WR DEPARTMENT, C. S. A.,

Richmond, February 14, 1863.

His Excellency M. L. BONHAM,

Governor of South Carolina, Columbia, S. C.:

SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 8th instant, inclosing a copy of the act of the South Carolina Legislature amending the negro-labor law passed in December, and waiving the condition in the first act. The Department is much gratifield by the prompt and satisfactory action of the Legislature, and hereby signifies its acceptance of the law as now passed.

With high regard and respect, your obedient servant,

JAMES A. SEDDON,

Secretary of War.

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STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, HEADQUARTERS,

Columbia, February 14, 1863.

General G. T. BEAUREGARD,

Commanding, &c.:

GENERAL: I have before me Major Harris's letter of February 9 and telegram of same date, his letter of February 12 and a copy of the communication of Captain Echols to Major Harris of 15th of January, referred to me by yourself February 10, also Major Harris' telegram of February 13. I have not as yet succeeded in procuring a competent person to tke charge under the act for "the organization and supply of negro labor for coast defense," and upon reading the act you will see that it is impossible to get along without such person. The 400 called for first by Major Harris have to be furnished under act as the othrs, and I will be unable to start them any sooner. I would therefore suggest, if possible, that the Confederte Government should hire on the coast until I can put the machinery of the act in operation, so as to furnish them until I can supply the 2,700. I shall proceed to order the labor without waiting longer to get an agent, but I may be under the necessity of calling upon you to detail officers or other persibs to attend at the depots on the days fixed for their assembling to give receipts and prepare supplies, &c. The act does not authorize my ordering the hands to carry implements of labor, and a call upon them to do so, which I shall make, I fear will not be responded to, as the retention by the Confederate authorities in December last of such as the negroes then discharged had in possessio led, I learn, to many of the owners of the next set sent down refusing to send working implements. Allow me to suggest if they cannot be procured by the Confederate Government I had better be authorized to say they will not be retained by the Confederate authorities when the hands carrying them are discharged. The number of hands each division will afford when called upon, you wiertain, as there is no means of estimting the number of road hands in a division or how many owners will pay the fine rather than send the hands, so that the number may fall far short or exceed the number now called for, which is 2,700. If the number falls short I shall supply it from another division as soon as practicable; if above, I presume you can use them. To show that this labor cannot be very speedily putin service, I call your attention to the terms of the act, especially the fourth, sixth, and ninth sections.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

M. L. BONHAM.

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