their fears were not well funded. A rport taken by the mail rider from Steilacoom to Seattle was the pricipal cause of the alarm. I have informatin fromt the Indian agents at Nisqualy, Bellingham Bay, and Puyallup, and the agent for Muckleshoot, which is a short distance above the White River settlement, called upon me in person. Their united testimony is that there is no cause to fear an outbreak among the Indians. I councur in that opinion. These Indian rumors on the Sound have not escaped my attention, and had I considered them of sufficient importance to trouble the headquarters oft the department it would have been reported before.

Very respectfully, your obedient servat,

SILAS CASEY,

Lieutenant -Colonel Ninth Infanrry, Commanding Post.

P. S. - The interest of the sevice, in my opinion, requires that the two companies at this post should be filled up. I have no troops to spare for any detached serrvice, should they be required, as for several mounths past there have been hardly sufficient men here to perform properly the duties of the post.

S. C.

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF OREGON,
Fort Vancouver, Wah. Ter., January 26, 1861.

Major W. W. MACKALL,

Asst. Adjtu. General, Hdqrs. Dept. of the Pacific, San Francisco:

SIR: Yur letter of the 15th instnat, inclosing Orders, Numbers 1, from the headquarters Department of the Pacific, reached me on the 23rd instant. The order has been distributed within the district. For a view of the condition of the troops, the state of the Indian relations, and of the movements in contemplation int he late Deaprtment of Oregon, I request that reference may be had to my letters and reports to Army headquarters, copied int the department letter books are sent by express byt the steamer which conveys this. The condition of the pay, quartermaster, and subsistence deaprtments is exhibited byt the acompanying reports of Majors Alvord and Babbitt. The papers likewise forthe quarteermaster and subsistence departments for the last quarter of 1860, required by paragraph 950, Regulatins 1857, are forwarded to the chiefs of those bureaus at Washington through the headquarters oft the department, in order to afford the department commander an opportunity to obtain frmthem suchinormation as they may afford. A copy of the department return for November and an unifinished return for December, on which are consolidated all the post\s heard from for December, are inclosed. The deaprtmetn return due from the Deaprtment of Oregon Camp Pickett sahll have been eard from. Paymaster Winston's abstracts for November and December, 1860, are likewise transmitted. Two packages of papers for action of department commander are sent hereewith, with explanatory memoranda indorsed. A letter from Lieutenant Casey and map* (the latter put int eletter book for safe carriage) accompany this. Captain Pickett was promised a copy of the map. I ought t state that a letter to Captain Specer, Royal Navy, of December 20 (see letter book, PAGE222), remains unanswered. It is believed

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*On file in office of the Chief of Engineers.

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