will, together with the official papers left with me by him, be laid before you immediately on my return. I will state here some facts to which in a more general way I shall gain refer in reference to what is understood of your position and authority.

Major Darr desired to be informed if you had the entire charge of the prisoners if the camps were, where used as prison camps, exclusively under your control; if he should release by the orders of brigadier or major-generals or parole prisoners by the same authority; if those powers could confine prisoners and order their release or parole on their own authority whenever they thought proper; under whose orders he was and whether he could at the camps where prisoners were confined in his (the Mountain) department take the necessary steps to secure their safety, and to furnish them with what was absolutely required. I made the obvious replies to these and many other questions and informed him that in the exercise of his duties as provost-marshal he was the safety officer of his department; but that after he or the authority commanding the department had made and placed in his keeping military or political prisoners from that instant they were exclusively under your control or the War Department and that all measures relative to them must be executed by one of these two authorities. He is very zealous; perhaps too hasty and arbitrary. I have much to communicate to you of him and of the prisoners sent here by him. I have the official records of a number of prisoners sent here by him, seven of which state that the prisoner is charged with "doing nothing. " One was taken from the almshouse where he had been nine years; another was a lunatic when arrested and is charged with being a lunatic. Many others have been sent here under equally slight charges whose cases I will soon submit to you, at least copies of their official records as transmitted by him to Camp Chase, for I believe that it cannot be your desire that this camp should be filled to overflowing with political prisoners (made by half depopulating a section of country where the inhabitants are often compelled to expressions of apparent sympathy) arrested on frivolous charges to be supported by the General Government and endure a long confinement. I have not expressed to him, however, a shade of any opinion upon this where there has been the possibility of doubt as to your action.

I had an early interview with Governor Tod and laid before him in detail your communications to me, your views and wishes expressed. He explained to me matters which he desires should be considered by you most of which are briefly expressed in his letter to you, which is inclosed. Conceiving that whatever your decision might be in regard to moving the camp or any portion of it from its present location (it would be probably delayed in execution for several months or until the warm weather is nearly over) I have with the approval of the Governor taken, regardless of any intention to remove, the steps necessary to improve the camp in its present position so far as it relates to sanitary or other obviously necessary measures.

The Governor approves of all and each of the articles contained in your circular as applicable to Camp Chase with the exception of the last and the third from the last. These two relate to visitors to the camp ad to the prisoners and to the parole and release of prisoners. To use his own language, he declared that the discretionary power exercised by him in permitting visitors to the camp and to see their friends in confinement had been worth to the Government the expenditure of one hundred tons of powder upon the enemy. The result of the