of May, when I hope to hear that the course I have taken in this matter meets with your approbation and that of the President.
I remain, &c., &c.,
Letter from Mr. Holcombe.
Hon. J. P. Benjamin, Secretary of State, C. S. A.:
Sir—The season has thus far rendered it impracticable to forward the arrangements for returning home our escaped prisoners. The ice has just begun to move in the Saint Lawrence, and it will be from the middle to the last of May before the navigation will be open. Land carriage at this time through Canadian territory is out of the question, not only on account of its expense, but the extremely limited facilities which it would afford for transportation. I wrote, indeed, upon my arrival, to some of our friends at Montreal to send in that way any who might be reached conveniently and who were anxious to reach the Confederacy as early as possible. I have authorized a gentleman in Montreal, who is highly recommended, Mr. S. Cromwell, to go at once as far as Windsor, and advise our friends of the existence of means to send back our soldiers to their posts, and to bring in some forty or fifty, who are reported at that point, to take passage on the first boat from Montreal or rather Quebec to Picton. I have also authorized the expenditure, if necessary, of one thousand dollars at different points to relieve cases of entire destitution, where there was no doubt as to the wish and purpose to get back into the service as soon as possible. I feel some apprehension that an effort may be made to capture our men when collected in large numbers on sailing vessels, whilst coming to Halifax, on the high seas. I see no mode of avoiding the difficulty, however, and I do not know that the risk would be materially increased, whilst the expense would be greatly diminished, by sending them directly to Bermuda from Quebec. Please let me hear at once from you on this point, for the unavoidable delay in collecting them along such an extensive frontier will give me an opportunity, at least to some extent, of acting under your specific instructions upon this matter. The accommodations of the regular mail steamer from Halifax to Bermuda are not very extensive, and it makes only a round trip in a month. The expense of subsisting them here, as well as the liability of men in their condition to be
