(department orders No. 11) to San Diego. One of these companies will form the infantry part of the escort, required by general orders No. 65, of 1848, for the commissioners appointed to run the boundary line between Mexico and the United States; the other company constitutes the garrison of San Diego. Company D sailed for its destination on the 16th instant. Company H, detained by the want of transportation, sails to-morrow. Both companies have been filled up to the standard of 64 privates. Company M, 3d artillery, which arrived at this port on the 16th instant, has been ordered to the Presidio of San Francisco, and sailed for that place on the morning of the 18th instant, after landing the recruits sent out for the general service. In accordance with instructions from the headquarters of the division, companies C and G, 2d infantry, have been sent to the bay of San Francisco, and sailed on the 20th instant. I am not yet advised what position they will occupy. Company I, 2d infantry, has been retained at this place, with a view to reinforce the garrison of San Diego, if, as there is much reason to apprehend, it should be much reduced by desértions. Thirty-six of the recruits for the general service have been assigned to company F, and six to company M, 3d artillery; twelve of the 2d infantry recruits, which arrived, under the command of Lieutenant Gardner, of that regiment, on the 24th instant, to company D, nineteen to company H, and seven to company I, of the 2d infantry. The remainder in each of these detachments have been landed, and will be assigned and sent to companies as soon as practicable. Accounts received from the south of an authentic, although not of an official character, represented the number of desertions from the dragoon commands at Los Angeles and San Luis Rey to have been so great as to render it necessary to transfer the musicians, farriers, and privates, from the 2d to the 1st dragoons, to enable me to furnish the company required for the escort of the commissioners. Department orders No. 14, and the instructions to Majors Graham, 2d, and Rucker, 1st dragoons, and to Captain Kane, assistant quartermaster, indicate the measures to be taken in carrying out the provisions of this order, and for the disposition of the pub lic property at Los Angeles, the abandonment of which, as a military post, results necessarily from the determination above referred to. I have not yet received the reports of the commanders at Los Angeles and San Luis Rey, but expect them in time to be forwarded by the steamer which will leave this place about the 1st proximo. It is known, however, that the number of desertions has been so great, that it will be impossible to organize the dragoon command for the commissioners without making this transfer, and that the deserters have carried off with them a large amount of public property, including, in almost every instance, their horses, arms, and equipments. The disposition I purpose to make of the troops yet to arrive is indicated in my communication to General Smith of the 6th instant. Although this differs materially from that determined upon before my arrival in this country, I am, with the light of additional information, more deeply impressed with the importance of keeping the troops as much concentrated and embodied as possible. It is believed to be impracticable at present to establish posts on the extreme frontiers or to retain a reputable force at a distance from the mines, where, indeed, the presence of troops, aside from all other considerations, is more necessary for the preservation of 1 order than at any other point in the Territory. But for the disposition required by general orders No. 65, for the escort of the commissioners, I would concentrate all the military supplies on the bay of San Francisco and at this place, and all the troops in the mineral region, except the necessary guards for the depots. This disposition will leave the inhabitants of the southern military district without protection from Indian depredations; but as the Indians are composed of many different tribes, speaking different languages, any combined action on their part is improbable, and the most that is to be apprehended will be occasional incursions for the purpose of stealing horses. I am satisfied that they will suffer less from this source than from deserters from any command that may be sent to the south for their protection. To enable the inhabitants to protect themselves against the Indian horse-thieves, instructions will be given to the ordnance officers of the department to issue ammunition, in limited quantities, to farmers and other respectable persons, holding the alcaldes and other responsible individuals of each neighborhood responsible that the ammunition so issued does not fall into the hands of improper individuals. Whether the disposition of the troops for the mines, as proposed in my communication to General Smith, will be preferable to their concentration. at one point, I am yet unable to decide. If there be a suitable position on the San Joaquin from which troops can easily reach the Tulans or the valley of the Sacramento, I should give a decided preference to the concentration of all the troops in the department, except the depot guards, at one point. In this case, I have but little doubt that the greater part of our men can be retained. At least, a sufficient force can be kept on hand to make occasional detachments into the Indian country, if necessary, and to aid in the preservation of order. The importance of having a respectable body of troops in the neighborhood of the mixed population of the mines, and the restraint which its presence would impose upon the lawless and disorderly, must be so apparent that it is unnecessary to advert to it further. Beyond this, the occurrence of an emergency in that quarter which would require the presence of more troops than we now have in the country is not merely possible, but very probable. From the great number of foreign adventurers in the mines, between whom and the Americans there is no community of feeling, and the conflicting interests of all parties, it is scarcely to be hoped that a collision can be avoided. The troops at the depots may be rendered more contented and the number of desertions diminished by granting furloughs for the purpose of visiting the mines, by permitting the men to labor for their own benefit when not required for military duties, and by such a system of exchange as will give all the troops an opportunity of visiting the mines. The practice of furloughs acted upon at this post, with the sanction of the department commander, has succeeded well, and there is no doubt that its. application in other cases will be equally so. A visit to the mines, and the knowledge acquired thereby of the difficulties experienced on account of the scarcity of provisions and other necessaries, tend greatly to allay the gold fever; but the excitement is so universal that this knowledge must be enforced by experience, and but few will remain contented at a distance from the mines until they have seen for themselves. The necessity for this disposition of the troops, it is hoped, will only be temporary; and that, before the commencement of another year, the excitement will be so far allayed that troops may be sent to the frontier, for the protection of the inhabitants, without, as at present, the inevitable danger that the men will desert, and the public property, transported to distant points at an immense expense, be lost by the absence of the proper guards. In the mean time, I shall endeavor to have the necessary preliminary examination made with a view to the selection of positions for permanent military posts, particularly at the points indicated in Colonel Mason's communication to division headquarters of the 27th February, and other arrangements for the establishment of those posts, as soon as the state of affairs in this country will permit it. To make these examinations, the services of topographical engineers are highly important, and the officers of that corps heretofore serving in this department have been transferred to division headquarters. I respectfully ask, if the officers of that corps assigned to this department by general orders No. 49 have not already left the United States, that they be sent out by the next steamer. The services of two or three additional officers of the quartermasters's department, one of the subsistence, and one of the ordnance department, are very necessary, and I request that they may be ordered to report to me as soon as possible. If, contrary to my expectation, the placers should continue to yield gold as abundantly for the future as they have done for the past, the continued concentration of the troops in the mineral region is, in my opinion, the only method by which we can hope to retain a respectable force embodied. No reasonable increase of pay will render men contented at a distance from the mines; nor, where the mania is so universal, can any restrictive measure be attended with success. The current cannot be stemmed, but it may be diverted and rendered subservient to many of our purposes here. The mines may be worked by the troops when not required for purposes purely military, reserving a sufficient per centage to reimburse the government for portions of the expenses of the military establishment in this country. For the depots, the interests of the service may be promoted by the enlistment of married men for service in this department. These matters will be made the subject of another report, as soon as I am possessed of the requisite information. These suggestions are now made for the consideration of the authorities at home. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, general, your obedient servant, B. RILEY, Bvt. Brig. Gen. U. S. A., com'g 10th Military Depart. General R. JONES, Adjutant General U. S. A., Washington, D. C. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, January 1, 1849. SIR: I have the honor herewith to enclose you orders No. 64, of 1848, with the circular of April 1, 1847. Duplicates of these papers were sen you by Captain Ingall, assistant quartermaster, who sailed from this port for San Pedro on the 30th ultimo, in the brig Euphemia. The mail express referred to in the circular was in successful operation from April, 1847, until August, 1848, when it was partially discontinued in consequence of the reduction of the military force in the southern military district. The arrival of your command renders it necessary to re-establish it, to afford opportunities for frequent communication. The country is now regarded safe enough for one man to travel without danger, if properly armed; and the assistant quartermaster here finds it best to hire a citizen specially as mail-rider, who, by experience, takes better care of his horses, and delivers his mail more punctually. Instead, therefore, of sending two soldiers, as prescribed in the circular, you can instruct your quartermaster to send but one, and that one a soldier or citizen, as you think best. It is expected that Captain Ingall, assistant quartermaster, will, in a short time, be ordered to Monterey. Colonel Mason therefore desires that you impose on him no duty that would interfere with such expected. orders. I have the honor to be your most obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN, 1st Lieut. 3d Artillery, A. A. A. General. Major L. P. GRAHAM, HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, January 2, 1849. SIR: Your letter of the 30th ultimo has just been received. Colonel Ma-son on the 1st of December instructed Captain Folsom to turn over to you the ordnance stores brought out in the "Undine," thinking that invoices from Captain Thornton accompanied the property. He has received but one invoice of these stores, which I herewith enclose to you. He wishes you receipt to Captain Thornton for this property. I have the honor to be your obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN, 1st. Lieut. 3d Artillery, A. A. A. General.. Lieut. JAMES A. HARDIE, HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, January 8, 1849 SIR: Commodore Jones, in August last, delivered to Lieutenant Colonel Burton, 1st New York volunteers, and to the disbursing officers of the commissary and quartermaster's department at La Paz and San José, Lower California, the sum of two thousand three hundred dollars, ($2,300,) taking the receipts of those officers for the sums delivered to each, respectively. Colonel Mason directs that you'redeem those receipts, by paying to the commodore the sum above named, out of the military-contribution fund in your charge. Commodore Jones will turn over to you the original receipts still held by him, with his own endorsed thereon, according to the plan suggested by himself. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Captain J. L. FOLSOM, W. T. SHERMAN, 1st Lieut. 3d Artillery, A. A. 4. General. Assistant Quartermaster, San Francisco, California. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, January 8, 1849. SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 1st instant, and have this day instructed Captain Folsom to refund to you from the military-contribution fund the sum of two thousand three hundred dollars advanced by you to the army disbursing officers in Lower California. 1 enclose herewith a copy of a communication received from Mr. Botts, naval storekeeper, dated 27th September, asking for twelve hundred dollars on account of the Navy Department, which sum was turned over to him by Captain Marcy. (See my endorsement on Mr. B.'s letter.) I do not know whether this money should properly be refunded by a purser or navy agent. I submit the subject to you for such action as you may think proper, merely suggesting that if a purser has any militarycontribution fund in his possession, it might be paid by him. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Commodore THOS. AP C. JONES, Commanding U. S. naval forces in the Pacific. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, January 9, 1849. SIR: On Friday last, the 5th instant-the regular day for the departure of the express from Monterey to San Francisco-there was no man here to convey the mail. Captain Marcy, acting assistant quartermaster here, was called upon for the reasons of this failure, and stated that the man hired to convey the express mail between San Francisco and Monterey is under your direct orders and control; that he arrived here from the north on his last regular day, December 27, 1848, and reported to Captain Marcy that you had ordered him to return to San Francisco by Sunday, the 31st ultimo, and that he accordingly left on the 29th ultimo. Captain Marcy further reports that the express between this and San Francisco has been irregular for some time past. Colonel Mason deems it sufficient to call your attention to these facts to prevent their recurrence in future. The express must arrive and depart at the time fixed in orders; otherwise it will fail to connect here with the one from the south. The military express mail to and from San Francisco and Monterey is under your control; that from Monterey to |