violation of its provisions, has collected an irregular force in camps at Pittsfield and Lowell, which, according to the best information in the Governor's possession, is believed to amount to about 1,800 men at this time. Part of these men have been confined during the last week on board the steamer Constitution lying in Boston Harbor, under Major-General Butler's orders. No data are in the possession of the State government for furnishing officially or any more accurately the number or position of the irregular force thus Illegally collected, as the whole business of collecting it has been conducted independently of and in contempt of the authority of this Commonwealth and of the order of the War Department before mentioned (Numbers 78), and no report has ever been made by Major-General Butler to the Governor of this State, as required and commanded by that order. Full representations of these facts have been made to the War Department, and may be found by referring to letters addressed to the Secretary of War under dates of October 6 and December 28, and to yourself under dates of November 27 and December 27.

Question 5. The number of regiments or independent companies now organizing in Massachusetts, the present strength thereof, and the time at which they will probably be completed and ready to take the field?

Answer. It is impossible to state with any approach to accuracy the condition in respect to the points of the above inquiry of the irregular bodies of troops illegally assembled by Major- General Butler any further than is set forth in the answer to interrogatory Numbers 4. The Twenty-eighth Infantry Regiment is the only one of the regiments raised under the superintendence of the authorities of Massachusetts which still remains in this Commonwealth, and that regiment, as appears by the answer to questions Nos. 2 and 3, is now 945 strong, and is under orders to leave the Commonwealth for Fort Columbus, N. Y., on Saturday, the 11th instant. By General Orders, Numbers 105, of the War Department of the United States, of the series of the past year, issued on December 3, 1861, it was provided that "no more regiments, batteries, or independent companies will be raised by the Governors of the States except upon the special requisition of the War Department." No such requisition has since that date been received by the Governor of this Commonwealth. The Twenty- eighth Infantry Regiment before mentioned is the only corps of volunteers which at that date was in process of organization by the authorities of Massachusetts which has not already left the State. At the time of the receipt of that order of December 3 the Governor of Massachusetts had received from the War Department assurances that four additional regiments to those which appear in the schedules of the answer to questions 2 and 3 would be accepted from the authorities of this Commonwealth, but no definite action had been taken to initiate their organization, inasmuch as before proceeding to raise any further troops the Governor awaited the response of the War Department to his request to be relieved from the irregular and illegal competition instituted by Major-General Butler. The courtesy of such a response is still awaited by the Executive of this Commonwealth, and the delay is the more to be regretted, inasmuch as preparations had then been completed by the authorities of Massachusetts for the organization in Worcester, Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden, and Berkshire Counties of a regiment of admirable material (to be commanded by D. Waldo Lincoln, esq., the son of ex-Governor Levi Lincoln, of Worcester) as one of the four remaining to be organized. It will be inexpedient to attempt the organization of any further regiments in this State under the authority of the Commonwealth so long as the