brand, the Secretary of War sent for him to come to Washington, and after a full discussion of the subject decided it to be better ot defer his visit to Europe, and any further orders for foreign gunbarrel iron, until the result is known of a full complete trial of the Trenton iron, which it is understood you have recently undertaken. If a supply of iron can be had in this country which is equal in all essential qualities to the Marshall iron, and inferior only in freedom from specks and a high silvery luster when polished, we may well dispense with these merely ornamental qualities for the sake of rendering ourselves independent of foreign nations for the supply of an article so important as gun-barrel iron. Moreover, if it is probable that such an article can be procured at home, it is the plain duty of the Government to encourage its production and to raise it to the exclusion of the foreign article. The Secretary of War is highly gratified to learn that you have so opportunely undertaken a series of experiments to determine whether Trenton iron can be used to fabricate gun-barrels, and he desires you to prosecute the experiments to completion delay and report the result to this Department. He further desires that in conducting experiments and estimating results you will seek mainly to develop the useful qualities of the iron, treating freedom form specks, silvery luster, susceptibility of high polish and other merely ornamental qualities as entitled to little or no consideration, provided the essential useful qualities of sufficient tenacity, evenness of texture, easy welding, and proper hardness and density are present. The Secretary of War is the more desirous that a full should now be made of the Trenton iron because he is convinced that the daily increasing experience of Cooper. Hewitt & Co., their liberal expenditure of means, and the enterprise, science, and skill which they command, stimulated by their high public spirit ad patriotism, will soon overcome every obstacle to the production of American gun-barrel iron of a quality equal, if not superior, to any now made by any foreign nation.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

P. H. WATSON,

Assistant Secretary of War.

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington City, D. C., September 10, 1862.

Honorable WILLIAM H. SEWARD,

Secretary of State:

SIR: The Secretary of War directs me respectfully to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 9th instant, submitting a correspondence which has taken place between the minister of Spain and your Department, touching a complaint made by him of oppression and exactions by Major- General Butler upon the Spanish house of Messrs. Avendano Brothers, at New Orleans, and requesting that copies of the correspondence may be sent to Major-General Butler and Governor Shepley for such explanations as will enable your Department to answer the complaint in question.

The Secretary further instructs me to say that your request will receive due and prompt attention.

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

P. H. WATSON,

Assistant Secretary of War.