face, with proper lever and weights. Fire fronts of cast-iron, properly fitted to the boilers, with fire-box five feet long; grates fourteen inches below the boilers, with fire bed lined with fire brick, and inclosed in good sheet-iron of the usual thickness; two smoke pipes, forty-four inches diameter, twenty- eight feet high, to be placed on the front end of boilers, with breaching and flue caps to match, properly secured with rods and braces. Fire fronts to have suitable fire doors in a sufficient quantity, and draft doors. Each boiler is to be supplied with three gauged cocks, seven-eighths inch diameter, with dripper; the whole to be properly supported upon iron columns under the small mud heater, with stay bolts and bands of iron one-half inch thick, one and one-half inches wide, running entirely round the boilers; top to be covered with fire brick and tile. All the connections between the boilers and mud heaters, and boilers and steam drum, to be provided with valves, so as to cut off communication if necessary. Upon the small mud receiver is to be placed two check valves for receiving water from the force pumps. Each set of boilers to be provided with a steam gauge and water gauge, and to be provided with two sets of the Snowden heater on each set of boilers, with suitable steam blowers.

THOMAS MERRITT,

Chief Engineer, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Numbers 5. U. S. NAVAL DEPOT, Cairo, Ill., November 10, 1862.

Brigadier General M. C. MEIGS,

Quartermaster-General U. S. Army, Washington, D. C.:

GENERAL: In compliance with your telegram of the 6th instant, requesting a report of the vessels comprising the gun-boat fleet which have been under my direction, &c., I herewith transmit the same.

Hoping the inclosed report may prove satisfactory, I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

GEO. D. WISE,

Captain and Assistant Quartermaster.

[Inclosure.]

List of gun-boats, mortar-boats, transports, tugs, &c., comprising the Western Gun-boat Flotilla, in charge of Captain George D. Wise, assistant quartermaster, U. S. Army, attached to the flotilla.

Name. Class. Capacity. When How received.

received.

Tonnage.

Eastport. Iron-clad 1.000 Feb. 7, Captured up the

ram and 1862. Tennessee

gun-boat. River.

Essex. ...do... 1.000 December Purchased and

5, 1861 rebuilt by

United States.

Benton. Iron-clad 1.000 ...do... Do.

gun-boat.

Cincinnat ...do... 512 ...do... Built by the

i. United States.

Carondele ...do... 512 ...do... Do.

t.

Cairo. ...do... 512 ...do... Do.

Pittsburg ...do... 512 ...do... Do.

h.

Mound ...do... 512 ...do... Do.

City.

Saint ...do... 512 ...do... Do.

Louis.

Louisvill ...do... 512 ...do... Do.

e.

General Wooden ram 600 June 6, Captured.

Bragg. and gun- 1862.

boat.

Little ...do... 150 ...do... Do.

Rebel.

Tyler. Wooden 650 June 1, Purchased.

gun-boat. 1861.

Lexington ...do... 500 ...do... Do.

.

Conestoga ...do... 400 ...do... Do.

.