JACKSON, April 22, 1863.

Colonel L. B. NORTHROP,

Commissary-General, Richmond:

Steamboats in Mississippi will greatly impede, if not prevent, supply of beef from Texas. Planters here want from 25 to 35 cents.

By what rule shall I proceed to obtain it?

J. C. PEMBERTON,

Lieutenant-General, Commanding.

JACKSON, MISS., April 22, 1863.

Major R. W. MEMMINGER,

Assistant Adjutant-GENERAL:

MAJOR: The management of the commissariat at Port Hudson is unsatisfactory. The facts are as follows:

Major J. P. Carr reports on hand March 15-

Rations of bulk pork. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393,750

Rations of bacon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 627,560

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1,021,310

Hogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,674

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On hand as per report of March 31:

Rations of bulk pork . . . . . . . . . . . . 371,132

Rations of bacon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622,132

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993,264

(Hogs slaughtered and included in report of bulk pork.)

On hand as per report of April 15:

Rations of bulk pork . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,760

Rations of bacon . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460,000

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463,760

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Difference in FIFTEEN days (rations). . . . . . . . . 529,504

Bacon and pork, if issued exclusively

for FIFTEEN days (rations) 197,640

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Remaining unaccounted for (rations). . . . . . . . . 331,864

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Major Carr, as will be seen, reports on March 15:

Rations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,021,310

Hogs on hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,674

Between March 15 and 31, the 1,674 hogs were

slaughtered, which, at 150 pounds each (a small

average), and three-quarter pound to the

ration, would make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334,800

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1,356,110

On April 17, I addressed Major Carr as follows:

Your telegraphic report to-day gives but 1,880 pounds of pork. Is that all you have? There is a decrease, according to your report, of 529,504 rations of bacon and bulk pork within the last FIFTEEN days. Is not this an error?

The following is Major Carr's reply:

The last report is correct; that of the first was bungled by clerk, and is a large overestimate. In next report there will be a heavy deduction for loss in estimated weight of hogs.

I have, in a communication to Major [J. J.] Wheaton, chief commissary of General Gardner, insisted that a depot commissary be assigned to duty at Port Hudson. He has assigned Major Carr, and Captain J. P. Jones as post commissary.