STATE DEPARTMENT TERRITORY OF CALIFORNIA, SIR: I am directed by Governor Mason to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of August 3, relating to a fine imposed on Captain Dring, of the barque "Janet." Previous to the receipt of your letter, the governor, at the request of Major Hardie, examined the proceedings of the alcalde's courts of San Francisco, and, finding that the fine had been imposed in a regular course of law, declined to interfere. The misfortunes of Captain Dring are certainly greatly to be regretted; but no private sympathy would justify an executive officer in interrupting the ordinary course of law in a case like this. I have the honor, sir, to be, with high respect, your obedient servant, H. W. HALLECK, Lieutenant of Engineers, and Secretary of State. JAMES ALEXANDER FORBES, British Vice Consul, Santa Clara, California. STATE DEPARTMENT TERRITORY OF CALIFORNIA, Monterey, August 15, 1848. SIR: The governor requests that you will give due notice of an election for a subordinate alcalde in and for the valley of Nossa, in the district of Sonoma. The several subordinate alcaldes of your district will have concurrent jurisdiction among themselves; but all are subordinate to the first alcalde, and must conform to his decisions. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, L. W. BOGGS, H. W. HALLECK, Lieutenant of Engineers, and Secretary of State. First Alcalde, District of Sonoma. STATE DEPARTMENT TERRITORY OF CALIFORNIA, Monterey, August 15, 1848. SIR: The governor directs me to reply to so much of your letter of the 9th instant as relates to the appointment of an alcalde in the Nossa valley. If the petition you mention was ever received by the governor, it has been lost, for there is no paper of the kind on file at this office. Directions have been sent to Governor Boggs to hold an election in the Nossa valley for a subordinate alcalde, in accordance with the governor's proclamation of the 7th of August. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, H. W. HALLECK, Lieutenant of Engineers, and Secretary of State. J. GARNET, Esq., STATE DEPARTMENT TERRITORY OF CALIFORNIA, Monterey, August 18, 1848.. VERY REVEREND SIR: Enclosed herewith is an inventory of the mova ble and self-moving property belonging to the mission of San Diego, now in the hands of Philip Crostwait. The governor directs that this property be delivered to your reverence, to be disposed of as your reverence may deem proper. It had better be taken care of immediately, for if neglected for a few months it will entirely disappear. I have the honor to be your reverence's most obedient servant, Lieutenant of Engineers, and Secretary of State. To the Very Reverend JOSE MARIA DE JESUS Gonzales, Governor of the Bishopric of California, Santa Barbara. STATE DEPARTMENT TERRITORY OF CALIFORNIA, Monterey, August 18, 1848. SIR: I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of August 9, and the enclosed inventory of property belonging to the mission of San Diego. You will perceive from the enclosed copy of a letter of this date to Padre Gonzales, that Colony Mason has directed the property to be placed at his disposition. Your letter of August 9, and the accompanying papers, relative to the ranch of San Marcus, belonging to the mission of Santa Barbara, are also received, and your course in this matter fully approved. The act of the alcalde of Santa Barbara, in giving possession to this property, is decided by the governor to be utterly null and void-no alcalde in this Territory having any power whatever to dispose of public lands or other public property, or to give any legal force whatever to any claim or titles to such lands or other property. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Colonel J. D. STEVENSON, Commanding Southern Military District, Los Angeles, California. STATE DEPARTMENT TERRITORY OF CALIFORNIA, Monterey, August 18, 1848. SIR: It is reported that you have recently put Dr. R. Den in judicial possession of the ranch or farm of San Marcus, belonging to the mission of Santa Barbara. The governor therefore directs me to inform you that this act of yours is utterly null and void-no alcalde in California having authority to give any legal force whatever to any existing claims or titles to the missions or other public lands in this Territory. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, H. W. HALLECK, Lieutenant of Engineers, and Secretary of State. DON PEDRO C. CARRILLO, 1st Alcalde, Santa Barbara. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt, on the 6th instant, by an overland express sent from La Paz, Lower California, by Lieutenant Colonel Burton, of the Secretary of War's letter of March 15, 1848. Accompanying this was one dated City of Mexico, May 24, 1848, signed by George W. Lay, A. D. C., informing me that the letter of the Secretary of War was intrusted to the United States commissioners, Messrs. Sevier and Clifford, and that General Butler desired me to "consider the transmission by them of this communication as equivalent to the official notification from himself." The letter of the commissioners, dated City of Queretaro, May 30, 1848, informs me "that peace is definitively settled between the United States and the republic of Mexico," and "that the amendments made by our Senate have been acceded to by the Mexican government, and of course constitute a part of the treaty.' I was therefore officially informed, on the evening of the 6th instant, that the war with Mexico was at an end, and that Upper California was ceded to the United States. I accordingly issued orders for the discharge of the regiment of New York volunteers, and all others whose periods of service end with the war, and also that the collection of revenue as military contribution should forthwith cease. A proclamation was then issued to the citizens of California, a copy of which you will find anong my civil correspondence, dated August 7, 1848. Orders had previously been issued to Lieutenant Colonel Burton to embark his command for Upper California, in the event of his receiving official intelligence of a treaty of peace, duly ratified, whereby Lower California is given back to Mexico, and the upper province retained. The first part of the Secretary's instructions were therefore anticipated, and I have now only to fulfil the latter part, viz: “to take proper measures with a view to its (Upper California's) permanent occupation.' The above are the only instructions I have received from the department to guide me in the course to be pursued, now that war has ceased, and that the country forms an integral part of the United States. For the past two years no civil government has existed here, save that controlled by the senior military or naval officer; and no civil officers exist in the country, save the alcaldes appointed or confirmed by myself. To throw off upon them or the people at large the civil management and control of the country, would most probably lead to endless confusions, if not to absolute anarchy; and yet what right or authority have I to exercise civil control in time of peace in a Territory of the United States? or, if sedition and rebellion should arise, where is my force to meet it? Two companies of regulars, every day diminishing by desertions, that cannot be prevented, will soon be the only military force in California; and they will be of necessity compelled to remain at San Francisco and Monterey, to guard the large depots of powder and munitions of war, which cannot be removed. Yet, unsustained by military force, or by any positive instructions, I feel compelled to exercise control over the alcaldes appointed, and to maintain order, if possible, in the country, until a civil governor arrive, armed with instructions and laws to guide his footsteps. In like manner, if all customs were withdrawn, and the ports thrown open free to the world, San Francisco would be made the depot of all the foreign goods in the north Pacific, to the injury of our revenue and the interests of our own merchants. To prevent this great influx of foreign goods into the country duty-free, I feel it my duty to attempt the collection of duties, according to the United States tariff of 1846. This will render it necessary for me to appoint temporary collectors, &c., in the several ports of entry, for the military force is too much reduced to attend to those duties. I am fully aware that, in taking these steps, I have no further authority than that the existing government must necessarily continue until some other is organized to take its place; for I have been left without any definite instructions in reference to the existing state of affairs. But the calamities and disorders which would surely follow the absolute withdrawal of even a show of authority, impose on me, in my opinion, the imperative duty to pursue the course I have indicated, until the arrival of despatches from Washington (which I hope are already on their way) relative to the organization of a regular civil government. In the mean time, however, should the people refuse to obey the existing authorities, or the merchants refuse to pay any duties, my force is inadequate to compel obedience. I must call your attention to my letter No. 19, of September 18, 1847, wherein these very dangers and difficulties were foreseen; and certainly the department was fully advised of the fact that nearly the entire force at my command were entitled to their discharges immediately upon the reception of official information of the ratification of a treaty of peace. I do not anticipate any rebellion or revolution on the part of the Californians, although the southern district must be entirely abandoned by the military force now there; and, in fact, the minds of all men are so intently engaged upon getting gold, that for the present they have not time to think of mischief; but if, upon your receipt of this, measures have not already been adopted for giving this country a suitable government, I would earnestly recommend that it be done as soon as possible. Since writing my letter No. 19, above referred to, my mind has not changed as to the kind and character of force that should be stationed in California, only that since the discovery of these rich gold deposites the pay of troops sent to the country should be sufficient to prevent their deserting; for, so sure as men come here at seven dollars a month, they will desert, with the almost absolute certainty of being able to make ten or twenty dollars a day at the mines. I have the honor to be your most obedient servant, General R. JONES, R. B. MASON, Colonel 1st Dragoons, commanding. Adjutant General, Washington, D. C. HEADQUARTERS SOUTHERN MILITARY DISTRICT, Los Angeles, California, July 20, 1848. SIR: By the last mail I informed you of the arrival of Don Pio Pico in this district. I subsequently learned that he had passed through San Diego without presenting himself to Captain Shannon, or in any manner reporting his arrival. Immediately after his arrival rumors reached me of conversations had by him with his countrymen, in which he stated that he had returned with full powers to resume his gubernatorial functions, and that he had only to exhibit his credentials to you to have the civil government turned over to him. I found the people becoming very much excited, and some rather disposed to be imprudent. I sent for Jose Ant. Carrillo and some others in the town, who were giving currency to these reports, and informed them that I should hold them responsible for any imprudent or indiscreet act of their countrymen, and that, at the first appearance of any disrespect to the American authorities, I should arrest and confine them in the guard-house. This had the effect to check all excitement here; but as Don Pio removed up the country, the same excitement began to spread among the rancheros. In the mean time, his brother Andreas informed me that he, Don Pio, would come in and report to me in person in a few days, as soon as he had recovered from the fatigue of his journey. On Saturday, the 15th instant, he reached the ranch of an Englishman named Workman, some eighteen miles from here. This man has ever been hostile to the American cause and interest, and is just the man to advise Pico not to come in and report to On Sunday and Monday I was advised that many Californians had visited Pico at Workman's, and that the same story had been told them of his having returned to resume his gubernatorial functions, &c., and also that he should not report to me, but go direct to San Fernando,' from whence he would communicate with you. The moment I became satisfied that he intended to adopt this course, I issued an order (copy en closed) requiring him to report to me immediately in person. I sent my adjutant with a detachment of men to the ranch of Workman to deliver to Don Pio in person a copy of this order, with instructions to bring him in by force, in case he refused or even hesitated to obey. The adjutant returned here at 12 o'clock on Monday with information that the Don had left for San Fernando. I immediately despatched Lieutenant Davidson with a detachment of dragoons and a copy of the order, with instructions similar to those given Adjutant Bonnycastle. About 5 o'clock on Tuesday morning I received a visit from a gentleman named Reed, living at the mission of San Gabriel, who informed me that Don Pio Pico had arrived at his house quite late in the evening of Monday, on his way to San Fernando. Reed inquired if he did not intend reporting to me in person; he answered in the negative; when Reed assured him, if he attempted to pass my post without reporting, I would cause him to, be arrested, and that he was aware of my being displeased at his passing through San Diego without reporting to the commandant of that post. Don Pio Pico, upon receiving this information, became alarmed, and requested Reed to come in and see me, to say he intended no disrespect, and would come and report at any hour I would name. Reed is a highly respectable man, and has ever been friendly to the American cause; and I gave him a copy of the order I had issued in regard to Don Pio, requesting him to deliver it, and say to Don Pio he could come in at any hour he chose, within twenty-four hours. Accordingly, about 8 p. m. the same evening, the ex-governor came in. He was unaccompanied even by a servant, evidently desiring it should not be known he was in town, I received him kindly, told him I had no desire to treat him harshly, but that the American authorities must be respected, and if he had not come in I should certainly have arrested him. He informed me that he left Guaynas |