Washington telegraph., 1849-03-07

across land to Vera Cruz, and transnlitted
to Pensacola, thence by mail % Washing
ton.
FLAG-SHIP Ono, SAN Francisco, !
December, %, 1S49.
Sir-My letters from Nos. 33 to AZ
inclusive, despatched from Monterey by
Lieut.. Lanman, and from this place by the
Lexington, will fully inform you of the
operations Of the squadron since our de-
parture from the Gulf of California No
thing material has occurred since my last
date. Desertions are less frequent,
the Ohio having lost but one man since
her arrival here, and [ think the DISPOSE
ton to desert is not so general; but that
may be owing to the inclemency of the
season, which, for a while, must suspend
the digging and washing for gold, except
by such persons as are most amply sur
piled with good houses, and ell the
necessaries of life, requisite for winters
campaign in a rigid climate, affording no.
thing for the use of man but gold Incredi-
BILE quantities of gold are even yet daily col
lected and scarcely week elapses with
out some new discovery of the precious
METAL more startling than any previous
one. 1t is said that small party of five
or six persons, a few days past, struck up
on a pocket, as they term certain deposits,
from which, in two days, they obtained
$50, ,OO0 OF pure gold.
have been living on shore at San
Francisco, now two weeks, and have had
ample opportunity for examining the sub
ject, and | am more than ever satisfied
that the disposal of the gold regions in the
territory of California is the best, if not
the only practicable disposition that can
be made Of them in the present dlsorgan-
ised state Of society here.
The worst forebodings of evil, conse-
quent upon the want of certain and en-
ergetic administration of justice in this
territory, are almost daily realized. With
in the three last weeks we have certain
accounts of fifteen murders. In one H.
stance an entire household of ten persons
"a respectable ranchero, his wife, two
children, and six servants. The man,
whose name was Reed, had heen very
successful in the diggings during the sum-
mer, and had returned to his house, near
Santa Barbara, with large amount of
gold. His house was surprised by an
armed party, and the whole family, as
above stated, was barberOusly murdered,
and the house rihed of its golden treasure
The perpetrators of this horrid deed are
still at large. Of the other five cases,
four are highway robberies, committed on
ho Tn
word, | may say with TRUTH that both
persons and property are insecure in Up
per California at this time; and | am sor-
ry to add, that in all cases of outrage and
violence, as yet discovered, emigrants from
the United States, disbanded volunteers,
runaway sailors, and deserters from the
army and navy, are believed to be the
perpetrators.
The mutinies, attended with murder,
to which | allude in my letter No. 43,
have been fully confirmed, and, not with
out good reason, have caused much un-
easines to shippers OF gold from this port.
TO guard each and every vessel sailing
hence with large sums in gold dust would
require every ship of the navy. The best
that can do is to keep the vessels of this
squadron at sea as much as possible, ply
ing between the ports most frequented by
our mercantile marine. Enclosed is a
copy of circular No. g. which | have
found it necessary to issue and make pub
lie, in the hope that it may have some
tendency to prevent repetition of such
acts as have recently occurred Oh board
the English schooner Amelia and the
| Chilian barque Adelina.
A recent arrival at Callao reports that
the Adelina had been taken into that port,
and the mutineers, eight in number,
promptly executed.
[ had received a request from the Gov
ernor of Valparaiso, through Mr.. Moore
head, our Consul at that port, TO arrest and
safe-keep the Adehna. should l be fortu-
nate enough to fall in with her on the
mexican coast, where it was supposed the
mutineers might take her.
| have the honor to be your obt. serv't.
THOMAS AP. G. JONES',
| Commander-in-chief u. S. Naval Forces,
Pacific Ocean.
Hon. JOHN Y Mason, Secretary of the
Navy.
| p. S.-Since the above letter was writ
ten we have accounts of more murders
one in the town of SonOma, and anO-