Mr. Fox, and a copy of which I sent to you, are to be delivered? I ask because a very small detachment of other prisoners arrived here yesterday from Fort Lafayette.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

WM. H. LUDLOW,

Lieutenant-Colonel and Agent for Exchange of Prisoners.

MILITARY PRISON, Alton, Ill., April 10, 1863.

Captain J. F. DWIGHT,

Assistant Provost-Marshal-General, Saint Louis, Mo.

SIR: In reply to your inquiry of yesterday as to in what manner hard labor is imposed at Alton I have to state that hard labor is not imposed in any manner upon the prisoners in this prison and for this reason: there is no kind of labor other than the ordinary police of the place which is by no means hard labor at which they can be employed.

It seems to me therefore to be a useless trouble and expense besides defeating the ends of justice to send to this place convicts thus sentenced with the expectation that a sentence to hard labor can be properly carried into effect. We have no means to do so, consequently these rogues invariably escape their deserts.

I am, sir, with much respect, your most obedient servant,

T. HENDRICKSON,

Major Third Infantry, Commanding Prison.

HEADQUARTERS COMMANDING OF PRISONS,
Camp Chase, Ohio, April 10, 1863.

Colonel W. HOFFMAN,

Commissary-General of Prisoners, Washington, D. C.

COLONEL: I have respectfully to state that since the receipt of your instructions of the 4th ultimo concerning the uniform and clothing of prisoners a considerable amount of clothing has been received here for prisoners in boxes and other packages, sent to them by their friends and acquaintances. As much of it was superfluous above the necessities of the prisoners while here in confinement what they did not need has been withheld and turned over to the keeping of the prison provost-marshal. On searching the baggage and persons of officers destined for Fort Delaware it was found that in many cases they had managed to purchase by some means more clothing than under your instructions was proper for them to carry off toward the point of exchange. In such cases a portion of the clothing was taken away and placed in charge of the provost-marshal of prisons. I respectfully ask your instructions as to the disposition to be made of such clothing, blankets, &c., also of surgical instruments, arms and other articles deemed contraband. In regard to the contributed clothing in a number of cases instead of distributing large packages to but two or three