Copy of a paper submitted by General Wool* to General Cobb February 23, 1862, as the basis for a general exchange of prisoners.

Cartel for the exchange of prisoners of war between Great Britain and the United States of America.

The provisional agreement for the exchange of naval prisoners of war made and concluded at Halifax, in the Provinence of Nova Scotia, on the 28th day of November, 1812, between the Honorable Richard John Unjacke, His Britannic Majesty's attorney and advocate-general for the Province of Nova Scotia, and Williams Miller, esq., lieutenant in the Royal Navy and agent for prisoners of war at Halifax, and John Mitchell, esq., late consul of the United States at Saint Jago de Cuba, American agent for prisoners of war at Halifax, having been transmitted to the Department of State of the United States for approval, and John Mason, esq., commissary-general for prisoners for the United States, having been duty authorized to meet Thomas Barclay, esq., His Britannic Majesty's agent for prisoners of war and for carrying on an exchange of prisoners, for the purpose of considering and revising the said provisional agreement, and the articles of the said agreement having been by them considered and discussed it has been agreed by the said Thomas Barclay and John Mason subject to the ratification of both their Governmets that the said provisional agreement shall be so altered and revised as to stand expressed in the following words:

ARTICLE 1. The prisoners taken at sea or on land on both sides shall be treated with humanity conformable to the usage and practice of the most civilized nations during the war, and such prisoners shall without delay and as speedily as circumstances will admit be exchanged on the following terms and conditions; that is [to] say: An admiral or a general commanding in chief shall be exchanged for officers of equal rank or for sixty men each; a vice-admiral or a lieutenant-general for officer of equal rank or for forty men each; a rear-admiral or a major-general for officers of equal rank or for thirty men each; a commodore with a broad pennant and a captain under him or a brigadier-general for officers of eqal rank of for twenty men each; a captain of a line-of-battle ship or a colonel for officers of equal rank or for fifteen men each; a captain of a frigate or lieutenant-colonel for officers of equal rank or for ten men each; commandrs of sloop of war, bomb-ketches, fire ship and packets or a major for officers of equal rank or for eight men each; lieutenant or masters in the navy or captains in the army for officers of equal rank or for six men each; master's or lieutenants in the army for officers of equal or for four men each; midshipmen, warrant officers, master of merchant vessels and captains of private armed vessel or sub-lieutenants and ensigns for officers of equal rank or for three men each; lieutenant and maters of private armed vessels, maters of merchant vessels and all petty officers of ship of war or all non-commissioned officers of the army for officers of equal rank or for two men each; seamen and private soldiers one for the other.

2. All non-combatants-that is to say surgeons and surgeons' mates, pursers, secretaries, chaplains and schoolmaster-belonging to the army ro men-of-war; surgeon and surgeon's mates of merchant vessel or privateers; passengers and all other men who are not engaged in the naval

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* See Cobb to Benjamin, March 4, p. 812; also Williams to Dix, June 8, p. 663.

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