Meramec River; thence past Mineral Point to Webster; thence to a point fifteen miles below Van Buren, where they cross the Black River, and thence to the rebel lines. Many of these mails, under the same auspices, are gathered and sent away from this city, as well as those from the rebel army brought here. In many instances rebel women - some of them of character and standing in society, and not a few of them outwardly professing to be loyal - are engaged in the treasonable work of receiving and forwarding these mails. Miss Woods and Miss Cassel, both now under arrest and in prison, have been engaged or used as instruments of the order in this respect, and the investigations and evidence obtained in regard to them has brought to my knowledge the names of a number of their sex in this city who were engaged with them in the work, and who, if they do not, voluntarily exile themselves, may have to be arrested and imprisoned - if not for punishment, as they deserve, to prevent them from going further, to the public injury.

As already stated, the grand commander of the order in this State is Charles L. Hunt, the Belgian consul, recently repudiated by the President, who, I have reason to be satisfied, is the secret military political, and financial agent of the rebel General Price, and in constant communication with him. He is actively assisted by Charles E. Dunn, who holds the position of superintendent of public lamps of this city, and is also one of the principal officers of the supreme council of the order in this State. I annex hereto a list, marked Y, of some of the leading and most active members in this city and State, and also a list of some members in other States. Many of those named have taken the oath of allegiance and are under bonds. All those marked with a star are under arrest and imprisoned or paroled on bond and security.

A number of these have been examined under oath, and not one of them has yet acknowledged his knowledge or membership of such a secret order, though I have ample evidence of an irrefutable character to the contrary. An order whose members and proceedings are so sacredly concealed from the public knowledge that its members, even when testifying under oath, will not and are not tell the truth in regard to their knowledge of it, is, it may be readily supposed, not easily exposed. With all the advantages I have had I have experienced great difficulty to obtain the real truth in regard to it. One of its main features is, in truth, a deliberate system of falsehood and deception.

It is not necessary for me to extend this report, already so prolix, to present to you further particulars of the diabolical purposes of this order. I cannot refrain, however, from calling your attention to the annexed report of William Taylor, marked I, who it will be seen states that at a recent meeting of a council or lodge, at the corner of O'Fallon and Broadway, over which Doctor Shore presided, a member n the murderous proposition to appoint a secret police to patrol the streets of this city every night and kill every soldier and detective that might be encountered and could be disposed of. Though this hellish proposition was coolly and boldly made, at a meeting attended by over a hundred members, it was deliberately received, considered, and discussed, without a single voice being raised in condemnation of its atrocious character. Several opposed it, it is true, and it was finally dropped, but not because of its heinousness, and only because the general sentiment of those present seemed to be that such action would be premature and that the order was not yet sufficiently strong to make public its real arms. I specially refer to this particular incident in the proceedings of one of the lodges as illustrative and corroborative of the bold character and designs of the order.