The utmost that can be expected from them is the occasional capture of a few Indians by some lucky chance. The Indians can suddenly attack and destroy at some unexpected point, and immediately scatter and disappear as they have hitherto done. Whenever the troops approach they will have only to shift from one to another of the innumerable hiding places with which the whole country is covered, and the work of capturing them and bringing them in would never be completed. In view of these difficulties the only feasible plan, as it seems to me, to be adopted it, to start from Humboldt Bay as a base; to begin the district immediately around it and comprised within the semi-circle having the short tline as its diameter, and described from this post as a center, with a radius of, say, twenty miles (the district is mostly covered with a dense forest, in many parts never yet explored by white men, and known to be constantly ifested with the very Indians who have been committing some of the late outrages, and probably furnishing secure hiding places for large numbers of them(; to keep a force amply sufficient for the purpose constantly employed in scouring this district in every direction, until every square yard has been explored, every rancheria destroyed, and every Indian in it has been killed, captured, or permanently drive away. When this has been done, when so much ground has been permanently recovered from the enemy, and not before, to describe another semi-circle from the same center concentric with the former and exterior to it, and with an increase of radius of, say, twenty miles. Reconquer this from the enemy in the same manner, and so continue until the entire country is cleared of them. The region included between the shore of the bay, Mad River on the north and Eel River on the south, and as far back as the Iaqua Ranch, would be about such a district as I have first described. I gave this district, calling it the fort Humboldt District, in charge to Captain Akey, commanding the cavalry company garrisoning this post. In the one or two short scouts he made he killed 2 Indians and captured some 30 more, but the limited number of men that he could keep in the field I found to be entirely insufficient for the purpose in view, and since the recent outrages have compelled me to use up his company in detachments, escorts, and expresses, these expeditions have had to be, of course, abandoned entirely. In fact, to carry out the plan I have described promptly and effectually a whole regiment ought to be used, but two companies would certainly be the minimum required.

(Picture*)

In this semi-ellipse, A - H represents the shore of the Humboldt Bay; its two nodes, A and H, Arcata and Fort Humboldt, respectively. Now, the only communication between Arcata and Fort Humboldt are, first, by water, a very expensive one, and second, b a trail around the bay of fifteen miles, the worst in the country and destructive to animals. A and H must, therefore, be each an independent base and pivot of operations. If one company be posted at each of these points the two together might perhaps suffice, by unremitting exertions, to clear the entire segment of the semi-ellipse of Indians, but certainly not less than this force could be expected to do it. I trust that this statement explains why I reported in my last letter two more companies (besides one to garrison this post) to be indispensable. Considering the