whichever of these terms the different localities saw fit to present them. Instead of being a simple proposition requiring but little calculation to solve, it was an intricate problem attended with much labor and perplexity.

In the first place, the call for one, two and three years" men. It could not be required of a locality to furnish any particular number of each class, or any one of the periods in exclusion of the others. But while it was the privilege of each locality to select the class, or the number of each class of troops to be raised, it was my duty to determine the value of the quota furnished (which depended upon the periods of service as well as the number of men) in order to keep the accounts of the different districts, and see that each supplied its proper share.

As the call for a fixed number of men, with the privilege to them of enlisting for one, two, and three years, it was proper that each man accepted, whether for one or another of these periods, should count as one in filling the call; but in ascertaining subsequently the amount of service furnished by the locality each man would be rated according to the period of his enlistment. It was therefore necessary to adopt a method of calculation that would accomplish this object and at the same time taken into account the years of service in which the district was deficient or in excess under former calls.

In order to do this I retained three years as the basis of calculation. This has been the rule under all calls, and as remarked by the Solicitor of the War Department in his opinion heretofore referred to, "it is not material what unit is taken asat unit is uniformly the same. It is on the assumption that the mode of calculation heretofore adopted will be continued by the Provost-Marshal-General that the present calls has been based."

Taking three years as the basis, the amount of service required was the product obtained by multiplying the number of men called for by 3, making 900,000 years of service required under this call. This amount the President demanded in addition to all previously furnished, and it was to be distributed to all the districts and subdistricts in proportion to the number enrolled in each, and taking into account the excess and deficiency under former calls. The aggregate of the excess of all the district was added to the amount required in the same manner as if the call had been originally that much greater, and had been filled or partially filled in such districts as had furnished excess, and to which extent these districts were now entitled to credit, leaving still to be provided the 900,000 years of service.

Having thus added the aggregate excess to the call, the sum was apportioned to the several districts according to their enrollment, and then from the share of each district thus found I deducted the full amount of the excess which the district had actually furnished; the remained was the number of years of service required from each district under this call, increased by the deficiency or diminished by the excess it had under former calls.

It will be observed that while the whole of the excess was added to the call in the first instance it was afterward subtracted by deducting from the quota of each locality its own excess, the sum of which excess forms the total excess added, leaving the aggregate amount required just 900,000 years of service.