in the northern part of this State that much valuable information might be grained and many of the complications which have heretofore locked the Indian and military departments would no doubt be satisfactorily disposed of.

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

AUSTIN WILEY,

Superintendent of Indian Affairs, California.

[Indorsement.]

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE PACIFIC,
San Francisco, August 8, 1864.

Respectfully forwarded.

I have no doubt Colonel Black could give valuable information to the Department of the Interior, and suggest this communication be referred to that Department, that, if the Secretary should approve, he may be directed to communicate it in person.

IRVIN McDOWELL,

Major-General, Commanding Department.

SPECIAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. DEPARTMENT OF THE PACIFIC, Numbers 168.
San Francisco, Cal., August 2, 1864.

* * * * *

4. The superintendent of Indian affairs for the State of California having reported that there were no longer any Indians in the vicinity of Fart Tejon, that post will be abandoned, and the troops garrisoning it will proceed to and take post at Drum Barracks with the last train carrying Government property. Measures will be taken at once by the proper staff deprtments to remove to the Wilmington depot in the most economical way all the movable public property.

By command of Major-General McDowell:

RICHD. C. DRUM,
Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA,

Drum Barracks, Cal., Los Angeles County, August 4, 1864.

Colonel R. C. DRUM,

Asst. Adjt. General, Hdqrs. Dept. of the Pacific, San Francisco, Cal.:

COLONEL: I have the honor to communicate for the information of the major-general commanding that a few weeks since the secession population of this county was unusually busy in overhauling and repairing its fire-arms-private property. That those localities having secession majorities were visited by two strangers traveling from the northward, who evidently were emissaries of the Confederacy, and whose business was to advise and assist in having their friends armed. That this activity extended beyond the limits of the county I am not advised. The information is considered worthy of communicating, as indicating prearranged plans having their origin beyond this vicinity. During the month of May last I dispatched Captain Sanchez, then commanding a company of native California cavalry at this post, to Lower California in order to obtain information of the number of Americans located across the boundary of the United States in Mexican territory. The