receive money advanced by a State to pay its own volunteers and make specific application. This will meet all difficulties and afford security for disbursements. When passed I will notify you.

Yours, truly,

EDWIN M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.

WAR DEPARTMENT,

March 12, 1862.

His Excellency JOHN A. ANDREW,

Governor of Massachusetts, Boston, Mass.:

The Secretary of War desires to see you at Washington not later than Friday night, and as much sooner as you can come.

P. H. WATSON,

Assistant Secretary of War.

WAR DEPARTMENT,

Washington City, D. C., March 13, 1862

Ordered, That the Honorable Joseph Holt and the Honorable Robert Dale Owen be, and they are hereby, appointed a special commission to audit and adjust all contracts, orders, and claims on the War Department in respect to ordance, arms, and ammunition, their decision to be five as respects this Department on all questions touching the validity, execution, and sums due or to become due upon such contract, and upon all other questions arising between contractors and the Government upon such contracts.

Second. The said commission will proceed forthwith to investigate all claims and contracts in respect to ordnance, arms, and ammunition in the War Department, or pending settlement and final payment, and adjustice the same. All persons interested in such contracts may appear in person, but not by attorney, before said commissioners and be heard respecting their claims, at such time and place as the commissioners shall appoint. The Chief of Ordnance and all other officers in the Department will furnish such books and papers as the commissioners may require.

Major Hagner, of the Ordnance Department, is especially assigned to aid and assist the commissioners in their investigations. All claims that they may award in favor of shall be promptly paid. No application will be entertained by the Department respecting any claim or contract which they shall adjudge to be invalid.

Third. If in their investigation they shall find reason to believe that any agent or employe of the War Department was directly or indirectly any consideration for its procurement, they shall give notice thereof to the claimant and proceed to investigate anfact, taking such testimony as they may deem proper; and if the fact of such interest be established it shall be good cause for adjudging the claim to be fraudulent.

EDWIN M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.