[175]
From my friend, J. F. B. Lillard, of New York, I learn the following names of some druggists who were in business at the South during those trying times: Benjamin Ward, of Mobile; H. Metcalf, at Montgomery, Ala.;J. A. Lee, New Iberia, La.; N. O. Mior, Columbia, S. C.; John Ingalls, Macon, Ga.; J. J. Shott, Galveston, Tex.; F. S. Duffy, New Bren, S. C.; G. W. Aymer, Charleston, S. C.; S. T. Dernoville, and A. H. Roscoe, Nashville, Tenn.; Robert Carter, Columbus, Ga.; A. Solomons, Savannah, Ga.; Crawford W. Long, Athens, Ga.
To afford an idea of the prices ruling in Richmond, June 1863, I append the articles in some original invoices purchased by R. W. Powers, from Kent, Paine & Co. Some are as follows: Three boxes ext. logwood, 47 lbs. at $4.00 per lb.; 1 keg bicarb soda, 112 lbs. at $2.75; 1 case brown Windsor soap, $12.75 doz.; 1 bbl. camphor, 86 lbs. at 20.00; 112 lbs. of blue galls at $4; 100 lbs. tartaric acid, $2.25 per lb.; salt, 440. lb.; hops, $2.50 lb.; 1 cask French brandy, $52.00 gallon; Indian ink, 750. bottle; 9 dozen assorted pencils, $4 doz.; phosphorous, $14.00 per lb.; citric acid, $4.50; oil peppermint, $16.50; Epsom salts, $3.87 1/2; 6 bottles capsules, $6.50; 12 pewter syringes, $1.25 each; 2 boxes blue pills, $6.00; 1 bottle syr. Ipecac, $10.00; 15 ozs. quinine, $22.25 per oz.; 60 drs. morphine, $28.00 per dr.; blacking, $1.40 per box; tallow candles, $2.37 per lb.
H. B. Metcalf, of Montgomery, wrote me February last in part as follows: ‘I find that all my books and papers were destroyed in the fire of last July. We were able to secure some drugs and chemicals during the war by attending the blockade sales at Charleston and Mobile. We did not have to substitute to a great extent in putting up prescriptions—those of us who were fortunate enough to be supplied at the sales. We found great difficulty in securing vials and corks, and were compelled to use second-hand vials, and corks made from tupelo trees answered very well. Prices were, of course, high. For instance, during the last year of the war all tinctures were sold at $1.00 an oz.; quinine, $25.00 per oz.; morphine, $10.00 per dr.; quinine pills, $1.00 each, and other pills $5.00 a dozen. Prescriptions ranged usually from $5.00 to $15.00. Whiskey sold at $50.00 a bottle. You must recollect that greenbacks were worth about twenty times our money, gold 100 times. I imported a great many goods through Evans' Sons, Liverpool, and regret exceedingly I now have none of the invoices.’
