The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-11-08

the command OF the squadron ana the Lexington Lieut.
Commanding Bailey the latter having brought out a
large supply of ordnance and ordnance stores and fine
company OF the Sd artillery, whose encampment on the
heights above the town interesting sight the
hst harbnger OF relief TO sailor garsons and promising
service for The squadron theatre
The Cyane continued on to San Fracisco, with Gen
kearny and the engineer officers. having got back al
Monterey, her marine guard that had been six months
out oil the ship On entering the harbor of San Fran
cisco, she fell IN with the Erie, Lieut. Commanding Tur
ner, having Col. Mason on board, just from Panama
| Inc Savannah and Warren ordered to Monterey
the former 10 prepare for her return home, taking the
crews OF BOTH whose term of service had long expired
The Cyane thus left in charge OF the northern dis
ct and had TO send her marines and sailors to
Sonoma to protect the inhabitants against Indian depre
daons.
On The I'd March, lsi7, the Columbus, Commodore
Bidde arrived at Monterey and the latter assumed the
command OF the squadron On the nth March, the first
instalment of the New York regiment, Col Stevenson,
came in, followed by the others; and on the 10th
the first OF the long look ed for store ships
| On the 9th April the Cyane ordered 10 Monterey,
and despatched by Commodore Biddle to blockade Ma
zatlan which she did until late in June, when she
directed to visit the Sandwich Islands, with eye the
great whaling fleet, and if any prvateers had been
heard Of likely TO modest tthree vessels under very
suspicious circumstances having cleared at London for
Manila, with Mexican papers, the names and description
of which had been obtained The Cyane visited Ho,
in Hawaii, and Honolulu Her visit seemed appreciated
by our hardy and enterprsing whalemen they
formed of the progress of the war; and of there being
danger for their returning ships The presence of the
Cyane at the islands opporune in other respects and
seemed to give general satisfaction.
The ship sailed for Monterey on the 9th September,
and reached it the Goth, where she found the indie
pendence, Commodore Shubrick who was again in com
mand OF the squadron and preparing with great zeal for
active operations the west coast of Mexico as the
quiet state of Upper California under the able admins
raton OF Col Mason, the governor, rendered his pre-
sence IN that quarter longer necessary He had
already despatched the Congress, Captain Lavalee and
Portsmouth, Captain Montgomery, TO cruise in the Gulf
of California to be ready to meet him off Cape San Lucas
the moment the for operations opened
The squadron had cause to be thankful to Col Mason
tor the liberal interest he took in urherng in every way
in his power the views of the commander in chief sup
plying ordnance for Notifications mortars, Shells SC
and what proved of the utmost value the sailor compa
MES furnished with fine army muskets and accou
cmens, in lieu of their old won out ship ones and the
still more worthless carbnes. He moreover spared the
valuable services OF Lieut.. Halleck, of engineers who
embarked on board the flag ship.
On the 18th October, 1S47, Commodore Shubrick
with the Independence, Lieut.. Com. Page Cyane and
Erie, Lieut. Commanding Watson, sailed from Monterey
The Southampton, Lieutenant Commanding Thorburn
had been despatched San Francisco bring down ord
nance, implements for forfying SC. Ga the 3Oth of
October the Congress fallen in with she had with
the Portsmouth bombarded and taken Guaymas and left
the latter 10 hold IT, On communicating with Cape San
Lucas, information received of apprehended dstur
bances in Lower California and the ships stood in to
San Jose and anchored mounted party of sailors and
marines from the Independence, under Lieus Montgome
ry, Lewis. RUSSELL marnes and Halleck, (engneers)
with Lieut. Seden and Dr. Maxwell, from the Cyane,
sent to Todos Santos, the of the
peninsula, where armed force said be organ
W., Il "a l. 4
had met no body of armed men, and heard nothing very
definite as to a contemplated resistance
For the better understanding of affairs in Lower Cali
forna, may be well to mention that the Portsmouth, so
early March, had been directed to take possession OF
itthat is the flag had been hoised San Jose and La
Paz and acades and collectors appointed but no garrsons
left there being leave In JULY however the
Lexington brought down Lieutenant Colonel Burton
with two companies (not fully of the New York regi-
ment, one hundred and six all told, who garrsoned La
PaZ, the Lexington remaining in the harbor until re-
lieved by the Dale, Captain Selfrdgc Afer-evens gave
cause to regret these measures. particularly Lower
California not retained by the treaty. # had re-
NAMED neutral unamed and the squadron got its sup
plies freely; but when melted to resistance by the State
governments of Sonora and Sinaloa who granted
missions TO Mexican officers to raise forces, sending
and bands of Indians the protection necessary to
be given to small garrsons and which could al
ways be afforded greatly embarrassed and limited the
OF tne on the west coast. Al the
earnest solicitations of the acade and collector of San
Jose to give countenance to their auhority-for
break had then occurred-he commander. in. chief
left another small garrison, consisting of four officers
and twenty marines, ten of them, with the lamenied
Passed Midshipman McLanahan, furnished from the
Cyane-all under Lieutenant Haywood of the In
dependence With the work expected the other
coast, even this small force left with
gret for the two rigates each over sixty short
OF their number and not marine guard reached even
the meagre complement allowed. This deficiency
of marines would have been still more sorey felt
throughout all the operations in the Pacific, but for the
admirable zeal with which the aoficers made them
selves acquainted with the company and to extent
the battalion drill; zeal which was fully responded to
by the seamen themselves, who all became respectable
infantry.
On the sih November, Commodore Shubrck, with
the Independence Congress- and Cyane, sailed for Ma
zatlan, from San Jose. Mazatlan is place of more
importance than has been generally supposed 1t is
well built town, contains eleven thousand inhabitants,
has some princely mercantile establishments, consular
residences large foreign and internal trade
and has been known TO yield three millions of dollars
revenue in year to the Mexican custom-house in
deed, from Cape Horn to the Columbia river it stands
only second to Valparaiso in commercial Importance O
course this is the result of foreign capital and fore ign
enterprise, not Mexcan and that within a few
years There was cannon in the place, though it
fortified; but its contiguous islands, projecting
points, and commanding eminences, rendered it suscep
BILE of quick and easy defence against ships; while its
surfguarled shore was almost certain limit its attack