could put men and guns there under the protection of masonry works, and because I intended to obstruct the river at that point, and wished to bring to bear upon the enemy's fleet, when checked by such obstructions, the greatest possible weight of metal. The country for many miles above the forts offered no location for guns in high stages of the river, and nearer of New Orleans, where the banks are leveled, guns aboard ship in high water would command guns ashore. There was also great deficiency of earth for the erection of works, and had I located guns there the position could have been overflowed by breaking the levees; besides, I had not troops enough to act as a protecting force to a number of detached works.

Question. When did you make the arrangements with Leeds & Co. and S. Wolfe & Co. in regard to the erection of the reverberating furnaces? State what those arrangements were, and, if you know, where S. Wolfe & Co. and Leeds & Co. are.

Answer. I cannot state the precise time. It was soon after I became satisfied that if I wanted heavy guns I must have them made myself in New Orleans. The arrangements were to put up the necessary furnaces, and to get for S. Wolfe & Co. the large lathe at the Bellville Iron Works. Mr. Leeds, the member of Leeds & Co., with whom I made the arrangements, is since dead, and Mr. Wolfe is at Columbus ar Athens, Ga.

Question. Did not the War Department uniformly approve and, when necessary, ratify every step taken by you in perfecting the defenses of New Orleans, and were you not authorized to adopt such measures as you deemed essential tots safety?

Answer. In answer to the first part of the question, I answer yes; to the latter part I answer that I was authorized by the department to adopt many, but not all, of the measures which I through essential to the safety of New Orleans. I wanted control of the defenses afloat as well as ashore, and of their preparations, and I wanted guns transferred from points that I considered of minor importance (for instance, Pensacola) to New Orleans. There were other smaller points of difference, which appear fully in my correpondence. I had no funds placed under my control for river obstructions, although I directed Major Smith to make estimates, who reported that they had been made and sent forward. He may have obtained some money for this purpose, but the bulk of the money expended upon the obstructions was obtained from the city of New Orleans, amounting in all to nearly a quarter of a million of dollars. The estimates made by General Smith were to forwarded until I had been in New Orleans some months, because when I assumed command the city had already placed at my disposal nearly $100,000, which I could apply to the making of obstructions.

Question. Did no the Safety Committee of New Orleans repeatedly desire to know your necessities, and tender you money and every other means in their power to strengthen and perfect its defenses?

Answer. The Safety Committee several times offered me any assistance in money that I might desire, or their personal service, and desired to know more of the necessities of my position than I through proper to confide to fifty persons (the number of the committee), many of them unknown to me. I availed myself of their personal services in many instances, and got from them about $250,000 in money. They offered me more money, to which I replied that I could not use the additional funds, as the articles of which I stood most in need-to with, guns of heavy caliber, anchors, chains and small-arms-were not to be had in the Confederacy; but I urged them to obtain these things by running the blockade and to apply their funds to laying in a sufficient store of provisions to supply the population in case of a siege. In reply to my last call on them for funds, which they stated that I should have immediately upon my call on them for funds, which they stated that I should have immediately upon my requisition, they waited several days, and then sent a sub-committee to me to know what I intended to do with the money before they would grant the request. This I declined to do, as I did not wish to make public the weak points of my department.

Question. When you ceased to feel secure as to the defense of the city why did you not begin the removal of public stores; and did you or not advise the removal of the iron-clads, particularly the Mississippi, to some other point?

Answer. Believing that the iron-clads would probably be completed before the enemy would make his final attack, I did not feel so insecure as to justify me in removing the public stores, which removal I knew would not be kept secret and would create a great panic among out own people, and also convey to the enemy the impression that we despaired of holding our position. I did not advise the removal of the iron-clads, be-