will be consigned to the care of Lieutenant-Colonel Hutchins, First New Hampshire Cavalry, for distribution among prisoners of war (Federal) confined in Richmond and vicinity.

U. S. GRANT,

Lieutenant-General.

CITY POINT, VA., December 28, 1864.

Judge ROBERT OULD, Agent of Exchange:

Your communication of the 27th instant acknowledging receipt of Brigadier General William N. R. Beall's letter is received. I think no better plan than that proposed by you for the distribution of contributions for prisoners of war can be devised, viz:

The reception of supplies and their subsequent distribution amongst the prisoners on both sides shall be certified by a committee of officers confined in the prisons so supplied. Such a parole will be given to such officers as will enable them to carry out this agreement with due facility. They will report through the proper agents their proceedings to their respective Governments.

As I understand it, under this arrangement but one officer of each party will be necessary as a general agent to receive all supplies. This general agent will consign such supplies to some one named officer at each prison to be supplied, and see that they reach such officer. The consignee with two other officers, to be selected by him, will constitute a committee to attend to the distribution for that particular prison, and will forward a certified statement of the amount received and distributed to the respective Government through their proper general agents.

U. S. GRANT,

Lieutenant-General.

CITY POINT, VA., December 28, 1864.

Judge ROBERT OULD, Agent of Exchange:

Immediately on receipt of yours of yesterday in relation to cotton being on board steamer at Mobile, waiting notice of readiness on the part of the U. S. authorities to receive it, I telegraphed to the Secretary of War as follows:

Judge Ould informs me that 1,000 bales of cotton were on shipboard at Mobile on the 25th waiting the declaration of readiness on the part of the Federal authorities to receive the same. I supposed the commanding officer at Mobile had been notified long ago to receive the cotton when offered, and that it had been received in New York before this. Will you please have the notice given now?

I think there has been blundering elsewhere than at Washington. All the correspondence between General Lee, you, and myself has been promptly forwarded there, and I have never received notice of disapproval of my course. Immediately on notifying you that your request to ship 1,000 bales of cotton from Mobile was acceded to, I telegraphed or wrote to Washington asking notice to be sent to the Federal commander in Mobile Bay of this agreement and to instruction him to notify, under flag of truce, the commanding officer in Mobile of his readiness to receive the cotton whenever the latter was ready to deliver it.

U. S. GRANT,

Lieutenant-General.