Colonel Mason, 1st dragoons, arrived at the bay February 12, with letters and instructions to me from Washington as late as November 5, and was accompanied by Lieutenant Watson, of the navy, with instructions to Commodore Shubrick. On my return here, and on my showing to Commodore S. my instructions, and seeing his, we deemed it advisable to inform the people in California at once of the President's instructions to us, and we jointly issued a circular on the 1st of March, and I, with his approval and that of Commodore Biddle, (who arrived on the 2d) issued a proclamation on the 4th, (dated the 1st,) a copy of which papers in print is enclosed herewith.

Upon Commodore Biddle's arrival I had a full understanding with him relating to our duties; and I take pleasure here to acknowledge the great courtesy I have received from both these gentlemen, and to add that so long as either continues in the command of the naval forces on this station, there is no possibility of any other than a cordial and harmonious co-operation between us.

On the 2d instant I sent Captain Turner to the Ciudad de los Angeles, carrying with him department orders No. 2, and my letter to Lieutenant Colonel Fremont, both of March 1, a copy of which is enclosed. I have not heard of his arrival there.

On the 5th instant Colonel Stevenson, with three companies of his regiment, (the 7th New York volunteers,) arrived at the bay of San Francisco; on learning which I issued orders No. 4, a copy of which is enclosed. The heavy ordnance and stores brought out by that regiment will be landed at San Francisco, and be protected by the command to be stationed there; that brought out by the Lexington is still on board of her in this harbor, as at present there is no place on shore where I willing to trust it.

From the large amount of ordnance and stores sent to California by the department, I presume the territory will never be restored to Mexico; and it should not be. Should it be restored, Mexico could not possibly hold it three months. The people in the Territory (Californians as well as emigrants) would resist Mexican authority, and then would foliow dissensions, quarrels, and fighting between them, till humanity would compel our government to interpose a strong arm to put a stop to such civil war, and take the country again under her protection.

The Californians are now quiet, and I shall endeavor to keep them so by mild and gentle treatment. Had they received such treatment from the time our flag was hoisted here, in July last, I believe there would have been but little or no resistance on their part. They have been most cruelly and shamefully abused by our own people-by the volunteers (American emigrants) raised in this part of the country and on the Sacramento. Had they not resisted, they would have been unworthy the name of men. If the people remain quiet, and California continues under our flag, it will ere long be a bright star in our Union. The climate is pure and healthy-physicians meeting with no encouragement, as its inhabitants are never sick; the soil is rich, and there is much unsettled land that will admit of a dense population. California, with Oregon, is destined to supplant the Sandwich islands, and will furnish our 600 whaling vessels, and our 20,000 sailors in them, besides our navy and our troops, with their breadstuffs and most of the other articles they are

to consume.

At present the population is small, most probably not exceeding 12,000, of which about one fifth are emigrants. A very few years will add greatly to the latter class. Besides these there are about 15,000 Indians, nearly one-third being called Christian Indians, who speak the Spanish language; the remainder are the wild Indians, who live in the mountains, and subsist in a great measure upon the horses and cattle they steal from the farms. The Christian Indians are the laborers and servants of the country, and are held, if not in bondage like our own slaves, at least very much like it.

For the preservation of the peace and quiet now so happily existing in California, and to protect the people from the Indians depredating upon them, there should be kept in the Territory, for some years to come, about 1,000 soldiers; they should be enlisted expressly to serve here, as I gested in my letter to you of the 16th September last. We can get no recruits here.

The bay of San Francisco, Monterey, and Diego, afford excellent harbors, and they should be protected by permanent fortifications. I have directed the old Spanish fort at the entrance of the bay of San Francisco to be put in good order, and guns to be mounted there; it will be a barbette battery. Its position is a highly important one, as no vessel can enter without passing under its guns, the distance from it to the opposite shore being less than one mile; the work will cost but a few thousand dollars. There are other places in the bay where extensive fortifications should be erected, and which will cost much money; these will not be commenced till an appropriation is made or orders received for it. The subject will be fully presented to you after the engineer officers here have made, a careful examination and report upon it.

I have not heard of Colonel Price and his Missouri regiment since I ft New Mexico, and presume he must have passed the winter there. course, cannot know if he intends this spring to avail himself of the Srity to come here, which I gave him on the 2d of October last, a of which I furnished you.

iss have to acknowledge the receipt by Colonel Mason of the following

this

18:

Letter from Secretary of War to General Kearny, September 12, with apers referred to.

Letter from Secretary of War to Colonel Stevenson, September 11. Letter from Secretary of War to Colonel Stevenson, September 15. Letter from General-in chief to General Kearny, November 3. Letter from Adjutant General to General Kearny, November 4. Letter from Secretary of Navy to Commodore Shubrick, August 17. Letter from Secretary of Navy to Commodore Stockton, November 5. Circular of Secretary of War of October 15, and "general orders" Nos. 34, 43, 45, 48, 49.'

Agreeably to directions in yours of November 4, I have numbered this letter 7 of this year: mine to you of January 12th would be No. 1; January 14, No. 2; January 16, No. 3; January 17, No. 4; January 23, No. 5; January 30, No. 6.

I enclose a copy of the rough notes of the journal of our march from New Mexico to California, kept by my late aid-de-camp, Captain Johnston, 1st dragoons. When I receive the journal of the march of the Mormon battalion, I will forward it to you. Lieutenant Emory, of the topographi

cal engineers, having gone to Washington, will there prepare for your office his notes and map of the country passed over by us.

I enclose letter of March 14, from Captain Tompkins, 3d artillery, stating that he had "concluded to resign his commission in the army of the United States, and requesting its acceptance at the earliest convenient date;" and I recommend that he be gratified on the close of the

war.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Brigadier General R. JONES,

S. W. KEARNY,
Brigadier General.

Adjutant General United States Army.

HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT,

Monterey, California, April 28, 1847.

SIR: Paymaster Rich arrived here on the 23d instant, and brought me your communication of 11th January, in which I find instructions to have our flag hoisted in Lower California, possession of some place in it taken and continuously held, and our civil jurisdiction asserted.

These are the first instructions I have received either from your de partment or the general-in-chief in relation to that country, and I lose no time in attending to them. I called upon Commodore Biddle, commanding the Pacific squadron, and concerted with him all the necessary measures to carry your instructions into effect, by sending a company or two of the New York volunteers in one of the public ships of war, to take possession of La Paz, or some other place on the Gulf of California, and not far from Cape St. Lucas. We are now compelled to stop all further he ceedings in the above matter, and turn our attention to the souther and tion of this territory-Upper California. Reports and rumors fro old it Angeles reached here yesterday, brought by a few Mexicans from that General Bustamente had been appointed commander-in-chief o ssenhuahua, Sonora, and California, and that, at the time of their Impel Sonora, he was expected there with 1,500 men on his way to fornia. I do not place much credit in the latter part of the above, bu has much excited these excitable Californians; and it becomes necessai to reinforce the command at Los Angeles, as will be seen by department orders No. 13, of this date, a copy of which is herewith enclosed. We have now in this Territory the following troops, viz:

emi

var,

And as I consider the security of this Territory all-important, and that of the other to be but secondary, I must wait till quiet is again restored here before attempting to execute your instructions in relation to it, and which I hope will soon be. The regiment of New York volunteers are enrolled for during the war; the Mormon battalion for twelve months,

and will be entitled to their discharge in July. We cannot rely upon any of them re-entering the service, as wages for mechanics and laborers are so enormously high in this country. I consider it important that more troops should be sent here to preserve quiet and to secure possession of the two Californias. We cannot enrol any of the emigrants under the laws of May and June, 1846; they consider the pay, &c., allowed, entirely inadequate to their services. The late California battalion refused to a man to be mustered into service under those laws, and have been, by my order, discharged by Lieutenant Colonel Fremont. When they entered the service they were promised from $25 to $35 each per month; their horses and equipments to be furnished by the public, and rations to the families left behind, some of which have received as many as 11 per day, at 25 or 30 cents per ration each.

The wild Indians, by the frequent incursions of their small parties, are very troublesome to the frontier inhabitants, driving off much of their stock, cattle, and horses. These, as well as the Christian Indians, have been badly treated by most of the Californians; they think they are entitled to what they can steal and rob from them. I am of the opinion that much good might be done by making a few presents to them, and I recommend that there should be sent here for that purpose some medals, beads, (white stones) red flannels, colored handkerchiefs, tobacco, &c.; a few colored blankets would be much prized by them.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
S. W. KEARNY,
Brigadier General.

Hon. W. L. MARCY,

Secretary of War, Washington city, D. C.

MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA, May 1, 1847.

SIR: I enclose herewith a copy of all communications and papers issued by me relating to the civil department of Upper California up to this date.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

S. W. KEARNY,

Brigadier General and Governor of California.

Brigadier General R. JONES,

Adjutant General United States Army, Washington.

Edwin Bryant, esq., is hereby appointed alcalde of the town of Yerba Buena and of the district of San Francisco, vice Lieutenant W. A. Bartlett, who returns to his naval duties.

Given at Yerba Buena, Upper California, this 22d of February, 1847, and in the 71st year of the independence of the United States.

S. W. KEARNY,

Brigadier General United States Army.

CIRCULAR.

To all whom it may concern, be it known:

That the President of the United States, desirous to give and secure to the people of California a share of the good government and happy civil organization enjoyed by the people of the United States, and to protect them at the same time from the attacks of foreign foes and from internal commotions, has invested the undersigned with separate and distinct powers, civil and military; a cordial co-operation in the exercise of which, it is hoped and believed, will have the happy results desired.

To the commander-in-chief of the naval forces the President has assigned the regulation of the import trade, the conditions on which vessels of all nations, our own as well as foreign, may be admitted into the ports of the Territory, and the establishment of all port regulations.

To the commanding military officer the President has assigned the direction of the operations of land, and has invested him with adminis trative functions of government over the people and territory occupied by the forces of the United States.

Done at Monterey, capital of California, this 1st day of March, A. D. 1847.

W. BRANFORD SHUBRICK, Commander-in-chief of the Naval Forces." S. W. KEARNY,

Brigadier General United States Army, and Governor of California.

PROCLAMATION.

To the people of California.

The President of the United States having instructed the undersigned to take charge of the civil government of California, he enters upon his duties with an ardent desire to promote, as far as he is able, the interests of the country and the welfare of its inhabitants.

The undersigned has instructions from the President, to respect and protect the religious institutions of California, and to see that the religious rights of the people are in the amplest manner preserved to them, the constitution of the United States allowing every man to worship his Creator in such a manner as his own conscience may dictate to him.

The undersigned is also instructed to protect the persons and property of the quiet and peaceable inhabitants of the country against all or any of their enemies, whether from abroad or at home; and when he now assures the Californians that it will be his duty and his pleasure to comply with those instructions, he calls upon them all to exert themselves in preserving order and tranquillity, in promoting harmony and concord, and in maintaining the authority and efficacy of the laws.

It is the wish and design of the United States to provide for California, with the least possible delay, a free government similar to those in her other Territories; and the people will soon be called upon to exercise their rights as freemen, in electing their own representatives to make such laws as may be deemed best for their interests and welfare. But until this can be done, the laws now in existence, and not in conflict with the