will take four regiments and ten pieces of artillery, leaving twoat Baton Rouge, La.

The mode of attack is the one I indicated in my last dispatch by means of a cut-off. I inclose a plan of the operation.* The cut-off will be 1 1\4 miles, thought soft ground; may be made 6 feet wide and 4 deep by regiment in two days, and then the water will make a gunboat channel through in three days. No time has been lost, as the water still covers the whole point. This city yet continues to be healthy. I am using all my endeavors to have it cleansed and at same time feeding the poor.

At the opening of the port, Havana receiving the news first, there was an immediate clearance thence of vessels for New Orleans. But they yellow fever is at Havana, so that I must maintain strict quarantine. The desire of forestalling the market makes all the vessels very uneasy under quarantine regulations, so that I have all manner of complaint and trouble with the foreign consuls representing their countrymen in that regard, but I shall maintain quarantine at all hazards.

I inclose herewith some correspondence with the supposed consul of Great Britain upon the subject of my General Orders, No. 41, which I also submit herewith, and also a protest received from the several consuls whose names are attacked, with my reply. The truth is, as a rule, all the consuls, with perhaps the exception of the French consul, have aided the rebellion by every means, and specially by giving means of transferring the Confederate funds to Europe and buying arms and ammunition.+

I inclose also copies of correspondence in regard to certain sugars of Mr. Covas, which relate to this subject, which will be sufficiently explicit in itself.++

I also inclose "Regiments de la Legion Francaise, forme a la Nounvelle Orleans, le 26 april, 1861," and commend to your special attention the contents of pages 3, 4, 6, 18, 19, 20, and specially the oath of officers upon the 22nd page.

That Legion existed in organization up the time of our entering the city.

The oath to support, protect, and maintain the Constitution of the Confederate States stamps it as gross a breach of neutrality as was ever committed. It is no answer that it was to be done only in New Orleans, because there was the vital heart of the rebellion.

This act was known to and approved by the French consul. The other foreigners each made similar organizations, and the whole resulted in a European brigade, upon which the Confederate depended for a defense of the city against annexes aggressors in the guerre imminent a Abraham Lincoln."

I would recommend that the exequatur of each and every one of these consuls be withdrawn, and that the Government the represent be told that they must find men here not criminal toward us to represent their commercial interests.

There is as yet no strength of Union action or courage here which could or would protect itself one moment.

I am remonstrated with every day upon the small force I have kept here. I have no fears, but you see the inference as to Union

strength

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*Not found.

+Inclosures other than General Orders, No. 41, will be printed in Series III, Vol. II.

++The inclosures; Coppell, Mejan, and Benachi to Butler, June 11; his reply of June 12; Coppell to Butler, June 14; Haggerty to Coppell, June 14; Callejon, Mejan, Deynoodt, Benachi, Lanata, Terryaghi, and Piaget, of June, and Butler's reply of June 16. (See Series III, Vol. II.)

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