網頁圖片
PDF
ePub 版

PANAMA, May 23, 1849. SIR: Colonel Weller informed me that he left "a quartermaster behind," and that when this quartermaster sailed for San Diego, funds would be left to defray all the necessary expenses of those of my party remaining. Should I be right in supposing you to be the quartermaster referred to by Colonel Weller, I have to request you to inform me in whose hands funds will be left after your departure in the Oregon, and who will be responsi ble for the payment of the necessary expenses here, and transportation hence, of those now under my charge. At the same time, while I must, for the want of funds, submit, I strongly protest against your decision of yesterday, in refusing to pay for the passage of those young gentlemen of the commission whom the United States consu', at my request, agreed to add to the number of those designated by you for passage to San Diego in the steamer Oregon.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

O. S. WITHERBY, Esq., &c., &c., Panama.

A. W. WHIPPLE:

PANAMA, May 23, 1849.

DEAR SIR: Mr. Kaufman will act as quartermaster from this time, and will defray all necessary expenses of the members of the commission. He will assign quarters to Messrs. Ingraham, Gardner, and Parry. Your accounts up to this day will be paid by me. You are right in supposing I am quartermaster. I should suppose you would have found it out before. Mr. Kaufman will have the full control of all matters hereafter.

Your obedient servant,

Lieutenant WHIPPLE.

O. S. WITHERBY.

PANAMA, May 17, 1849.

SIR: Under instructions from Major Emory, I have been left here in charge of that portion of his party which cannot obtain passage to San Diego in the steamer Panama.

From the instructions above mentioned, the following is an extract: “I have this day requested the commissioner to place you in funds for the purpose of defraying the expense of detention in Panama and the transportation to San Diego.'

[ocr errors]

Having heard that you are to sail this day in the Panama, I take the liberty of asking to be supplied at once with the funds necessary for the subsistence and transportation of my party. I feel assured, that to one with your knowledge of military discipline, I need only call your attention to the fact that I have orders which must be executed, and that, for the pecuniary means necessary to enable me to accomplish that with which I am charged, I can look to no one but the commissioner himself. I have the honor to be, with high respect, your obedient servant, A. W. WHIPPLE.

Hon. JNo. B. WELLER,

United States Commissioner, &c., &c.

PANAMA, N. G., May 17, 1849.

SIR: In answer to your note of this date, I have to say that, although I expect to sail to-day on the Panama, I leave a quartermaster behind, whose duty it is to provide subsistence, transportation, &c., for those of the party who may be detained. He will leave, under my instructions, on the Oregon; and up to that time he will see that all the necessary expenses of the party are paid. If you and those placed under your charge are detained beyond that time, funds will be left to defray all the necessary expenses. Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Lieut. WHIPPLE, U. S. A.

JOHN B. WELLER, United States Commissioner.

PANAMA, May 13, 1849.

SIR: The commissioner having informed me that he could obtain passage in the steamer Panama for only a small portion of the force intended to aid me in my duties on the boundary, I leave you in the city of Panama, in charge of that portion which remains.

I have this day requested the commissioner to place you in funds for the purpose of defraying the expense of detention in Panama and the transportation to San Diego, where it is desirable, indeed all important, you should be with the whole' party as speedily as possible. To effect this, and preserve order, I delegate to you full authority to act according to your judgment.

Very respectfully, yours,

W. H. EMORY,
Brevet Major United States Army, Chuf Astronomer and
Topographical Engineer boundary commission.

Lieut. A. W. WHIPPLE,

Corps Topographical Engineers.

PANAMA, N. G., May 14, 1849.

SIR: A detachment of Major Emory's party having been left at this place under my charge, I beg leave to submit the following estimate for its subsistence during our probable detention in Panama: For board and quarters for six persons attached to the boundary commission, 30 days, at two dollars each per day... For funds to cover contingent expenses, the purchase of candles, cooking utensils, &c., necessary for the use of my party while engaged upon boundary service in the field.

[blocks in formation]

A requisition for the above is respectfully submitted by me.

Your obedient servant,

$360 00

140 00

500 00

A. W. WHIPPLE,

Licut. U S. A., and attached to the U. S. Boundary Commission. Hon. JOHN B. WELLER,

United States Commissioner.

PANAMA, N. G., May 23, 1849.

SIR: Being obliged to embark at once upon the steamer Oregon, leaving behind me the assistants who have been employed for service, under Major W. H. Emory, upon the boundary between the United States and Mexico, I deem it my du'y to myself and to the government of the United States to transmit to the department at Washington the enclosed correspondence.

It will, I hope, in some degree, explain why those most important to the service for which Major Emory and myself have been detailed are obliged to remain in Panama. As I must this moment go on board the steamer, I have no time for explanations which I desire to make.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
A. W. WHIPPLE,

Lieut. U. S. Top. Eng., and attached to U. S. B. C.

Hon. SECRETARY OF STATE

of the United States.

PANAMA, May 23, 1849.
An arrangement

SIR: Your note of the 22d instant has been received. had previously been made between Mr. O. S. Witherby and myself, by which it was determined that a certain number of persons attached to the boundary commission could be accommodated upon the steamer Oregon; that number was designated by Mr. Witherby, and the list arranged to his satisfaction.

Upon the strength of your recommendation, and the apparent necessity to the commission for the services of those designated by you, their names were added by me to the number already upon the list, although much against my desire, the boat being already too much crowded, and his list, with the prices of passage attached, was sent to Mr. Witherby, for a draft to cover the amount. This he refused, alleging he was the person designated by the commissioner to make the selection of those who were to go, and that a Mr. Conner, carpenter, and others, were more necessary to the service of the commission than those designated by you. He was willing to pay for their extra tickets, provided he could select the persons to receive them; but when informed that the steamer was already crowded, that tickets for the persons in question were only issued upon the supposed necessity of their presence in San Diego being indispensable, he preferred detaining the whole until the arrival of the steamer California, rather than any should go other than those selected by himself. For yourself and servant I have secured passage.

In haste, respectfully, your obedient servant,

Lieutenant WHIPPLE,

W. NELSON.

United States Army, &c., &c.

PANAMA, May 17, 1849.

DEAR SIR: I send herewith a copy of a letter to Colonel Weller, and his reply, that you may understand the condition in which I am left by the commissioner

In the first place, several days since, I made up my accounts for transportation and per diem allowance, according to the expressed desire of the commissioner, which, when presented, he was willing to take and send to the department at home, but refused to pay.

At the same time, I presented, at his request, an estimate and requisition for the subsistence of those left under my charge. This requisition he never answered. Finding myself about to be left penniless, and absolutely out of the reach of assistance, the correspondence of this date followed. I sent to him, also, a message by Mr. Gardner, with a request that he would send me $400, and take a receipt, such as follows: "Received of the Hon. John B. Weller, United States commissioner, the sum of $400, which sum is designed to pay for subsistence and transportation for myself to San Diego, and is to be refunded to the commissioner, or covered by proper vouchers." This he returned without comment. I then wrote a note to Major Vinton, desiring to know from what appropriation my transportation should be paid, under the circumstances stated. He returned a verbal message merely, referring me to Major McKinstry, who is now on the steamer, out of my reach.

Should I, therefore, be left here without funds to pay my expenses here, and obtain transportation for myself and servant to San Diego; and should my communication with you, my commanding officer, be cut off, I shall be compelled to write the circumstances to Colonel Abert, and have the matter brought before the government, that the responsibility may fall where it belongs. In case the person designated by the commissioner as a quartermaster promptly pays the expenses which I may deem necessary, I shall acquiesce. Otherwise, it will be necessary to inquire from higher authority whether an officer of the army must be subject to the control of an irresponsible person, without a commission and unknown to the government of the United States.

I am, respectfully, yours, &c.,

Major EMORY,

A. W. WHIPPLE.

Chief Astronomer and Top. Eng. Boundary Survey.

PANAMA, May 17, 1819. DEAR SIR: In Washington I was detailed for duty upon the boundary between the United States and Mexico. Will you please to inform me from what appropriation I am to receive my mileage or travelling expenses to San Diego? If from the appropriation for the boundary survey, please refer me to the regulation which authorizes it. If from the quartermaster's department, I would be glad to know whether you are prepared to pay it. Necessity is my excuse for troubling you so soon after your ill

ness..

Major VINTON,

Very truly, yours, &c.,

A. W. WHIPPLE, Lieutenant United States Army..

Quartermaster United States Army.

PANAMA, May 22, 1849.

SIR: The enclosed copy of instructions from Major Emory to myself will show you the position I occupy with reference to the United States and to the boundary commission.

The plan of operations upon the boundary line, submitted by Major Emory to the Secretary of State, requires immediately, at San Diego, the presence of not only myself, but also the civil assistants who have been assigned to duty in his department. I therefore, as an officer of the army of the United States, feel it my duty to look to you, as consul for the same government, for assistance in obtaining passage for myself and servant in the first steamer which sails hence for San Diego. The civil assistants referred to above, are: Dr. Charles Parry, computer; Mr. Edward Ingraham, recorder and assistant computer; Mr. G. Clinton Gardner, do.; Afr. B. B. Ludlum, do.; Mr. R. Rust; Mr. Francis Holly, employé.

The services of the six persons above mentioned are important to the commission, and I shall much regret to leave any of them behind. But should it be impossible to obtain passage immediately for all, I would designate Assistants Parry, Ingraham, and Gardner, and employé Holly, as indispensable for the performance of the astronomical duty, on which the cominencement of the survey of the United States and Mexican boundary line depends; and must, therefore, in behalf of the boundary commission, request your influence to secure for them a passage to San Diego in the steamer Oregon, which is about to sail from this place. I have the honor to be, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, A. W. WHIPPLE.

WM. NELSON, Esq.,

Consul of the U. S., Panama, New Grenada.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, June 16, 1849. SIR: I have the honor to report my arrival at this place on the 1st instant, with ten of my party. I regret that the unnecessary detention of the steamer at Panama, by the agent of Messrs. Aspinwall & Co., prevented me from complying with the requisitions of the treaty. Another portion of those engaged upon the survey came in a few days since on the Oregon, and the balance still remain at Panama.

In consequence of this division, I have been subjected to much trouble and a good deal of expense, which otherwise would not have been incurred. General Garcia Condé, who, I understand, is the commissioner appointed by the republic of Mexico, has not yet arrived. I received, however, a few days since, a letter from our consul at San Blas, advising me that he sailed from that port in a British vessel for San Diego, on the 24th ultimo, with his suite and one hundred and seventy soldiers. His arrival, therefore, is daily expected. No time will be lost on our part in organizing the commission, and placing the parties in the field. In the absence of instructions, (if agreeable to the Mexican commissioner,) we will proceed with the work as if the meeting had taken place within the time prescribed by the treaty. It will require some time to secure the necessary transportation to pass from the Pacific to the Colorado, and it may be found wholly impracticable to prosecute the work from this direction beyond that point. In the existing state of military discipline here, I apprehend the

« 上一頁繼續 »