as are stated in this paragraph of your letter, and requests that you will have the goodness to name any officers who have been so appointed, and also that you will inform this Department who among those officers have failed to co-operate with the State authorities in promoting the public service.

The Secretary of War has always desired that in every State harmony and concert of action should exist between the Federal and State officers, and will be glad to remove any just ground of complaint, but it must be obvious to you that he can apply the remedy only when he is informed of the specific facts, and who are the persons referred to as obnoxious to the State Executive.

I am, with great respect, Your Excellency's obedient servant,

C. A. DANA,

Assistant Secretary of War.

QUARTERMASTER-GENERAL'S OFFICE,

Washington City, December 23, 1864.

Major General M. C. MEIGS,

Quartermaster-General, Washington, D. C.:

GENERAL: For the purpose of securing proper checks and improving the transportation service, I have prepared and herewith transmit some blank transportation orders designed for uniform use throughout the country, and also some instructions pertaining thereto, which I respectfully request may be adopted. At present, as you are aware, the forms are almost as various and numerous as are the officers issuing transportation-some good, some bad. I see no reason, if approved by the Secretary of War, why one form could not be adopted for the entire service, including the Quartermaster's, Adjutant-General's, and Provost-Marshal's Departments. In order, however, to designate the three branches of service, I have printed, as you will observe, across the face of the order to be used by the Adjutant-General's Office, "Adjutant-General, recruiting service," and across those used by the Provost-Marshal's Department the words, "Provost-Marshal." In printing these I also propose to have a different coloring, so that, although in all other respects they are the same used by the Quartermaster's Department, and will all be of the same series of numbers, they can be instantly distinguished. I also present herewith a form for a free transportation order, to be used on boats owned or chartered, or railroads operated, by the Government. The instructions accompanying these orders will of themselves fully explain their use and the ends I desire to accomplish thereby. I feel confident that if a prompt examination can be had of transportation returns under the proposed plan there will be little difficulty in speedily detecting any wrong, accidental or intentional, which may occur at any point in the country, and that it will result in a large saving to the Government. The principal point of difficulty in my mind has been the instruction requiring transportation orders to be issued to each road passed over. This, as you will perceive, will add somewhat to the labor of the officer furnishing transportation, as he will be required, supposing three roads are to be traveled, to furnish three transportation orders in place of one, that one being exchanged at the railroad office for coupon tickets. This labor, however, will be diminished if, in accordance with instructions, but a single order