wire staples, under which the strip of sand-paper was intended
to pass to produce the necessary pressure on the matches.
The thread is so fixed that the strip of sand-paper could be
secured to the lid after it was closed.

The whole affair is so arranged that the opening of the lid
would necessarily ignite the matches, were it not that the
lower end of the strip has become imbedded in the glue, which
prevents it from moving. That the burning of the matches may
explode the cartridges, there is a hole in each case, and all
are covered with mealed powder.

One of the cartridges has been examined and found to contain
ordinary grain powder. Two of the cartridges were exploded in
a closed box sent herewith. The effect of the explosion was an
indentation on one side of the box.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
J.G. BENTON,
_Major of Ord. and Bvt. Col. Comdg._


Between the outside covering and the box there were two or three folds
of tissue-paper--placed there, no doubt, to prevent the possibility
of an explosion from the stamping at the post office, or the striking
against other packages during the voyage from San Francisco to New
York.

On the inside of the lid was pasted a slip cut from a San Francisco
paper, dated October 31st, 1864, stating that on the day previous I