450 HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA, 



of October 30, as the Treasury Department could not 

 collect duties on imports in California, their goods, 

 though dutiable, could be imported without paying 

 duty. I have held that this was not the construction 

 proper to be given to the circular, but only that the 

 law had not provided the means of collecting duties 

 here, that law being still in force which prohibits cer- 

 tain goods being introduced into the United States, 

 unless they pay duties as prescribed ; that conse- 

 quently no dutiable goods can be landed in California 

 unless they shall have paid their duties elsewhere — the 

 effect of which would be, that they could not be ad- 

 mitted at all from foreign ports. 



Under the circumstances, which showed a very hard 

 case, I thought it proper that the parties should be 

 allowed to deposit the amount of duties and land the 

 goods; but, lest this should be construed as giving 

 them a right for the future, and as the president may 

 think proper to put an end to this indulgence, I have 

 addressed a circular to all our consuls on these seas, 

 warning them of this possibility — a copy of which is 

 inclosed. 



I was directed, when coming here, by the Secretary 

 of War, to do all I could to facilitate the arrival of 

 the civil officers* of government in Oregon, as the 

 public service required their presence there. The 

 steamer in which we came here could go no farther 

 north, and there was no possible way of those gentle- 

 men getting there, except on a small vessel about sail- 

 ing, on which there were no accommodations. 



Commodore Jones kindly sent carpenters from the 

 fleet to put up some berths, and on General Adair's 

 (the collector's) representation, that no bedding could 

 be procured, I directed the quartermaster to issue him 



