This being a matter of great moment to them, as well as of official interest to yourself, I have felt constrained to write to you this letter, and have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JAMES H. CARLETON,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

EXECUTIVE OFFICE,

Olympia, Wash. Ter., October 18, 1862.

General B. ALVORD,

Fort Vancouver, Wash. Ter.:

DEAR SIR: Judge Hewitt and family arrived at this place yesterday safely and in good health from the States by the overland route of the South Pass, and from him I learn that he had the satisfaction of seeing you as he came through Vancouver, when he explained to you at full length all that he had previously heard about the truly horrible murders and roberries committed by the Snake (and perhaps by other) Indians, and it si generally believed that villainous white men have been mixed up with those atrocious savages, completing the gangs of white and Indian land pirates, thieves, and murderers. This is a said and bloody PAGEin the history of our overland emigration to the gold diggings of Oregon and of this Territory. This black picture of the past season's emigration points out the positive and determined necessity of such suitable provision being made for the protection of the next year's emigration as shall completely put it out of the power of any black hearted redskin or whiteskin devils in human shpae from injuring or jeopardizing either the life or limb or property of any one man, woman, or child who may desire to travel across any part of the soil of the United States between the Missouri and the Columbia Rivers. For the numerous robberies and murders that have been committed upon overland travelers during every season for many years past, and with continuous impunity, for I have never heard of any of the vile criminals being justly punished, so that the escape from worse punsihment of all the vast numbers of those cruel murderers and robbers seems to have operated as a license and as an encouragement for murderers and thieves to select the overland travel road as their field of operations, their harvest field of plunder, of robbery, and of murder. And I now pledge you my troth that I will do everything in my power to assist to do full justice andemnity, and inflict just and righteous punishment and satisfaction for the past crimes of those marauding guerrillas, whether red or white, and to insure peaceful security for all travelers over our roads for the future. And I am very confident that you will cheerfully do all in your power to carry into full effect whatever plan may be finally agreed upon and adopted, by which to insure the success of such highly desirable and necessary action. And whatever plan may be decided on, we shall have to rely and depend upon your well-known zeal and energy in the cause of right, truth, and justice to carry such highly benevolent and holy purposes into successful execution.

Judge Hewitt also informs me that quite a large number of hardy, enterprising miners and settlers are going to remain during the coming winter at their mining claims, and they are all scattered widely about in companies and squads at long distances apart from each other, and scatteringly spread over a widely extended mining region of country; and in his opinion those miners and settlers will stand in as much need of military protection to save them from Indian depredations during