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EVERYTHING DEPENDS UPON THE AGENTS.
In those districts of Virginia where the affairs of the Bureau have been faithfully and impartially administered by men of sound judgment and discretion there has been no conflict between the agents of the Bureau and the citizens. In all such districts the agents are acting in harmony with the civil officers of the State, and are assisted and supported in the performance of their duties by the citizens. But in many places where the agents are not men of capacity and integrity a very unsatisfactory condition of things exists. This originates in the arbitrary, unnecessary, and offensive interference of the agents of the Bureau with the relations between the planters and their hired freedman, causing vexatious delays in the prosecution of labor, and imposing expense and costs in suits before themselves of trivial matters that could readily be adjusted by the friendly advice of a sensible man. The effect produced by the action of this class of agents is bitterness and antagonism between the whites and freedmen, a growing prejudice against the Government among the planters, and expectations on the part of the freedmen that can never be realized. Where there has been no such interference or bad advice given to the freedmen by the agents of the Bureau there is a growing feeling of kindness between the races, and good order and harmony prevail.

SPECIMEN OF THE DECISIONS OF THE BUREAU.
As an evidence of the manner in which this arbitrary power is exercised, we would state that an agent of the Bureau, presiding in a freedmen's court in Accomac county, decided a question of title to land as follows: A colored man, who was freed twenty years ago by his master, and who was permitted through the kindness of this master to make his home on the plantation wherever he choose, set up a claim to ten acres thereof around a cabin in which he had lived for ten years. The agent decided that the colored man had acquired title to the ten acres by adverse possession, and forbade the owners of the plantation from bringing the question again before his court, or any other court, on pain of imprisonment.

A NEGRO DIVORCE CASE.
These agents exert the widest latitude in the exercise or their judicial functions, trying questions involving title to real estate, contracts, crimes, and even actions affecting the marital relations. We witnessed the trial of a divorce case before the sub-agent at Charlottesville. The trial occupied about ten minutes, and resulted in a decree of divorce.

TRANSFERENCE OF THE POWERS TO THE MILITARY.
The Assistant Commissioner of the Bureau for Virginia having turned over to the civil courts all criminal cases in which freedmen are interested and having made preparations also to turn over civil cases, thus leaves no other duty for the agents of the Bureau to perform except to supervise contracts and to care for the aged, infirm, and helpless. we therefore respectfully recommend that the services of the officers of the Bureau in Virginia be dispensed with, and that their duties be performed by the officers commanding the troops in the department. Such a change would relieve the Government of a large, and, in our opinion, wholly unnecessary expense of supporting a superfluous number of officers and employés, while the duties can be as efficiently and satisfactorily performed in the manner in which we have suggested. As long as the Government of the United States exercises any control whatever over the Southern States not exercised in the other States of the Union, so long the presence of military force will be indispensable. The presence of both the Bureau and military force is unnecessary. The officers commanding the troops can discharge the duties now performed by both; but the officers of the Bureau, without the presence of the troops, would be powerless to execute even their own orders.

PAST SERVICES OF THE BUREAU.
At the close of the war, in the chaotic condition in which society was left in the entire absence of all civil authority, the judicious and sensible officers of the Bureau, supported by the military, exercised a good influence, and did much to preserve order and assist in the organization of free labor. The restoration of civil law, and the recognition of the cicil rights of the freedmen, as evidenced by the changes made by the Legislature in the laws of Virgina-giving them the right to hold property, to sue and be sued, and to testify in the courts in all cases in which they may be interested, (a gratifying proof of the growing feeling of kindness toward them on the part of the whites)-render the freedmen, in our opinion, perfectly secure, if left to the care of the law and the protection of the troops.

INFLUENCE ON THE FREEDMEN.
There appears to be a contrariety of opinion as to whether the effect of the operations of the Bureau on the freedmen has been to promote habits of industry or idleness among them. In our judgement the effect produced has depended wholly on the characters of the officers. Prudent and industrious freedmen rarely call upon the Bureau for advice or assistance. It is the idle and worthless who look to it for support. Amon these, however, we do not mean to include the infirm and helpless. The mass of the freedmen have an idea that the Bureau possesses some mysterious power to serve them, and that if they fail to secure such a livelihood as they desire, they can fall back upon it with a certainty of support. These ideas, it will be readily seen, lessen their efforts to procure employment, and to support themselves and their families. They also regard the existence of the Bureau as evidence that the Government looks upon the white people of the South as their enemies, which is calculated to excite suspicion and bad feeling on their part.

GENERAL BROWN'S ADMINISTRATION.
The assistant commissioner of the Bureau for Virginia, Brevet Brigadier General O. Brown, is laboring faithfully and zealously to harmonize and protect the interests of both races. We discovered no hostiiity among the white people of Virginia to the education of the freemen. In several localities, more especially at Lynchburg and Charlottesville, where we thoroughly examined into this subject, the people were taking much interest in the establishment of schools for their education, giving as a reason for their efforts in this direction that educated labor was preferable to uneducated labor, which sentiment we believe prevails throughout the State.

CONDUCT OF THE OFFICES.
We made no investigation into the conduct of the officers of the Bureau in Virginia outside of their official duties.

North Carolina.
Having completed our duries in Virginia, we proceeded to the Department of North Carolina, and arrived at Raleigh on