hands? If power to disband the rangers or the militia of Pocahontas is not given you - if you cannot bring them into subjection to law and order, I beg that you will appeal to the Governor of Virginia for the power necessary to that end, and in the meantime that you will aid the civil authorities in arresting and bringing to justive two rangers by the name of Tuning and one Cunningham for the murder of my countymen, Arbogast, Buzzard, and Alderman, and that you will order (of course I know that they will respect the order or not just as they please) the restoration of the horses taken tot he owners, all of following are not known to me, but I have been furnished with the names following as the owner each of one horse, viz: Morgan Anderson, one; Peter Joel and Adam Hill, three; Fielding Boggs, one; James Snedegar, one; James Kee, one; Frank Armstrong, one, and --- Young, of Stony Creek, one; or that you will aid in having the rogues arrested and brought to punishment.

Trusting that you will regard it as a pleasure and a duty to aid in ridding the State of an armed nuisance that every day shows itself powerless for good, but omnipotent for evil; that the rangers will be brought into subjection and made to obey orders, or be disarmed and sent back to Yankeedom and good men placed in possession of their guns to dispatch them on their returning raids, I am, very truly, your obedient servant,

WM. SKEEN, of Pocahontas,

Attorney for the Commonwealth.

P. S. - Of course I do not mean to say that there are not some good men belonging to the rangers, but neither officers nor the good have power over the vicious and the bad, and the last are daily absorbing the first. A good man and loyal citizen has no more business with them than with the inmates of the penitentiary at Richmond.

[12.]

BAYLOR'S HOUSE,

James River, April 5, 1862.

Honorable G. W. RANDOLPH, Secretary of War:

GENERAL: The propriety of one or two of our light gun-boats observating and guarding the Chickahominy River has struck me very forcibly, and I take the liberty of making the suggestion directly to you, instead of addressing it to General Johnston, because I am now cut off from any communication with him, having only arrived here to-day to seek some days of quiet absolutely necessary to restore my health. The enemy has in his possession a large number of boats, which he carries about with him in wagons, and by means of these and such old boats, &c., as he may collect, he may attempt to cross the Chickahominy and thus get on our flank. This I think would be effectually prevented by the presence of our gun-boats.

I am, general, very respectfully,

J. B. MAGRUDER,

Major-General.

[11.]

RICHMOND, VA., April 8, 1862.

Governor H. T. CLARK, of North Carolina,

Raleigh, N. C.:

SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge yours of the 3rd instant. In reference to arms which had been sent by railroad to Goldsborough,