determine all cases of persons not in the military service who may be in arrest by military authority. The board will hold its sittings at such convenient place as it may select, and meet for the transaction of its business on Tuesdays and Fridays of each week.

By command of General Johnston:

W. W. MACKALL,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

LITTLE ROCK, November 28, 1861.

JEFFERSON DAVIS:

A conspiracy has been deiscovered in the northern part of this State against the Confederate Government. Secret oaths, signs and passwords adopted. The intention seems to be to join Lincoln's army if it gets into Arkansas. Twenty-seven men have been arrested and brought here to-day and are now in prison. A hundred more will doubtless be brought in in a day or so. They say there are 1,700 in the State. What shall be done with them? I ask your advice in thepremises. The district judge is not here. He ought to be at his post.

H. M. RECTOR,

Governor of Arkansas.

C. S. MARSHAL'S OFFICE,

Montivello, Fla., November 28, 1861.

Honorable J. P. BENJAMIN, Secretary of War, Richmond, Va.

SIR: I beg leave to make a few suggestions to you in reference to alien enemies and prisoners of war captured at sea. I think an arrangement might be made with the military for them to take charge of all such prisoners, feed them and transport them to the frontier. It certainly would cost the Government much less to have such men guarded by those who are now or may be on military service. The regular rations of the army would not cost so much as the present mode of boarding at a jail. Under the present arrangements each man that is employed as a guard before the prisoenrs leave and on the road to Richmond and back expects to be paid high wages. I find no law for the payment of anything to such guards and have refused to pay any such charges, ad await your instructions. All this expense to the Government and trouble and vexation to me might be saved by turning all suchprisoners over to the military.

Hoping to hear from you soon, I remain, your obedient servant,

E. E. BLACKBURN,

C. S. Marshal, District of Florida.

RICHMOND, VA., November 29, 1861.

Honorable J. P. BENJAMIN, Secretary of War.

HONORED SIR: Since the authorities of the United States will not exchange prisoners may it not be well to compel an exchange in so far as we are able? Many of our citizens long to participate in defense of their homes yet are restrained by an oath forced upon them by the Federal authorities. It has struck me that our Congress is able to release such from this duress by special enactment ordaining that each