INTERESTING FROM UTAH.
OUR CAMP FLOYD CORRESPONDENCE.
Movements of Troops and Supply Trains—The Pest of Flies—Trouble with the In-dians—Preparations for the Winter, &c.
CAMP FLOYD, U. T., Friday, Sept. 3,1858.
Since my last letter, nothing save the arrival of recruits and supply trains has transpired to relieve the monotony of camp life, with little or nothing to do.
Major EASTMAN arrived about a fortnight since, with several hundred recruits for the Fifth Infantry. The regiment, which was a mere skeleton hitherto, on ac-count of the large number of discharges on expiration of enlistment, is now comparatively full, averaging more than sixty men per company. The new recruits are drilled daily, and the regiment will soon be in a high state of efficiency. Major EASTMAN commands ; the colonel, Col. LOOMIS, having been until recently on duty in Florida ; and the lieutenant-colonel, Col. WAITE, having recently left on leave of absence.
Capt. ANDERSON, of the Second Dragoons, arrived on the 30th ult., with a few recruits for his regiment. His little party was all that remained of the Second Column of the reinforcements for the Utah Army af-ter reaching Fort Laramie and leaving the garrison for that post. He brings some few horses, but they are in no better condition than those that have been grazing among the hills and canons bordering upon Cedar Valley.
Some seven or eight of the supply-train have ar-rived, and all of them are, ere this, on this side of Fort Laramie. The appearance of the advanced train, winding its dusty way up the Valley, was hailed by the soldiers with many enthusiastic shouts, such as “Hurrah fellows, don't you see the grub coming." "We'll have lots of bacon now." "Hurrah for the bull train." "I hope we won't have to eat those poor bulls again this Winter." And many a joke passed round as they recalled the exposure, scanty fare and hard work of last Winter.
When I last wrote, the camp was constantly en-veloped in a dense cloud of dust, but since then a shower passing along the lofty hills above us deigned to pay us a visit, and gave the loose soil a thorough moistening, much to our relief. The great pest of one's daily life now is the host of the com-mon house-fly. I have seen them in country-kitchens in numbers that the good housewife w as pleased to call "thick," but never so thick as in the tents of Camp Floyd. The soldiers and officers alike find that early rising is no inconvenience, as this little creature commences his torments immediately after daylight. Writing or napping during the day is out of the question, and great patience must be exercised in attempting to read. I am told, that great as this inconvenience is up here, down in the Dragoon and Artillery Camps, where they have their horses tied up at night, it is much greater; but they must submit to all the disadvantages of belonging "to the horse."
In fact, a moderate annoyance from being attached to horse corps inflicted upon them causes us some little satisfaction, as many a weary mile have we plod-ded on foot, envying them a comfortable seat on a caisson or on horseback.
Owing to the inability of the Quartermaster's De-partment to obtain the requisite amount of forage, the horses will be herded among the different valleys again this Winter, and no one looks forward to the duty of guarding the herds with any degree of plea-sure. A wandering life among these mountains, with a tent for protection against the storms of Winter, is by no means an agreeable one to contemplate; besides, great vigilance will be necessary, on account of the Indians, who are in the habit of penetrating among the settlements and driving off stock in considerable numbers.
One squadron of dragoons will be kept up, in order to be ready for any emergency which may arise. Stables will be erected for them, and the horses must eat wheat, barley and oats, mixed, at $1 50 per bushel,
The Indians fired upon a party of Saints, who were cutting hay in Rush Valley, a fortnight since, and Lieutenant TYLER, with one hundred mounted men, was dispatched to the valley of Serier River to find their camp, and bring in the Chiefs for a talk ; but after a trip of eight days he returned, without having found any sign.
Judges ECKELS and SINCLAIR, accompanied by sev-eral friends, and escorted by Captain SMITH'S squad-ron of Dragoons, left on an official visit to Fillmore, the capital, on the 13th ult., their object being to make the necessary arrangements for opening the Courts. There seems but little prospect for lawyers in this country, except it be in cases which arise be-tween Gentile and Saint, or between Gentiles alone, as in all their business matters the Mormons refer their disputes and differences to the Bishop, and if beyond his power to decide, to the Council of the Church. There are many cases of damages which the Gentiles, merchants and others would wish to prosecute, but they consider it ridiculous to submit them to a Mormon jury with the expectation of re-covering anything. The Mormon objection to a jury composed of wagon-masters and teamsters, and the desire to be tried by their "peers," which has been so strongly set forth in some official communications, causes those who have made some acquaintance with this people, some merriment. The wagon-masters of this Army are, as a general thing, far superior to the majority of the Saints, both in intelligence and integ-rity, and certainly, as a class, far above those usually found in the jury-box in the States ; besides, there are many Gentile merchants who would most un-doubtedly deem it an insult to be called their "peers."
We have now daily communication with the city by a stage line, of which a Mr. WILLIAMS, an apos-tate, is the proprietor and manager. They make the trip each way in about seven hours. The mail con-tinues to make its time, arriving on Saturday morn-ing each week, and occasionally on Friday; but how near they will approach to the contract time when snow falls in the cañons, remains to be seen.
The whole command is now busily occupied in hauling timber for the Cantonment, to which we will soon move. The present plan is to erect adobe build-ings and cover them with boards with two inches of earth on the top. It is optional with the men whether they build these houses themselves, the adobes and lumber being furnished, or whether they will take the Sibley tent, raised upon a wall some three or four feet high. The majority elect the house—in fact there are no companies which were at Camp Scott last Winter desirous of trying a life in tents over again. By the present arrangement each officer will be allowed one room fifteen feet square. Though this is a rather lim-ited accommodation, yet I think it will be found quite as much as their present limited allowance of furni-ture will equip.
Captain SIMPSON, of the Topographical Engineers, left some days since with an escort of an officer and twenty mounted men, to make a reconnoissance in the direction of Fort Bridger, through the Provo Cañon ; the object being to ascertain whether a short-er route may not be found than the present one through Echo and Emigration Cañons.
The Sixth Infantry were to have left Fort Bridger for Oregon, on the 20th ult. It will be remembered that they came over the road surveyed by Lieutenant BRYAN, which they pronounce favorably upon as far as Bridger's Pass, but thence to Fort Bridger the route is only adapted to small parties, on account of the scarcity of the water and grass. Nevertheless, two companies of the Fourth Artillery have been ordered to the Cheyenne Pass, with instructions to build a post.
We now have every prospect of an abundant sup-ply of subsistence stores the ensuing Winter. The restriction upon the ration was removed for the first time since last Fall, on the 1st inst. We have been abundantly supplied with the vegetables of the season by the Saints, but at enormously high prices. A sol-dier with money reminds one of a little boy with a cent—he is not satisfied until he spends it Attempts have been made by the Provost Marshal of the camp, to regulate the- prices, and he has in many instances, where they have refused to lower them, ordered the parties out of the camp, but they went into the cedars and there disposed of all their notions at their own prices, as we learned after they had left. Numbers of the Mormons are now seeking employment from the Government, having caught a glimpse of the coin which is beginning to circulate among them. Men who have fine farms, and can spare a month from the farm labor, seek employment in any capacity for that time in order to obtain the wherewith to purchase Winter clothing for themselves and families.
The sutlers' trains have mostly now arrived in the city, and they are erecting large, commodious stores at the site of the new camp. The most of them have extensive assortments of goods, both such as are adapted to the trade in the city as well as such arti-cles in demand among the soldiers. Their prices are very high, owing to the immense cost of transporta-tion from the States—some of them having paid as much as twenty- five cents per pound freight.
As for fruits, there are but few varieties grown in the Territory, and those mostly in the gardens of the Prophet and the First Presidency. A man was seen traversing the camp some days since with a small sack of apples, small and sour, for which he demanded the moderate sum of one dollar per dozen.
An expedition, consisting of a squadron of dragoons and a company of infantry, are to leave this morning for Humboldt River, whence reports have been re-ceived that four men, supposed to be deserters from the army, had been killed, and that the mail from Cali-fornia had been robbed. The full particulars of the outrage have not transpired. The detachment will be commanded by Capt. HAWES, of the 2d Dragoons.
Q.
