reasonable requirement of the Government should be regarded, and the apportionment of credit and the deduction of excess made substantlly in the manner proposed by the Legislature and the Governor. A perfectly feasible plan is promulgated by the Provost-Marshal-General and no difficulties in the way of its practical accomplishment are suggested.

(Numbers 12.) WAR DEPARTMENT, PROVOST-MARSHAL-GENERAL'S OFFICE, Washington, D. C., July 19, 1863.

His Excellency J. A. GILMORE,

Governor State of New Hampshire, Concord, N. H.:

SIR: The enrollment act only provides that in assigning to the districts of a State the number of men to be furnished therefrom the President shall take into consideration the number of volunteers and militia furnished by and from said State, and the period of their service, &c. If, however, it shall be made to appear to the Provost-Marshal-General by the Governor of any State that particular towns to which quotas have been assigned have heretofore actually furnished a surplus of men over quotas, an order will be issued discharging from the service of the United States a number of men called into service by the present draft from said towns equal to the surplus proved to have been furnished heretofore. Towns will thus credit actually for their excess on former calls. The number of men thus discharged from the service will be added to the next subsequent quota of the Congressional district to which said towns belong.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JAMES B. FRY,

Provost-Marshal-General.

Before the receipt of the above Governor Gilmore had telegraphed to Mr. Ordway as follows:

(Numbers 13.) CONCORD, July 20, 1863.

N. G. ORDWAY, Esg.,

Washington:

I telegraphed you on Saturday that our towns must be equalized. Don"t fail of having it done if such a thing is possible. Let me hear from you and know the result.

J. A. GILMORE,

Governor.

And subsequently the following letter and dispatch were received from Mr. Ordway:

(Numbers 14.) WASHINGTON, July 20, 1863.

Honorable JOSEPH A. GILMORE,

Governor of New Hampshire:

DEAR SIR: On the morning after my arrival, in company with General Marston and Honorable Fred. Smyth, I visited the office of the Provost-Marshal-General. We were informed that your letter and the resolutions passed by the Legislature had been laid before Mr. Whiting, Solicitor of the War Department and that his opinion, adverse to your request, had just been received. I then proposed that when the draft was ordered delinquent towns should be made to fail their quotas, in order to make them equal with towns that had paid thousands of dollars to accomplish that object, and also that towns, which had furnished a surplus should have discharged, when the draft was made, the number they could show in excess. This would equalize the draft throughout the State, and I urged the Provost-Marshal-General to deadly the order for the draft until this plan could be laid before the Secretary of War, which he-finally concluded to do.

* * * *

This morning I went again, by appointment, to the Provost- Marshal-General's Office, and was assured by him that last proposition had been acceded to, viz