Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-05-22

ter giving the reasons why he did not put Lieut. Meade
in command of the Edith, he makes this statement
Subsequently, and very Unexpectedly since my eturn to
San Francisco the Hon. T. b. King has under authody from
the President called for the Edith go esard
very important service uneonnecsd with the nayy and SO
pressing necessity for the earliest possible departure Of
the Edith that she win go to at the end Of the WEEK
der with the contractor and his engineers
board who win finish their work the passake"
Mr. PEARcE. do not think that makes any difference
1t is the thing, after ALL which the Senator was
anxious have DONE and which not improper
The Senator has referred to the civil fund Of California
Its history think, gone at the last sssion Of
Congress- The Senate will recoect that bill tonroyde
the settlement of the accounts Of officers who lad been
connected with the receipts and disbursements b that
money introduced by me. 1t passed this body and
was sent the House of Representatives Their it ex-
pred, action being taken upon it. similar bill has
introduced at the present session. and has passed
the Senate. recommendation sent to the Commit
tee on Finance at the last session. by the Secretary Of
that fund.- that it might be received into the Treasury
which it could not be without some Legislative action of
Congress.
The bill which introduced provided for it's receipt in
to the Treasury in the first place and accounting for
if had been properly neutrality-suspicious. the action
of the Government de taco in regard to that
ing the expenditure for army and navy purposes Of
much of the funds had been applied It also made
allowance the officers engaged in its recep and dis
bursement allowed portion Of it to be applied to the
relief of destitute emgrants to which purposeft APP
piled by order Of General Smith 1t allowed aoher por
ton to be applied to the patriotic purpose Of paying the
expenses of the California Convention and Citing to the
State of California in lieu of the outfit which tie Terrific
ries usually have received the Of $300O0A If that
bill had been passed last year. oil Of the accounts which
are now open and unadusted might perhspshave been
settled AT all events, the legal authority would have
been given for their settlement, which does MT now
ist Until the House of Representatives act uIn the bill
which has gone from this body or on some otter bill in
tended to answer the same purpose it win be impossible
that these accounts should beadjusted because the
not having been collected under the machinery
which have provided for the collection of
from customs cannOt 60 into the Treasury until Congress
shall legitimate the action of the Government de acto of
| California.
do to waste the time of the Senate by speak
ing Of the propriety Of collecting customs in California
any further than to say this The government de acto
General Mason first and General Riley next, acting
governor pursued the principle which the Senate recog
Missed when We passed that bill that is to say, that Cali
fornia having become part Of the United States militia
contributions being no longer collected there because
there was longer state Of foreign goods liable to
duty should not be imported and landed there in viola
ton of the general laws of the United Sates and
that If they were imported and landed those who did SO
must pay the duties General Mason commanding there
previously to General Riley established the tariff of
1916. General Smith, when he went there in cOnjunc
ton with Commodore JONES' recognised the propety Of
payment OF duties as depostes by those who should
bring dutiable goods into California About this there
can be manner Of question The Senate thought at
the last session, and at this Even the circular of Mr.
ROBERT walker, secretary OF Wnch the
Senator has read does not furnish any authority any
there to permit goods to be landed without the pay
ment of duties He says that if foreign dutiab goods
should be introduced there and shipped thence any
other port place of the United States they would be
liable to all the penalties prescribed by law when such
importation is attempted without the payment of
dutiesn
is sufficient say that the general revenue law for
bids the introduction Of foreign goods at any other place
than port of entry; that San Francisco port
of entry because Congress did perform its duty at the
long session of 1848 and that the collection of duties
by military authority in both Mr. Folks time and General
Taylors without authority indeed from Washington but
justifabe under all the circumstances.
This fund.- thus collected went into the hands Of these
otcers and, irregular as it was perhaps it was very
fortunate thing for the service there. If the officers had
not collected the there would have been
to pay the expenses of the California Convention, and
do know that the State of California would have sprung
into existence and the Senate have had the benefit of the
Senator's services here There would have been no funds
for the relief of destitute emigants The military de-
fences of the country would have been inadequate.
The next subject of complaint which the Senator from
California makes is in regard to certain Indian commits
sioners Congress have appropriated at different times
$50 000 think for the purpose Of negotiating Indian
treaties in CalifornaS25 900 at time, and $25 900
at another Indian agents appointed for California
who under the provision Of general law requiring that
the commissioners negotiate Indian treaties should be
persons in the employ of the Department went out to
California and proceeded to enter upon the duties assign
ed to them. First they met as board and after hav-
ing transacted some business board believe they
divided the State three divisions, each taking
division and proposing to negotiate treaties in each
They without funds. The $25 900 appropriated by
Congress had not reached them. They anxious to
obtain funds and they made application to the collector
of the customs San Francisco to advance them the
$50 900 appropriated by Congress That he did not do
but he advanced them and advanced it to them
upon the recommendation Of the Senator from California
himself II that the Indians in California who
numerous and warke were supposed to be in state Of
great irritation Indeed, ii expected that general
Indian outbreak would take place and thought to
be very desirable in order to pacify the Indians, that
these negotiations should be promptly entered upon
They could not be entered upon without money. The
commissioners applied to the collector and he advanced
900 for the purpose Of enabling them to enter into
gotiatons.
But the Senator has fallen into an extraordinary mis-
take that another advance made by the collector
made the basis Of the $25 900 appropriation Mr. King
besides advancing $4,000 advanced to the Quarermas
ters department $l50000 The Senator supposes that
the Sl50000 all for the purpose of military escorts
which went with the Indian commissioners to negotiate
treaties. That lis mistake in fact, have ascertain
ed have returns from the Department showing that but
600 OF this money appropriated to the support
OF the escort rather Of the three escorts which
compnnied the commissioners. Sixty thousand dollars
all OF the expenditure Of which any has been
received The accounts yet be received will amount
70 more than $4,000 $4,000; that the whole
pense is but $4,000, instead Of $3.50, 900.
Mr.. GwIN / was exceedingly anxious to get this in
formation before addressed the Senate on the subject
applied TO the Quartemaser General for statement Of
the amount expended and he told me that he could not
make out correct was anxious to ascertain the
exact amount and he told that the returns Of the
sstant quarermaser had come in in full and those
received were mixed with other expenditures that it
difficult TO separate them. said in my speech that
this was the statement given to found this amount