the main street, which they call The Change, gambling both for money and rations. They have games at cards, keno, sweat cloth, &c. Also on this street do their trading, hard-tack for tobacco and tobacco for hard-tack. It is here that you will find them in crowds, sitting or kneeling in the dirt, eagerly watching the different games, and see them arise dissatisfied at having lost their day's rations and while thus engaged they are unmindful of the cold. The size of the encampment is a little over 1,000 feet square, or about 16 acres, the whole surrounded by a board fence twelve feet high, with a platform on the outside for the sentinel, sufficiently high for him to look within the inclosure. It is within this that there are confined about 8,000 prisoners. With so many men and no one to take charge of them, it is not at all to be wondered at that the camp is in any but a desirable condition. The sinks, which should have special consideration, especially in a camp of this size, and where so many men are congregated, are entirely neglect, and it is a perfect mystery that there is not more sickness than they have, and God knows they have enough, for they live, eat, and sleep in their own filth. Sinks have been prepared for them but little or no-attention is paid to them, unless they should be in close proximity when they desire to answer the calls of nature. The holes dug in getting out clay for bricks are used as sinks. You will find them by the side and in front of their tents, in various portions of the encampment, and are the receptacles of their filth. Refuse matter from the tents or what not right under their very noses, yet they heed them not. Others, again, have no particular place, but will void their excrement anywhere on the surface that is most convenient to them, heedless of the convenience of others. Have no drainage around the tents, but there has been an attempt to drain the streets. Ditches were dug, but they or worse than useless, constantly filled with water, and afford another place to throw filth. With this state of affairs and so many men (by the by, over 1,300 more came in the camp on the afternoon of November 10, making nearly 10,000 men) the camp would soon become in an impassable condition. The men themselves complain and hope that some sever punishment, even shooting, will be the penalty to any one who will so outrage decency and lose respect due themselves. Some of the sinks are filled and not been covered and not a particle of chloride of lime has been used in the encampment for a long time. After stating the above facts, giving the condition of the camp and its inmates, some might say that it is not our fault that they are in this condition. As far as clothing, it is not; but it is our fault when they neglect to enforce those sanitary rules which keep camps and inmates in a cleanly condition and thus try to prevent disease. It is our fault when the officer in command fails to place in charge some one of good executive ability, capable of giving commands and seeing that they are enforced, one who will have the camp regularly policed and severely punish any offender of the sanitary rules. It is beneficial otherwise, for it will give employment to a certain number of men every day. As regards medicine and clothing in want of both, and would suggest that the commission send them, place them in the hand of Mr. Fairchild, and I know they will be judiciously distributed. I know that they are our enemies, and bitter ones, and what we give them they will use against us, but now they are within our power and are suffering. Have no doubt that to compare their situation with that of our men words would hardly be adequate to express our indignation. I merely gave this suggestion because I think you would be doing right and that it might prove beneficial to us.