TO CORPUS CHRISTI. 517 
even to defray the expenses of the officers and men to 
their homes. The money was tendered to me on my 
drafts by several houses to the amount of seventy-five 
thousand dollars, if I decided to go on with the sur- 
vey; but the instructions sent me on this point were 
clear, and however desirous I was to complete the 
work, the will of my government must be obeyed, no 
matter at how great a sacrifice. The Honorable Se- 
cretary directed me, if I already had the means, to con- 
tinue operations on the Rio Grande, if not, to cease 
altogether and return home. The intention of Con- 
gress was doubtless to break up the survey, and my 
duty was to submit. 
The next step was to disband the Commission as 
svon as possible, to get the officers and men to their 
homes, and to place the valuable property of the go- 
vernment where it could be taken care of at the least 
expense, and where it would be convenient, should 
Congress, on further reflection, remove the proviso and 
order the survey to be resumed. 
To reach Washington or New York from this dis- 
tant place would cost a considerable sum; and | found 
my means quite insufficient to defray the expenses of 
more than one half of those whom the government 
was bound to transport back to the places from which 
they came. Here was a sad dilemma for a large body 
of men to be placed in by an act of Congress, without 
any fault on their part—men who had been most ardu- 
ously engaged on a toilsome and dangerous service for 
two years and a half, risking life and health in the 
faithful performance of their duties. I would have 
been justified in selling off at once, at public auction, 
