every cavalry regiment now demands them, all cannot be supplied immediately. You shall have them as quick as possible.

EDWIN M. STANTON.

Secretary of War.

COLUMBUS, OHIO, November 13, 1862.

Honorable E. M. STANTON,

Secretary of War:

I have adopted the policy of giving commissions to old regiments in the field about in proportion to the number of men that each regiment has which I ask you to approve. This policy has already reduced the number of officers 379, and is saving the Government already about $50,000 per month.

DAVID TOD.,

WAR DEPARTMENT,

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

His Excellency Governor TOD,

Columbus, Ohio:

Your telegram of to-day has been referred to Brigadier-General Ketchum, who has charge of all accounts for expenses in raising troops.

C. P. BUCKINGHAM.

Brigadier-General and Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF,
New Orleans, November 14, 1862.

SIR: I beg leave to inclose to you a digest of the laws of France upon the subject of slavery, which an eminent French lawyer has prepared for me.

As every owner of slaves loses his nationality by owning them (entrainera la perte de la qualite de citoyen Francais), it becomes a vital question here, where every man of any property is an owner of slaves and every other man claims to be a French citizen, what is the slave owner's status. The French consul claims that losing a quality of a French citizen only means that he loses his right to vote in France. I claim, on the contrary, that the loss is of nationality.

In support of this proposition I find that a subject of France who takes an oath of allegiance to a foreign power and becomes a citizen thereof suffers la perte de la qualite de citoyen Francais, the civil code using the same word in both cases. Is it to be said that the code in the case of the adjuration by the French citizen of his Government, means only that he loses his right to vote in France, or does he lose his French nationality?

I am in much need of the instructions of the State Department upon this topic, and await with impatience an authoritative exposition of it.

I have the honor to be, your obedient servant,

BENJ. F. BUTLER,

Major-General, Commanding.