Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1865-02-27
Our San Francisco Correspondence
San FRANcIsco, Feb. %, 1865.


seen or heard of in San Francisco-ex-
ceptipg earthquakes, which are out of
season-within the last week, and there is
no dearth of local matters of interest for
conversation, among the qUia names.
THE WEATHER. =
We have been having glorious showers
and patches of sunshine, alternately, for a
few days back, and the hills around the
Bay have put on robes of emerald green
delightful to the eye of the beholder, and
l venture to conjecture, nowlse unpleasant
or unwelcome to quadrupeds, who have,
through long months of fasting and living
on faith Of good things to come principal
ly, got to taking blamed practical view
of the matter, so to speak. On Saturday
night rains followed hail storm, and a
snow storm brought up the rear; and in
the morning the spectacle presented to the
eyes Of San Franciscans was such an one
as we do not often look upon. The
mountains all around the Bay were white
with snow, and some of them still lift
their heads IN air like miniature Alps-the
dazzling white of their SUBMITS contrast
ing strikingly with the bright green of the
foothills and valleys below. Now all is
clear overhead once more, and Spring may
be said to have fairly set in. The fall of
rain, to date, has been % inches and
32-lOO, or one-third of an inch over the
full annual average for the rainy season,
so that we may safely look for full crops
this year, even if not another drop falls
until next November.
PATCHWORK.
Patch is out of the Collectorship of In
ternel Revenue, as I have already told
YOU; but there seems to be something
queer in the manner in which the affair
was patched up. The deficiency in Patch's
accounts was made good, as have said,
by his bondsmen, and the Government
thus saved from loss; but it seems singu-
lar that Lucien CurtisS, formerly Treasurer
of Sacramento, and at one time charged
with defalcation or misrepresentation Of
funds-if l remember rightly-although
acquitted on trial, should be appointed
his successor, especially as it is known
that he was the head clerk and coniden-
tial adviser of Mr.. Patch, and would have
been more likely than any one else to
know what was going on in the office.
Personally, I know nothing whatever to
the discredit of Mr.. Curtiss, and the ap-
pointment may be most judicious one in
every respect; but have reason to know
that it is not 50 regarded by many influ
entail business men in San Francisco, and
I am sorry to add that other appointments
now beng made, or in contemplation, by
State and Federal authorities in Califor-
mia, are not of q character to strengthen
the Union party and do full credit to the
Administration. So far as l can learn,
Patch has never been to the office, nor has
he been seen on the streets since the de-
falcation was discovered.
PREPARING FOR EMERGENCIES.
The announcement of the formation Of
new sub department of the Military De-
parsment of the Pacific, to be called the
Department of Arizona, has been formally
made. The appointment of General
Mason to the position of Commander Of
the department is thus announced:
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF PACIFIC, !
SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, Feb. 20, 1865. )
General Order, No. 10.
Brigadier- General john S. Mason is as
signed to the command Of the District Of
Arizona, recently transferred by the War De-
partment to the Department Of the Pacific.
He will proceed to Join his command as soon
as relieved in his present duties.
By command Of Major-General Mcdowell.
r. C. DRUM, Assist. Adju't-Gen.
The Aka says that the Governor of Ari-
IONA was authorized, on his appointment,
to raise regiment of volunteers for the
defense of the Territory, but will now leave
the matter in the hands of General Mason.
1t is understood that five companies of ma
tive cavalry will be recruited from the
Mexican population south Of the ella, and
stationed along the central and northern
sections of the Territory, leaving the ex-
IRENE Southern border to be garrisoned by
California Volunteers, who will go via
San Diego and Fort Yuma. This arrange
ment is made to prevent any danger of
complications arising from the prejudiceS
of the natives of Mexican descent against
the French invaders of Mexico, which
might lead to serious consequences if the
native troops were stationed where they
could pass and repass the boundary lines
at will. The troops destined for the nor
thern portion of the Territory will go via
Los Angeles and Fort Mojave.
General Mason is an old and most eX-
cellent officer, who has served with dis
tinction in the Army Of the Potomac and
elsewhere, and has everywhere shown him
self a prudent, discreet, and reliable COM
mander, and his appointment cannot be
considered otherwise than most judicious
one. The boundaries of the new depart
ment have not yet been defined, but they
will be so arranged as to include all Arl-
IONA within the present limits of that Ter
rity as organized by act of Congress, and
will probably include Southern California
say Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Bar
bara and San Bernardino counties. 1t is
said that the headquarters of the depart
ment will be fixed at some point on the
eastern bank of the Colorado, but of this
am not certain. 1t may be at Los An
gelos or San Bernardino. This will be by
far the most important command-under
that of General McDowell-on the Pacific
Coast, as it embraces within its territorial
limits large population of hostile In
dams, and borders on the territories coded
to Napoleon III. and the Duke de Gwin,
by Max. l., the Dutch Emperor of Mexico.
There is no doubt that large hostile ele-
ment will be gathered in Northern Mexico,
when the rebellion - now, thank God,
nearly crushed = finally goes in; and
even now there are plenty of mischiev-
ously inclined rufians, vagabonds md
thieves, from all nations and countries,
gathered there-not counting the mongrel
Negro urco-Franco soldiers of Napo-
leon, than whom viler set of Threats
never wore uniform-to create trouble
and incite minds over our border, and the