you not think it would be better to raise the masses to their legitimate authority, and thus sink these fellows I Yes I remarked, if you could do it; but how are you going to do it without war I This con- versation on the part of Key I thought very remarkable, considering that the rebels had already resisted our army at Yorktown, fought us at Williamsburg, and fell upon us with great fury (though they were defeated at Fair Oaks. He then went on to remark that he had been of the impression that General Taylor had been notified by General Marcy (I think he said the preceding Friday; this was on a Sunday) of the intended interview (General Taylor, as 1 have before remarked, told me he had never been notified). That it was originally intended it should have been held at Dr. Garnetts, within the enemys lines, but that they had objected. Yes, I replied, they ob.ject to our holding conversations with them within their lines, while we permit Mrs. Lee and family to go all through ours, and another lady also; and now, I think I added, we allow Howcll Cobb to come to hold a conversa- tion within our lines. Arriving at Mechanicsville we sel)arated, lie taking the road down toward General McClellans headquarters and I to my camp, stopping, I think, at General Taylors to report to him what had occurred. The next day in making, as was customary, at daylight n~y morning report, I handed to General Taylor the communication herewith inclosed, which I was informed passed through General Slocum, the division, and General Franklin, the corps, commander, to General McClellan, with strong reprobatory indorsements. I will also remark that Cap- tam Jewett, Fourth New Jersey Volunteers, who, with his picket reserve, was turned out by Colonel Key froui the shanty, to enable him to hold his conversation with General Cobb, informed me that the interview commenced about 10 oclock a. in., and asit terminated about 2 it lasted about four hours. J. 11. SIMPSON, Lieutenant- Colonel Engineers, U. S. Army, Late Colonel Fourth New Jersey Vols., Army of the Potomac. JUNE 18, 1862.Skirmish near Fair Oaks, Va. REPORTS. No. 1.Brig. Gen. Joseph Hooker, U. S. Army. No. 2.Brig. Gen. Cuvier Grover, U. S. Army. No. 3.CoL Powell T. Wyman, Sixteenth Massachusetts Infantry. No. 1. Je~-Ttg73FJ6~47~ Hooker, U. S. Army. IIDQRs. HooKERS DIVIsIoN, THIRD ARMY QOI~IS, Camp near Fair Oaks, Ia., June 20, 1862. CAPTAIN: I have the honor to transmit hcrcwith the report of B~ iga- dier-General Grover, inclosing that of Col. P. T. Wyman, of his reconnais- sance on the 18th instant. The loss appears to have been considerably greater than was at first reported to inc. This is explained by Colonel Wyman satisfactorily, except as regards the great number of missing,