NOw as regards Mr. Wilder's case, he built a rifle battery which was pronounced a terrible weapon by competent judges here. As soon as it was finished he took it to Washington in hopes of being able to dispose of it to the Government. He found it required more influence than he could command to get it accepted by the Govenment. His cousin from Michigan was the inventor. My husband made the improvements and furnished the means for building it. The battery was brought out in his cousin's name, L. C. Wilder as he knew there were parties in Baltimore who were watching his movemnts in hopes he would commit himself in such a manner that their would be an excuse for confiscating his property south. He remained in Washington five weeks, then returned home leaving the battery in Washington in the hands of an agent to dispose of it if possible to the Vovenrment or to some regiment. Just before his arrest he had commenced building a smaller one to take to Europe, being told it required less influence there to dispose of it. He has no model of any kind here, as the papers stated. You can see by these statements that it would have been simply impossible fro him to dispose of it to the Confederate States, or rather for them to get it out of Washington. Had he been disloyal and wished to dispose of his battery South he could easily have done so and built it south. A few weeks before his arrest we received a letter from our daughter South. She had heard our property was to be confiscated. That intercepted letter was written merely as a ruse to save his proeprty from being confiscated. It was well understood by some of Mr. W[ilder]'s friends here that had he succeeded in disposing of his battery to the Govenrent he would return immediately to Neark and raise a company of cavalrypartly at his own expense. I admit that my husband is bittehe abilitionists; he has suffered by them. He has as much faith in their love of preserving our Union as in the secessionists. I know that he has expressed his opinion rather freely against the abolitionists and I fear he has made himself enemies who will now use their influence against him to the extent of their power. I know that our kind friends in New York have exerted themselves in his behalf, which with this true statement of the facts I cannot but trust will procure Mr. Wilder's release. I cannot expect an answer to this, but if you only knew with what an anxious and troubled heart I send it onits mission you would at least give it a kind and early consideration. Should Mr. Wilder not be released soon I would be greatly obliged if you would give me a pass for myself and children to visit him at Fort Lafayette.

Yours, respectfully,

MRS. E. B. WILDER.

P. S. - Should you wish these statements substantiated I can easily have it done.

FORT LAFAYETTE, October 1, 1861.

E. M. ARCHIBALD, Esq.,

Her British Majesty's Consul, New York.

DEAR SIR; I am in receipt of your favor of September 28* and hasten to reply frankly in accordance with your suggestions to that effect touching my property. The property I refer to are sundry notes now in the Branch Bank of Cape Fear, Greensborough, N. C., left by,

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*Not found.

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