Lieutenant Van Zandt, naval ordnance officer, upon direct application to him, will, by Commodore Ingraham's instructions, afford assistance with skillful hands in putting down the circle for the treble-banded gun.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,

THOMAS JORDAN,

Chief of Staff.

OFFICE OF CHIEF ENGINEER,

Charleston, S. C., August 14, 1863.

Brigadier-General JORDAN, Chief of Staff:

GENERAL: I have the honor to inform you that I have examined Mr. McEvor's plan of floating torpedo submitted to me by Commodore Ingraham. I deem it feasible, but more particularly applicable to the inner harbor or rivers than the outer harbor, and recommend that it be tried, as the true policy in our present condition is to fortify ourselves with every possible contrivance that is likely to damage or endanger the enemy's fleet. I would suggest that the tanks be enlarged to hold a charge of about 75 pounds of powder.

Commodore Ingraham informs me that he has no means of making these torpedoes, and desires to turn over the one sent him from Richmond to the engineer department.

I have the honor to be, yours, very respectfully,

D. B. HARRIS,

Lieutenant-Colonel, and Chief Engineer.

HDQRS. THIRD MILITARY DISTRICT SOUTH CAROLINA,
McPhersonville, S. C., August 14, 1863.

Brigadier General A. R. LAWTON, Quartermaster-General:

GENERAL: The depredations committed by the troops in my command on private property are a constant source of complaint and cause of serious loss to citizens. The difficulty of detecting individuals who commit these offenses renders inoperative the stringent orders issued both by superior authority and by myself in regard to them, and I am convinced that the only remedy for the evil is to establish a rule by which all injuries committed by troops, and not traceable to individuals, shall be compensated by deductions from the gross pay account of the command which may be found responsible for them. A board appointed under the provisions of Paragraph V, General Orders, Numbers 39, Adjutant and Inspector General's Office, last series, can determine the facts that the individuals cannot be discovered and that they belong to a particular command.

It is a matter of doubt, however, whether Paragraph V, of General Orders, Numbers 39, already quoted, gives the authority to adopt the system recommended. If, in your opinion, it does not, further orders, and perhaps further legislation, will be necessary. This measure, by offering inducements to the enlisted men for preporting guilty parties, will, I believe from my actual experience, check the evil, and will rarely need to be enforced to the extent of an actual assessment upon an entire command.

I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. S. WALKER,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.