porary arrangement, owing to the present scarcity of coin in the country. It would give me pleasure to comply fully with the wishes expressed by the public meeting held at San Francisco on the night of the 21st instant, by making the whole redeemable at 180 days, but it would have the effect of entirely cutting off the receipts of any available funds in the custom house for six months to come That is a longer period than it will be prudent to dry up the only source of revenue that the country affords, and would be too wide a departure from my instructions, which are very positive to collect the duties "exclusively in gold and silver coin," before the goods, wares, and merchandise leave the custody of the collector, or in other words before they are suffered to go into the market. I am willing to allow the goods to go at once into the market, and to wait three and six months for the duties, although I am ordered to collect them in cash, provided the gold dust is taken at a rate low enough to make it certain that the merchant will redeem it at the stipulated time, and, if he does not, that there will be no doubt that the duties can be realized at once by putting it up at auction, if the money be immediately required. You will readily perceive the situation in which I am placed., A large amount of duties will be received at San Franciso. Should some ten or twenty thousand dollars of this gold dust received at the custom-house, reckoning at the rate per ounce at which it will be received, fail to be redeemed at the stipulated time, and I should be forced by the want of funds to throw suddenly this large amount into market to be sold for cash, and it should not bring this sum, 1 at once become and am held personally and individually responsible and accountable to the department at Washington for the loss. sustained in consequence of the departure from my orders and instructions. I am very sure that none of the merchants of your town would desire to see me assume a risk of becoming pecuniarily involved by departing from my instructions for their accommodation; and therefore I feel, by departing from my orders in this instance, in permitting goods, wares, and merchandise to go at once into the market, and waiting three and six months before the duties can be realized, that the precautions I take to guard both the public and myself from any loss are not unreasonable or greater than the occasion calls for. I shall strongly recommend, in my first communication to the department, the immediate establishment of a mint in Upper California. I am, respectfully, your obedient servant,, R. B. MASON, Colonel 1st Dragoons, and Governor of California. W. D. M. HOWARD, C. V. GILLESPIE, and JAMES C. WARD, San Francisco, California. STATE DEPARTMENT TERRITORY OF CALIFORNIA, Monterey, September 10, 1848. SIR: I am directed by the governor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 7th. and to inform you that a sea-letter or other document may be given to an unregistered vessel owned by citizens of the United States. Vide Gordon's Digest, art. 1,788. In order that a vessel may receive a new registry, she must belong exclusively to citizens resident of the United States, and be an American bottom. For conditions, &c., vide Gordon's Digest, art. 1,361, 70. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, H. W. HALLECK, Lieutenant of Engineers, and Secretary of State. Mr. C. L. Ross, STATE DEPARTMENT TERRITORY OF CALIFORNIA, Monterey, September 10, 1848. SIR: In reply to your letter of September 7, the governor directs me to say that the provisions of the first section of the act of March 1, 1817, will not be enforced against vessels which actually sailed from the ports of California during the war for cargoes expressly for this market, and which have not in the mean time been engaged in other trade. As soon as the time of redemption of the gold dust in your hands received in deposite as security of the payment of duties expires, you will give due notice, and sell it at public auction. In order that there may be no loss to the revenue, you will bid it in at the value for which it was deposited. If it sells for more, the surplus, after the expenses of sale are deducted, will be paid over to the depositors. The gold dust received in payment of duties, with the privilege of redemption, of course becomes the property of the United States if not redeemed at the expiration of the time specified, without any sale. Respectfully, your obedient servant, H. W. HALLECK, Lieutenant of Engineers, and Secretary of State. Captain J. L. FOLSOM, San Francisco, California. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, September 14, 1848. SIR: I have just received a communication from the merchants of San Francisco on the subject of the manner in which the ad valorem duties are estimated in your port, and enclosing me a copy of the fifth section of "An act for regulating the collection of duties on imports and tonnage," passed March 1, 1823. I enclose you herewith a copy of the fifteenth section of an act of Congress of the 4th of July, 1832, and a copy of the eighth section of the bill reducing the duties on imports, and for other purposes, passed July 29, 1846. These are believed to be the latest laws upon the subject, and of course repeal the fifth section of the act of March 1, 1823. Any duties, therefore, collected under the 5th section of this latter act, should be refunded. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, R. B. MASON, Colonel 1st Dragoons, Governor of California. COLLECTOR of San Francisco, California. STATE DEPARTMENT TERRITORY OF CALIFORNIA, SIR: I am directed by the governor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 10th instant, and to inform you that he has no intention or desire to oblige you to retain your office of alcalde; but, under existing circumstances, he deems it the duty of every civil officer, where the personal sacrifice is not too great, to remain at his post, and to use every exertion to preserve order. The civil magistrates will continue to receive from the military all the assistance which it may be proper and possible to render; but in the present reduced state of our garrisons it will not be possible to make detachments for the interior towns, and the peace and quiet of the country will depend upon the firmness of the alcaldes, assisted as they should be by all good citizens. If it would be compatible with your other engagements to retain the office of first alcalde of your district until a new territorial government is formed, the governor would be pleased to have you do so, in which case you will return the letter accepting your resignation, in order that it may be cancelled on the records. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, H. W. HALLECK, Lieutenant of Engineers, and Secretary of State. CHAS. WHITE, Esq., San José. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, September 16, 1848. GENTLEMEN: I have this morning received a memorial from certain of the citizens of the town of San Francisco, dated on the 8th instant, requesting that an election might be held for two town councilmen to supply the vacancies caused by the resignation of Mr. Glover and the death of Mr. Leidsdorff. You will be pleased to hold an election to fill the aforesaid vacancies on the same day that the election takes place for the first alcalde, which I believe is on the 3d of October, proximo. The town council have the authority, under my letter of the 15th of July, 1847, to Alcalde Hyde, to appoint all the necessary police officers for the town, and to determine their pay, &c. The jurisdiction of police officers extends to the shipping in the harbor precisely the same as it does over any part of the town, and the town council have the same authority to pass laws for the preservation of the peace and the maintenance of good order among the shipping in port that they have on shore. It may be proper, however, to observe, that no local laws can supersede or interfere with the general regulations for the collection of the customs; nor can any municipal officer interfere in the execution of the duties or arrangements of the revenue officer. The duplicate of this communication, herewith enclosed, be pleased to present to the town council, at their next session, for their information and guidance. I am, gentlemen, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Colonel 1st Dragoons, Governor of California. To W. D. M. HOWARD, C. V. GILLESPIE, K. H. DIMMICK, Jas, E. WARD, and W. S. CLARK. P. S.-I do not deem it necessary to enclose a copy of the memorial above mentioned, as it is signed by four of the gentlemen to whom this is addressed. STATE DEPARTMENT TERRITORY OF CALIFORNIA, Monterey, Sptember 19, 1848. SIR: I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 16th, relating to the admission of the French brig New Perseverance and the British brig Tepic. It is believed, and that belief is confirmed by the positive assurances of the French consul, that American vessels are permitted to enter French ports with cargoes not from ports of the United States. The New Perseverance is therefore entitled to enter her cargo. With respect to the British brig Tepic, the governor directs your attention to his decision, as communicated on the 10th instant: "That the provisions of the first section of the act of March 1, 1817, will not be enforced against vessels which actually sailed from the ports of California during the war for cargoes expressly for this market, and which have not in the mean time been engaged in other trade." If, however, official news of the peace should have reached the port of lading previous to the departure of the vessel, she ought not to be permitted to enter. But, before prohibiting the entrance of the vessel, the collector should satisfy himself that the official or at least very authentic news of peace was actually received: mere reports or rumors of peace should not be deemed sufficient to effect the prohibition. The policy in this respect should be a liberal one. It is believed that the retaliatory law of March 1, 1817, is only applicable to English vessels. Mr. H. Grimes has petitioned to have his furniture admitted free of duty. For the decision in this case you are referred to the tariff of 1846, words "household furniture, old and new." You will be pleased to communicate to the parties concerned the gov ernor's decision as above. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, E. H. HARRISON, W. H. HALLECK, Lieutenant of Engineers, and Secretary of State. Collector, San Francisco, California. [Confidential.] STATE DEPARTMENT TERRITORY OF CALIFORNIA, Montery, July 26, 1848. SIR: It is highly probable that the persons who obtained grants or deeds of sales for land from Pio Pico, just as he was leaving the country, will now, on hearing of his return to California, endeavor to obtain from him certificates that these grants or deeds of sale were not antedated. I refer particularly to deeds of sales of land by Pio Pico which are dated at Los Angeles about the 25th of June, 1846, whereas it is believed he was not in that place between about the middle of June and the latter part of July. Some of these titles purport to be recorded on the corresponding book of records, which book has been abstracted from the territorial archives. There are reasons for suspecting that this volume of records is now in the hands of some one of the holders of these antedated titles, and that it is so retained in order to get Pico, on his return to this country, to enter these titles upon the records, or, if they have destroyed the book, to get his certificates that they were entered according to the dates they bear. Something will undoubtedly be sought for from Pico to strengthen their unjust claims to government property. It is thought that, if you can establish a friendly intercourse with Don Pio before he can have any communication with these holders of fraudulent titles, you may obtain from him a statement of the real facts of the The matter should be acted on with promptness, and will require much care and discretion in its management. case. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, H. W. HALLECK, Lieutenant of Engineers, and Secretary of State. Colonel J. D. STEVENSON, Commanding Southern Military District, Los Angeles. STATE DEPARTMENT TERRITORY OF CALIFORNIA, SIR: I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letters of the 12th instant, relating to business of the custom-house. The collector has full authority to allow the correction of clerical errors in invoices; and as you are satisfied of there being such an error in the invoice of Messrs. Starkey & Jamon, the governor is of opinion that you ought to refund to the parties the amount of over-payment of duties. If you are satisfied that the articles of female clothing which you mention as belonging to Mrs. Grimes were actually brought to this coast previous to the reception of the official news of peace, and that they are not for sale, it would seem proper that they be allowed to pass free of duty. You say that most of them are old, and altogether of little value. It would therefore seem that they are of the character of personal baggage, rather than merchandise. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, H. W. HALLECK, Lieutenant of Engineers, and Secretary of State. Captain J. L. FOLSOM, United States Army, San Francisco, California. STATE DEPARTMENT TERRITORY OF CALIFORNIA, Monterey, September 26, 1848. SIR: I am directed by the governor to again call your attention to the settlement of your custom-house accounts. The time has now arrived when it is absolutely necessary that this mat |