PERSONAL ACCOUNT 



13 



Interior^ at rresidio del Norte^ and Avitliout which tlic work wouhl have been snspended at that 

 point, had also been protested. 



The protest was dated after the deficiency bill and the appropriation bill had become law^s of 

 the land. This settled the business. I had before this sent an ag;ent to San Antonio to see what 

 could be done^ and unofficial advices are this day received, informing me the largest draft ha=! 

 fallen into hands of persons having, I know, large and just claims against the commission ; so 

 the whole object of my rerj^nisition, which was to have twenty thousand dollars here in c«i»h to 

 discharge and reorganize parties concentrating on this point, in defeated. 



I made the requisition for that limited amount, supposing you, of course, would follow on im- 

 mediately and join me here. Under these circumstances, seeing the work about to be suspended 

 and myself placed in so false a position, T immediately, on the receipt of the notification that 

 my draft was repudiated.in "Washington, despatched Lieutenant Michler to asmiain the cause, 

 and correct, if possible, the delinquencies. 



I have now been one year on this work without receiving a dollar from you, and have been 

 obliged to sustain It by a system of credits, promises and threats, wholly unknown to our 

 government. Considering the munificent appropriations made by Congro^, I cannot think 

 the survey has received anything like its just proportion of the funds. 



I received by mail your letter informing me you could not keep your engagement to meet me 

 at this place ; in consequence of which I have this day made a requisition for funds directly on 

 the Department of the Interior, to prevent, if possible, a suspension of the work, and the 

 scenes of disorder tliat must ensue if the parties collecting here are detained for want of means 

 to send them on or discharge them. 



I regret to learn by your letter that you have taken Mr. Radziminski and assistants with 

 you, as two opportunities presented themselves since your arrival, and that of Mr. AVhii^ple, 



at El Paso, by either of which he and his party could have joined us with ease and safety. 



I regret to learn, also, from Lieutenant Whipjile, that you have not seen proper to furnish 

 him with funds, I understood your letter as agreeing to my proposition that it was necessary 

 ^to furnish with funds each chief of party. 



So many and so complicated have become the difficulties growing out of the long continued 

 absence of yourself, in whom rest all the moneyed powers of the commission, that I would, to 

 obviate them and other difficulties, leave my work and go to any point to meet you ; but your 

 letter is indefinite both as to time and place of meeting, and, for the present, I content 



myself with sending this to the place you name as the most probable to meet you — Camargo^ 



or rather Hinggold barracks, the American post opposite. 



My estimate for the year 1852 was |90,000 ; not a cent too much, though many of the items 

 in that estimate would, from my increased experience, now be changed. This estimate was 

 made at El Paso in duplicate, accompanied by letter. 'One copy was directed to you at, I 

 think, San Diego, and the other copy was directed to you through the Department of the 

 Interior. If you were not in jilace to receive it, that is no fault of mine, and surely can never 

 be used as a reason for the distressing and unusual condition in which I am placed, both 

 personally and officially, by the total failure to keep the working people of this commission 

 supplied with a portion of the munificent funds voted by Congress for this work.* 



For a statement of all the money voted by Congress for this survey, see statement at the end of this chapter. 



