Gaston about the 6th of September. An officer and twenty men of Company C will be retained at Camp Curtis for escort service between that place and Fort Gaston. Upon the arrival of Company C at your post the commissined officers and forty enlisted men of Company B (inclusive of Sergent Underwood's detahment) will be dispatched to Camp Curtis, and for this movement hold yourself in readiness. THis will leave at Fort Gaston Company C, except escort detahment, and all the enlisted men of Company B over the numbe of forty. Should it be necessay, Lieutenant Hale can remain at Fort Gaston for a few days until an officer of Compay C has an opportunity to acquaint himself with the duties now performed by Lieutenant Hale, though it is preferable thathe latter officer continue with his ompany. The lieutenant- colonel commanding desires that the escort fort he U. S. mail continue as at present; also that the men ordered to Cmap Curtis consist of those fit for active duty, and for the most part familiar with the country in the vicinity of Arcata.

By order of Lieutenant Colonel S. G. Whipple, commanding Humboldt Military District:

A. W. HANNA,

First Lieutenant and Adjt. First Batt. Mountianeers, Cal. Vols.,

Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADUQARTES DEAPRTMENT OFOREGON,

Fort Vanouver, Wash. Ter., August 28, 1863.

Brigadier G en. J. W . RIPLEY,

Chief of Ordnance, Washington City, D. C.:

GENERAL: Allow me agin to invite your attention to the matter of haeavy ordnance for the mouth of the Columbia promised in your letter of the 22nd of Deceiber last. Captain G. H. Elliot, Corps of Engineers, has for some time been at work building batteries at the mouth of the Columbia. Allow me to remind you that he recommends that some of the guns for Cape Disappointment should have depression carriages, as in some portions of the channel vessels would come iwthin a quarter of a mile or less of the cape.

I have t honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

BENJ. ALVORD,

Brigadier- General, U. S. Volunteers, Commanding District.

HEADUQARTERS DISTRICT OF OREGON,

Fort Vancouver, Wash. Ter., August 28, 1863.

Captain G. H. ELLIOT,

Corps of Engineers, in Charge of Construction of Batteries,

Cape Disappointment, near Astoria, Oreg.:

CAPTAIN: I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 13th of July stating that you had arrived aqt Cpae Disappointment to commence the erection of batteries at the mouth of the Columbia. I write to invite you to pay me a visit, but I have a favor to ask of you- that on our way up the river you will get the steamer Couch to permit you to examine an island int he river presenting, according to Captain J. C. Ainsworth (president Oregon Steam Navigation CompanY), extraordinary advnatges as a place on which to plant a battery. He calls it Three Tree Point or Three Tree Island. It is in the lower portion of