HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, January 11, 1848. GENTLEMEN: 1 beg leave to call your attention to my letter of the 29th of November last, and desire that the documents therein called for may be sent to this office by return mail. I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, R. B. MASON, Colonel 1st Dragoons, Governor of California. JOSE M. COVANUBIA and J. CARRILLO, Santa Ynez. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, SIR: I must call your attention to your want of correctness in making out your papers. In your monthly statement of revenue received for November, under the head of "date of arrival," instead of recording the year and day of the month, you write No. 1, No. 5, No. 27, opposite the names of vessels. Great care should be bestowed in examining papers, and seeing that they are correct in every particular before sending them off. The want of care and attention in this respect causes much delay and trouble at these headquarters. In your letter of the 17th December you say, "private Stockton, mentioned above, bought $400 worth of comestibles, which he swore to me, on oath, were for his own private use, and not intended for resale. On the rest of his bill he paid duties regularly." The custom-house officers must not look to, nor have any transaction with, the purchasers of goods in collecting the duties; they must look to and collect the duties only from the owner or consignee. Mr. Millens, not long since, presented a bill here for the payment of some articles purchased for the custom-house at San Diego-if my memory serves me right, by Don Pedro; please ask him what he did with the articles. I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, R. B. MASON, Colonel 1st Dragoons, Governor of California. Lieutenant H. S. CARNES, Know all men by these presents, that I, Richard B. Mason, colonel 1st regiment of dragoons United States army, and governor of California, by virtue of authority in me vested, do hereby appoint William R. Longley a second alcalde for the town and district of Monterey. Done at Monterey, the capital of California, this thirteenth day of January, anno Domini eighteen hundred and forty-eight, and the seventysecond of the independence of the United States. R. B. MASON, Colonel 1st Dragoons, Governor of California. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, January 14, 1848. 'SIR: I have received your letter of the 12th instant, and given it due consideration. It appears that the master of the Mary Ann had put on board of his vessel, the day before he landed the goods, the law concerning the permit to land; and if he did not regard it, he has no one to blame but himself. If these goods are released, it will be establishing an improper precedent, and one that will give us an infinite deal of trouble in future. It is therefore not in my power to revoke what Captain Folsom has done in the matter. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, R. B. MASON, Colonel 1st Dragoons, Governor of California. Captain JNO. PATTY, Monterey. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, SIR: I am in the receipt of your letter of the 10th instant, asking for the grant of a lot, No. 188, to Mr. John Illig. I do not feel that I possess the authority or power to make grants of land, under any circumstances, to individuals, and more especially where the land has been reserved for public uses. I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, R. B. MASON, Colonel 1st Dragoons, Governor of California. G. P. JONES, Esq., HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, SIR: I herewith enclose to you a copy of the papers which I have received from Mr. James W. Weeks, the alcalde at the Pueblo de San José, bearing date December 31, 1847, and January 12, 1848. these papers you will see the propriety of my suspending the appointment you hold as a surveyor of land for and in the southern department of Upper California, and it is accordingly hereby suspended. You will, therefore, survey no more lands under the authority of that appointment, until you refute the charges mentioned in the said enclosed papers; and you are hereby required to appear without any unnecessary delay before the alcalde at the Pueblo de San José, for the purpose of answering to the said charges. You will please acknowledge the receipt of this letter, which I transmit to the alcalde at the Ciudad de los Angeles for delivery to you. I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, R. B. MASON, JAMES D. HUTTON, HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, January 18, 1848. SIR: Your communication of the 12th instant, together with the deposition of Mr. Lyman of the 31st December, concerning the survey of Mr. Hutton, has been received. It is proper to remark that Mr. H. had no appointment of surveyor at the time he surveyed the pueblo lands. His appointment of surveyor in the southern department bears date October 20, 1847. I herewith transmit to you a copy of a letter I have this day written to Mr. Hutton, commanding him to appear before you to answer to the charges made against him. I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, JAMES W. WEEKS, R. B. MASON, Colonel 1st Dragoons, Governor of California. Alcalde, Pueblo de San José. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, January 18, 1848. SIR: I request that you will inquire for Mr. James D. Hutton, and safely convey to him the package to his address, herewith enclosed. Should he be in or near Los Angeles, I desire that you will hand it to him in person. Be pleased to inform me of the time when this package is delivered to Mr. Hutton. I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, STEPHEN C. FOSTER, R. B. MASON, Colonel 1st Dragoons, Governor of California. Alcalde, Cuidad de los Angeles. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, January 19, 1848. SIR: I have received your letter of the 13th instant, enclosing the deed to the property purchased by Mr. Ricud, in which is asked my approval of your judicial decree relating thereto. This approval I cannot give, as real estate cannot be sold so long as there is movable property to satisfy the debts, or a part thereof; nor can the executor or heirs sell the fee simple title to land, when no such title was held by the deceased person himself; and when sold, it should always be sold to the highest and best bidder, after due notice of the time, place, and terms of sale being given. I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, R. B. MASON, Colonel 1st Dragoons, Governor of California. JAMES W. WEEKS, Know all men by these presents, that I, Richard B. Mason, colonel 1st regiment dragoons, and governor of California, by virtue of authority in me vested, do hereby appoint second alcalde for and in the town and jurisdiction of Ciudad de los Angeles. Given at Monterey, the capital of California, the 22d day of January, A. D. 1847, and the 72d of the independence of the United States. R. B. MASON, Colonel 1st Dragoons, Governor of California. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, January 24, 1848. SIR: Your letter of the 14th instant, transmitting your custom-house accounts for the War Department, is received. I examined them and found them correct, and have endorsed the account current and abstract of expenditure as follows: "Examined and approved. Monterey, January 23, 1848." The form of the account current that I sent you with the circular of the 10th instant was not altogether correctly made. Make them in future as you have the one above mentioned for the Secretary of War; and I would suggest that you take your vouchers in triplicate, to guard against the many accidents that might befall them before reaching Washington. Let the caption of your account current read as follows: The United States in account current with Lieutenant H. S. Carnes, New York volunteers, acting assistant quartermaster, on account of the military contribution fund derived from customs at the port of Santa Barbara, California.” I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, 66 R. B. MASON, Colonel 1st Dragoons, Governor of California. Lieutenant H. S. CARNES, New York Volunteers, Acting Assistant Quartermaster, Santa Barbara. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, SIR: I have received your letter of 18th instant. You are right about the account current, &c. Continue to make them out as heretofore— though I do not see the necessity of making two accounts current, as you did for the fourth quarter of last year. I think one all-sufficient if supported by two abstracts of expenditures-one on account of the customhouse proper, and the other for the usual civic expenditures. I shall send no papers involving a pecuniary responsibility to Washington, unless put up in an official mail, and intrusted to a responsible bearer of despatches, as I am aware of the many accidents that might befall them, and would therefore suggest the propriety of taking vouchers in triplicate. I am certain that an endorsement by me on the accounts of the expenditures of the funds derived from the customs, to this effect, "examined and approved," would go far to pass them at the War Department they do not go to the treasury. These accounts, upon reaching me, will always be acknowledged, and a copy of my remarks thereon furnished the disbursing officer. Should there be any vouchers requiring explanation, there will always be time to obtain it before an opportunity offers of sending it to Washington. The caption of your account current would be better according to the following form: "The United States in account current with Captain J. L. Folsom, assistant quartermaster, on account of the military contribution fund derived from customs at the port of San Francisco, California." I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, R. B. MASON, Colonel 1st Dragoons, Governor of California. Captain J. L. FOLSOM, Assistant Quartermaster, San Francisco. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, January 24, 1848. SIR: I made an error in the form of the account current sent you and Mr. Alexander in my letter of the 10th instant. Make your account current as heretofore, and head it "the United States in account current with Lieutenant J. W. Davidson, acting assistant quartermaster, on account of the military contribution fund derived from customs at the ports of San Pedro and Santa Barbara, California." I would suggest that you take your vouchers in triplicate, to guard against the many accidents that might befall those sent to Washington. I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, Lieutenant J. W. DAVIDSON, R. B. MASON, Colonel 1st Dragoons, commanding. 1st Dragoons, Acting Assistant Quartermaster, Los Angeles. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, January 24, 1848. SIR: I made an error in the form of the account current sent you with the circular of the 10th instant. Make the account current as heretofore, and head it as follows: "The United States in account current with D. W. Alexander, on account of the military contribution fund derived from customs at the port of San Pedro, California." I would suggest that you take your vouchers in triplicate, to guard against the many accidents that might befall those sent to Washington. I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, R. B. MASON, Colonel 1st Dragoons, Governor of California. D. W. ALEXANDER, |