WASHINGTON, February 1, 1862.

I, Charles H. Winder, of the city of Washington, D. C., do voluntarily agree and pledge myself in having this my parole extended to honorably fulfill the stipulations hereinafter set forth, to wit: That during the existence of the present rebellion I will not visit any insurrectionary State or Territory without permission from the Secretary of State andthat I will not render to the enemies of the Federal Government any aid, comfort or information of any nature whatever. It is hereby understood that this parole extends until the 1st day of March, 1862, upon which day I will report myself at the office of the provost-marshal of the District.

C. H. WINDER.

In presence of-

GEO. H. BANGS.

PHILADELPHIA, February 4,1 862.

Honorable E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War, Washington.

DEAR SIR: I beg leave to address you upon a subject which probably had its origin in the Department under your charge and where the rights of a fellow-citizen have been very seriously compromised. It is as follows:

William H. Winder, a citizen of this Commonwealth, was arrested upon the 11th of September, 1861, at his residence in this city under a warrant issued by a U. S. commissioner upon a charge of conspiracy to overthrow the Federal Government, under the act of Congress of July 13, 1861. When arrested he applied to me as his counsel and at this reuqest I pressed animmediate hearing of the case. Upon the alleged ground of other engagements of the district attorney the case was postponed to the afternoon of the 13th of September, Mr. Winder remaining in custody as he was unable to obtain bail in the amount required, $5,000. I appeared for him at the adjourned hearing and after some delay the U. S. attorney came forward and stated that he had no charge to prefer against Mr. Winder, adding that he had received an order for his delivery to the U. S. marshal. The commissioner discharged Mr. Winder as there was to charge pending against him. A telegrpahic messsge purporting to be signed by the Secretary of War was then produced directing the marshal to take Mr. Winder to Fort Lafayette, and he was immediately taken into custody and carried to New York by that afternoon's train. He was subsequently removed to Fort Warren where he is now, having been thus in confinement for nearly five months. For many months, perhaps a year, prior to his arrest he had nt quitted the city of Philadelphia, certainly not subsequently to the 4th of March, 1861. All his papers of every description were seized at the time of his arrest and his correspondence has been since intercepted and yet no specific charge has ever been preferred against him nor has he any notion of what his supposed offense is. In letters tome he has uniformly asserted his innocence of even a thought of disloyalty, and has affirmed his attachment to the Constitution. In these statements I place reliance and express my conviction of his entire blamelessness.

It is proper to add that on thy last I received a letter from Mr. Winder saying that he had been just offered his release upon condition that he would take an oath of allegaince to t he Government (in what prescribed form he does not say), which he declines to do. His refusal he places upon the ground that while he has not the slightest objection to take an oath to support the Constitution on any proper