days, an attack of Jaundice, while he was with us Lewis arrived from Dalton, a furlough of 20 days, we enjoyed their visits very much. There was a severe snow storm in March which destroyed the Peach Crop & injured the gardens. Mr Aiken wrote to Mr Grimball in answer to a letter from him proposing to stay with him a few days while in Charleston, saying he would always be glad to see him, that his furniture had been removed from Jehossee & placed at the Grove for safe Keeping.—Mr G. went to Aiken, hoping to locate himself there, but provisions are so high, property too, that he gave it up.—The winters here are so long & cold, but at this place we have had wood free of charge. The Council is to meet here on the 10 May, & John Elliott is invited to stay with us, we shall find it difficult to make him comfortable. In the matter of food things are so dear & so scarce. The tidings from New York conveyed in a letter from Nannie Morris to Charlotte of Mrs Zobrisky’s death is a distress to all of us, she was so amiable & nice a person. Mrs Barnwell died of consumption in Sumter brought on by anxiety at being in Charleston during the impending attack, a dreadful loss to her children, Ann who had married Mr Nowel, died soon after her marriage. Mr Barnwell has been so taken up with running after the negroes that he has quite lost sight of the health of his family.—
The Juno a Government vessel was lost at sea, and it is supposed all on board. Phil Porcher commanded her, the pride & solace of his parents. Lewis writes word he is better, stationed at Resaca more comfortably than at the other Camp. We hear some times from John, he sent a box of things to us from England, got Charles to attend to them for him, who being ordered off to command the Florida left the commission to Mr Trapman who is living there & his wife. The box has arrived in Wilmington among the fortunate few not thrown out of the vessel, the Thistle, which got aground getting into Wilmington. Mr Kops has kindly seen about it for us, the duties are to be paid in Gold. Mr G. wrote to Mr Robertson to get him to advance the money, & he would pay it in July. – I hope we may get the box, for we really want the things, and John sent them, the dear, good child. The prices are very high Corn is $10 per bushel, Peas dito, butter $4 per lb, Beef $2 per lb, Pork dito.
The taxes are so high the old currency is cut off 1 third, so for us the times are very tight, until July there is hardly any money to live on. We fortunately have Corn to last during the summer. Mr Kirkland, the Methodist Preacher kindly helped us to get that $4 per bushel. We paid for 100 bushels of Corn in Barnwell & we got it up here at the depot from the Government supply they taking that quantity below.—
Mr Kirkland died about 4 weeks since of cold, got on his Circuit, a very good man, I feel that we have lost a friend.
Mrs Tompson had her house burned down a few days since in broad day & lost nearly every thing, her store of flour & Bacon & Corn & much furniture & clothing. She lived in this neighborhood, we had often seen her but she did not visit us, I am very sorry for her.
Anna Frost invited the girls to come out to them on Friday to an evening party in honor of their brother’s wedding. He married Miss Walker of the Asylum, they are to stay until Sunday morning.—Gabriella & Elizabeth are going, these two are learning German & find it very hard.
This morning received a letter from Arnoldus Vanderhorst informing me he had sent our box to Columbia, we may then soon get it.—