Fort Dalles to Fort Vancouver. These movements to be made without delay, the quartermaster's department furnishing the necessary transportation.

* * * * * * *

By order of Colonel Wright:

JNO S. MASON,

First Lieutenant, 3rd Regiment of Artillery, and Actg. Asst. Adjt. General

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE PACIFIC,
San Francisco, May 29, 1861.

Honorable PABLO DE LA GUERRA,

JAMES L. ORD, Esq., and others,

Santa Barbara, Cal.:

GENTLEMEN: The general commanding the teparment has received your communication of the 22nd instant. He directs me to reply that the more pressing necessity for the presence of troops at other points will render the establishment of a post at Santa Barbara at this time impracticable.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

D. C. BUELL,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS FOURTH INFANTRY,
Fort Dalles, Oreg., May 29, 1861.

ASSISTANT ADJUTANT-GENERAL,

Department of the Pacific, San Francisco, Cal.:

SIR: The present would seem to be not an inappropriate time to invite the attention of the commanding general of the department to the very scattered positions of the Fourth Infantry and to respectfully request him, if not incompatible with the general interests of the service, to make such changes therein as will bring them more immediately under the supervision of the regimental commander. The regiment now occupies almost the entire length and no inconsiderable portion of the breadth of the Department of the Pacific, the companies being garrisoned at ten different posts and the commander with his headquarters at a post without even one of those companies with him. This post is the proper station of Major R. S. Garnett, Ninth Infantry, who is reported on the monthly return as "absent without leave," and who was assigned to it in August, 1859, and is supposed to be on his return to it at this time. Could the companies of the Fourth Infantry now serving in Oregon and at the Cascades be transferred to Puget Sound and those of the Ninth on the Sound be transferred to Oregon, I think it would be beneficial to the interests of the service and would give each regiment a more direct interest in the section in which it would be serving. Should it not be deemed advisable, however, to make this arrangement, it would gratify me to have my headquarters changed to a more central position with regard to the stations of the regiment, or to have one of the detached companies ordered to this post.

I am, sir, respectfully, your obedient servant,

ROBT. C. BUCHANAN,

Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel and Major Fourth Infantry, Commanding.