SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA,
June 22, 1849.

SIR: Governor Riley directs that you will turn over to Captain Ringgold, United States navy, the anchors and cables purchased with moneys from the "civil funds" for planting buoys in the bay of San Francisco. Captain Ringgold will receipt to you for the same, and when required for the purpose for which they were originally intended, will return them to the harbor-master of this port.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Major E. H. Fitzgerald,

H. W. HALLECK,

Brevet Captain, and Secretary of State.

United States Army, San Francisco, California.

To the people of California.

The following are designated as places of election of delegates, judges, alcaldes, &c., on the 1st of August next. In the district of San Joaquin: the placer above Hick's rancho, Stockton, Jamestown, Sullivan's camp, Carson's creek, and near the crossings of the Towalamne and Merced rivers; in the district of Sacramento: Sutter's Fort, Mormon island, Culloma mills, Weber's creek, North Fork, Juba and Feather rivers; in the district of San José: San José mission and Martinez landing. It is highly important that all parts of the Territory should be represented in said convention, and all good citizens are earnestly requested to unite in carrying this recommendation into execution.

It may not be improper here to remark, that the instructions fromWashington, received by the steamer "Panama," since the issuing of the proclamation of the 3d instant, fully confirm the views there set forth; and it is distinctly said in these instructions that "the plan of establishing an independent government in California cannot be sanctioned, no matter from what source it may come."

Given at San Francisco, California, this 22d day of June, A. D. 1849. B. RILEY,

Official:

Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., and Governor of California.

GENERAL: I have the honor to transmit, herewith, copies of civil papers and letters issued by me since my despatch of June 30, and to continue my report on the civil affairs of this country from this date.

Accompanied by Captain Halleck, secretary of state for California, and Major Canby, Captain Wescott, and Lieutenant Derby, of my military staff, I left this place on the 5th July for the purpose of inspecting the military

posts in the interior, and of learning from personal observation the actual state of affairs in the mineral regions, and also of allaying, so far as I could, the hostile feeling which was said to exist between the Americans and foreigners who were working in the gold placers. My report on the state of the troops and a more detailed account of my tour will be forwarded with my military papers.

Passing the mission of San Juan Bautista, we crossed the coast range of mountains near the ranche of Señor Pacheco, and struck the San Joaquin river near the mouth of the Merced; and, after visiting Major Miller's camp on the Stanislaus, we proceeded to examine the principal placers on the tributaries of that river and of the Tualumne. These washings or diggings have been among the richest and most productive in California. They are situated within a circuit of some twelve or fifteen miles, and are known as Jamestown, Wood's creek, Sonorenian camp, Sullivan's creek, Curtis's creek, French creek, Carson's creek, and Angelo creek. Some of these have become places of considerable business, particularly the Sonorenian camp, which presents the appearance of a city of canvass houses. Passing the Stanislaus river in the mountains, we proceeded to Major Kingsbury's camp near the mouth of the American river, crossing in our route the Calaveras, Moquelume, Seco, and Cosumnes rivers; all of which have rich washings near their sources and on their bars and islands. From Major Kingsbury's camp we ascended the American river to Cullamo hills, where the first placer was discovered by Captain Sutter's employees in the spring of 1848. From Cullamo we crossed the country to Stockton, a new town on an estero some distance above the mouth of the San Joaquin, and thence proceeded to Colonel Cazey's camp at the straits of Carquinnes; returning via San Francisco to Monterey, which place we reached on the afternoon of the 9th instant.

We found the country at this season dry and parched by the sun, the heat of which became very great the moment we crossed the coast range of mountains. The thermometer ranges as high as 113° Fah. in the shade, and above 140° Fah. in the sun. A great portion of the valley of the Joaquin is so barren as scarcely to afford subsistence for our animals, and can never be of much value for agricultural purposes. There, however, is some excellent land on the east side of that river, bordering its large tributaries. A considerable portion of the valleys of the Moquelume, Seco, Cosumnes, and American rivers is also well adapted to agriculture; and the broad plains lying between them furnish abundant pasture for raising stock. But the amount of good arable land, as compared with the extent of country which we passed over, is small, and I am inclined to believe that the richness and extreme fertility of certain localities have led to erroneous conclusions respecting the general character of the country. Certain it is that while there may be found sufficient arable lands to support, if well cultivated, a numerous population, here is also a very great extent of rough and mountainous country and sandy and barren plains which are of little value. The great difficulty to be encountered in agricultural pursuits in some portions of California is the want of water for irrigation; "but possibly this difficulty may be overcome in part by resorting to artesian wells. If so, much of the public land which is now unsaleable may be brought into market, and the settlement of the country greatly accelerated. I would, therefore, suggest whether it may not be advisable for our govern. ment to direct some experiments to be made at the public expense in

sinking wells of this character, for even if unsuccessful as a means of irrigation, their construction will greatly assist in determining the geological character of the country. At present nearly all agricultural labors are suspended in the general scramble for gold; but the enormous prices paid for fruit and vegetables in the towns will undoubtedly induce many, during the coming year, to turn their attention to the cultivation of the soil. The failure on the part of Congress, at its last session, to authorize the sale of public lands in California, has proved detrimental to the agricultural interest of the country.

A large number of those who have recently emigrated to California are desirous to locate themselves permanently in the country, and to cultivate the soil, but the uncertainty which exists with respect to the validity of land titles in California, and to what actually constitutes the public domain, serves as a serious check to the forming of new agricultural settlements; moreover, speculators are purchasing up fraudulent and invalid. titles to large tracts of the public domain, and selling them off in parcels, and at enormous profits, to those who have recently arrived in the country, and who are necessarily ignorant of the real state of the case. All the mission lands in California were secularized, or made government property, by a law of Mexico, dated August 17th, 1833, and the territorial government of California, under the authority of the Mexican laws, leased and sold a portion of these lands and mission property. Another portion of this property, however, still remained unsold when the Americans took possession of the country, and it has since been left in the hands of government agents for preservation. Erroneously supposing that these lands are subject to pre-emption laws, some of the recent emigrants have attempted to settle upon them.

But I cannot deem myself justifiable in permitting this, for I do not conceive that lands which have been under cultivation for half a century, and now belong to government, can be subject to the pre-emption claims of private individuals, in the same manner as the uncultivated lands of the public domain. It is, however, important for the interest of the country that these mission lands be brought into market with the least possible delay, and also that provision be made by law for the settlement and sale of other public lands in California And as disputes are almost daily occurring between individuals respecting the extent of their several claims, and the validity of their titles, I would urge upon our government the necessity of immediately taking measures for the speedy and final settlement of these titles upon principles of equity and justice. This is absolutely essential for the peace and prosperity of the country.

For information connected with this subject, I beg leave to call attention to the report of Captain Halleck, secretary of state for California, which was forwarded to Washington by my predecessor, in the early part of April last.

Before leaving Monterey I heard numerous rumors of irregularities and crimes among those working in the placers; but, on visiting the mining regions, I was agreeably surprised to learn that everything was quite the reverse from what had been represented, and that order and regularity were preserved throughout almost the entire extent of the mineral districts. In each little settlement, or tented town, the miners have elected their local alcaldes and constables, whose judicial decisions and official acts are sustained by the people, and enforced with much regularity and

energy. It is true, that in a few instances certain local questions have produced temporary excitements and difficulties, but none of these have been of a very important character, or led to serious results. Alcaldes have probably in some cases, and under peculiar circumstances, exercised judicial powers which were never conferred upon them by law; but the general result has been favorable to the preservation of order and the dispensation of justice.

The old placers are still exceedingly productive, and new ones are almost daily discovered in the smaller streams running from the western slope of the Sierra Nevada into the great valleys of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers.

I am satisfied, however, from personal observation, that very exaggerated accounts have been sent to the United States respecting the ease with which the precious metal is extracted from the earth, and that many who come to this country with the expectation of acquiring sudden wealth, with little or no labor, will be sadly disappointed. It is true that the reward of labor in the mines is very high; but it should not be forgotten that gold digging and gold washing in that climate require strong constitutions and great physical exertions, and very few need expect to acquire fortunes by working the placers, without severe labor and fixed habits of industry and temperance. The yield of different localities is, of course, very different, some of the placers being exceedingly rich, while the product of others is scarcely sufficient to pay the expenses of working. But I think the general averages per diem, for those actually employed in washing for gold, will not vary much from an ounce or an ounce and a half per man; some make much more than that sum, while those who are less fortunate fall much short of it. The actual number of persons working the placers will not vary much from ten thou sand. The entire population now in the mining district is much greater than that number; but many are engaged in mercantile pursuits and in transporting goods and provisions, while others employ much of their time in "prospecting," or looking for newer and richer localities.

I also found that the reports which had reached me of hostilities between Americans and foreigners, in the mining districts, were greatly exaggerated, and that, with a few individual exceptions, everything had remained quiet and orderly. In some of the northern plucers a party of Americans and Europeans, urged on by political aspirants, who seem willing to endanger the peace and tranquillity of the country, in order to promote their own personal interest, have assumed the authority to order all Mexicans and South Americans from that part of the Territory. Their orders were quietly submitted to by the foreigners, a portion of whom removed to the mines further south, where the American population manifested a very decided disposition to afford them protection should they be further molested. The more intelligent and thinking portion of Americans regard this measure as illegal and injudicious, and will discountenance any repetition of movements so well calculated to disturb the public tranquillity, and to create bitter and exasperated feelings, where it is evidently our policy to cultivate those of the most friendly character. Some of the English, Irish, and German emigrants, in the northern placers, assisted in this movement against the Mexicans, Peruvians, and Chilians, and probably exerted themselves much more than any of our own citizens to create a prejudice and excitement against the Spanish race. They were

probably actuated by pecuniary interest. The great influx of people from the southern portion of this continent was diminishing the price of labor in the towns near the northern rivers, and the large number of pack animals brought from Lower California and Sonora was producing a corresponding reduction in the expenses of transportation.

For example, the price of a pack mule in some parts of the mining districts a few months ago was about $500, whereas they can now be purchased for less than $150. The cost of transportation from the principal landing on the San Joaquin river to the Sonorenian camp was $75 per hundred, whereas at the present time it is only about $7.

This has reduced the prices of provisions in the placers one and two hundred per cent. Some of the merchants who had large stocks of goods in the mines, and those who were engaged in transportation at the prices formerly paid, have suffered by the change, and it is natural that they should feel incensed against that class of foreigners who have contributed most to effect it.

But it is thought by others that the great majority of the laborers and consumers in the mining districts have been benefited by this change, and that it would be injurious to the prosperity of the country to restore things to their former state by the expulsion and prohibition of foreigners from the mines.

Americans, by their superior intelligence and shrewdness in business, generally contrive to turn to their own benefit the earnings of the Mexicans, Chilians, and Peruvians in this country, and any measure of exclusiveness which is calculated to diminish the productive labor of California would be of exceedingly doubtful policy.

When applied to by the different parties for my opinion on the question of expelling foreigners, I have uniformly told them that no persons, native Americans or foreigners, have any legal right to dig gold in the public lands; but that, until the government of the United States should act in the matter, they would not be molested in their pursuits; that I could not countenance any class of men in their attempts to monopolize the working of the mines, and that all questions touching the temporary right of individuals to work in particular localities, of which they were in actual possession, should be left to the decision of the local judicial authorities. I cannot close my remarks on this subject without again calling the attention of government to the importance of establishing a mint in California at the earliest moment.

This measure is called for by every consideration of natural policy and of justice to the mercantile mining population of California.

General Kearny, during his administration of affairs in this country, appointed, by virtue of his authority as governor of California, two subIndian agents, who have ever since been continued in office, and their services found of great utility in preserving harmony among the wild tribes, and in regulating their intercourse with the whites.

They have been paid from the "civil fund" very moderate salaries, which will be continued until arrivals of agents regularly appointed by the general government. Notwithstanding every effort on the part of those agents and of the officers of the army here, it has not been possible at all times to prevent aggression on the part of the whites, or to restrain the Indians from avenging these injuries in their own way.

In the month of April last, the agent in the Sacramento valley reported