With regard to the pilot of the Advance, it was at the instance of your own people and agents that he was taken off. It was evident to all on the Advance that the man Moore was determined not to take the ship out; he came back from the bar time after time, till all her passengers left her. He was frequently the subject of complaint from your agent for outrageous and upatriotic extortion. Finally he was a detailed man in the service of the Government-detailed by myself and sent to you as the best polott we had. Such he continued until he became too rich and too greedy. He was taken from the Advdance at the instance of the Sttate agents, and hbecause SI thought and think still that he deserves some punishment. The ship was in no way compromised by any action of mine. The loss was due to the substitution of North Carolina coal for your English coal in favor of these naval expeditions, against which I so earnestly and vainly protested, and which will yet work far greater harm to the State of North Carolina than the loss of the Advance. If the loss was not due to this, it was to treachery in her English crew, who were reported as gratly dissatisfied at the removal of their cotton from her. I shall be much obliged if anyone will inform me of any single usurpation of civil authority here, [which] at best is weak. I have many times been called on to aid in restraining the crowds of drunken foreign sailors that infest the streets, and the negroes, who are a disgrace to the civil authority; but usurpation, Numbers I do not say anything more of the last subject of difficulty mentioned than that I do not know to what your informants allude unless to some strong expressions of dissent in matters entirely political and which no doubt an informer would distort into personalitty. I have only written this letter to put myself right in matters as to which I have been misrepesented and abused. None of the people in the district which I command have suffered by the war the hundredth pat of what a very large portion of the community has had to endure, and they have no right to complain. I have been compelled to adopt many measures which are harsh and hard, but it has been by law and called for by the unavoidable necessities of the war. It has been done without favor and with the constant endeavor to press as little as possible upon the people. Those who are unwilling to make any sacrifice, and who expect to live just as in peace times, and who in this city are deon and speculation, are the only persons who would have so unjustly and so shamefully attempted to abuse Your Excellency's mind in regard to my course here. It is natural, and nothing else is expectted of such. I am satisfied as to Your Excellency's good feeling, and only desire here to remove impressions which may very naturally have grown up and can readily be accounted for, and I remain, with great respect, your obedient servant,

W. H. C. WHITING.

[42.]

OCTOBER 5, 1864.

Honorable JAMES A. SEDDON,

Richmond:

Dispatch about Chickamauga was to General Lee. Attention called to letter of 20th to you, 24th and 25th to General Lee, 27th to Mr. Mallory, requesting this force to be retained here for defense of Wilmington; also report of General Beauregard about same thing. Have obeyed orders about coal. Ordered to take moderate quantity-one day's sup-