officer, non-commissioned officer, or soldier, under his command, or has reason to believe the same to be the case, immediately to arrest and bring to trial such offenders."

Nothing further was heard from Mr. Mason for over three years. Soon after the events just recited, Col. Fremont was sent home by Gen. Kearney under arrest. In the fall of the following year he returned overland to California, and as he entered the territory from the east, Col. Mason left by a steamer from the west, for the United States. In 1850 Fremont went to Washington as United States senator. Just at the close of the session, and when he was about starting again with his family for California, he received a note from Col. Mason—the first since that of May, 1847-informing him that if he would come out to St. Louis (where Mason was then residing) he should have the satisfaction which he (Mason) had promised him just three years and ahalf before. Of course Col. Fremont paid no attention to the letter. He sailed in a few days for California, whither the intelligence not long after followed, of Col. Mason's death.

We will now resume the thread of our narrative.

General Kearney broke up his camp near Sutter's fort on the day after issuing the order of the 14th of June, and set out for the United States, attended by Col. Fremont, who was treated, however, with deliberate disrespect throughout the journey. The party reached Fort Leavenworth about the 22d of August. On that day General Kearney sent for him, and directed Lieut. Wharton to read to him a copy of the first paragraph of an order he had just issued of that date, as follows:

"FORT LEAVENWORTH, August 22, 1847.

"Lieutenant Col. Fremont, of the regiment of mounted riflemen, will turn over to the officers of the different departments at this post, the horses, mules, and other public property in the use of the topographical party now under his charge, for which receipts will be given. He will arrange the accounts of these men (nineteen in number) so that they can be paid at the earliest possible date. Lieutenant Colonel Fremont having performed the above duty will consider himself under arrest, and will then repair to Washington City and report himself to the Adjutant General of the Army."

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Thus, like Columbus, Col. Fremont returned from the discovery and conquest of a New World beyond the Rocky Mountains, a prisoner and in disgrace. Like Columbus his achievements and rapid promotion, had awakened the jealousy of certain sordid hearts and narrow minds, and like Columbus, instead of being permitted to continue his researches in the vast region which he had first brought within the reach of science, he was required to come home and defend himself from the attacks of men who had just sense enough to envy his successes without the ability to achieve them.

Col. Fremont repaired at once to Washington, where he arrived on or about the 16th of September. His journey led him through St. Louis, the first city that he entered upon his return to his native country after a most eventful absence of nearly two years. The history of his brilliant achievements had preceded him, and the reception which he met with, compensated him to some extent for the indignities to which he had been subjected in his tedious journey over the plains from California. He was immediately addressed by a large number of the most respectable citizens of St. Louis,

who, after congratulating him upon his safe arrival and recapitulating his claims to public admiration, tendered him an invitation to a public dinner, as a token of their esteem and regard. He was touched by this most seasonable evidence of undiminished confidence, and immediately addressed them the following reply:

LETTER FROM COL. FREMONT TO THE CITIZENS OF ST. LOUIS.

"ST. LOUIS, August 30th, 1847.

"GENTLEMEN: I had the pleasure this morning to receive your letter of this date, in which, with many kind assurances of welcome and congratulations on my return, you honor with the strong expression of your approbation, my geographical labors during the recent explorations in Oregon and North California, and the military operations in which sudden emergencies involved me in California.

"I beg you to receive my earnest acknowledgments for the very favorable notice you have bestowed upon the published results of those expeditions, and I regret that events which interrupted, and more recent circumstances which abruptly terminated the last exploration, will permit me to give only a brief and imperfect account of California, and of the intervening basin, which it had been the great object of the expedition to explore and determine.

"The labor of many years in the interest of science, undertaken and sustained with only a distant hope of gaining your good opinion, has received, in the rapid progress of events, an earlier reward than I could possibly have hoped for or anticipated; but I am free to say that the highest pleasure I received from the perusal of your letter, was derived from your decided approval of my political course in North California. Circumstances there made us, in connection with the emigrants to that country, involuntary witnesses, and unwilling actors at the birth of a great nation, but to which we now consider it our great

good fortune to have aided in securing the blessings of peace with civil and religious liberty.

"Placed in a critical and delicate position, where imminent danger urged immediate action, and where the principal difficulty lay in knowing full well what must be done; where in a struggle barely for the right to live, every effort to secure our safety involved unusual and grave responsibilities, I could only hope from your forbearance a suspension of judgment until, with full possession of facts, you would be able to determine understandingly.

"I had the gratification, on my arrival, to find that neither remoteness of situation, nor the more immediately important and interesting events at home, had diverted your attention from our conduct, but from a knowledge only of the leading occur rences in California, it had been fully justified and sustained.

"I regret that, under present circumstances, I cannot have the pleasure of meeting you at the dinner you have done me the honor to offer me, but I beg you to accept the assurances of the high and grateful sense which I entertain of your kindness and regard, and the very flattering manner in which you have expressed it.

"With sentiments of respect and consideration, I am, gentlemen, your very obedient servant,

"J. C. FREMONT."

CHAPTER X.

FREMONT ARRIVES AT WASHINGTON-DEMANDS A COURT MARTIAL ILLNESS AND DEATH OF HIS MOTHER-COURT MARTIAL ORDERED-ITS ORGANIZATION AND PROGRESS-FREMONT'S DEFENCE-VERDICT OF THE

COURT-SENTENCE

REMITTED BY THE PRESIDENT-RESIGNS HIS COMMISSION AND RETIRES FROM THE ARMY.

THE fame of Col. Fremont's arrest preceded him across the Alleghanies, and some days before his arrival at Washington, had penetrated the seclusion of his widowed mother's home at Aiken, in South Carolina. Her heart had not been properly prepared for such tidings, and the pleasure which he naturally expected from rejoining his family was destined to be qualified by one of the severest trials he had yet known. He found letters at Washington informing him that his mother was dangerously ill. Without delay, he asked for leave of absence to join her, and it was granted on the following day; but before availing himself of it, he addressed the following manly letter to the adjutant general, in relation to his position in the service:

LETTER FROM COL. FREMONT TO THE ADJUTANT GENERAL. O STREET, WASHINGTON, Sept. 17th, 1847.

TO THE ADJUTANT GENERAL:

"SIR: According to the orders of Brigadier General Kearney,