WAR DEPARTMENT,

Washington, October 9, 1864.

Major-General McDOWELL,

San Francisco:

A party of rebels at Havana have undertaken to seize a steamer running between San Francisco and Idaho. There are fifteen of them, and ten had started in two or three squads before October 1. They are to rendezvous at Idaho November 15, and embark as passengers. their captain is Thomas E. Hogg, alias Edgerton, alis Esson. His executive officer is named Bradshaw; purser is William Black, of New Orleans; midshipman, Edward Swain, New Orleans; engineers, John Smith, alias Hiddle, Mobile; Timothy O'Grady, New York; George Murch, New York, for some time a resident of Mobile; Thomas Grattan, New Orleans. Hogg, Black, and Smith were to leave Havana, via Saint Thomas, on 5th or 6th instant.

C. A. DANA.

FORT YAMHILL, OREG., October 9, 1864.

Lieutenant Colonel R. C. DRUM,

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

SIR: I have the honor to inform the general commanding the Department of the Pacific that in pursuance of Special Orders, Numbers 121, headquarters District of Oregon, September 22, 1864, Fort Hiskins, Oreg., was evacuated on the 7th instant, the command moving to and taking post at Fort Yamhill, Oreg. I would also most respectfully inform you that I have this day assumed command at this post.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

L. S. SCOTT,

Captain, Fourth Infantry California Volunteers, Commanding Post.

(Same to Acting Assistant Adjutant-General, District of Oregon.)

[OCTOBER 9, 1864. -For Carleton to Lorenzo Thomas, relating to the reorganozation of California volunteers, &c., see Vol. XLI, Part III, p. 743.]

OFFICE PROVOST-MARSHAL, MIDDLE DIST. OF CLIFORNIA,

Sacramento, Cal., October 10, 1864.

Brigadier General JOHN S. MASON,

Acting Assistant Provost-Marshal-General:

SIR: Agreeably to your request I send herewith a copy of so much of a former report as gives the work of the two degrees of the order. I do this because the work was first learned as it was given and used in Nevada Territory. I give in this the modifications as the work is now used here and as I suppose it is used over there, as I am informed that the same instructions have been sent overr. First modification: The password of thirty-third degree is curtailed by leaving out the word "all," and thus given as before, "Death to traitors. " Second modification: The password, "Andalusia," which was used as a test password in the second degree or fifty-seventh degree, is now used as a password to enter the meetings of the thirty-third, and is given as