to you a copy of Special Orders,* No. 117, of this date, from these headquarters, by which you will perceive that I hae accordingly ordered him to Fort Boise. Doctor Lee, just arrived from Fort Stilacoom, says that Lieutenant-Colonel English is lame, having a month since met with a fall, receiving an injury near the kneepan, and was on crutches, but it ought not to be permanent.

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

BENJ. ALVORD,

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

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE PACIFIC, San Frnacisco, October 17, 1863.

ADJUTANT-GENERAL U. S. ARMY,
Washington, D. C.:

SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith, first, copy of a letter received from Rear-Admiral Kingcome, commander-in-chief of Her Majesty's naval forces, datet October 1, 1863; second, my reply to above, dated October 3, 1863; third copy of letter addressed to my headquarters by Captain Winder, Third Artillery, dated October 6, 1863; fourth, letter received from Rear-Admiral Kingcome, datet October 7, 1863; fifth, my reply to above, dated October 15, 1863. + The admiral having sailed from this port before I had an opportunity of acknowledging the receipt of his communication of the 7th, my last letter was sent through the British consul at this place. It has always been a pleasure for me to treat foreign officers visiting our country with the greatest courtesy and respect. The explanations given to the admiral in my letter of the 3d, and that of Captain Winder of the 6th of October, I doubted not would be perfectly satisfactory, but it seems that the admiral did not view the occurrences in the same light as I did, and expressed his regret in his letter of the 7th of October "that no ackowledgment had been offered for this disregard of the courtesies usually extended toward the ships of war of all friendly nations. " I must further remark that the fact of Admiral Kingcome having entered the harbor of San Francisco with Her Majesty's ship Sutlej and proceeding directly for Saucelito, and unusual anchorage, was sufficient in itself to create suspcions in the mind of Captain Winder as to the character and designs of the ship, more particularly as Captain Winder states that he could not distinguish her flag, and that she was being towed in the direction of Raccoon Straits.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

G. WRIGHT,

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

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE PACIFIC, San Francisco, October 17, 1863.

Brigadier-General ALVORD,
Fort Vancouver, Wash. Ter.:

GENERAL: The general commanding the department directs me to say that he authorizes you to make such changes in position of troops

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*Omitted.

+See pp. 633,638,640 (two), 647.

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