The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-05-11

incredible waste Of property been the consequence
vessels retsted viii valuable cargOes have been de-
serted al their anchorage unload which, deposit their
contents on the beach the high prices of labor
cost more ian the amount of their freight money Tba
Department with all its resources has NOT
been able 10 escape the evils resulting from such Of
the dimes; and although other places, have been
found 10 be more favorable in poets than San Fran
CISCO there s good reason for making that town the site
OF our principal depot Much Of the land which The
town is built held by very questionable titles and tho
public reservations made BY our military governors are a-
Die 70 be Disputed a, any me o erect expensive store
houses and quarters these lands while the dificuy Of
oninunicatg with the shipping Is such rs has been de-
scrbed would incur risks and expenses that is good Of
the service would not and the opportunities for
so doing which existed few months ago, have since been
destroyed BY the act Of some person. with without sufi
Client authority, (about which not fully advised ex-
tending permission 10 certain citizens b build npon and
occupy for business purposes Of The best points
the public reserve Rents are eA0rbfanty hi9h-beyond
parallel in any country. Fuel be Obtained az retail
prices for less than y dollars per cord, and men are I'M
willing to contract for any large supplies Of prospecyry
lest the exirayasant prices OF labor may throw them out of
all cacuable prof'
Soon after his arrival in California, General
Smith established the depot, as suppose, under
the, large discretionary powers which had been
given 70 Kim by Mr.. Marcy when he set out TO
take command of the division. 1t will be per-
iAsEef EsA-'sc gives some very good reasons for
the selection of this place. Recollect tiat he was
the General commanding the division. He was
the officer whose especial duty il to select the
sites for dep6ts. Upon Major Vinton no such
duty had been devoved. The report to the Adu-
ant General, from which the Senator has read,
was dated in March, 1850, months after the depot
was established The information communicated
in that report 10 Mr.. Secretary Crawford, was
| long after General Smith, on his own RESPONSE
bility had established the post, and long after the
Secretary of War had approved its selection.
| The approval Of the Secretary Of War was dated
in July, lS49. The Senator has read from this
report of Major Vinton, which, so far, may be
considered volunteer report TO show that the OBJ
4 lsAd nj n0eS0 ia Itp m al
the Department Of War 10 dsapprore it. II so
happened that, while running my eye over the re-
port, and comparing it with the extract which he
quoted, and which is set out in the printed report
LOT his speech, found a very important omission
/ The part omitted is only single sentence; but,
then, it is key to all the rest of the report. II
| does not merely qualify and limit the sense Of
what preceded, but entirely changes the view
! which imperfect examination of the report
| would present After describing the geographical
| Advantages of Benica he speaks of its topograph-
ical disadvantages. The last are chiefly the want
of wood and water.
Major Vnton says:
Having in view. them that these great elements
which invariably form the first principles in making
choice residence OF community wanting
iest."
So far the Senator read, and so far his quota
ton is correct. But he did not read the next and
very important sentence, which is IN these words:
'Sl * easy designate other point which s
similar objections; and aude faults
This to show the difficulties and consequent expend-
ture 10 be encountered in the establishment OF dep5is
When we look therefore, 10 the whole Of Major
Vnton's testimony, We find, that # II is to have
any effect at all, IT is to sustain the selection OF
General Smith. He shows the great and peculiar
geographical advantages Of Benicia, and that its
typographical disadvantages are such prevail
elsewhere.
| The Senator spoke particularly of want of
water, there being, as he supposed, only single
/ II Q. A.
of complaint of the water al San Francisco, and
in terms of commentator Of the water at Benicia.
| He says that the water at Benicia very good.
| | have been informed, by quartermaster of the
Army, that several good springs have since been
discovered about Benicia, one of which is upon
the ground where the public buildings erected,
and the whole Of il is, or may be, appropriated TO
| the use of the troops. hud, frouec report made
| by Mr.. Bomford, who appears TO have been an
engineer appointed for that purpose, that they had
bored, IN order To get water, by arteslan wells;
that lac had gone down one hundred and sixteen
! feet, and the water only within forty.two feet
Of the surface. Thus, MS far as the experiments
| had gone, ArtesIan wells would not answer. Then
the engineer makes this further statement, which
shows that AresIsn wells could not be relied upon,
and that is, that the geological structure of the
/ country was such US la make il extremely doubt
| full whether further depth Of boring would bring
water 10 the surface. The strata there are very
much inclined, almost perpendicular; 90 condition
extremely unfavorabe to the passage Of water
| from distant points" IL appears, therefore, that
the project Of the Artesian well, which the Senator
thinks ought to have been persevered in, was flu
tile, and, that If there not an ample supply Of
running water, General Smith was right in adopt
ing the plan Of cisterns. As To the price Of wood,
il was enormous in San Francisco. Major Vim
ton states, in the report, that II was retaIled
in that city at $50 cord. take a. that the price
was no higher at Beriicia, past which place, un-
/ daalp f yyp N
cisco. AT Benicia there is bold water, where a
ship can lie close along the shore and land It's cargo
without the extraordinary expense attendant upon
the landing at San Francisco, where the mud flats
extending to great distance, the expense Of light
| erage was necessarily enormous.
General Smith went To California in the fall Of
ls4s under the orders Of Mr.. Polk s administra-
ton. He was written 10 IN October of that year
To come on 10 Washington, and confer with the
Secretary of War. dare say he had from Mr..
| Marcy, who was undoubtedly an able Secretary,
very iudicious advice, as 10 the duties which he
was expected 10 perform. Very singular TO say,
however, no written instructions To him are 20 be
! found on the files Of the Department, unless those
| Of his predecessor, General Mason, to which he
was referred, are TO be considered such. IL rs very
manifest that he must have had oral instructions,
Il not written ones; for if he had neither the one
nor the other, the Secretary would be justly
chargeable with negligence, and the General could
scarcely have exercised the large discretion which
he seems to have been conscious was Entrusted TO
him Certain il is, that the 18th November,
| 1913, Mr.. Marcy authorized him, by letter, {" 10
establish his headquarters in California or Oregon,
and change them from time to time, as the EXT
gencies of the public service may require, :" and
charged him with the general duties of defending
these territories, and of preserving peace and pro-
tecting the inhabitants from Indian depredations.
Il is understood that he authorized to estab
fish dep6ts, cover his troops, and secure his sup
| Plies as the General Of an army, in time Of war,
! Is accustomed to do. IN regard 10 the expense OF
these buildings ut Benicia, there is an indstinct-
ness in the charges Of the Senator, that is to say,
| he has not Disseminated between those put up by
General Smith, upon his own authority, and with
out the sanction Of the Department, and those pu,
up in General Taylor's time. Nor has he noticed
the action Of tie present Administration in regard
to the subject.
Major Alien, in his report to Major Vinton OF
January 10. 1850. states that he took charge OF
the property of the quartermaser's department
at Benicia the LIST July, lSi9 the post having been
established and the transferred TO that place,
before ths time-end ofcourSe, before the approval