New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-07-28

A recently published letter Of Gen. Woors, in
relation to bis military command in the Department
of the Pacific, and the orders which he received
from the War Department in that capacity, affords
documentary evidence, under the hand Of Jefferson
Davis himself, that while Gushing and Marcy, and
even Davis himself, were busy in preaching up the
enforcement of the neutrality laws, Davis was per-
mitted by the imbecile Pierre to make himself just
as busy in defeating their enforcement.
General Wool, on setting out for his command,
took with him the following instructions:
"wAR DEPARTMENT. WASHINGTON. Jan. 49, 1854.
SIR addition the ordinary duties of the military
mspd to which you have been assigned deemed proper to
direct your attention to certain special duties which will de-
Among those will be the duty Of maintaining inter
S S pe%e felt
wi Of ability oil proper meanst detect
which the United peace and will sesousy coope
with the civil authorities in maintaining the neutrality
And six days after the date Of these Instructions
the President issued proclamation relating par
ticularly to unlawful expeditions against Mexico lin
one of which William Walker was about that time
engaged), directing "all officers Of the Govern
ment, civil and military, to use any efforts which
"msy be in their power to arrest for trial and pun
"isbment every such offender" Upon the strength
of these instructions and this proclamation, Gen.
Wool on bis arrival in California caused the arrest
and conviction Of certain parties employed in en-.
listing recruits for Walker, who was then in Lower
California, of which he had taken possession, and
proclaimed himself President; and in consequence
of this disappointment in the failure of his supplies
Walker was driven out of the Mexican territory.
But instead of any commentator for
thus acting up to the letter Of his instructions,
General Wool received from Mr.. Secretary Davis
the following rebuke:
WAR DEPARTMENT,
"WAsHIsGros, I4th April is4
SIR - Your remark. il relation to unlawful e.ps-
Of refens You your instructions upon the subject It was
not expected d,sd that he ~ia,S c.~ms"d. ssoud Do
a,r poue in nstructins you aid the civil authorities:
uoo, SS for You ~
injurious to the public service would probably
follow from such interference BY the military with the functions
Of civil officers"
Shortly after the arrival in California of this ex-
traordinary letter, Walker, who, meanwhile, had
been tried for his Mexican expedition and ac-
quitted-possibly on the strength of some other
similar letter from Washington-and being then in
contemplation of his Nicaraguan forsy, waited on
Gen. Wool for the purpose, as he stated, of salts
fying the General that he (Waker) was not en-
gagged in any 6lIibusteriDg or Unlawful scheme;
to which Gen. Wool replied that if Walker were
engaged in any such scheme, he (WOol), under
recent orders from Washington, had no authority
70 interfere with him. at least not till called upon
by the civil authorities. But for the above letter
Of Davis, Walker would have been stopped BY
Wool, and his whole wretched enterprise have been
nipped in the bud.