which can render the most efficient aid to the other in the execution of common orders and in sustaining the national honor which is confided to both. You will make your communications to the department as frequent as possible. The great distance at which your command is placed, and the impossibility of maintaining a frequent or regular communication with you, necessarily induce the department to leave much of the details of your operations to your discretion. The confident belief is entertained, that, with the general outline given in the instructions, you will pursue a course which will make the enemy sensible of our power to inflict on them the evils of war, while it will secure to the United States, if a definite treaty of peace shall give us California, a population impressed with our justice, grateful for our clemency, and prepared to love our institu tions, and to honor our flag. On your being relieved in the command of the squadron, you will hand your instructions to the officer relieving you. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Commodore R. F. STOCKTON, Commanding U. S. Naval Forces on the West Coast of Mexico. J. Y. MASON. NAVY DEPARTMENT, February 22, 1849. SIR: Your course, as indicated in your despatches Nos. 21 and 31, of the 15th July and 2d September, 1848, is approved by the department. The inhabitants of California who had compromised themselves with Mexico by acknowledging allegiance to the United States, pending our occupation of the country by military conquest, were entitled to the care and protection of the United States in leaving the country which was no longer under our control. The practice of all nations sustains the course pursued; and the despatches from this department of the 27th of June, 1848, and 20th of January, 1849, will show you more fully its views. Your disposition of your command to protect the settlers against the Indians meets the approbation of the President. I am, respectfully, &c., Commodore T. AP C. JONES, J. Y. MASON. NAVY DEPARTMENT, March 1, 1849. SIR: Your despatch No. 36, of the 2d November, 1848, has been received. The efforts which you have made to prevent desertion and to apprehend deserters have been characterized by your usual energy. It will not be advisable to continue your large offers for the return of deserters. It is very desirable that the accounts of military contributions collected from the enemy shall be settled without delay, and the balance unex pended in prosecuting the war with Mexico, and its necessary incidents, should be paid into the treasury of the United States, so that disbursements may be made exclusively of appropriated money. You will be pleased to take the necessary measures to effect this object. I am, respectfully, &c., Commodore T. AP C. JONES, J. Y. MASON. Commanding U. S. Naval Forces, Pacific Ocean. NAVY DEPARTMENT, March 1, 1849. SIR: Your despatch No. 32, of the 19th October, 1848, has been received. Referring to my letter of the 22d February ultimo, in answer to your former despatches upon the same subject, the course indicated in your No. 32 is approved. The whole proceeding does honor to the American name; and the fact that it was effected without charge to the treasury of the United States will free it from all objection, on the ground that it was an unauthorized expenditure of public money not appropriated for the object. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Com. THOS. AP C. JONES, Commanding U. S. Squadron, Pacific Ocean. J. Y. MASON. NAVY DEPARTMENT, April 16, 1849. SIR: Your despatch No. 43, dated "Bay of San Francisco, November 29, 1848," has been received. The "Ohio" will not return to the United States by Cape Horn, but by the Cape of Good Hope. With my despatch of the 12th January last I transmitted, for your information, a copy of the instructions addressed to Captain P. F. Voorhees, commanding the Savannah frigate, which sailed from Boston on the 1st March ultimo, to join the Pacific squadron as your flag ship. In the despatch referred to, you was directed to transfer to Captain Voorhees the "Ohio," and despatch her to China. From thence she will return to the United States, by the way of Bengal. The department has confided to you an honorable and arduous command, and it is its wish that you should remain in the Pacific and complete your cruise, as commander of the United States naval forces on that station. The difficulties to which your refer in your despatch, and the condition of the navy upon which you comment, calls loudly and imperatively upon every officer and friend of the service to exert himself assiduously to maintain its honor and usefulness, and elevate its character and glory. The condition of California is attracting great attention, and exciting the deepest interest on the part of every patriot and American. The increasing emigration of our population to that country demands protection and assistance, and the department invokes your most active exertions and best judgment in the discharge of your duty. An additional force will be sent to you. The sloop-of-war "Fal mouth," Commander Pettigrew, is nearly ready for sea, and will shortly sail from Boston to join your squadron. In my despatch of the 14th instant, you were informed of the transfer from the War Department of the steamer "Edith." She will be of es sential service to you, as a cruiser along the coast. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Com. THOS. AP C. JONES, WM. BALLARD PRESTON. Commanding U. S. Squadron, Pacific Ocean. NAVY DEPARTMENT, June 27, 1848. SIR: Your despatches numbered 16 and 17 have been received, and 1 am happy to hear that the health of the officers and crew of the Ohio continues good. Your purpose of awaiting, at Mazatlan, the result of the negotiations for peace, conforms to the wishes and instructions of the department. Messrs. Sevier & Clifford have transmitted to the State Department the papers which accompanied your letter to those gentlemen. They have been transmitted to me from the State Department. I perceive that the commissioners declined giving you any advice on the subject of your employing the ships under your command "in transporting disaffected citizens of Lower California, after the ratification of the treaty." The President hopes that you have not hesitated to do so. It was an act of kindness due to those who had incurred a risk of compromising them. selves by their demonstrations of friendship for us. Although, in the despatch from this department to Commodore Stockton, from which Commodore Shubrick quoted in his proclamation of November, 1847, and in the President's message at the meeting of Congress in December, 1847, the opinion was strongly expressed that the President foresaw no contin gency in which the possession of the Californias would be relinquished, yet both those papers clearly show that the extent of our title was to depend on future events, and especially upon the terms of a definite treaty of peace. You are aware that the treaty recently ratified was negotiated under peculiar circumstances. The injunction of secrecy having been re moved by the Senate in regard to its proceedings on the subject, I send you herewith Senate document numbered 7, marked "confidential," and dated February 23, 1848. In this printed document you will find the message of the President, transmitting the treaty and the correspondence between the Secretary of State and Mr. Trist. In the instructions to that functionary, you will perceive proof of the strong desire of the President to include Lower California in the territory ceded to the United States by Mexico. Notwithstanding his anxious wish for this acquisition, influenced in no small degree by the considerations to which you refer, grave public con siderations did not permit him to insist on it as an ultimatum, and thus defeat the hope of peace. The inhabitants of Lower California who may apprehend that they have compromised themselves by their friendly conduct to us during the war, have the President's warmest sympathies. He directs me to instruct you to extend to them every kind office in your power, and to give them all the aid at your command, in realizing their desire to become inhabitants of the territory which is now ours by the treaty. In doing so, you will be careful not to come into collision with the lawfully-constituted Mexican authorities, or resort to any act of violence not authorized by the law of nations. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Commodore THOS. AP C. JONES, Commanding Pacific Squadron. J. Y. MASON. SHIP HUMBOLDT, San Francisco, September 2, 1849. SIR: I have the honor to send you with this a letter-bag, containing letters from the American squadron. 1 brought this bag as far as Panama, and sent it to the agents of the steamers at that place; but, by some mistake, it was returned to me. I will do myself the honor of paying my respects in person at a very early period. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Commodore T. AP C. JONES, WM. P. MCARTHUR, Lieutenant United States Navy. Commanding U. S. Naval Forces in the Pacific. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, Fourth Auditor's Office, June 19, 1849. SIR: Yours of the 24th April has been received, enclosing the following receipts for money: No. 1. J. T. Mott, for travelling expenses of acting Lieuten ant E. F. Beale No. 2. E. F. Beale No. 3. do do No. 4. Jno. Rudenstein No. 5. J. Crowninshield $740 00 122 20 500 00 1,200 00 600 00 3, 162 20 Making five receipts, amounting to $3,162 20, instead of six receipts, amounting to $3,762 20, as stated in your letter. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Commodore T. AP C. JONES, A. O. DAYTON. United States Navy, Ship Ohio, Pacific Squadron. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, Fourth Auditor's Office, January 18, 1850. SIR: I have received your letter of the 30th of October, 1849, with R. M. Price's (purser) receipt for eighteen thousand dollars. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, A. O. DAYTON. To Commodore THOS. AP C. JONES, U. S. Navy, Commanding Pacific Squadron, San Francisco, California. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, Fourth Auditor's Office, December 10, 1849. SIR: Your letter of October 30th has been received, with vouchers *6, 7, and 8, which have been filed in this office. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, To Commodore THOS. AP C. JONES, Commanding Pacific Squadron. A. O. DAYTON. WASHINGTON, January 27, 1850. SIR: The enclosed is a copy of a letter written by me to the court. martial of which you are the president, and handed to Mr. Carlisle, judge advocate, with the request to deliver it to you. 1 The judge advocate informs me that the court was of opinion that I ought to have called the attention of the court to the language used by Captain Jones at the time he used it. I write now to inform the court that I forbore to do so because of the respect I entertained for the court, as I believed, at the time that the language I complain of was used, that it was heard by the court; and I also feared that if I should make any reply, I might say more than was proper. I wish also to inform the court that I did call the attention of the judge advocate to the language I complain of. As one of the charges upon which Captain Jones is now on his trial is oppression towards myself, I feel bound to call the attention of the court to Captain Jones's conduct towards me when I was a witness before it, that they may see that he was actuated by malicious feelings in his conduct towards me. With high respect, your obedient servant, FAB. STANLY, Lieutenant U. S. N. To Commodore CHARLES STEWART, President of the Court-martial, &c. *No. 6, Lieutenant Chandler's receipt for.... .do... $600 75 18,000 18,675 |