Letter From L Eut. Parks

Kicftmond, Dec. 4, 1SG1. Hon. T5. F Gïakoeb. Dunt Siti: I taic tlio liberty of addressing yoo - thu Representativo oí the First Gongressionai District - in bctiatf oi seventy-two sous of MicnSgnn : forty of' whom ;ire froin your imiucijiate district - fourteen balling from jour own eoanty of Washtenaw. They aro wide ly dispersed, a portion being in , ton, and otlicrs in Riohtnoud, Coluinbia, New OrleaM and Tuscaloosa, and some will, in a few days, be sent to Salisbury, North Carolina. Tbéy are a portion of tlircn tboasand oyn ei tizeos of the UniWii States now held as prisoners of war. Most of them bavc been in close coufinemout, onder very u:;fortunate circumstsnees over four inüiitlis. I tniglit picture to you tbcir present condition, but deern it onneceasajy. You can readüy eoüceivë fiow men taken generally wilhout money, witb clotliing origina'ly of poor quality, baving nlready bad thrce month-s service in tlic field, will naturally appear after four mópths inoro havo jjassed, in most cases without a cbange of any garinont ; can ynu believe they aro in a oondition to stand the clianges of. even a Southern elimate ? Wc know they are not ; and, mitess something is done for tlieir relief, tlieir dceiniated rariks next spring wi'l teil a fearful talo. I havo jast reseircd a note from au educatcd young man of a Northern city who left a situation as Bank elerk, and enliated as a private to serve bis country. - Ho was wounded and taken ju-isoner at Manassas; he says : " I have no shirt or 80oksf :n,d snlscr )niich from cold and damp, and at every brcatb it seems as if a knife werc plungcd into me._ I cani;ot stand it much longer." This is but one caso of mnny that I might cite, had I time. I ain convinccd that many are sustained now onl' by the hope that it will not much longtr continue thus, and that a speedy chttnge wiil restore tbcm to tlieir families and friends, from whero, after a rtstoration to health, they may return to the service of their country. - It is said, hope deferred maketh the soul siofc let it be uuderstood thcro i to be no exeuange, aud many would welcome death. Noff let me ask, i all this neecssary ? The question naturally arises withus: lías not us mach been conceded already as would bo in a full exchango of prisoners ? Flags of trnee are ot' ahnost datlj occurrence, prisoners have been taken in anus against thegov4(rnment, with stipulations aftorwards oarried out, that they would'be reeoived and trep.ted as prioncrs of war; paroles liavo been recoguizcd at our capital, aud 57 of our prisonera rcturned to their homes and friends by ordor of Gon. McClclhin. Prisoners have bem exclianged witli all the usual foimalities en the Missiasippi, and naval offieers aro even novr on their way home in exehange for an equal riumber sent hcre by our govern ment or its agenta. Of eourso in our isolated position we eannot know all the diffieult aspects in which the question wi 11 present itself. We can only judge ut' a',:ts that come under our observation, and reason that the saine rule that wiü exchange one prisoncr will exchange an inny. I adniit we are anxious on the subject and we have cause to bc; humantty prompte and juüice demanda it. I believe I speak the sentinicnts of all here when I gay, we do not wish to embarrnss the aciion of our governmerct in the least; but we eannot understand how a full exchange will do more injury than acts already done. - Wc belieire belügererts can be rceogiiizod without involving independence. Surely the war eannot continue for ycars, or even months, longer without this question beconiing so important that it must be met aud an oxc-hange effjetcd ; tben why delay wliat must inevitabiy bc? We enlisted to serve our country, and, if neecssary, die for it, but we would prefer a dififerent death from the one awaiting us here. I can not say all I would, for obvious reasons ; but I can say we are suffering l'rom neglect ; so much so that it is the subject (f newspaper paragniphs here and elsewhere. It makes my face burn to rend them, and think that over four months have passed and nothingdone for our relief. We have frequfntly heard that clothing was to be sent to us, but winter has come, and no clothing bas come, but siciness bas. It has been said the Confedcrates sent the most destituto to the far south from motives oí hunianity ; however that may be, I saw some go without shirts, and many without shoes or socks ; and even some with drawers and no pants. I am sorry to say this, and perhaps ray doing so will prevent this reaehing you, but I trust it will not I may be treadingon forbidden gronnd, but will say that I believe this would not be if clothing could bo obtained hero - it can not in suilicient quantitits. Southern trnops are clothcd by contributior.s from homo, of home-made oloth. Those who h;ve menns to purchase can find limited quantities at extravagantly high prices, beyond the means üf most of us. (Jlothing eaube sent safely. The Massaclmsctts men, having becu hero but six weeks have alrcady been supplied wilh iull outlits from their friends at home. - ('au not government send as woll as they? Tlio Confederates have rcoently furnislied quilts as substitutos for blankets, whicll could not bc obtained, and straw sacks, wliiohis soine improvement ; but we still need blanketa and cluthiug, especially pants, shirts, drawers, socks and shoes - I aru sorry to trouble you with this matter, but thinking your position would euablo vou to do much, I venture to do so. Il' we are to reniain here and govermneut does not speedily próvido for our wants, will you please oall the attention of sueh citizens of Michigan as may be in Washington to this matter. I know that an appeal to the peoplo of our State would be proinptly met, and I feel assured that our statu would havo bceu attended to ere tli is had in been known that it was required and eould bu dono. Wliat is doue fshould be at once. Verv respectfully voura, M. A. TARK3. Should tli ore be any persons in Washington from Ypsilanti please show them this letter. I inclosc a slip cut from the Daily Enquirer of Dec. 4tb : Sükferiso - The Yankee prisoners of wm in tliia city are beginning to feel the wani of proper cloUiing. Congressuian Ely bas very ieneronsly offered, xré learn, to expond 5,1)00 uf his privfttR meane, wliicli are quite ampia, in order to purehase them neoes: sttry olotnine ; but his fellow-priéoners lo elino to pennit. him todo ti.ftt wliicli their gOTernmeot slioul J long sinec lmve rccognized as a binding duty." McCokmick's Rbapxb tor ihb Wokld'8 PaIB - The Chicago Journal savs tho workmen in tho machine shop at'MoUormick's Reaper Manufactory are at work on a reaper for the groat exhibition at London noxt yoar. It will be :i rrtagnificent machine, oosting pvobably a thoueand ortwo of dollara. There are wheels in tho machino whieh will oof=t from twenty to fifty dollars, tntTcly for the purposo of producinga bright B'.irfaco. The wood-wi ik will bo of h eorreipoüding quaiity, and the machino will probably bo the finest ever manuiactnred. The iron-work wj) be polished.