remain with it until further orders. The steamer Black Hawk is expected to arrive at 6 o'clock to-morrow. Her guard will be transferred to the steamer Luminary. She will proceed up the river with the fleet. The Luminary and Laurel Hill will go to Alexandria, the Luminary to report to the post quartermaster, the Laurel Hill to the senior medical officer. Instructions will be sent for the Laurel Hill to return up the river, joining the fleet, provided the water is deep enough on the rapids, as soon as the sick and wounded are discharged from her. Boats leaving Alexandria for the upper river are to be furnished hereafter with a guard.

I am, respectfully, your obedient servant,

GEO. B. DRAKE,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

SPECIAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. RED RIVER EXPEDITION, DETACH. 16TH AND 17TH ARMY CORPS, No. 20. On Steamer Clara Bell, April 6, 1864.

* * * * * * *

3. The following-named steamers will compose the fleet of Brigadier General Thomas Kilby Smith, and will move in accordance with his orders and under his control: Hastings, Southwester, Clara Bell, Diadem, Liberty, Ewing, Emerald, Thomas E. Tutt, Hamilton, J. H. Lacy, Sioux city, Mars, Des Moines, and Adriatic.

By order of Brigadier General A. J. Smith:

J. HOUGH,
Assistant Adjutant-General.

BROWNSVILLE, TEX., April 6, 1864.

His Excellency JUAN N. CORTINA,

Governor-General of the State of Tamaulipas:

I have the honor to acknowledge that Don Jose Ma Silva waited on me this morning with a communication from Your Excellency, and under instructions to treat with me concerning the disposal of fire-arms to the Mexican authorities. In answer, it is only necessary for me to repeat briefly what I explained to him more at length, that I have no power to treat upon that subject.

Your obedient servant,

JOHN A. McCLERNAND,

Major General, Commanding Coast and Frontier of Texas.

HEADQUARTERS DETACHMENT SEVENTH ARMY CORPS,
Little Rock, Ark., April 6, 1864.

Major W. D. GREEN,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Department of Arkansas:

I have respectfully to ask that you inform me as soon as practicable what are the certain cases in which you are to give orders in the name of the major-general commanding the department during his absence? I ask that I may not unwillingly issue orders conflicting