ten ladies, residents of Southern States. I have this moment received your communication of this date. The detention of your flag of truce was on account of the prisoners on parole, not finding it convenient to send them by boat last evening, and besides it was addressed to Commodore Stringham instead of myself, and consequently did not reach me as soon as it ought.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

C. C. CHURCHILL,

Captain Third Artillery, Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

OFFICE OF ALGERNON S. SULIVAN, ATTORNEY AT LAW, Numbers 59. William Street, New York, August 27, 1861.

Mr. GROVE.

DEAR SIR: May I trouble you to cause my letter* for Honorable R. M. T. Hunter to be transmitted? It relates to the case of the privateers and their trial. Also I send another letter. Please tell my messenger how much money to leave with you for postage, &c.

Yours, truly,

A. S. SULLIVAN.

[Inclosure Numbers 1.]

OFFICE OF ALGERNON S. SULLIVAN, ATTORNEY AT LAW, Numbers 59 William Street, New York, August 23, 1861.

Honorable R. M. T. HUNTER,

Secretary of State, Confederate States of America.

DEAR SIR: In connection with Mr. Larocque, of this city (who is counsel for Mr. Harleston, one of the captured officers of the privateer Savannah), I write with a view to obtain documents which are requisite for the defense of the captain and crew of that privateer. My correspondence heretofore has been through J. Randolph Tucker, esq., of your city, on this subject, and through him I have received the communication from Mr. Toombs.

Since the indictment of said privateers in the U. S. cicruit court for this district for piracy I have written two letters to Mr. Tucker, inclosing a copy of the indictment and specifying certain documents which will be needed at the trial in order to properly raise the real questions of defense. I have received no reply which does not surprise me, for even if Mr. Tucker shall not have been absent on professional or martial affairs communication is so indirect and letters are so often seized that my or his letters may have miscarried.

The court set down the case of privatees for trial early in October next. If in the meantime the United States Government shall not have concluded to exchange prisoners and thus release the defendants here we wish to be ready for trial. Captain Baker and his co-defendants desire it. We desire to present fairly for adjudication by the court (Judge Nelson and District Judge Shipman will preside) the questions What is the legal status of the Confederate States? Were they not a government entitled to beligerent rights? Were the defendants who were citizens of South Carolina and of the Confederate States amenable to the laws of the United States as citizens thereof &c.? with

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* This letter an dits inclosures, addressed to Hunter and Benjamin by Sullivan and Larocque, were never delivered, having been seized by agents by agents of the State Department on the premises of Grove. See case of Grove, p. 635, and case of Sullivan, p. 682, Vol. II, this Series.

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