As to the material to be received as recruits, it is recommended that Catholic Irish be preferred, and next to them other foreigners.

Men born in the United States should not be received unless known to have sincere and positive predilections for the South. Natives of the Southern States may be received more freely.

After giving these general instructions the Honorable Secretary sums up his views in the following words:

That if separate organizations be ventured at all, they be only small battalions; that in recruiting largely for a brigade or any much reduced organization, every possible precaution should be taken in selection, and that some previous trial of these men should be made where they would be surrounded by our men before they are fully relied on in positions of trust and importapectfully, general, your obedient servant,

JNO. BLAIR HOGE,

Major and Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA,
January 11, 1865.

Hon. ANDREW HUNTER,

Richmond, Va.:

DEAR SIR: I have received your letter of the 7th instant, and without confining myself to the order of your interrogatories, will endeavor to answer them by a statement of my views on the subject. I shall be most happy if I am contribute to the solution of a question in which I feel an interest commensurate with my desire for the welfare and happiness of our people.

Considering the relation of master and slave, controlled by humane laws and influenced by Christianity and an enlightened public sentiment, as the best that can exist between the white and black races while intermingled as at present in this country, I would deprecate any sudden disturbance of that relation unless it be necessary to avert a greater calamity to both. I should therefore prefer to rely upon our white population to preserve the ratio between our forces and those of the enemy, which experience has shown to be safe. But in view of the preparatioins of our enemies, it is our duty to provide for continued war and not for a battle or a campaign, and I fear that we cannot accomplish this without overtaxing the capacity of our white population.

Should the war continue under existing circumstances, the enemy may in course of time penetrate our country and get access to a large part of our negro population. It is his avowed policy to convert the able-bodied men among them into soldiers, and to emancipate all. The success of the Federal arms in the South was followed by a proclamation of President Lincoln for 280,000 men, the effect of which will be to stimulate the Northern States to procure as substitutes for their own people the negroes thus brought within their reach. Many have already been obtained in Virginia, and should the fortune of war expose more of her territory, the enemy would gain a large accession to his strength. His progress will thus add to his numbers, and at the same time destroy slavery in a manner most pernicious to the welfare of our people. Their negroes will be used to hold them in subjection, leaving the remaining force of the enemy free to extend his conquest. Whatever may be the effect of our employing negro troops, it cannot