While I was at Sacramento General Smith had gone on his contemplated trip to Oregon, and promised that he would be back in December, when he would send me home with dispatches.  Accordingly, as the winter and rainy season was at hand, I went to San Francisco, and spent some time at the Presidio, waiting patiently for General Smith’s return.  About Christmas a vessel arrived from Oregon with the dispatches, and an order for me to deliver them in person to General Winfield Scott, in New York City.  General Smith had sent them down, remaining in Oregon for a time.  Of course I was all ready, and others of our set were going home by the same conveyance, viz., Rucker, Ord, A. J. Smith—­some under orders, and the others on leave.  Wanting to see my old friends in Monterey, I arranged for my passage in the steamer of January 1, 1850, paying six hundred dollars for passage to New York, and went down to Monterey by land, Rucker accompanying me.  The weather was unusually rainy, and all the plain about Santa Clara was under water; but we reached Monterey in time.  I again was welcomed by my friends, Dona Augustias, Manuelita, and the family, and it was resolved that I should take two of the boys home with me and put them at Georgetown College for education, viz., Antonio and Porfirio, thirteen and eleven years old.  The dona gave me a bag of gold-dust to pay for their passage and to deposit at the college.  On the 2d day of January punctually appeared the steamer Oregon.

We were all soon on board and off for home.  At that time the steamers touched at San Diego, Acapulco, and Panama.  Our passage down the coast was unusually pleasant.  Arrived at Panama, we hired mules and rode across to Gorgona, on the Cruces River, where we hired a boat and paddled down to the mouth of the river, off which lay the steamer Crescent City.  It usually took four days to cross the isthmus, every passenger taking care of himself, and it was really funny to watch the efforts of women and men unaccustomed to mules.  It was an old song to us, and the trip across was easy and interesting.  In due time we were rowed off to the Crescent City, rolling back and forth in the swell, and we scrambled aboard by a “Jacob’s ladder” from the stern.  Some of the women had to be hoisted aboard by lowering a tub from the end of a boom; fun to us who looked on, but awkward enough to the poor women, especially to a very fat one, who attracted much notice.  General Fremont, wife and child (Lillie) were passengers with us down from San Francisco; but Mrs. Fremont not being well, they remained over one trip at Panama.

Senator Gwin was one of our passengers, and went through to New York.  We reached New York about the close of January, after a safe and pleasant trip.  Our party, composed of Ord, A. J. Smith, and Rucker, with the two boys, Antonio and Porfirio, put up at Delmonico’s, on Bowling Green; and, as soon as we had cleaned up somewhat, I took a carriage, went to General Scott’s office in Ninth Street, delivered my dispatches, was ordered to dine with him next day, and then went forth to hunt up my old friends and relations, the Scotts, Hoyts, etc., etc.