RICHMOND, VA., June 8, 1863.

General BRAGG, &c.

GENERAL: Your letter of the 3rd instant was received this morning. My dispatch in relation to the Honorable Mr. Vallandigham indicated a course but little different from that which in the absence of instructions you had adopted. In furtherance of our purpose Mr. Ould, commissioner for the exchange of prisoners of war, has been sent to Lynchburg to meet Mr. Vallandigham and to conduct him to Wilmigton, whence his departure for a neutral port will be facilitated by all the courtesy and kindness due to his condition.

Very respectfully and truly, yours,

JEFF'N DAVIS.

WAR DEPARTMENT, Richmond, Va., June 8, 1863.

His Excellency JOHN GILL SHORTER, Governor of Alabama.

SIR: The official reports of General Forrest relative to the operations in Alabama and Georgia resulting in the capture of a body of the cavalry of the enemy near Rome, Ga., have been received. It does not appear from these reports that any slaves were associated as soldiers with the enemy's troops and if there were any Alabamians enlisted among them they made their escape before the capture. The probability is that Your Excellency has been misinformed on the subject.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JAMES A. SEDDON,

Secretary of War.

WAR DEPARTMENT, Richmond, June 10, 1863.

Brigadier General JOHN H. WINDER.

GENERAL: S. S. Baxter, esq., commissioner for the examination of political prisoners in the city of Richmond, in his report of the 9th instant has submitted the following recommendations. The parties are almost all deserters from the Federal Army and as such the subjects of natural and unavoidable distrust. The Department is reluctant therefore to embarrass you with positive instructions as to the disposition to be made of them. With the lights before it just now there appears no reason to overrule the recommendations of the commissioner, but as circumstances presenting themselves to yourself may indicate a wiser disposition, the suggestions of Mr. Baxter are submitted to your consideration with full discretion in the premises:

Daniel McCullough, Martin Schwartz, James Gedney, Harrison Jones, John Kenney, William Gardner, William Seymour, John Fisher, Charles A. Freeman desire to enlist in the Confederate Navy, and if the Navy officers are willing to receive them may be permitted to do so. Benningham (Alfred) send to Conscript Bureau. James Barry desires to enlist in Sixth Louisiana Regiment; let him do so. William Morgan, J. D. Anderson, William Maguire, Fred. Coghn, Herman Wells - these men for various reasons object to go into service. They may perhaps be made useful as laborers or mechanics and put to work under direction of provost-marshal.

By order of the Secretary of War:

J. A. CAMPBELL,

Assistant Secretary of War.