Fourth. Have the marginal register for the same purpose I use them. Fifth. Let these blank books of passes be sent in sufficient numbers to the chief quartermaster of each department, or to some assistant quartermaster in charge of transportation and charged to him, as railroad companies charge coupon tickets to connecting roads.

Sixth. Let him issue these blank books to a single officer at each post where transportation may be demanded, and require a prompt return to him of the marginal registers at the end of each month, the same to be carefully examined, that errors may be immediately detected and the officer wrongly issuing passes charged with the same.

Seventh. As a general rule I think all transportation accounts or vouchers in each department should be referred to the transportation quartermaster for payment. In this way transportation passes would be as uniform and as valuable as Treasury notes, and whether in New York, New Orleans, or California, would be well known and recognized by every mode of conveyance in the country.

The counter signature of the officer issuing them would be that which gives validity, and could always be easily traced. The business would be simplified and restricted; mistakes or frauds, instead of being deducted when accounts are examined a year afterward at Washington after the errors had continued for months, would be discovered at the end of each month by the return of marginal registers, and if the accounts or vouchers were ordered to be paid by the same officer the original passes could be compared with marginal registers and thereby another check obtained. The operation of this plan was illustrated by Colonel McCallum as per the inclosed draft.*

In conclusion I would add that I am far from having any partiality for the rules or forms I have adopted. On the contrary, I think they can be improved with more time and experience than I have. I only feel confident that there should be some uniform plan simplifying and securd greater safeguards against manifest wrongs, which I am sure are now constantly occurring, and this I have no doubt might be done by submitting the whole subject to Colonel McCallum or other railroad experts.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

LEWIS B. PARSONS,

Colonel and Assistant Quartermaster.

FIFTH DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY,

OFFICE OF PROVOST-MARSHAL,

Newark, June 22, 1863.

Lieutenant Colonel R. C. BUCHANAN,

Actg. Asst. Prov. March General of the United States, Trenton, N. J.:

COLONEL: I have the honor to report that on Saturday morning last, taking with me my deputies and the deputy U. S. marshal with a civil posse, I went into the locality in the eleventh sub- district of my district where the most serious obstructions were offered the enrolling officer in the discharge of his duty. Every house was visited and inquiry made for persons subject to enrollment. Several disorderly persons having been arrested upon the first overt act the work was completed without serious resistance. This morning I called upon the marshal for another posse to accompany the officer into the seventh sub-district, the population in which is of the same character-

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*Omitted.

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