Colonel Hardee has now at Fort Morgan nine full companies of volunteers and forty - six men of another company, which will be fulled up in two or three days. It could be filled up here in an hour, but the captain prefers men from the interior. Whenit is filled Colonel hardee will have about 88 men. I have written to the Governor suggesting that this deficiency be supplied by two companies of regular troops from Mount Vernor. I have intimated to him also that the public service would not suffer by allowing me to designate the officers who shall comman them. The officers, I am advised, of such companies of three - years' men as are transfered to you do not become a part of the regular army of the Confederacy, but hold their commissions only so long as you think proper to retain the men. If, howeverr, you have occasion to increase your regular force and new officers have to be appointed, I suppose any service they have already rendered will bej placed to their credit, and other things being equal, that you will give them a preference. The regular troops already recruited are all that we shall be likely to need, and the Governor has issued orders to stop recruiting. This will make it necessary for him to dismiss all the officers he has appointed except such as go with the men. You can do the State and the Confederacy some service by urging him to allow me to select those who do go. I have no personal preference among them, and will therefore take them with an eye single to their qualifications, and it is no disparagemetn of the Governor to say that I am a better judge of those qualification than he is; besides, it will relieve him of a responsibility of which he ought to be glad to get rid. Do not fail to see him upon the subject as soon as you can.

Lane has accepted the judgeship. I suppose hi calculated the calue of his neck before he did it. Of the 500 men now here from North Alabama there are not five who would not rejoice at receiveing an order to hand him. His acceptance is treason, though perhaps not technically so and not legally punishable. But the Congress which meets in May can remedy that matter, and if they fail I know another remedy whose application is not a matter of doubt.

Colonel Hardee's command is now in a condition to be easily maneged, and I left him yesterday in a better temper than he has been for some time. I will continue to arrange everything as near as I can to his wishes. He is one of the best officers in America, and I want him to have a fair chance. I leave here tomorrow for Mount Vernor, and as soon as I can get through at that point I will go to Montgomery.

Veryr respectfu

JERE. CLEMENS.

I say nothing of the condition of the works at Fort Morgan, as I suppose Colonel Hardee keeps you fully advise.

[1.]

WAR DEPARTMENT, C. S. A.,

Montgomery, April 5, 1861.

Colonel BLANTON DUNCAN,

Lousville, Ky.:

SIR: The Secretary of War instructs me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 29th ultimo, and tosay that a copy of the

" act for public defense " passed by the Congress of the Confederate States, and under which your regiment might be received in case of actual war, will be forwarded to you at an early day. To this act he bege to refer