men; but there was not a single collision or conflict. Brave and honest men, although differing in opinion and action, always respect each other. The war having been waged in the interest of slavery, it resulted in the establishment of universal freedom without regard to race or color.

As might naturally have been anticipated, the sudden emancipation by the termination of the war of a large part of the population, and their change of condition from bondage to freedom, produced no little excitement, both among the freedmen themselves and their former owners and masters. In the absence of all civil authority the regulation and direction of these excited and conflicting elements of society necessarily devolved upon the military. The task was ungrateful and disagreeable, but could not be avoided. Those assigned to it have, I believe, done their duty faithfully and honestly, notwithstanding the abuse heaped upon them by pretended friends of the negro. When I arrived here the number of negroes in Richmond was between 30,000 and 40,000 about equal to the number of the whites, and daily increasing by arrivals from deserted plantations. To prevent actual starvation Government officers were issuing some 13,000 gratuitous rations daily, and the number was rapidly increasing. To diminish this evil as much as possible, orders were given to prevent vagrant negroes from coming to the city, and offices were established to provide employment for those already here. Those in the country who left their former homes and masters were provided for by the military commanders of districts, under the general direction of thee Freedmen's Bureau. This system has produced the most favorable results. A few irregularities have occurred, but these have been corrected as soon as ascertained. While the whites have been made fully sensible of the fact that they are no longer slaveholders, their former slaves have been taught that their own well-being must depend upon their industry and good conduct. No opportunity has been omitted to inculcate the great principle that all, black, and white, were equal before the law, and that all offenders against the laws would be punished alike, without regard to color. One of the most serious difficulties resulting from the new condition of society is that of the marriage relation, or rather the want of it, among the emancipated slaves, and the consequent irresponsibility of the parents for the care and support of their offspring. This care formerly devolved upon the mother and the support upon the master, the father, if a slave, having no paternal rights, and being subject to no paternal responsibilities. I have done all in my power to remove the source of this evil, but I am satisfied that its magnitude is not sufficiently appreciated, and that the necessity of legal remedies is not fully comprehended. Colored females in the cities of the South, and in a more limited degree in the country, being released from the restraints imposed by their former masters and mistresses, and having thrown around them no legal restrictions and no marital obligations, naturally fall into dissolute habits. To remedy these evils the law must recognize and enforce marital obligations and provide suitable punishments for acts of profligacy, and all religious and benevolent associations should direct their attention to this subject. With proper care and attention I do not think there will be any serious difficultly in adjusting the new elements of society in the South, and in reconstructing a proper system of labor and produce with a due reward to the laborer and the capitalist. But such a system vary with the locality and be adapted in each case to the nature of the demand and supply. Any abstract theory or enforced system will necessarily fail.