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Show uu 614 Ex. Doc. No. 41. lated to work by three dollars per month ancl rt~pcaterl floggings. We encamped a quarter of a mile west of the warm spring. Jf.•.ving heard of a herd of mules 15 miles hence, uelonging to }'jorcs, the insurgent chief, Lieutenant Davidson, with 25 mrn , was d£·, patched with Carson and San tlers, to see if we eoul d get a remount; 1 hey utarted at dark. A Mr. Stokes, an Englishman, who l1ves 15 mil es hen ce, came to camp, aud gave us ~nformation tl1at Commodore Stockton was at Dic~o, with the l,• rger part of his naYal force; th~t he had to remain nrutrnL A letter was sent to Commorlore Stockton, and it was determined to rewain atthispo.nt ut til morn· ing, and detPrmine wLcther lo march up on San Dil•go or the Pueblo, or to halt on the Sonora outlet, until it was l·nown wl at was to be don~ with the American prisone rs said to be in the, hands of the rrlllch eros. Vv e hear that the Californians are v~ ry sa .,·age, killing any of their people whom they su~peet of trea~hery, and forcing those who w<• re unwilling to j nin t ltt' m. V,' e were stru ck with the fact that a furious wi,,J blew in our f.H.;es as we approached the coast range, but after crossing it, we found all calm, and were tol<l there had been no wind. December 3.-Lieutenant Davidson and CarRon returned about noon, with a large gaJJ~ of tame and wild animals, most of which are sail to ue1ong to Flores, tl1e Califurnian general. After them, came a party of French, Engli.·b, and a Chillian, claiming their ridi_ng animals, as they were going out of the country, which the general gave the1. . Many of the animals from the herd were put into service, and arrangements madr to secure the balance by driving them into some safe place in the mountains. Laid by for the rest of the day; did not have time to examin~ the Taw a Caliente; but it is sairl to be remarkable. Decembe1· 4.-Marched at 9, and took the route for San Diegt>, lo communicate with the naval forces auu to establish our de pot, not knowing yet in what slate we would find the country. lVIarchecl 15 miles in a rain, cold and disagreeable, and encamped at St. Isabella, a fo1 mer ranch of San Die go miss1on, now, by hook or by crook, in the possession of an Englishrnan named Stokes; here hospitality was held out to us-Stokes l1aviug gone to San Diego. We ate h eartily of stewed and roast multon and tortillas. We heard of. a party of Californians, of 80 men, encamperl at a distance from th1s; but the informant varied from 16 to 30 miles in his acc@unts, rendering it too uncertaiu to JJJake a dash on them in a dark, stormy night; so we slept till m rning. HEAD· QUAltTERS oF THE ARMY oF THE WEsT, San D'iego, ( Cal7Jornia,) January 25, 1847. The foregoin~ is a 1itera1 copy of the roug\1 notes of my lr\te aidd e- r·" m p , Cap t am A. R . J o H :r-.. s ToN , 1 . t d r fl go on s, who was kill f> d at daybrt>ak on the 6th December, 1846, in an action with the Cal'fornians at San Pasqual. S. W. KE~RNY, BTigadter General. |