apprehensions are, as yet, entertained at Vera Cruz of the design contemplated against the place. But it is to be feared that, before long, the movements of the army and other indications may excite suspicion. It would indeed be greatly to be regretted should so favorable an opportunity of making a successful attack on the town, as the present, pass without your being able to avail yourself of it.

Accounts received here state that General Wool had joined General Worth, at Monterey, about the 1st of January. The forces of Santa Anna had commenced their advance some days previously, from San Luis to Saltillo. The return of General Taylor to Monterey, which, from all accounts, seems likely, will probably have the effect of retarding your movements some weeks. I have the honor to be your obedient servant,

D. CONNOR, Commanding Home Squadron.

Major General Scorr.

HEAD-QUARTERS OF THE ARMY, Brazos Santiago, February 9, 1847. SIR: I despatch the sea-going steamer, the Eudora, with important despatches to the senior quartermaster at Tampico, which you will please call for and read.

All the transports for the reception of the 8,000 men, regulars. and old volunteers, here and at Tampico, were expected to leave New Orleans the 24th ultimo, and to touch at this place, by the 1st instant. But one has yet arrived! They were detained, first, for the want of extra water casks, and, I now learn, by the mail from New Orleans, for the want of seamen. Some of those ships, however, are soon expected here, and the quartermaster with me is taking up some, at hand, to supply deficiencies, as the season for military operations on the coast, south of you, is already short. A due proportion of all the means of water transportation, we can possibly command, will be sent to receive the 5,000 artillery and infantry, at Tampico, intended for my expedition; and I am very desirous, also, of taking with me the Tennessee cavalry and a greater number of the foot from the same place. The enemy having captured, about the 11th ultimo, my full despatches to Major General Taylor, with copies of those to Major General Butler, somewhere between Monterey and Victoria, my plans, views, and means, are now as well known at San Luis de Potosi, Mexico and Vera Cruz, as at these head-quarters. Hence my exceeding anxiety to take with me the largest possible number of troops, and my extreme impatience at the non-arrival of sufficient transports. Some, it is hoped, may be engaged at Tampico, and the instructions to the quartermaster there are on that subject.

The new regiments of volunteers, to accompany me, are the 1st and 2d Pennsylvania, the New York, the South Carolina and the Louisiana. The whole, or a part, of those regiments has passed

south, except the 2d Pennsylvania. The South Carolina, it is supposed, sailed, by some mistake committed at New Orleans, direct from Mobile to Lobos.

As transports may arrive at Tampico, I wish you to embark the troops under your command, as follows: 1. Twigg's brigade. 2. Pillow's brigade, and 3. Quitman's. As I have heretofore said, I shall give a brigade to Brigadier General Shields, unless the President shall have appointed some new brigadiers, with special instructions to place them in command of the new volunteers of my expedition. The Tennessee cavalry, as I have also said, I shall endeavor to provide transportation for, independent of any brigade, if it be now brigaded. My meaning is, that you will embark that regiment last, after all the troops on foot shall be afloat.

I shall throw all the regular troops, except the 500 cavalry, into two brigades, under Worth and Twiggs, respectively; and, besides your division, I may organize an independent brigade of volunteers. But I shall hold the organization of corps, larger than regiments, under advisement, until I shall have consulted you. The brigades of Worth and Twiggs will be equalized as near as may be.

I cannot leave this place for Tampico, &c., until some of the cruel uncertainties, in respect to the approach of transports, ordnance and ordnance stores, shall be removed. Sixty odd surf boats, out of one hundred and forty, are already up. I will make the descent near Vera Cruz if not another should arrive.

When the Massachusetts (steamer) shall appear off the bar of Tampico, please send a lighter to take me ashore.

I remain, sir, with great respect, &c., &c.,

WINFIELD SCOTT.

P. S. Any volunteers, over and above a reasonable garrison for Tampico, which may be obliged to leave in the first instance, it is my intention to send for as soon as practicable.

W. S.

2d P. S.-I wish you to detain the Eudora for troops, and, perhaps, part of her cabin may do for your head-quarters. The Massachusetts, in which I shall embark, will be filled with general staff officers and officers of the line. I expect Majors McRee and Kirby to join me.

Major General PATTERSON.

Memoranda for the commanding general.

W. S.

The six vessels fitted up at New Orleans, for the transportation of horses, will carry the dragoons and artillerists, with their horses, and those of the general staff and of the field officers of infantry and riflemen.

The six chartered and fitted up for troops will, with the Edith and Massachusetts, carry the balance of the troops of General

Worth's division; the Talbot, one of the six, having already sailed with upwards of 400.

The enclosed statement exhibits the number of vessels, now under the control of the department, available for the troops to be embarked at Tampico, with the number of men they can carry conveniently, and the number they might carry on an emergency. From this it will be perceived that there may be a deficiency of transportation, say for 1,800 men. To remedy this, in some measure, the Pharsalia and Medford, capable of carrying conveniently from 8 to 900 men, might be forced into the service.

The quartermaster general, in his letter to me, under date of the 1st instant, states that seven vessels, freighted with water, had sailed from New Orleans. Four of these may, certainly, be expected to touch here. He also makes mention of the Yazoo, a vessel which, not having been chartered when I left New Orleans, I can say nothing of her capacity. From these five vessels, however, something may reasonably be expected, and, at the lowest average, (they) may be assumed as capable of carrying 200 men each. Here, then, is transportation for the 5,000 men to be embarked at Tampico.

The master of the Louisa reports three brigs and several schooners in the harbor of Tampico, when he left, about a week since. To write, therefore, to Major McRee, and require him to secure transportation for 500 men certainly, and as many horses as possible-relying upon the former as certain-the Eudora, carrying 150 men and 30 horses, the whole or a portion of the mounted Tennessee volunteers (500) might be provided for.

It is possible that one of the six vessels mentioned in the first paragraph of this memorandum will also be available for the troops at Tampico. They are represented as capable of carrying from 120 to 250 horses-an average of which would be 185-affording means of transportation for 1,110 horses, whereas all the horses that are to be embarked here do not exceed 850.

But if, as I infer to be the case, from a paragraph in a letter from the adjutant general to the commanding general, shown to me this morning by Lieutenant Williams, the ten transports expected from the north have sailed, the means of transportation for 8,000 men will be abundant, independent of the Pharsalia and Medford, and independent of two or three steamers, which may be used to great advantage for other purposes. Respectfully submitted.

A. R. HETZEL, Captain and A. Quartermaster.

BRAZOS SAN IAGO, February 9, 1847.

Vessels available for the transportation of the troops at Tampico.

HEAD-QUARTERS OF THE ARMY,

Ship Massachusetts, off Lobos, February 28, 1847.

SIR: I left the Brazos the 15th, and Tampico the 20th instant, having done much official business at the latter place in a delay of some thirty hours.

But a small part of the transport engaged at New Orleans, under my orders of December 28, 1846, to receive troops at the Brazos and Tampico, had reported at the two places, and not one of the ten ordered by your memorandum of the 15th of that month, and the whole were due at the Brazos on the 15th of January.

Leaving orders at both places to supply deficiencies, by taking up any craft-ships, brigs, and schooners-that might chance to be in the way, I hastened to this first general rendezvous, where, as I had heard, the small pox had broken out among the volunteers. I was also anxious to learn what had become of the 2d Mississippi volunteers, which regiment I knew had sailed from New Orleans (without its arms) for the Brazos in January, its place of debarkation, under my general orders No. 6, of the 30th of that month. By the strangest misapprehension or fatality, consequent on obeying a prior instead of a later order received, I found one of the transports of this regiment off Tampico, and the other two here, neither having called off the Brazos, where the three ships had been long, in our difficulties, relied upon to receive other troops.

* Now known to be in dock at New Orleans, and not expected here in time. FEBRUARY 12, 1847.

W. S.

The several detachments of the Mississippians were, as I successively came up with them, ordered back to the Brazos; but, considering the accidents and delays on this terrible coast, the ships cannot be up with me again, with troops, in time for the descent. Indeed, the season has already so far advanced, in reference to the usual return of the yellow fever on this coast, that I can now only wait a day or two longer for Brevet Brigadier General Worth, delayed as above, and for part of the regulars, yet behind with the great.body of old volunteers, from Tampico. All the troops from the Brazos are up, except the field batteries and the cavalry; and I am very anxious to have, in the descent, the whole of Pillow's, Quitman's, and Shields's volunteer brigades, now reduced to an average of about 430 men per regiment, but become quite efficient from tactical instruction and habits of subordination. But, I repeat, I cannot wait more than forty-eight hours for any body, except Brevet Brigadier General Worth, and Duncan's and Taylor's horse artillery companies, or for anything behind; and two-thirds of the ordnance and ordnance stores, and half the surf-boats, are yet unheard of, although Adjutant General Jones reported to me, on the 23d ultimo, that all those objects had been then shipped, and were under way for the Brazos; and so he wrote, as I understand him, that I might soon expect the ten transports, in ballast, from Atlantic ports, ordered by you, as arranged with me.

Perhaps no expedition was ever so unaccountably delayed-by no want of foresight, arrangement, or energy on my part, as I dare affirm-under circumstances the most critical to this entire army; for every body relied upon, knew from the first, as well as I knew, that it would be fatal to us to attempt military operations on the coast after, probably, the first week in April, and here we are at the end of February.

Nevertheless, this army is in heart; and, crippled as I am in the means required and promised, I shall go forward, and expect to take Vera Cruz and its castle in time to escape, by pursuing the enemy, the pestilence of the coast.

As I said in my last report, (of the 12th instant,) I have not received a line from you, or one written by your direction, of a date later than the 4th ultimo.

I found here, the 21st instant, the 1st and 2d Pennsylvania regiments, the South Carolina regiment, two-thirds of the Louisiana regiment, (since ordered to join the other third at Tampico, as part of the garrison of that place,) besides the detachments of the Mississippi regiment, before mentioned, and a third of the New York regiment. The latter is now complete, and an eleventh company is also up with the South Carolinians.

The first detachment of the Louisianians, under the colonel, (De Russey,) was stranded, as I heretofore reported, nearly opposite to this island, but succeeded in reaching Tampico. That regiment, the Maryland and Washington battalion, and one company of regular artillery-the whole to be under the command of Colonel Gates, of the army-were designated as the garrison of that city. Its field works are by this time finished.