HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE PACIFIC,

San Francisco, Cal., December 31, 1861.

Brigadier General L. THOMAS,

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

GENERAL: Since my communications of the 19th and 20th instant nothing of importance has occurred in the department. I am throwing forward supplies to Fort Yuma as rapidly as possible. To-morow a steamer will leave here for the mouth of the Colorado River, laden with subsistence and other stores required for the movement of Colonel Carleton's expedition. It is 2,000 miles to the mouth of the Colorado, af which point the stores must be reshipped on small river steamer for Fort Yuma. I have also embarked on the steamer a guard of one company of the Fifth California Volunteer Infantry, eighty-eight strong, commanded by a reliable officer, who has received special instructions. Additional supplies and means of transportation are also being forwarded to San Pedro, the port of Los Angeles, Southern California, 450 miles from this place, from thence to be sent by land to Fort Yuma, 300 miles. I am gradually moving a portion of the Second Cavalry and the whole of the Fifth California Volunteer Infantry to Southern California, to replace the troops designated for Carleton's expedition. The latter will not advance to Fort Yuma until advices are received of the arrival at that place of the stores shippped by sea. The expedition of Colonel Carleton is one of considerable magnitude, and, operating on a long line remove from its source of supplies, cannot with propriety advance from Yuma until fully prepared for the campaign. Fort Yuma is being fortified and will be securely held by a strong reserve. Under the command of Colonel Carleton, an officer of skill, experience, and sound judgment, we have the strongest assurance that the expedition will be successful. The weather for many days past has been tempetuous in the extreme. The floods east and north of this city have destroyed a vast amount of property and almost entirely suspended our mail communications. The telegraph has not been in operation for several days.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

G. WRIGHT,

Brigadier-General, U. S. Army, Commanding.

OFFICE INDIAN AFFAIRS, NORTHERN DIST. OF CALIFORNIA,

San Francisco, December 31, 1861.

Brigadier-General WRIGHT:

SIR: Your letter of the 24th instant was not received until yesterday. It gives me great pleasure to know that you have adopted the only efficient and certain means, in my opinion, of securing a permanene peace in the northern district of this State, and to assure you, as far as I possibly can, I will co-operate in carrying out the purposes in view. It is well known that I have not been placed in means to employ a force sufficient to collect and remove the more hostile bands of Indians that inhabit the interior of Humboldt and Mendocino Counties, where they are so much complained of; nevertheless; within the last three months I have succeeded in the removal of about 1,000 or more to the Klamath, Nome Cult, and Mendocino Reservation from those counties. Permit me to call your attention to the fact of the entire loss of everything on the Klamath Reservation by the recent flood in that country, consisting of buildings, fences, provisions, and products of every kind, leaving over 2,000 Indians entirely destitute. This will show you the impossibility of providing anything in that quarter at present for additional