the service. I believe the enrollment is now completed in the mining regions.

I am, sir, respectfully,

D. N. COUCH,

Major-General.

NEW YORK CITY, August 16, 1863-9.30 a. m.

The PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:

SIR: In view of the uncertainty as to the quota which may be required from the several Congressional districts under the conscription act, there is a doubt by many as to whether volunteers now recruited will be available to reduce the quotas as they may be ultimately adjusted. This doubt interferes with the recruiting of volunteers. I therefore request that volunteers heretofore recruited and mustered into the service of United States shall be accepted as substitutes for such conscripts residing in the same Congressional districts, whether now drawn or heretofore drawn, as may be designated by the State authorities. I am satisfied that such as arrangement will secure immediately a large number of volunteers.

Yours, truly,

HORATIO SEYMOUR,

Governor of New York.

EXECUTIVE MANSION,

Washington, D. C., August 16, 1863.

Governor SEYMOUR,

New York:

Your dispatch of this morning is just received, and I fear I do not perfectly understand it. My view of the principle is that every soldier obtained voluntarily leaves one less to be obtained by draft. The only difficulty is in applying the principle properly. Looking to time, so heretofore, I am unwilling to give up a drafted man now even for the certainty, much less for the mere chance, of getting a volunteer hereafter. Again, after the draft in any district, would it not make trouble to take any drafted man out and put a volunteer in; for how shall it be determined which drafted man is to have the privilege of thus going out to the exclusion of all the others? And even before the draft in any district the quota must be fixed; and the draft might be postponed indefinitely if every time a volunteer is offered the officers must stop and reconstruct the quota. At least I fear there might be this difficulty; but at all events let credits for volunteers be given up to the last moment, which will not procure confusion or delay. That the principle of giving credits for volunteers shall be applied by fair and proper, though I do not know how far by present statistics it is practicable. When for any cause a fair credit is not given at one time it should be given as soon thereafter as practicable. My purpose is to be just and fair, and yet not to lose time.

A. LINCOLN.

NEW YORK CITY, Sunday, August 16, 1863.

His Excellency HORATIO SEYMOUR,

Governor of New York, Albany, N. Y.:

SIR: On the 13th instant I had the honor to inform you that orders had been issued a for draft in the city of New York upon the quotas