charge, but under the cirucmstnaces it could not be done. I finally concluded to employ him for one day, and sent Lieutenant Wellman with a proposition to that effect, but on his arrival at Oak Grove the train had gone, and as my instructions to him were not to follow unless he (Sanford) was but a short distance on the road from that point, I have missed the transportqation and disarranged you rplans, gbut from no fault of mine, as I conceive. Your orders not to employ, or rather to discharge, their train upon their arrivel here, were positive, but the whole cause is the delay of your messenger. He has been nearly five days on the road, and rpeorts havign broken down several horses. Your calculation as to the time of arrival here of Colonel Andrews' command was exact, and twenty-four hours earlier arrival of the express would have found the train here, and our camp would now have been at Oak Grove, just where Iwant to be at this particular time if the information is correct which I have received from your informant. I will now have to remain here until our own train reutnrs, which will not be before the 20th and perhaps not before the 23d, as it has been raining in torrents for several days. To-day we have had a specimen of the climate on this ranch. While I am writing (9. 40 p. m.) the train is falling in torrents and the wind is whistling through the camp. If we have any tents standing in the morning I will consider ourselves fortunate. It will depend altogether upon the peg ropes and guys. It was reported to me to-day that the messenger stopped, unsaddled, and remained at Oak Grove for three hours. He must have pursued the same course at other places on the route. The horse he brought in here was entirely broken down, and I had to furnish him with another to proceed to Yuma. Your communication of the15th instant came in this mronign early, and as Colonel Andrews' command has gone on and you have been notified of it I will send him (expressman) back in the mornign to Los Angeles. My officers are very busy getting their returns in shape, but without proper blanks it will bedifficult for them to have them perfect. I forwarded the post returns to your headquarters a few days since, as well as our weekly return. For several days I had not paper enough in camp to make one out on, and finally had to consolidate. I had sent to Lieutenant Thompson, acting assistant quartermaster, San Diego, several times for some stationery, but he would not send it. I think from the reports of Acting Assistant Quartermaster Vestal, Wagon-master Peale, and Sergeant Wheeling, both he and Captain Roberts were anything but courteous. Major Haller sent mesome, which arrived to-day by the ambulance from San Diego. Colonel West sent on the post ambulance with Mrs. Captain Dryer, and as I had no mules for our own I sent it on the San Diego ambulance with her, and by instructions fro him will keep it here until I hear from him. I intend to send to Oak Grove a lookout for my friend, Mr., Showalter, and will stop him if I can catch him or anyone else whom I know to be as deeply dyed a traitor as he is. He has not the excause that some others have of being born and educated in the South. He is a Pennsylvania, and never lived in a Southern State in his life, and could have no sympathies of a family nature to excuse him, and I wan to see him and a few more. If the party is as large as you rinformant thinks it is we may have an opportunity to expend some extra cartridges. I have an Indians prisoner here that I would like to have some disposition made of or receive some instructions in regard to him. He has killed several Indians lately, and the chiefs in council decided to hand him over to me for safe-keeping until they could here from the superintendent of Indian affairs. I addressed a letter to Mr. Baker, supervisor of Indian affairs for the southern district, located at Los Angeles, but