Rations to December 31 are ordered to be taken by your own company, by Captain Hargrave's company, by the 21 men of Company B, First Infantry, California Volunteers, and by Juan Arroyes' party. The remainder of Captain Dresher's company and the teamsters have rations to the end of this month.

You will take 100 rounds carbine and 50 rounds pistol ammunition for each cavalryman. You will see that Captain Hargrave's company and the 21 men of B company, First Infantry, California Volunteers, who are to guard the depot, have 100 rounds rifle-musket ammunition per man. One hundred rounds rifle and 25 rounds pistol ammunition per man have been placed in charge of your quartermaster for Juan Arroyes' party. For covering your stores, &c., in depot five bell-tents complete have been provided you.

Acting Assistant Surgeon Fitzwilliams will report to you for duty; he is furnished with the necessary medical supplies; also with two hand and a horse litter. An ambulance is sent with your train. The general wishes this to be kept at the depot to convey wounded men into the post.

You will note that the general directs a journal to be kept. One day's march out from Las Cruces I wish you to make for me a field return of your command. Expressman Kinyon will accompany you to San Augustine; send him back from there with the return. Should opportunity offer during your campaign continue your field returns to these headquarters, according to District Orders, No. 23.

There are rumors here that a Texan force is about advancing in this direction. Should they come by the Rio Grande, you may look for a recall; should they advance by the Pecos, you may fall in with some of their detachments; it will then be desirable to acquire every information as to their numbers and movements.

Failing receipt of any other orders in the interval, you will return with your whole command to Mesilla by the 31st of December next.

With the best wishes for your success, I am, captain, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. R. WEST,

Colonel First Infantry, California Volunteers, Comdg.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF NEW MEXICO, Santa Fe, N. Mex., November 16, 1862-6 p. m.

Brigadier General LORENZO THOMAS,
Adjutant-General U. S. Army, Washington, D. C.:

GENERAL: I have the honor to inclose herewith authentic copies of a letter from Col. Joseph R. West, First California Volunteers, commanding at Mesilla, and of a letter from Lieutenant-Colonel Rigg, of the same regiment, and a memorandum from Colonel West, showing that rumors are rife, and of a circumstantial character, that another demonstration is to be made against this country by a rebel force of 6,000 men, under Brigadier-General Baylor, Confederate States Army.

Until I learn more of this matter I deem it prudent to suspend the order for the movement to Colorado of the handful of volunteers belonging to that Territory still remaining in this department. If it should prove true that this force is coming I beg to have authority to call for all the troops in Colorado Territory to help repel it. The commanders in that Territory should, in my opinion, be instructed by tele-