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THE WORKS

HUBERT HOWE BANCROFT.

THE AV-ORKS

HUBERT HOWE BANCROFT.

VOLUME XXXIV.

CALIFORNIA PASTORAL.

1769-1848.

SAN FRANCISCO-
THE HISTORY COMPANY. PUBLISHERS.

1888

Entered according to Act of Congress In the year 1888, by

HUBERT H. BANCROFT,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.

AU Bights Reserved.

CONTENTS OF THIS VOLUME.

CHAPTER I '•AGE

-THCccxzoN-coMP^xn. cxva..no.v ..^ 3.v.a«Ms. ,

CHAPTER II.

COLOXUL P JLICY OF SPAIN,

CHAPTER III.

MEXICO AS SEEN THROPGH THE FVP- r..

THE NINETEENTH CESTVnY, . '"'''' ^^ ™^ «^«^^'"'« OF

' 97

CHAPTER IV.

LOTOS-LAND,

135

OrPOSINO FORCES,. CHAPTER V.

151

CHAPTER VI.

GOLDEN AGE OF CALIFORNIA

179

CHAPTER VII

COLONIZA^N Pt;EB«, STSTEM, AND LAND GRANTS

CHAPTER VIII.

LOTOS-LAND SOCIETY,

260 •

CHAPTER IX.

MILTTARY SYSTEM

294

CHAPTER X.

VOMAN AND BER SPHERE,

305

(V)

a ' CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XL '"''"'

PAHTUKES AND FIELDS 335

CHAPTER xrr.

FOOD. T'.iESS, E WELLISGH, AND DOMESTIC KOITINK, SCO

CHAPTER Xlir.

AMCSEMENTS, 40G

CHAPTER XIV.

OCCUPATIONS AND INDUSTKIES 437

CHAPTER XV.

INLAND TRADE AND COAST TRAFFIC, 459

CHAPTER XVI.

A FUTILE FIGHT WITH IGNORANCE 493

CHAPTER XVII.

CALIFOBNIANISMS \ 526

CHAPTER XVIII.

LAW, GOVERNMENT, AND RELIGION 537

CHAPTER XIX.

CRIMES AND COURTS, 57I

CHAPTER XX.

A VERY HEALTHY COUNTRY f gU

CHAPTER XXI.

BANDITTI, g4j

CHAPTER XXII.

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PASTORAL CALIFORNIA 751

GLOSSARY, , ., , 793

CAIZI^ORNIiV PASTOEAL.

..406

,.459

.493

.526

.537

.571

,.611

641

751

,....793

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTIOX.

COMPARATIVE CIVILIZATIOX.S AND SAVAOISM.S.

Tliiit whicli ooustitutos history, proju'rly so called, is iu great part omitteil
from Works on the subject. — Hvrlxirt Spvncvr.

Before pcnctratinjTf into the mysteries of our mod-
ern lotos-land, or enterini^ upon a description of the
golden aui'e of California, if indeed any age character-
ized by ignorance and laziness can bo called golden,
let us glance at life and society elsewhere on this
planet, particularly as it exi.sted in Spain and ^Mexico,
and within the charmed circles of the highest earthlv
intelligences, these places and conditions being more
intimately than any others connected with the spirit-
ual conquest and occupation of Alta California in the
eighteenth century.

Great as is the difference between men and races on
the globe, we are apt sometimes to make it more than
it is. Especially is this the case with regard to mental
culture, and the progress of peoples in arts and indus-
tries. It is an interesting study to place, side by side,
at the same points of time, widely separated societies,
and note their outworking of the problem of progre.'iS,
each independent of and without any knowKdge of
the existence of the other, and yet both apparently
driven forward by the same forces, and building, like
bees their cells, upon one model. And nowhere is
there a more befitting field for such investiucation

Cal. V\^t. Vol. I. I ( 1 )

9 COMrAIlATIVK CIVILIZATIONS AKI» SAVAGlsMS.

tliiin in roiiij>ariiit4 tli<; civilizutions and savnijjlsins of
I'Aiiopc and Anic'iica, more particularly ot" tlir Span-
iards and the Aztecs, as matters stood just i)etore the
<liscovejy by C(»luml»us, and while there was yet no
knowledi^e whatever one of the other.

(iilaiice Krst at the bej^innini^ of the dark aj^o in
Euroj)e, which was the end of th(> first epoch of civ-
ilization in that quarter. One mij^hty wave of pi-o-
jH^ress had swollen up, rolled alon<^ the ctMituries, and
subsided, and for a time all was calm. From old ivn^
and luxury Roman i-ivilizatioii died, and (xi'rmanic
hiirharism and Christianity assisted at its burial.

Social systems, like creeds and polities, evolve from
conditions apparently fortuitous, l^efore tlu' occu[)a-
ti(»n of W(^stern Euro})0 iiy the R(tmans, society con-
sisted of small-town a-'ricultural conununities, every
family ])roviding its own necessities, livin;^ in a state
of indej»endence, paying;" no taxes, supportini;' no gov-
I'rnment, the revenue of states beinaf for the most part
obtained from the workin;jj of state lands by state
slaves. Sometimes a number of these towns WL>uld
confederate, and the confederations divide their time
between cultivating the ground and warring on each
(•ther. Every citizen was a. soldier and a land-owner,
and much of his time was spent in attempting to de-
fend or increase his ( jmain. For everyone of these
conditions we may find a parallel in the earlier periods
of the history of more than one of the American ab-
original nations.

The foundation of our present social structure was
laid in Europe by the Romans in tlio days of repub-
lican grandeur. Sending out their armies north and
west, they laid under contribution fair provinces and
fastened upon the peo])le their laws. In their social
structure there was no intelligent middle class; a
profligate aristocracy and a cruel jiopulace compri-cd
the republic. All the world besides themselves were
barbarians, and if caught were made slaves. In their
colonies were but two classes, conqueror and con-

Ki:Ul>AU.SM.

was

hpnb-

11 aufl

Is and

^social

ss; a-
ri-icd
were
their
coa-

qnorod. Under their systi inatic divastatlons and
(rushing rule, depopulation and di'sohitioii rollowcil
them. ]>ut witli the empire arose u protective spirit
Avliieh sprt-'ad tran([uillity and fostered a Hpeeirs of
hiisL! culture. The intellect was forced into a hot-
liou.sc develojinu'ut, and cocK.'S ol' niainiers wito i-st-ili-
lislu'd, hut under a condition of hontlajj^e so .servile^ as
to fftti'r miiiil and deu^radi' morids. Into this mass of
tutored isxnorance a martial spirit was infused hy the
fierce tribes from (jlermany, and a spirit of supersti-
tion and bigotry })y the churchmen of Home. "^I'hen
glowed a red(U>r immorality tluin ever republic had
seen. The liomani/.ed natives of ,'">| 'n who had
more readily adopted, and more rapidl , de\eloped,
the ai'ts and industiies of their masti iv-> tlian the oilier
colonies, at hrst attempted t(» r ^.^ thi; h.ir!»arous
Visigoths to their level. ]hit it is easier !<» pull down
fho)'. to build up. Their own social structure \\as mmt!
of the stroiigest; the prii>onderauee «it" power was
with the hai'barians; the loutish northmen bore lu^avily
r.[ion them, and Spain in common with all Kurooe
lapsed into the age of darkness.

Ancient barriers were broken down, and ancient
laws obliterated as by one general act of ol)livion,
Society, molten, was recast. The lands of Europi- wei-e
parcelled anew. Con([uered })rovinces were hiokeii
into frao:ri)ents, and distributed amoni; th( military
chiel'taius who had taken jtart in the concjuest. A
multitude of independent states were formed, dilleiing
i:i language and traditions, but all I'alling into a system
of military tenures with singular uniformity. From
the ninth to the foui'teenth centuries, essentially the
.same species of feudality, though in modified forms,
existed throughout Euro[>e. This uniformity is to be
attributed, not to any connivance of the concjuei'ors,
who were of widely different stocks and training, but
to social necessities, which under like conditions worked
out similar results. Phases of European feudalism
were scattered all over America, fronn Alaska to Pat-

COMPARATIVE CIVILIZATIONS AND SAVAGISMa

agonia, ana were formed to some extent ever amon^
the so-called savage nations. The first groat Jaw,
common to all, both in Europe and America, was
that of self-protection. The possession of lands which
were won by the sword must be held by the
sword. Every land-holder was a soldier, and a feudal
kingdom partook more of the character of a military
than a civil government. These military sovereign-
ties in the various dismembered provinces were with-
out political system, separate and independent.

In the Old World, the conqueror assuming dominion
over the territory allotted him divided it among his
chiefs or barons, who in return stood ready with men
and arms according to their ability, and at their own
cost, to obey the call of their king in order to make
or repel an invasion. The nobles, accepting the con-
ditions, built for themselves castles and fortifications,
and partitioned their lands among their vassals, who
in like manner were bound to do military service ac-
cording to the pleasure of their lord. The title to
lands thus held b}^ feudal tenure was vested in the
sovereign, and few other obligations rested upon the
occupant than that of attending him in his wars. Cap-
tives taken in battle, and freemen who were unable to
secure land, sunk into a state of serfdom or villanage.
They were employed in tending flocks and cultivating
the ground. Their condition was but little better than
that of absolute slavery. They were bound to the soil
and made to pass with it, but could not be removed
from it ; nor did they possess any of the rights pertain-
ing to liberty or property. Thus society during the
feudal ages was but a state of vassalage, of greater or
less degree.

This system, however well adapted to purposes of
offence and defence, was but little calculated to pro-
mote internal tranquillity, or lay the foundations of
powerful states. Every feudal baron within his own
domain was absolute master Even the king could
not interfere to regulate his internal affairs. He

FEUDAUSM.

bliaii

soil

>vocl

uu-

tbe

br or

js of
Ipro-
js of
own
tould
He

could make war upon his own account at pleasure,
intliet the death penalty upon his vassals, Sbize and
liold the lands of his neighbor, if he possessed the
power, with none to question him. AH the world
lived in barracks. The master of a household was
but chief of a band of robbers. To overrun adjacent
lands, murder the inhabitants, burn the houses and
drive off tJie cattle, was the ordinary and honorable
occupation of life. Following the promptings of am-
bition or revenge, neighb<:)ring barons would for a
moment lay aside their hereditary feud, and join
against some distant or more powerful foe; after
which each returned to his ancient quarrel with tlie
other with new vigor. By their blot>dy contentions
the nobles thus kept the country in a state of perpet-
ual fermentation. Husbandmen, in the pursuit of
their vocation, tremblingly ventured beyond the j)re-
cincts of the castle during the day, and at night hud-
dled in small villages beneath its walls. They were
moreover obliged to hold themselves in readiness to
attend their master in his raids at any moment.
Marriage among them was discouraged. Soldiers to
figlit, rather than women and children to feed, Avas
the necessity of the feudal lord. Redress for injuries
rested upon the arm of the injured, and when forms
of justice were established, matters were but little
changed; for decisions were governed by juission
ratlier than principle, and too often the judge was the
criminal, and the accuser his victim.

Social intercourse was prevented ; commerce l)e-
tween foreiun nations ceased; seas were infested bv
pirates; every foreigner was an enemy. Medireval
regulations made the stranger a vassal of the lord
within whose domain he rested more than a year and
a day; shiiAvrecked mariners were made slaves. The
property of strangers was at their d< atli confisi^ated to
the ruler. Highways were filled with banditti, so
tliat travellers could journey only in companies. Laws
were made and customs established which almost pro-

COMPARATIVE CIVIUZATIONS AND SAVAGISMS.

hibitod distant journeys, so that all knowledge of
remote nations was lost. Under these baneful in-
Huonces population increased but slowly, and increase
of such a character obviously tended to strengthen
the I:, ron, make powerless the sovereign, and rivet
still tighter the chains of the vassal. Humanity thus
restrained became dwarfed. Budding civilization with-
ered in such uncongenial climes, and Europe })lunged
into profound ignorance. But for the Ottoman on the
east and the barbarian on the north, the feudal system
would not have existed so long in western Europe.
Finally it collapsed in a struggle between sovereigns
and nobles. And all this while, and later, the [)eople
were nothing but the plaything of the rulers, the tools
alternately of kings, barons, and priests.

In Spain the feudal system was greatly modified
by the eight centuries of Christian warfare, which not
only developed Spanish valor and Spanish chivalry to
the greatest advantage, but knit the several king
doms of the peninsula in one connnon cause,
condition of the Spanish peasantry was imjtrcned,
rather than otherwise, by a war in which personal
prowess rose above social distinctions; yet tJie atti-
tude of classes was essentially the same as in France
and Germanv. Villanajje was less known in Castile
and ]jeon than in Aragon, whose histitutions and geo-
graphical position gave to that kingdom a peculiar
physiognomy.

Thus was the humanity of our own civilization caged
like wild beasts in a menagi'rie; pc^nncd up in petty
principalities, ducliies, and baronial j)rovinces; a state
of universal antipathies but one remove from savagism.
Obviously out of these grim sliadows not a step could
be made till the partition walls were battered down.
\Vhence was deliverance to come!' What mighty
power should arise and breathe peace upon the na-
tions, heal innumerable hatreds, and cause thousands
of hereditary foes, as one man, to sheathe their bloody

THE CRUSADES.

swords and clasp bauds like brothers? It was not
by tbe will of man, nor through man's invention, tliat
these feudalistic fetters were to be broken; but as ever
in human affairs, it was that mysterious power of
progress ever working in and round societies. On
this occasion that power was Christianity, the religion
of all others with which European civilization seemed
most inclined to fraternize. An aid in itself to pro-
gress, it has been aided and purified thereby. When
Aryan paganism gave way to the purer Semitic faith,
Christianity became a power mightier than Rome her-
self — a power destined, in the hands of Roman pontiH's,
to rule Christendom long after Rome the mighty had
fallen. Csesar and Christ, the sword of Roino and
tlie faith of Rome, were for a time one in purpose and
in })ower; but faith, rising superior to brute force,
seized the sword and for a time wielded it in her own
interests.

It was tlic very irony of religion, that frenzied zeal
which, during the crusades, gave cliristianity the
form of chivalry. The martial spirit now became
inllamcd by fanaticism, and society was profoundly
moved.

From the earliest ages of the church, it liad bei.-n
deemed an act of piety for believers in Christ to make
a pilgrimage to his tomb, and gaze uj)on the scenes by
wliich he was surrounded when working out the re-
dein[)tion of man. The riglit of these i)ious j)crsons
to visit tlie holy sepulchre was never (questioned by
the Mohannnedans until near the close of tiie eleventh
century, when a series of atroi-ities were committed by
a horde of Turkish invaders which roused all Christen-
dom. The nations of Eur()i)e paused in their inter-
necine bickerings, and turned their eyes witli one accord
toward the east. During the two succeeiling centuries
millions of volunteers came forwai'd and enlisted in
holv' crusades against the profane infidels. Although
extrenu'ly disastrous to the crusaders themselves, the
elfect of this movement on civilizat'on was most bene-

COMPARATIVE CIVILIZATIONS AND SAVAGISMS.

ficial. To join as believers and brethren in a common
cause, to turn the arms which for centuries had been
drawn only against each other upon a foe of their faith,
was to dissolve the insane crystallizations of ages.
Chieftains of proud families, who for generations had
nourished an inveterate hate one for the other, threw
aside their animosities, and joining hands in Christian
union if not m Christian love, hurled their united
strength against the enemy, vying with each other in
acts of magnanimity. The enlightening benefits of
travel and intercourse with the more refined cities of
Italy and the east, the awakening of a new faith between
man and man, the necessity of acknowledging human
rights and duties other than those of power and place,
roused the intellect from its long lethargy. A people,
which for ten generations had hardly lost sight of the
banner which waved from its castle tower, was led
forth as from a dungeon to behold scenes hitherto be-
yond their conceptions. Side by side they marched
through new and wondrous regions, w^iere, in place of
imps and ogres, creatures of their clouded imaginations,
thty found a people like themselves, ready to join in
promoting a cause in which their whole soul was en-
gaged. The doctrine of universal enmity became less
defined, and vague conceptions of human relationships
arose.

The immediate effect of the crusades was to asso-
ciate and intermix mankind. Europe became more
intimately acquainted with the luxuries and refine-
ment of Asia. The power of the maritime cities
Genoa, Pisa, and Venice, whose vessels carried the
crusaders eastward, was increased. The absence of
feudal lords on their pious wars delivered the land
somewhat from contentions; households were split
into fragments and scattered, and their independence
inspired them to labor. A consciousness of manhood
arose in their breasts, and with it came self-respect,
wealth, domestic comfort, and social advancement.
Population increased; towns were built; manufactories

bi'ies

CHIVALRY.

established; and a class between the nobleman and
the churl appeared. Serfs who had enlisted in the
lioly cause on their return were free men. Many of
the barons, in setting out on their crusade, had been
obliged to part with their landed possessions in order
to procure a becoming outfit; many never returned,
and of their estates some were bought by the sover-
eign at a nominal price, others reverted to tlie crown
in default of heirs. Thus, as the feudal aristocracy
dechned, govci-nment centralized, and regal authority
trained streni^th.

Spain, meanwhile, had infidels enough at home; the
whole Mohammedan war was but one grand crusade,
and petty feudalistic fights were swallowed up in one
large fight ; so that neither the feudal system which
l)()und men, nor the holv adventures which liberated
them, obtained in Spain as elsewhere througliout
Europe. Another phenomenon, however, which grew
out of all this, imported into Si)ain at an early day,
finding there a rich soil, took root, and fiourished
extra\ agantly, dee})ly tinging the character of the
nation.

Chivalry, from cJievalier, knight, or horseman — we
might call it mounted monarchism; now the cham-
pion was for Christ, and now for a fair lady — at once
defender of the faith, and defender of all things else;
protector of the innocent; righter of the wronged;
under the banner of the cross, crusader; wandering
over the world in quest of adventure, knight-errant.

A strange blending of relinion and ijfallantrv, of
' >"si.i;igs and justice; a fantastic sentiment fortunate
ioi humanity at this juncture, most fortunate for
woman, lilting her uj) from her low estate, arraying
her in brightness, and i)lacing her among the stars,
meanwhile toning down man's cragginess, polishing
manners, calling up finer instincts , ornamenting, adorn-
ing strength with sympathy and valor with constancy,
arraying virtue in robes of loveliness, stripping some-

COMPARATIVE CIVILIZATIONS AND SAVAGISMS.

what from war its ferocity, from vice its liidcousness ;
trulv, a nobler fanaticism than tliat which adds tor-
ture to ignorance, and better at all events than the
beastly customs of feudalism. Acting in conjunction
witJi the holy adventures, and before the creation of
standing armies, chivalry played its part in the great
work of civilizing man.

But whence more directly came chivalry? About
the middle of the tenth century humane men of
the nobler sort, fired by self-sacrificing devotion to
an unselfish cause, ingrafted u[)on certain orders of
knighthood the sentiments of ])rotection to the weak,
and vindication of the riijhts of humanitv. This
chivalrous spirit was fostered by the crusades, and in
the eleventh century, tournaments, regulated by fixed
laws, were established throuuhout Christendom. To
eradicate the grosser evils of feudalism, to redress
wrongs, to vindicate the right, to merit divine favor
bv metini*' out fair iustice to man, were amoni>' the ex-
alted purposes of this romantic sentiment. Hence
woman, as the ensemble of all that is lovely and depend-
ent, became the prime object of chivalrous devotion.
Ifere it was that she was first raised from a servile
state, and placed beside that divine love of which she
is the incarnated essence. Thus we see in the chival-
ric ideal a blending of thhigs temporal and spiritual;
a materialization of Christianity. It was an outward
manifestation of the inner and hidden life of the mon-
astery. For a time this spirit well accorded with the
genius of the age; cliivaliy became the great religious
and social inspiration, and all creeds and customs were
made to conform to it. Neither is it strange that in
this new glow of manhood the sentiment swelled to
excess, nor that this excess, like all excesses, brought
about reaction and decline. As in the church, that
inordinate zeal, which, amidst filthy poverty and self-
torture, wrought out j«>ys ecstatic, thus elevating the
inin<l by debasing the body; as the age of asceticism
was followed by an age of clerical gluttony — so this

KNICJHT ERRANTRY.

excessive devotion to holy saints and lovely woman
wrought out its own destruction, and ended in licen-
tiousness.

The sentiment became chronic; a sort of chivalric
slang crept into language; crusaders were dubhed vas-
sals of Christ; the soldier who at the crucifixion
pierced the Saviour's side was pronounced a dastariUy
knight who thereby disgraced his order; the virgin
mother of God was a fair lady, worthy the «>xalted
devotion of every true knight. Even the most bene-
ficial [)art of the chivalric ideal, the worshi[> of woman,
was carried to such an extreme as in the end to result
in a lovelier immorality, and into wickedness lendered
all the more seductive from being veiled. Xeverthe-
less, the temporary uni(jn of chivalry and Christianity
against wickedness in high places could not be other
than a great stej) towartl refinement.

The special political and .social state of Spain dur-
ing the Arab invasion, no less than something in the
Spanish character itself, contributed to develoj) a
chivalric ideal of more than ordinaiy vividness.
"Spain gives us," says Hegel, "the fairest picture of
kniglithood in the middle ages, and its hero is the
Cid;" and, adds Schlegel, "the spirit of chivalry has
nowhere outlived its political existence so l(»ng as in
S])ain." For this lofty and more than fanciful species
of chivalry, Spain is indebted to the Saracens. It
has even l)een held that they originated the system
and taught it to Europe. SismontU afKrms that those
"notions on the j)oint of honor, which not only ])os-
sessed a great influence ovei- the svstem of cliivahv,
but even over our modern manners, rather belonged
to the Arabians than to the (;iermau tribes."

Upon the ruins of the kniglits temj^lar and hospital-
ler, who obtained large possession in S[)ain after tlieir
return from the crusades, aro.se three new chivalric
orders; Santiago or St James, Calatrava, and Alcan-
tara. The first of these orders was approved by
papal bull in f 175. The story of its origin is briefly

COMPARATIVE CIVILIZATIONS AND SAVAGISMS.

as follows: During their struggles with the infidels,
the apostle St James had vouchsafed on many occa-
sions to appear in aid and encouragement of the
Christians. His body, which had been miraculously
discovered, was interred at Compostela, a small town
in Galicia. Thither resorted many pilgrims who, in
the performance of their pious duty, suttered greatly
from the constant annoyances of the Arabs. For tiie
jtrotection of these devout itinerants, several knights
and cavaliers united and formed the order of Santi-
ago. The members of this order were distinguished
by a white mantle, upon which was embroidered a
red cross, shaped as a sword, under which was an
escalop shell, this being the device upon the banner
of their saint when he appeared to them upon the
eve of battle. And many a death-shriek has gone
up from the wilderness of America in answer to
the terrible battle-cry of the steel-clad Christians:
"Santiago y d ellosl" Saint James and at theml
The fraternity of Santiago were sworn to obedience,
chastity, and comnmnity of property. The orders of
Caiatrava and Alcdntara imposed upon their members
greater austerity. The obligation of perpetual celi-
bacy was assumed; they were obliged to sit at table
in unbroken silence; to eat the plainest food, with
but one dish of meat three times a week, and to sleep
armed and ready for battle. During the conquest
of Granada tliese chivalric orders vied with each
other in presenting an imposing appearance in the
field. There always existed between them a generous
rivalrv; at the first in the loftiness and severitv of
their vows, and at the last in the skill with which
they evaded them.

Chivalry at length met its death at the hand of mili-
tary art. As early as the fourteenth century knights
began to desert their round-table principles, and fight
for those who would pay them best. But in Spain
the spirit lingered long after the form had departed.
Not until Cervantes had published his caustic carica-

WALLED TO\VNS.

ture, a hundred years and more after America's dis-
covery, was the passion for knight-errantry wholly
eradicated from the popular mind. The ridiculous
antics of the valorous knight of La Mancha were too
much for even the sedate Spaniard to swallow, with
all his reverence for the past.

With the building of walled towns there is a new
shuffle and a new deal in the game of statecrait. The
mail-clad barons and their restless retainers find their
match in the stout burghers of the cities. This new
order, the French tlers-etaf, the English commonalty,
is played by the kings against the nobles, and the re-
sult is a decline in lawless op})ression, and a rise in
lawful tyranny. Hitherto every link in the chain
which bound men together was forged by injustice.
The weak and the wretched, unable to defend them-
selves, were forced to take refuge within castle walls;
and thus the power of the nobles was increased as that
of the peo[)le diminished. The forming of indeiHMi-
dent nmnicipal comnmnities, theref\)re, with a re[>ubli-
caii form of ijfovernment, is a lono' stritle forward.
Ijanding and walling themselves in, the connnoners
are able to bid defiance to their old masters. The
sovereign, who is king in name only, regards the rise
of this new power with favor; or if not, he is power-
less to oppose it.

The towns become cradles of liberty, a refuge for
the oppressed. Slaves and serfs resorting thither,
and there remaining umnolested for one year, arc free
men. Wealth, the precursor of refinement, begins to
accunmlate; laws are made and the machinery of
courts adapted to requirements. To enlarge their in-
fluence, municipalities join the sovereign against his
barons, or forming leagues among themselves, become
independent of both king and nobles.

Kin<;craft now becomes an art. Baronial castles
are thrown down, burying dead feudalism beneath the
ruins. A check is placed upon the growing power of

fOMrARAIIVE CIVILIZATIONS AND SAVAOISMS.

the citii'S, and Kurgiiisv to tlic opposite extreino mon-
nroliv risoH into dtspotisn). A tliviiu' ])o\ver, it" not a
celcstiul origin, is ascribed to rulers. The kinij run do
no evil; his word is not only law, hut rii^liteous law.
T\)v doctrine of halancing jiower arises — first, domes-
tic, the feudal j)rinci))le halanced hy the municipal,
with the ecclesiastical hehl in reserve to l>e thrown
into either side of tlic scale as the interests of tlio
church dictate; and finally, as ]>(^tty principalitii-s
coalesce, the states thus formed hold each other in
check. That brilliant trio, Charles V., Francis I.,
and Henry VIII., divide between them Euro[>e and
America, then fight each other for the supivnuicy.
Tin so mighty potenta^^'^'S in their lust of iiom[) and
power, actuated by no princi})le save that of personal
aggrandizement, crimson the soil of Europe with tlie
blood of their subjects, and then themselves return to
dust.

With artful kingcraft, killing becomes an art.
Hitherto men had roamed for i)rev sin^lv or in small
bands ; now they unite and establish rules under wliich
their murderous propensities may be more fully grati-
fied. Time was employed not uneciually in pursuing
those arts which led to takinii- and to sustaining life.
The undrilled artisan, however, made but a poor sol-
dier, while raids and fightinus were not the schools t)f
prosperous husbaiKhy, nor were the higher functions
of the government less paralyzed by the heterogeneous
fragments into which the military force of tlie nation
was split. Grand results can be achieved only by
united strength and concerted action. It is onlv when
the resources of tlie state are finnly grasped and ab-
solutely wielded by one sole sovereign, that tranquillity
at home and respect abroad can be maintained. Be-
fore armies were established, disjmtatious cavaliers
vacillated, almost at will, between the court and their
feudal domains; but however fascinating such a life
might be to themselves, it was one little calculated to

STANDING ARMIES.

their

a llfc

Ited to

elevate the people, or .stroni^tlioii the arm of the gov-
erniuent. In order to initi;^ate this evil, thr sov-
ert'ii^ns of Europe, about the middle of the fi^'tci'iith
century, introduced the system of standiiiiX aimios.
J)urini;" the turbulence and anaichy of feudalism, ex-
cept in Sjiain vhere the sevei-al states wen; obliged
to unite ai^ainst the encroachments of tlu^ Aial)S,
kno\vled<i^e of military tactics and the manceuvring of
lan'e bodii^s of trooi)s were in a nu'asure lost. In
144o Charles A'l I. of France withdrew from the in-
iluence of the barons fifteen hundivd men-at-arnis,
and j)lace(l them under pay of the government. His
ix:uni)le was followe<'. by other nations, to whom the
advantages of the system soon became apparent. The
employment of mercenary trocjps, who adopted arms
as a profession, antl who were kept in constant train-
ing, and undi-r the immediate eye of their king, greatly
strengthened the government; while the mass of the
]>eople, relieved from sudden and constant calls to do
military service, were enabled to pi'osecute their s(>v-
cral vocations with ijreater advantaiife to themselves
and to tlie state.

Up to this time the rules of chivalry had ])revented
gentlemen from appearing ujion the field of battle ex-
cept in lull armor and mounted, with all the gaudy
parapliernalia of the tournament. And by tluin the
fate of battle was determined; but little dependence
was to be ])laeed on undisci[)lined churls drawn IVom
the barcmial estates. All this was now changed l>y
the ai)peaj"ance of a new element in military practice,
destined by intensifying war to promote the interests
of peace. Gunpowder, an invention of the Chinese,
was carried by the Arabs into Spain, whence it spread
throughout Europe.

With the use of fire-arms the machinery of war
became more complicated, the necessity for disci-
pline was increased; the mounted cavalier, encased in
breastplate, helmet, and shield, lost his advantage, and
the cavalry became more formidable. But the adop-

COMPAKATIVE CIVIUZATIONS AND SAVAfJlSM3.

tion of any new invention at that time took place but
slowly, and not until lonji^ after the conquest of Amer-
ica were tlieir ancient ini[)leinent8 of warfare laid aside
by the Sj)aniardH. A curious medley of death-deal-
ing instruments was displayed upon the battle-fields
of the sixteenth century. Cross-bows, battle-axes,
pikes, and arquebuses, short-swords, bucklers, daggers,
and pistols were placed into the hands of the infantry;
while the stately knight, glittering in full armor with
lance an<l sword, sou<jrht out some duel better suited
to his arm and humor. Besides a clumsy artillery,
hurling from various machines balls of stone or iron,
there were mounted archers who did good service.
The long-bow was a formidable weapon, projecting an
arrow two hundred yards through a breast|)late or
an inch plank. The Saracen knight fought with lance
and buckler, mounted on a richly caparisoned lK>rse ;
the Saracen footmen with cross-bow, cimeter, spear,
and arquebuse.

Fortress walls were scaled by the esculaJorfs, under
cover of mantelets, or movable parapets; and for ef-
fecting an entrance into walled towns, large wooden
towers, provided with ladders, drawbridges, and all
the requisite apparatus, were rolled up to the ram-
parts, whence the attacking party emerged upon the
wall-top and descended into the city.

During the wars of Granada, artillery being the
arm most necessary for the carrying of fortified places,
their catholic majesties gave every attention to the
perfection of this weapon. From Valencia, from Bar-
celona, from l^ortugal, from Flar. lers, and from Sicily
powder was b ought, and with that belonging to the
kingdom, dep uted in underground magazines. Ar-
tillery officers '^ere procured from Italj', France, and
Germany; gui were multiplied; their construction
was improved, nd more convenient proportions given
to their caliber The batteries increased the rapidity
and force of their fire ; burning mixtures were brought

OUNl'OWDKR.

the

into rcfjulsltion, and the mobility «)f the guns likewise
auj^nn'iit('<l.

PciliJijts no |HTi<vl in the liistory of human viirfiiro
Ufiitts so ni;niv clcnuntH of awful splondor a.^ •luiins'
tlii^i tiansition, when ui»on the satut.' hattlc-HcId was
soon the pai'tini:^ HouriRh of anciont chivalry, inin'^linrf
with tlic! sulphurous sniokf of sricntiHc wai'tan>. Thcic
the njillaiit knii^ht, olittorini,^ in hurnislu'd stciil,
njouiitt<l on dororated steed, singled out his foe and
rushed ])roudly to the eharo'e, amid tlu! flash of fire-
!oek, the twang of long-bow, and the clattiT of piko
an<l hattJe-axo. The canip was brilliant with bravt;
ostentation and rich display. There were gay pavil-
ions, «Ieeorated with il;''-.nting ])einions and silken
hangings; gold-embroidered furnisiiings, luxurious
couches, generous wines, and rich food, served from
j)lato of gold and silver. Upon the battle-fields of
Spain there was the stately Spanish knight, little
K'ss than king, who brought into the field a thousand
vassals, all his own serving-men, and all at his own
expense. There were gallant chevaliers from France,
with pages and esquires, and English yeomen, armed
rap-a-pie, who fought with long-bow, pike, and battle-
axe.

After the siege of Constantinople, in 14o:3, in
which cannon played an important part, the apjiliea-
tion of gunpowder to purposes of war rapidly extended,
and hastened the decline of chivalry. The Spaniards,
who at tJie first had suffered severely from tiie artil-
lery of the Moors, at length seized and turned against
the invaders their own weapons, and with them finally
battered down the walls of Mdlaga and Granada, and
drove their instructors from Spain.

So all things worked together; and as the opposi-
tion of negative electricity accumulates and intetisiHes
the positive, so the presence, through succeeding ages,
of hereditary enemy and infidel, produced that iufatu-

Cal. Past., Vol. I. 2

I:'!

II !

COMP.mATIVE CIVILIZATIONS AND SAVAOISMS.

atlon of loyalty and superstition which Buoklo rovilGS
as the two |)redoniinant clcniciits of Spanish character.

With standinuf armies and cfunpowder, the riijjht of
individuals to wage private war was discountenanced.
Disputes were referred to courts of justice, and heavy
penalties iniiicted upon those who sought redress for
iiij uries at the head of their retainers. It was a strange
bias of intellect, the deciding of judicial causes hy mor-
tal combat, the invoking of Cod's justice by armed
champions, and the settling of disputes by the endur-
ance of pain.

Points of law were determined by skill in sword
exercises. Kven religious disputants referred their
controversy to trial by combat. To be vanquished in
battle was clear evidence that the cause was unjust.
In England, as late as 1571, a trial by combat was
pcTmittcvl by the court of common pleas; and the cus-
tom prevailed, in cases wliere tlie evidence was not
( lear, of permitting criminals to obtain an acquittal
upon purging themselves by oath.

JVIany absurd practices, humiUating to reason, were
resorted to in the decisions of justice. JCndurance in
handling red-hot iron, walking upon heated plough-
shares, holdinu: the arm in boilinu; water, standin<jf with
arms extended before a crucifix, were among the
wlilmsical methods em[)loyed to determine the guilt
or innocence of tlie accused. A direct appeal to the
court of heaven was the most infallible means of ob-
tainin<>' justice, and numberless are the instances among
the records of the church in which the almiglity mi-
raculously interposed his arm in vindication of t!ie
right. To such an absurdity was this system of mili-
tary jurisprudence carried, that in some instances tlio
judge upon his bench, when 'about to deliver his sen-
tence, might be impeached by the culprit, ami defied
to mortal cond)nt. Finall}', here as elsewhere, the
kir.g inter[)oscs between heaven and mankind, and
appeal is made from the decisions of feudal barons to
him instead of to God direct. The accidental discov-

LITKRATURR

ery in Italy, about the niidcUe of tlio twelfth cor.tnry,
of a ct)i)y of the Panel octs of Justinian, tcndocl j:frt'atly
to promote the study of law and the influence of
courts.

-\<,'ain, in the mysterious workings of mind do wo
see kiiowk'dfio hcijotteu of intensified isjnorance. That
curiosity which led to learning from medijeval torpid-
ity was aroused by a spirit of tlieological C()ntn>versy.
J Hsputations between Arian and ]*elagian, Peripa-
tetic and Platonist, however absurd in themselves,
excited inquiry; and metaphysii-al wranglings over
iionsensieal shadows of doctrine was perhaps as good
a mental exercise as any other.

Vv'hiK; Greece was the omj)ire of letters, Home be-
raine the empire of political power. The .arts and
< ulture of Greece were carried i)y her captors to the
world's ends, Greek was the lan'>ua<xe of letters and
refiiKMnent, Latin of legislation and religion,

Spanish intellect during the sixteenth century dis-
played a freshness and versatility unsurpassed l)y any
nation of modern times. The illiterate adv(;nturer,
thrown suddenly from the beaten paths of his ances-
tors into untried fields, exltibited a marvellous fertility
of talent for seizing occasion; while in the liigher
orders of society, literature attained its greatest excel-
lence among those whose lives were nK)st active. The
system of paid historiographers instituted by Alfonso
the Wise continued; but at this time tliere had arisen
other writers, fresh, active minds, sprung from the
ranks of a progressive peopl(\ who, for the love of
truth or fame, ♦)r from an ovcrfiowing redundancv of
thought, turned from the more practical employments
iu which many of them had already acquired fame,
and devoted their lives to the ennobling occu[)ation of
literuture. The most eminent poets wore also the
most famous soldiers; the greatest statesmen were
<cclesiastics, Juan Boscan, who introduced Italian
vcrsilication into Spain, acquired a name for oratory
and statecraft before the poet's wreath was awarded

' I'

COMPAllATIVE CIVILIZATIOXS AND SA\'Af}IS.M,S.

Jiiiii. Garcilaso do la A'ega crowded into a short life
of thirty-three yeara a scries of military achieveiuonts
which shed upon his name scarcely loss lustre than
his |)octical genius, to which the Castilian languai.',e is
indebted for its sweetest and most glowing pastoral
poem. Hurtado do Mendoza served Charles V. as
ambassador and military governor. Cervartes, after
losing his left hand fighting the Turks at Le})anto,
and spending five years in captivity among the Alge-
rinos, upon his return to Spain was thrown into prison,
and there wrote the first part of his inimitable satirt!.
While following a sailor's life, Cohuubus not only
api)lied himself to geography and astronomy, but
attained proficiency in polite literatun;, and wrote
Latin verses for anmsemcnt. Lope do Vega and many
other eminent writers were also soldiers of no mean
leputation.

The pursuit of letters flourislies with the prosperity
of states. Intellectual culture rises, culminates, and
declines with the wealth and hap[)iness of the people.
The same elements are congenial to both; both are
nurtured in the same school of disci[)line, ri|)en in the
same sunshine of success, and decay alike with luxury
and inaction. The functions of the mind are wrought
into activity by the stirring events which make great
the nation. The heart swells with enthusiasm in bat-
tling for God, for country, for the approbation of the
fair, and bursts forth in reliu'ious and romantic song.
In the calmer moods which follow long periods t)f suc-
cessful warfare, science unfolds her mysteiies, art blos-
soms, and the cimifortsand luxuries of leisure nmltiply.
The repose which followed the expulsion of the !Moors,
the newly acquired w^ealth of the Indies, and the
grandeur attained by 8})ain under the brilliant reigns
of Ferdinand, Charles, and Philip were alike favorable
to the pursuit of literature.

A history of literature is but a history of the nation;
for not only what is expressed, but the forms of ex-
pression, denote the character and progress of the

CULTURE OF LETTERS,

pooplo. TTcncc if we would learn the correlative
iiil'cct of letters upon Spain and Spain upon letters,
we must go back to the same source whence other
phases of civilization are evolved.

The culture of letters, first carried to the peninsula
l>y tlic Romans, after sinking beneath Visigothic bar-
baiism, revived under the Arabs. Excepting, as we
well may, the miserable theologic drivel of the (xotho-
Latin fathers of the Spanish church, science and learn-
ing first appeared at Cordova. Schlegel, with the
pioverbial zeal of a neophyte, and newly converted
rliampion of the church, has tried, without avail, to
underrate the Arabic influence. Humboldt, verging
to the other extreme, exalts it bevond measure. The
Arabs, he says, are the "actual founders of ph^'sieal
science," the authors of chemical pharmacy. They
"scared back to some extent the barbarism which had
slirouded Europe for more than two hundred years."
They had a "far extended and variously developed
literature," and they "lead us back to the imperishal)le
sources of Greek philosophy." "The reigns of the
two Abderrahmans," says Tieknor, " and the period
f»f the glory of Cordova, which begun about 750 and
continued almost to the time of its conquest by tlie
Christians in \2'M), were more intellectual than could
1)0 found elsewhere." The kingdom of ( iranada, which
succeeded, was scarcel}' less ftuned for its learning and
rcHnement than for its opulence and ostentatious
luxury.

Scattered over the plain of Granada at the time of
its conquest were no less than fifty colleges and seventy
puldic libraries where literature was pursued, and the
sciences of astronomy, mathematics, and cluinistry
cultivated,

Jewish literature attained eminence under tlie
cali[)hs of Spain, The Moslem schools at (iranada,
('('•rdova, Barcelona, and Toledo were thrown open to
Israelites, who became proficient in medicine, mathe-
niatics, and astronomy.

COMPARATIVE cmLIZATIOXS AND SAVAOISMS.

Then it was in tlie soutliern part of Spain tlmt lit-
erature first t<v)k root. There in the most beautiful
climate of Europe, in Barcelona and Valencia, as well
J s in southern France, was the native seat of that
sweet Provenyal poetrv', "the joyous science." Frcjiu
Catalonia, Valencia, and Aragon it passed to Castile.
It dates back to the eighth centurv, but received its
^vciit stimulus from the crusades. "The crusades,"
says Buckle, " increased the stock of fables, and all the
fictions of the east were suddenly let loose upon
Europe." In the twelfth century nearly every coun-
try of Europe had heard the fame of the gal saber.

In S[)ain, as Lafuente has shown, this literary move-
ment did not limit itself to poetry and works of the
imagination. It extended also to theology, ethics, his-
tory, politics, and jurisprudence. Translations of tlie
bible and commentaries on its chronicles, books of law,
t>f government, and of theology appeared. So greiit
was the respect paid for learning at the close of the
fourteenth century, that on tlie accession of King Don
]\[artin of Aragon, the judicial and political question
of succession was neither foujjlit out nor settled bv
the nobles, but decided by a committee of learned
ecclesiastics and jurists.

This general progress of public feeling toward en-
lightenment contrib ited much to the creation of the
I'niversity of i^arcelona in 1430, by the ancient magis-
tracy of that city. It was endowed witli thirty-two pro-
fessorshi[)S, including chairs t)f theology, jurisprudence,
medicine, philosophy, grammar, rhetoric, anatomy,
Hebrew, and Greek. From the intimate conunu-
nication between the Aragonese and the ItalianSj the
lienaissance, rising in Italy since the fall of (\)n-
stantinople, was carried to the peninsula. Spain
was fortunate in securing Florence as a teacher.
When Cosmo di Medici died in 1404, his grandson
Lorenzo succeeded to the rule of Florence, and to the
guiding of great events. The crescent had eclipsed
th.e cross at the golden horn of the Bosporus; with

SPAMiSU LlTEllATUKE.

tlit-
itiful

well

that
From
istilc.
id its
ados,
dl the

upon

coun-
ter.

iiiove-
of the
cs, his-

of the
of law,
J great
; of the
ng Don
ucstion

tied by
learned

ard en-
1 of tlie
b n\agis-
vvo prt)-
vidence,
[iati)niy,
couunu-
ans, the
,f Con-
Spain
teacher,
randson
d to the
eclipsed
us; with

the city of Constautine had utterly fallen the last pil-
lar of the eastern empire. The learned men whom
the great capital had imrsed were scattered abroad,
rieeiiig with their hooks and instruments, wandering
they knew not whiti.er. Lorenzo gathered many to
his Tuscan city, and spared neither gold nor care that
they and their manuscripts should make their stay
permanent. It is well known what such a policy did
for Florence; and how this light made many darl: ah-
siirdities untenable for Euro})e, and even for Spain.
Xew universities sprang up ; Castile took her place
in the race, and everything indicated for Spain the in-
auguration of new and great things. There the sci-
ences were more backward in the fifteenth century than
letters. Astronomy, cosmography, physics, and math-
ematics had, it is true, their professors in the universi-
ties of Salamanca and Alcala. But the information
possessed on these subjects was neither equal to that
in Portugal since the time of Prince Henry, nor conj-
mensurate with the material and scientific revolution
that tlie discovery of the New World had produced.
"Salamanca," says Hare, "once possessed twenty-five
eolleges, twenty convents, twenty-five professors, and
twenty -five arches of its bridge; but the last alone re-
iiiaiu intact — ev)lleges, churches, convents, and pro-
Ifssorships having alike fallen. TJie university, which
boasted al)ove ten thousand students in the fourteentli
(vuturv, has now little more than one tliousand; and
the spK'ndiil collegiate buildings, palaces wortliy of the
corso »if Home or the grand canal of Venice, are either
in ruins or let out to poor families."

While the Mohanunedan contest was raging the
fiercest, and the corruj)ted Latin of the Sj>aniar(h was
merging into the Castilian dialect, Alfonso X. as-
cended the throne of Castile, and for his zeal in pro-
moting the intelligence of his people, was surnamed
The Wise. To his Arab tastes he was indebted for
this title. He labored to introduce into l']urope the
sciences, arts, and manufactures of his Arab neigiibors.

COMPARATIVE CIVILIZATIO:SS AND SAVAGISMS.

He was something of an astronomer, something of a
chemist, and he j)ropoHed a system of tl'o heavens
based upon the Ptokmiaic scheme. He patronized
k'tters, and liis own writiijgs contributed not a httle
to tlieir advance, and to that of science. He invited
many eastern [)hilosophers to his court, and he had
manv of their works translated into Castihan, Of
the niore material advantages, gunpowder, our min-
erals, i)aper, and the compass, though not discovered
by the Arabians, were introduced by them to Euro-
})can use. The first schools and libraries in the ])tnin-
sula, in mediaeval times, were those of the Mussulmans.
*'The number of Arabic authors which Spain })ro-
duccd," says Sismondi, "was so prodigious, that many
Aral)ian bibliographers wrote learned treatises on the
authors born in particular towns." Was it any won-
der, then, with all this, that to the Arab colleges,
academies, and libraries there resorted in g'K .-t num-
bers, not only the sons of the faithful, but also Chris-
tians from dilfenmt parts of Europe? So nmch for
the eastern, for a long time not only the principal
but the only source of learning and culture in Spain.
Up to this time, which was the middle of the thir-
teenth century, the literature of Spain consisted of
romantic poems of the order o^ El Rovaiicero (hi Cid,
and a multitude of chivalric ballads of like quality.
As manifestions of temperament, these eit'usions are
not without value. For hundreds of years heroic
romances and tales of knight-errantry constituted
the popular literature of Spain, and these monstrous
fictions were devoutly accepted as true history. No
absurdity was too great for belief; and although this
folly was eflectually crushed by the renowned ]Jon
Quixote toward the latter part of the sixteenth cen-
tury, shortly before which time the passion for reading
books of chivalry was never more absorbing nor the
influence more baneful, its impress remains indelibly
stamped upon the Spanish mind. Their dramatic
writings consisted chiefly of religious farces and alle-

lil

ALFONSO THE WISE.

of a

veus

li/A'tl

little

.itcd

had

uiin-

vered

h'^uro-

R'uiu-

iiians.

1 pio-

uiiiuy

Ml the

■ wou-

UcL^es,
nuin-

Chris-

ch for

incipal

Spain,
thir-
ted of
I Cid,
udlity.
us are
heroic
ituted
listrous
No
i'h this
1 Von
h con-
K-uding
lor the
delihly
laiuatic
Id alle-

o-orieal plays, which can scarcely be ranked a> literature,
niuch less poetry. Alft)nso digested the then existing
ojjinions conoerning morals, religion, and legislation,
into a uniform system of laws, applicahle to the
various conditions (tf his people. This work was
called his Slete Porfidas, from the seven parts into
which it was divided. The learned monarch (how
larjifelv from the code of Justinian, as well as from
other sources. In this coni})ilation was laid, not only
the foundation of Spanish jurisprudence, hut it em-
bodied such sound ethical maxims as to atlect, not only
the polities of Spain, but of the colouics of Louisiana
and Florida, and throu'j^h them to exert a modifvinjj:
inlluence upon the government of the United States.
But unfortunately, the paths of literature for the
two succ(H'(linnf centuries lav not throu<«:h fertile fiehis
nor by clear running streams. In place of a natural
growth, advancing step by step from barbaric igno-
lance, the Spanish intellect plunged at once from the
dieamv languor of chivalric ballads into the dei)ths of
mysticism and theological speculation. Imagination
still usurped the domain of reason; the battle was be-
tween nominalism and realism; men fought, not for
the truth, but for the abstract idea. The faith for
wliich tlie Spaniards had so lonij struu'u'led <loud(;d
tlieir understanding, and prevented that unprejudiced
iixjuiry into causes which lies at the foundation of
all pi'ogress. Only the theological subtleties of the
(Greeks had been absorbed by the Latins, wliile the
more sensible Arabians seized upon Aristotelean
philosophy, and applied it to useful arts. Tiie church
was bv no means unwillin«>' that her secrets should be
guarded by a dead language. Cardinal Bembo seeing
one day a itriest en<j;anfed in translatin<>: a i>ortion of
the bible exclaimed, "Leave off this child's l)lay;
such nonsense does not become a man of uravitv."
Latm therefore continued to be the lanufuaue of the
churcii, and as the clergy only were taught, the
church monopolized learning. AH through the dark

comparativp: civilizations and savagisms.

ago there gliiumercd beams of light from Coustan-
tiin)|)le, from Bagdad, and from Cordova. The Om-
ni iades kept up regular communication with the
l^yzantine em])er()rs. To the papacy as the tem-
poral and ecclesiastical power of the clmrch of Konie
was o])p()sed the calipliate as the temporal and ecclesi-
astical j)i)\ver of Mohammedanism. While the bishop
of Komt! held undisputed tenii)oral and spiritual sway
in Italy, in Castile, and over the entire north of
Euiopc, the calii>h of Mohanmjed held undisputed
temi^oral and spiritual sway at Cordova, as well as at
Samarc.md. The bishop of Rome was pope because
he was emperor; the caliph of Mohammed was em-
peror because he was pope. As intercourse with the
Greeks and Saracens increased, there was manifest
throughout Euro[)e an awakened interest in learning.
In Constantinople Greek was a living language until
that city was conquered by Mohammed II. in 1453.
In 1458 it was first taunht at Paris, in 1481 it was
]>iinted at Milan, and taught at Oxford in 1488.
With the restoration of Greek literature in Italv,
about the betjinnin*^ of the fifteenth centurv, b( "j,an a
new eia in tlie extension of knowledge. It was this
lig]it breaking in from the east that dispelled the
loiiLir darkness. Latin, which as the lan<4uaLre of the
learned had hitherto kept wrapped within its mystic
folds the wisdom of the ancients, fell into disuse.
From vulvar and aboriginal dialects modern Ian-
ii'uanes were formed, and literature was taken from
church control and spread before the peop.le. Schools
arose, and laymen as well as clerg^'men were taught.
Incpiiry and argument left the unprofitable fields of
windy sclK)lasticism, and entered the more practical
])at1is f)f science. Penetrating eyes were ca.st upon
liuiiian afiairs, and saw therein elements not reached
by the meditations of the cloister. Men dared to give
license to thought, to give rein to reason, and with it
to invade the sacred })recincts of old delu:4ons, and
demand of bigots the why and wherefore of their ab-

PREfTINO.

istan-

Oiu-
i tlie

tein-
Kinne
eclesi-

1 S4\vay
itli ot

U as at
jccauso

as Pi»-
:itU the
nanifcst
i:anuH'j;-
,o;e until
in 1453.
1 it was
n 1488.
n Italy,
l)(>u;an a
svas this
lletl the
e of the
Is mystic
) disuse,
cin Ian-
en from
Schools
taught,
fickis ot
practical
|a,-^t upon
rcachctl
•a ti» give
Ll with it
l-ions, antl
their ah-

sui'dlties. Italy again hocomes the seat of loariiing
and refinement. Tlie Byzantine school of art, trans-
planted with Greek literature, breaks fortli in dazzling
splendor. The divine in man assumes form. A new
nuisic fioatiiig through the chamhers of the soul finds
vent, coagulates upon the canvas, and concretes in
mai-ble statues and cathedral domes. Popular litera-
ture finds expression in Ariosto, Poloziano, and Pulci ;
and art in Michael Angelo, Tiziano, and Leonardo da
Vinci. The subtle disputations of scholastics fiide be-
fore the more philosophic n^asonings of ^lachiavelli
and Lorenzo. The Ptolemaic idea of astronomy,
wliich placed the earth in the centio of the universe
and sent the whole heavens whirling around it, is
e.\[»loded by the theory of a solar system pronud-
gated by Copernicus.

And as if all this were not enough for the enfran-
chisement of the intellect, another and still mightier
powi-r appears — the art of printing. Beside this arti-
fice, sim[»le yet wonderful, all the inventions of man sink
to insignificance. Transfixing thought, giving per-
petual speech to the wisdom of ages, bringing up the
dead past and surrounding the present with myriads of
tongues, it is more magical than magic, more cunning
tlian sorcery. The power of tho pulpit was thenceforth
doomed to give way before the pf)wer of the press.
Akliough printing was invented in Germany about
1440, the art was not established in Spain until 1474;
and while destir.ed eventually to effeet the complete
emancipation of learning, it was so pam[)ert d at first by
the jealousv of the clerLiv J^'^d tho restrictions of <''overn-
ment, that its influence was greatly retarded. Lender
the j>ontificato of Alexander VI. a censorship of the
press was decreed, and no book was sutfered to be
j)rinted M'ithout s})ecial permission from the clergy,
under pain of fire for the book and exconnuunication
for the author. Four centuries have since passed
away, and these fetters are scarcely yet entirely
removed.

! ^i

COMPARATIVE CIVILIZATIONS AND SAVAGISMn.

By a siii'T^ular coincidence, says Lafuonto, printinj^
was introduci'd into Si)ain in tlie year Isabella be<ifan
to occupy tjic throne of Castile. Slie received and
])rot('cted the art with ardor. By an ordinance made
in Seville the 2oth of J)cceniber, 1477, and directed to
the city of Murcia, it was commanded tliat Teoilorico
Alenian, "printer of books in these kingdoms, be freed
of all taxes and duties whatever — he beinj; one of the
chief inventors and practisers of the art of printing,
having dared the many jierils of the sea to bring it to
Si)ain." By means of this and other wise measures
emanating from the lively protection of Queen Isabella,
and notwithstanding it was so completely muzzled by
fanaticism, the mai'vellous art of Gutenberg spread
itself throughout Spain. And from the printing of
the CcDitarcs d la Vin/cii, in ^^alcncia, till that of the
polyglot bible, a])peared a multitude of important
books. Before the end of the fifteenth century there
were printing establishments in all the principal cities
of Spain, in Valencia, Barcehma, Saragossa, Seville,
Toledo, Valladolid, Burg(js, Salamanca, Zamora, Mur-
cia, Alcald, Madrid, and in others of less consideration.

With Granada fallen and America discovered, Sj^ain
was becoming unified, and Castile, indeed, was in some
sort becoming S[)ain. All literature showed life,
(^hronicle writint; was abundant, and beijan to crvstal-
llze into history. Isabella then turned her attention
to the cultivation of letters with all the ardor of her
nature. She summoned to her court the learned !Mil-
anese, Peter INIartyr, and directed him to open a school
i'or the reclamation of noble youths from ignoble pur-
suits, by inculcating in them a taste for literature.
She encourafjed the most eminent Italian scholars to
tako up their residence at her court, and to excite enm-
ulation applied herself to the study of Latin, which she
had first bcefan after her accession to the throne. Under
royal auspices a spirit of intellectual rivalry sprang up,
and for the first time in Spam the profession of letters
rose to an equality with the profession of arms. Men

PRIEST( PMFT,

and W'otiion of all classos were stlimilat( d to seek dis-
tinction in Iftters. But even this generous ainhitioii
must rest subservient to the fierce bigotry of the
times. While Isabella thus fostered the atlvaneement
of knowledge among lier people, lier minister, Ximeni;/,
was zealously collecting from all (juartcrs the heretical
manuscripts of the Arabs, to which Spanish scholar-
ship was most greatly indebted, and burning them
in huge piles in the public scpiare of (iranada. Two
centuries later with Velasquez and ^lurillo the glory
of Spanish art departed, and with Solis and C'akleron
the brilliant reign of Spanish letters terminated.

Throughout all tliis extravaganza of expanding
thought the ministers of superstition were not idle,
liaised to power by the murky moisture of intellectual
night, they saw and seized their opportunity. Nor
for this are they entitled to special blame. It has
long been the fashion to heap upon rulers, temporal
and s[)iritual, the odium attaching to the sins of the
peoph;; as if kings and priests made man, forged his
i'etteis, and whipped him into servitude. In a socio-
logical sense, even in despotic and superstitious times,
rulers and ecclesiastics were none the less servants
and ministers of the people than now. They were
simply the incarnation of the spirit of servility, of
intellectual fear, and of abasement inherent in the
masses. Xor were they more cruel, or designing, or
li\ pociitical than other men. The king believed him-
self the Lord's annointed; the priest believed himself
(lod's vicegerent; in this there was nt)thing strange,
so long as their subjects held faith in miracles, w^itch-
craft, a|»paritions, and monsters. It is true that
priests, by surrounding an appearance of learning with
the paraphernalia of imposing forms, may by |)ersua-
sions, and threatenlngs of supernatural visitations,
long hold the unthinking mind under bondage of fear;
l)ut this can never be unless the people fir t bestow
the power. The religion of a people, like their gov-

compahative civilizations and savagisms.

eminent, is of their own makinf? or of tlicir own en-
during. It is never much uhove or below tlie nionil
i<k'al of the niasst's. ]^ut for the peoph* h> faV'^i' tor
tlieuiselves fetters, tlirust tlieir willing hands into
them, and then cry that thiy are held, is childish; nnd
it is scarcely less so for writers of history to inveigh
against one of a nation, or one class, for i)erforining
the functions of an office in which they are sustnincd
hy the people. When we hear rattle the chains of
the struggling mind, we are too apt to forget how
they came there, to forget that bondage is an inheri-
tance, and to blame hu'uan liolders of power for not
behaving more than godlike, and hasten to lay it down
and free the race. These teachers are not the craftv

ft/

serpents their bi<)gra[ihers make them; they are
worms like their fellows; not possessed of any super-
human knowledge more than are our teachers <.>f to-
day. There is no Serbonian bog of more lutpeless
depth than the teachings of ignorance.

Nevertheless, as we shall see, the Spanish ministers
of Christ were not wholly consistent in their practice
with the teachings of tlu;ir divine master. Their
practice was not wholly consistent with their profes-
sion; they taught charity, mercy, peace; and for the
enforcement of these mild j)recepts they brought car-
mige, in(iuisit<)rial tortures, and all the demoniacal
passions the nature human is heir to. It will not
ik) to survey ecclesiastical morality by the light of
ecclesiastical history. The pathway of Christ's fol-
lowers is red not alone with the blood of the saints;
the history of persecution is the history of the church ;
for every martyr to Christ's love ten have been mar-
tyred for the love of Christ. Not that the Christians
of the fifteenth century y;vvd more cruel or less sincere
than the Christians of the first century. Both were
eaten up of zeal ; but in the authoritative elaboration
of its dogmas latter-day faith grew ferocious, and sub-
tle disputations over forms of infinitesimal importance
were followed by copious blood-lettings. The schisms

CHRISTIANITY.

and slaufjliterings of the si^veral brandies of the
cliurcli clurin«^ the second and third five ccnturit'S of
its existence were more foolish than the quarrelhiiLT
for tlie shadow of an ass. With the Binjfendians of
I^illiput it was a matter of no sniidl ('onsc<|Ucnfe, and
a point of orthodoxy, that all ei,^;^s should he cracked
at the higend, wherefore the Sniallendians denounced
tliein as vile and lu-retical, because any one but the
most l)igoted and abandoned of God could see that
('<jf!^s should be broken at the small end. Profitless
disputation has not wholly ceased even in our own
(lay.

The moral ideal of the Greeks and Romans was
jtatriotism; that of the early (*hristians, fraternity;
that of the mediieval Christians, asceticism and self-
torture. When pagan civilization lapsed into the
(lark age, political unity was destroyed, and reli-
gious unity usurped its place; just as in the national
unfolding from savagism, superstition follows, if in-
deed it does not acconj})any, despotism. Creeping,
trembling humanity nmst have something to ding
to; if not substance, then it seeks to embrace sliadows.
No .^ooner, however, than the mind, eidightened by
experience, is able to distinguish between idle fancies
or personalities placed by the imagination behind
appearances, and the concrete fact that this deadly
lear, mother of the twin cubs superstition and igno-
rance, begins to lose its power, and gradually fetich
worship, dead-hero worship, king worship, image W(,»r-
ship, and tlie like disappear.

Christianity was taught in Spain as early as the
second century — some say earlier — entering the coun-
t;y probably from Africa. By the end of the third
century diurches were established. The anival of
tliG Visigoths made no change in religion, tliey, too,
having already embraced Christianity.

S[)ain was early noted for an extreme religious zeal.
Nowhere in Europe did the clergy acquire sucli un-
bounded influence over the minds of the people.

COMPARATIVE CIVTLIZATIONS AND SAVAOISMS.

Slsmondi, it is true, asserts that not until tlio time of
Cliarles V. did tlio Spaniards become in any special
deiiTee biiioted or slavishly reliijious ; but maintained
in a great degree their independence against that
church of Rome of which they subsequently became
tlie most timid vassals. This view, however, is
hardly that of his brother historians. Buckle, for
one, not only affirms the early superstition of Spain,
but sees pliysical, a j^i^i'^'^i reasons why it should
have been so. Famines, epidemics, earthquakes, and
general unhealthiness of climate, he says, are among
the most important physical causes of ultra-religiosity;
both by their effect in inflaming superstition and ovi'r-
awing inquiry, and in their shortening their average
duration of life, thus increasing the frequency and
earn<>stness with which su})ernatural aid is invoked.
In these unfavorable natural features, no Euro[)ean
country has been so unfortunately situated as Spain.

In this theory, Mr Froude thinks there is a great
deal of truth; though at the same time he instances,
on the other side of the question, "Japan, the spot in
all the world where earth(juakes ai'e most frecjuent,
and wIk'J'c, at the same time, there is tlie most serene
disl)(>li(!f in any supernatural agency whatever." It
seeuis, on the whole, a mere question of the compara-
tive iniluence of certain admitted powers, none of
which were likely to be at all favoral)le to cool, fear-
less reasoning. Look, for example, at the titful, j)re-
carious life t>f the Spaniard himself, through so many
generations of his early national existence, while the
Toledo kept as best it could against the cimeter the
western gates of Europe. In such times "thought
and iiKpiiry were impossible; doubt was unknown; and
the way was prepared for tiiose super-stitious habits,
and for that deep-rooted and tenacious belief, which
have always formed a ])rincipal figure in the history
of the Sjumish nation."

So much for Buckle; it must be reco«Tfnized, how-
ever, with regard to the effects of this latter cause,

RELIGION IN SPAIN.

that before the Saracens had at all set foot In the
})eninsula, "no khigdom was so thonnighly under the
bondage of the hierarcliy as Spain." This is what
Halhiin thinks of it; while Lafuente, treating of tlie
(Jrotho-Si)anisli kingdom as early as the seventh cen-
tury, speaks of "the influence and preponderance of
the clerjj^y, not then only in ecclesiastical matters, but
also in the policy of the state." In fact, of the national
councils held at that time, it is not easy to determine
whether they are to be considered as ecclesiastical or
temporal assemblies. Milman affirms them to have
beiMi both. To such an extent had the clergy insinu-
ated tliemselves in the affairs of state.

Tuin again to the results of the Mohammedan
invasion as set forth by the historian of English civili-
zation: " There were three ways in which the ^foham-
niedan invasion strengthened the devotional feeling of
the Spanish people. The first was by })rom()ting a
lonuj and obstinate reli<;ious war: the seconil was bv
the presence of constant and imminent dangers; and
the third was l)y the poverty, and therefore the igno-
rance, which it produced among the Christians."

The war which drove the infidels from S[)ain was a
war for the i'aith, a crusade no less than a concjuest.
The interests of the church, as well as the interests of
the nation, were at stake; hence in martial matters
the clergy took active interest, and played thci'ein no
mean part. Not only did they aniniate the soldiers
by their enthusiasm, and coml'oi-t tliem with promises
of divine approbation, but a1 l>ots and bishops joined
in councils of war, and led it;niies to battle. While
the king fought for the i hurch, the church could do
no less than to inculcate such maxims as should tend
most to the service of the kmg. Likewise the king
stood by the church and dearly regarded its inteiests.
And now these two great powirs, which had marched
hand in hand for ten centuiies and more, wen- aj»-
l>roaehijur .. ^ meridian of their uflorv. The courts of
Isahellii, Ferdinand, Charles, and Philip, with all th.eir

Cau fxsT., Vou I. 3

COMPARATTVE CIVILIZATIONS AND SAVAGISMS.

i 'I

forms and augnst pageantries, might well have passed
for models of celestial mansions; as if the gods had
come down and taken up their abode with men. And
so, indeed, many regarded it. "Whatever the king
Ccime in contact with," sa3'8 Buckle, "was in some de-
gree hallowed by his touch. No one might mount a
liorse which he had ridden; no one might marry a
mistress whom he had deserted. Horse and mistress
alike were sacred, and it would have been impious for
any subject to meddle with what had been honored by
the Lord's anointed."

The despotic power embodied in a united church and
state brought the Spanish people into a state of servile
homage to king and clergy, and imprinted on their
character its dee[)cst color. Fired by earthly hopes
on the one side, and heavenly hopes on the other, the
mind became greatly inflamed. It became part of
tlieir religion to be loyal, and part of their loyalty to
be religious. Upon the eve of battle the priest, to
stimulate their zeal, wrought miracles, declared omens,
and conjured to their aid the potent elements of
heaven. The most trivial circumstances were seized
as tokens of success or failure.

As the learning of past ages lay hidden in the lan-
guagtis understood only by the clergy. rucIi expositions
and interpretations could be placed upon it as best
suited their purpose. Thereby, in the eyes of the
ignorant, they were clothed in mysterious powers;
they were special confidants of the deity, and held
the disposal of earthly and heaveidy blessings at
their command. Hence all united to do them rever-
ence. A large share of the spoils of battle fell to
them. In every province wrested from the Moors,
extensive grants were made for ecclesiastical institu-
tions, and any attempt to curb their avarice, or dis-
pute their authority, was denounced as impious and
h- retical. Priests were kings, ministers, lawyers, or
soldiers as the interests of the church demanded.
The^' engaged in trade, and owned manufactories.

Hi -!

POWER OP THE CLERGY.

lassed
s had
And
5 king
ne de-
ount a
larry a
listress
m8 for
irc^d by

•ch and
servile
1 their
J hopes
ler, the
part ol
yalty to
riest, to
omens,
ents of
seized

\\Q lan-
•sitions

las best
of the

[)()wers;

id held

[njjs at
rcver-
fell to

floors,

linstitu-
lor dis-
cus and
I'crs, or
[landed.
Ljtcries.

A monk could travel from one end of Spain to the
other without money, his blessin*^ beintj^ more tlian
compensation for his entertainment. The proudest
j^randees servilely attended the cler^jy on occasions of
great display, such as the burning of a heretic, or in
celebrating mass, gladly embracing every opportunity
of manifesting their zeal for the church by hund)liiig
themselves before its meanest functionaries. The
abbess of Huelgas ranked above all the ladies of
Spain save the queen. Few throughout Christendom
were higher in ecclesiastical dignity than the arch-
bishop of Toledo, ex o|//c/o primate of Spain and grantl
cliancellor of Castile. His was the metropolitan
church whose canons dwelt in stately palaces, and

':A whose revenues were j)rincely rather than priestly.

- In 1549 a convent was founded by Ramon Beren-

ii'iier in Catalonia, on the spot where the body of
l^)lJlet, a holy heiinit, had been revealed by mystic
lights. The shrine became famous. Alonarchs en-
riched it with their wealth and honored it with their
remains. If we may credit Hare, "five humlred
monks of St Bernard occupied but did not fill the
ma«n»ificent buildiny;s. Their domains became almost
boundless, their jewelled chalices and gorgeous dmrch
furniture could not be reckoned. The library of
Poblet became the most famous in Spain, so that it
w ts said tiuit a set of wagons employed for a whole
ytjar could not carry away the books. Poblet grew to
!e t]tc \¥- IK , minster abbey of Spain, and its occupants
iK'uiu «i'(>"e exclusive. Their number was reduced
to sixry-hiX, b^t into that sacred circle no novice was
introduced ia whose vein^i ran other than the ])ur( st
blood of a Spanish grandee. He who became a monk
ot' Poblet had to prove his pedigree, and the chap-
ter sate in solenm deliberation upon his quarterings."
Every monk had two servants to attend him, and
wlien he went out he rode upon a snow-white mule.
The vhole peninsula was searched for these mules,
an! t\i'v commanded an enormous price.

; i; I

m COMPARAnVE Cn'ILIZATIONS AND SAVAOISMS.

Nowhere in Christendom did rehgit>n enter into
the daily Hfe of the |)eople as in Spain. Every house
was a school of superstition. Every guild had its
patron saint. Thousands of vulgar conceits, omens,
prt)gnostics, tales of witchcraft, magic, and diabolic
holiness were current among tlic masses. Piety was
made practical. "God and St Budget bless you!"
cries the milkmaid to the cow, and there were no
ujore kickings. She who would know the Christian
name of her lover had but to stretch a thread across
the doorway, and the name of the first man who
stepped over it was the name of him whom she
should marry The distaff nmst not remain loaded
over Sunday, ■■ .c linen of the following week

would be of bat.. ality, and thousands of like ab-
sunhties. In French falconry, if we may believe
Paul Lacroix, before hunting, the birds w'cre sprinkled
with holv water, as on St Hubert's dav hounds and
accoutrements of the chase were blessed by the
priests. The enemies of the falcon wet^e then sol-
emnly a^ldressed in the manner following: 'I adjure
you, () eagles! I>y tiie true God, by the holy God, by
the most blessed Virgin Mary, by the nine orders oi
angels, by the holy prophets, by the twelve upostles,
to leave the field clear to (»ur birds, and not to molest
them : in the name of the Father, and Oi the Sou, and
of the Holy Ghost."

Emblematic of all industries and interests was the
cross. The bodv is fashioned like a cross; churches
wer(! built in the form of a cross; seas could not be
safely traversed exce})t in cross-masted vessels, nor
the earth niade fertile by any other than a cruciform
spade.

To impress the popular mind, mystery-plays or pas-
sion-plays were introduced, in which scrij)ture inci-
dents were arrayed in the gaudy parapiiernalia of tlio
drama. In these repulsive exhibitions, ecclesiastics
ap[)eared upon the stage in the characters of the
patriarchs and apostles, and even of the deity. Adam

INSANE SUPERSTITION.

r into
house

lad its

:)Uiens,

Ivaholic

ty was
you;

ere no

iristiau
across

m who

)ni she
loaded

f week

ike alt-
believe

arinkled

lids and

by the

lien sol-
adjure

Glod, by
ders of
M)stles,
molest
on, and

was the
hurehes
not be
iels, nor
•uciforni

or pas-
re inci-
of the
?siastics
of the
Adam

;=5

and Eve paraded l)efore tlie chaste audience naked,
a. id Lucifer .stalked the boards with horns and cloven
jioof and forked tail. There the Christ was crucified,
the creator sat in judi^nicnt, and the fires of hell weio
brifhtiv hurnin*;. Later, when taste became refined
by art, these .spL'ctaeles were modified or abandoned
for the more impressive grandeur of architectural
jiiles, vaulti'd aisles and pictured windows; pointed
spires and deep-toned bells; with statues, ineense,
tapers, and the iujposuig cereuK^nials of the mass.
In Spain more than elsewhere art was subordinated
to religion; image woi'ship was the most fertile fielil
«»f the scu]i>tor and painter. Science, if used at all,
was employed only *^'> elucidate some doctrine of
tJie church. In every way, l)y interpolation of scrip-
tine, by exalting l)lind faith, by nursing Ixisotted
ii-iiorance and trendjling credulitv, science was smoth-
ercd and rationalistic thought crushed. Innovation,
deviation from time-honored tenets, was heresy. To
tliiidv was a crime; to study nature, magic; to attem])t
to iiiteipret nature by a natural, or any other than a
bihjical, standard was sorcery.

in every village was a sorcerer, wise man, or magi-
<-ian, a most useful member of society, who, l)eiiig in
<'orrespondence with agencies infernal, wrought mira-
<l(>s, cured the sick, a. id brouu^ht to lii»ht that which
Avas i(»st. Days luckv and unlucky in w hich to buv and
to Sell were duly noted in the almanac. Joan d'Are
not fMilv hear] voices in the air, and beheld strauiic
visions, hut she made the French and English soldiery
see them. Columbus, on first .-ijjlitiniif San Salvador,
saw the Mestern coast of Asia, and he command* d
every one «)f his men to see in that island Asia, and
to believe and know that it was the veritable Cijtango,
the Japan of India, that they saw under penalty of
having tiie tongue of every doubter cut out What
had men to do with their senses, with reason? The
sum of duty, ill those days was very simple H)nly l)e-
lieve. Whatevt.T could not be understood miiiht be

COMPARATIVE CIVIUZATIOKS AND SAVAGISMS.

attributed, with Don Quixote, to encliantinent, or the
work of some wicked magician. And so Jol)n Faust,
the printer, was a witch; and storms and deaths and
all evils were attributed to witches; and witches were
burned by thousands.

Sorcery and witchcraft were for centuries defended
by the ablest scholastics. Thomas Aquinas, St Au-
gustine, Gerson, and Bodin fought as hard against
scepticism in witchcraft as in worsliip, Neither abil-
ity, purity of intention, nor a self-sacrificing search
for truth were proof against error; instance ^Martin
Lutlier blackening the wall with his inkstand hurled
against an imaginary dovil, and the puritan fathers
who iled persecution, only for Christ's sake to perse-
cute each other. Whoever attempted to question
the truth of witchcraft was hushed by passages from
scripture, by which or from which anything or nothing
can be proved. The logic of su|X)rstition was a meas-
uring of error b\ error, by which method the truth
lias never yet been meted out.

ToLxlo was famous for its witches. At Calahorra
in 1507 tiiirty women were burned for witchcraft.
Hundreds of instances might be cited where women
and men were tlms tortured to death by these pro-
foundly blind and uious men. The unfortunates who
thus suffered were deemed criminally depraved, ac-
cursed of God, children of Satan, whom to stnid by
an excruciating death to eternal torment were a
ri'jfhteous dutv. So clergymen dealt with tiie tainted
of their Hock, so magistrates dealt with the accused,
so dealt friend with friend, and mothers with children.

Any man having aught against another had but to
twist his body into a knot, call the semblance of agony
to his face, cry witch, and charge the evil on his enemy
to be forever rid of him. As late as 1484 Innocent
VIII, complains by papal bull " that numbers of both
sexes do not avt)id to have intercourse with the infer-
nal fiends, and that by their sorceries they affiict both
man and beast. They blight the marriage bed, de-

r AI RISTIC ABSU Rl )ITIES.

stroy the births of women and the increase of cattle;
thov blast the corn on the ground, the grapes in the
vineyard, the fruits of the trees, and the grass and
lierbsof the field." Strange that the creator and pre-
server <^f all thino;s should stand still and see the
innocent suffer for what he has done, and open not his
mouth!

Patristic writings are full of their jugglery. Among
the long catalogue of miracles deemed authentic by
St Augustine were five cases of bringing the dead to
life. l)urini; life birds brought fruit to the anchorite,
and at death lions dug his grave and howled his requiem.
( )i ten the virgin descended, and lifting the pious sup-
plicant from his knees, comforted him. Images every-
where cured the sick and winked and blinlvod upon
the worsliippers at their .shrine. Under tlirection of
tlie A'irufin of tlie Pillar at Sara<ro,ssa chronic diseases
were cured and amputated limbs restored. Every vil-
hi;4e Jiad its shrine; every tem[)le its niiracle-working
relic. So rapidly grew the hair of a Burgos crucifix
tliat it re(piired cutting once a month. Even fi -lies
left their element and thronged about St Anthony
to hear him preach. By the angelic ho.st were scat-
tered the armies of princes opposed to tlie church,
^lissionaries, led by duty into the wilderness, were
tlu'ie either supernaturally protected or granted
glorious martyrdom. All this smacks somewhat of
pious fraud, but yet more of mental aberration.

To-day Hare affirms that fifty thousand pilgrims
llock Ui Saragossa on the ll2th of October, that day
bein<4 the festival of the Viroin of the Pillar. " (iod
alone, says Pope Innocent 111., "can count the miia-
cles which are there performed," and Cardinal Kit/,
who was at the place in 1G41), solemnly declares that
"he saw with his own eyes a leg which had been cut
off grow again upon being rubbed with oil from one of
the virgin's lamps." St Vincent Ferrer of Valencia
made those who were born blind to see; he made the
lame to walk, raised the dead, converted thirtv-five

'!' "i"

4b COMPARATIVE CIVILIZATIONS AND SAVAGISMS.

tliousajul Jews, and [)crforined many other n\inor
feats. Ponderous volumes are tilled with the mirae-
ulous doiui^s of holy men, witli the visions they liad
seen, and the visitations made to them. Thus were
chilih'en tauj^ht hy their parents, pupils by their
teachers, soldiers hy their king; thus were men as-
sured t>f the truth by those whom they regarded as
the ministers and representatives of Gtxl's will and
powrr on earth. Sucli was the atmosphere in which
the belief of our New World adventurers was formed.

The clergy easily obtained permission to establish
courts for the decision of all questions relative to
their creeds arid to their property. By exU'uding
untKr various artifices the jurisdiction of these spirit-
ual courts, they were made to include the greatir part
of all cases arisinjj: for litiuation Codes of laws were
formed, and rules estal)lislied whereby uniform and
consistent decisions were made. The fulmination of
ecclesiastical edicts became conunon, and were more
drea<led than IxKlily punislnnent. Their sj'stem of juris-
prudence gradually superseded arl^itration by combat,
and tlieir courts were regarded as more strictiv tern-
pies of justice than those of the feudal magistrates.
Finally a system of canon law was franied in accord-
ance with tlu'ir pretensions, and thereafter the church
refused to submit her affairs to the decision of tem-
poral tribunals.

Joining the king against the nobles, the clergy
plungetl deep into political intrigue, tlirectiiig the
affairs of government, and entering largely into juris-
prudence. Priestcraft, an essential constituent of chiv-
alry and the crusades, became the dominant power of
civilized societies, and jjfave colorint>: to all reli<xious
wars. Wealth followed as a natural sequence. One
half the property of Spain was at one time under con-
trol of the church, and all of it exempt from taxation.

The court of Rome, during the latter part of the
fifteenth and the early part of the sixteentli centuries,
was at the height of its power, and the depth of its

IRONY OF HUMILITY.

Cdrriiption. The popes, after the council of Constance,
addeil to their spiritual and (juasi-teniporal sovereii^nty
over cliristemloni a complete civil and secular author-
ity in tlie paj>al states. The primacy of St IVter, at
first a state of simple <j^uardianship, became powerful
through the power of the Romans. The jiuthority
over provincial churches which the city of ]\ome, as
niisti'ess of the woild, ^ave to the early pastors of
Kome, upon the advent of ^fohamnu'd and the I'all of
the sees of Aiitioch, Alexandria, and Constantinople,
was left su])reine. The superiority, at first coneeded
hy viitue of parental i)roti'ction, was tluMi claimed as
a riL,*'ht. As the em]>ire of Home declined, tlie emj)iro
of St IV'ter maintained the su})reniacy, and in the
eleventh century Hildeltrand, under title of Orej^ory
\'1I., pi'onmly,ated the l)old conceit that the successor
of St I'eter as viceijercnt of the creator is soverei<;n
of the world. Tlius the patriarch of ]ionie lu'came
tlie ])ope of Rome. Although suhserihini^ himself
Semis Sen'orvm Dei, servant of the servants of (Jod,
he was content to he nothini>" less than mastei' of the
masters of nuMi. Twelve hundred vears after Christ,
the vii-ar of Clirist assumes tliat tempoial autliority
which Christ himself declai'ed to he no })art of liis
mission. The exit of Colonna, as Martin i\., from
Constance, was uiore <(lorious than Christ's entry into
Jerusalem. Arrayed in gorgeous rohes, and mounte<l
on a richly caparisoned mule, forty thousand horse-
men, among whom were kings, princes, and jirelates,
knights, ami learned doctors, escorted him heyoml the
city walls. On one side rode the emj)eror, and on the
other the elector of Rranch'nhurg, each holding a rein.
His housings were sup[)orted hy princes, and he rodo
beneath a caiutpy borne by four counts.

Tlie mighty and noi)le being thus brought under
the yoke, such fatherly precepts were iiistilled into
their minds as should keep them zealous and trac-
table. A system of rewards and punishments was

invented.

Pet names were given in return for emi-

COMPARATIVE CIVILIZATIONS AND SAVAGI.SMS.

JiLiit SL'ivicos. Ferdinand of Spain for expelling the
!Moors was permitted to call himself Most Catholic
Majesty; the king of Portugal was dubbed ^lost
Faithful; Louis XI., Most Christian; while Henry
A'^III., for opposing Luther, was styled Defender of
the Faith, and for opposing the pope was anathema-
tized. Christian monarchs, faithful to the church,
were confirmed and strengthened in their jLjovernment,
and tlieir dominions enlarged; while maledictions
were hurled at those who dared to disobey; crusades
were preached, not against infidels alone, but against
Christian nations whose rulers refused to bow before
the pai>al power. Multitudes from every land flocked
to Kome, as formerly pilgrims flocked to the holy
sepulchre.

It is inconsistent with earthly affairs for greatness
like this to last. Tlie fruit of it rii)ened and decayed.
The poi>e wlio made himself higher than man lived
lower than tlie brute. Sixtus IV. who reigned from
1471 to 1484 was led by his nepotism into base in-
trigues and treacherous conspiracies. Innocent YIII.,
1484 loi)2, is accredited by his mildest historians
with seven illegitimate children, oflfspring of varitms
women. Tlie very name of Alexander VI., 1492-
150.}, the father of Ca3sar and Lucretia Borgia, is
synonymous with cruelty and licentiousness. " The
impure groves of antiquity," says Merle D'Aubigne,
" probably never saw the like of the wickedness per-
petrated under his roof" He secured his election
by buying every cardinal at a fixed price; and on the
day of his coronation he made his son CiBsar arch-
bishop of Valencia and bishop of Pampeluna. This
3'outh, worthy of his illustrious father, first nmrdered
his brother and threw the body into the Tiber, then
strangled his brother-in-law, and finally becoming
jealous of his father's favorite, stabbed him to the
heart in the very presence of the pontiff*. He kept
a band of hired assassins constantlv at hand to do his

bidding. Lucretia Borgia, twice married, lived in-

BIMORAL PONTIFFS,

cestuously at the same time with her father and two
brotliers. The Borglas, fatlier and children, turned
the imperial city into a harem. Falling at length a
victim to his own diabolical cunning, the pope died of
poison which he had prepared for others. Yet in
justice to Alexander VI., it may be said that notwith-
standing his incestuous debaucheries he was one of
the most able princes of his age. He successfully
quelled the refractory spirit of his barons, althougli
he did not scruple to use poison and poniard in eftect-
ing his purpose. He was devoted to the welfare of
the people, and kind to the poor, Julius II,, 1503-
151.S, notwithstanding his love of war and his en-
counigenient of art — became prematurely old from
intemperance and sensual excesses. With such pas-
tors, wliat may be expected of the people?

The wickedness of the pontiffs did not die with
them, but spread like a pestilence through all ranks
of the priesthood, and infected every grade of society.
Simony and licentiousness were of the most common
occurrence. While the church was burning heretics
for simple differences of opinion, one half of her priest-
hood purchased their preferments, and lived in open

concubmaiic.

Yet civilization owes Roman Catholicism some-
thing; for exami)le, the unification of societv durini;
the tlai'k age; restraining the passion for war con-
sequent on the subordination of political power to
divinely deputed papal power; the unification of the
Cliristiiui church, growing out of the doctrine of i)apal
infalliitilitv; the abolition of slaver}'; tiie softening and
refining of manners, and multitudinous social cour-
tesies and benefits.

Thus we have seen how the jicople of Spain were
educated into ignorance and fanaticism; how truth was
hidden away, and falsehood and superstition clothed
in the semblance of truth; how devotion to the king
and to the church was rewarded, and devotion to

COMPARATIVE CIVILIZATIONS AND SAVAGISMS.

country and conKcicnco piinislied. Now Jot us see
how proselytes were niade in Spain in the sixteenth
century, as I liave elsewhere in this series fully <li>-
scribed the en^^ines of conversion in Anieriea. And
I ask the reader to compare the human sacriHces of
Europe with the human sacrifices of America; com-
])are the hloody butcheries of tlie Christians with
those of the Aztecs; compare the diabolical savagism
of Spain and Enjjfland and France, about the time of
the coiKjuest, with the worst that was found in tiie
New World.

So dear was the purity of the faith to both spiritur.l
and temporal rulers, that in the twelfth century in-
quiiers, or intjuisitors, were ajipointed throu_«;hoi'.t
]^urope to examine ])ersons suspected of heresy. If
spiritual chastisement failed to make plain the niys-
tcaies of reliiLjion, the unbeliever was turned over to
the secular aim. AFade fertile by the copious elu-
sions of AEohammedan blood, no soil in jMuope was
better prepared for o'rowin;^ these rank weeds of coi-r-
cion, none more prolific, than that of Spain.

Followinj^ Lafuente in his notice of this institution,
it appears that as early as 1232 (iret^ory IX. directed
the arclibisho[) of Tarra»j;ona, as to the establishment
of its courts, in Catalonia, Arai^on, Castile, and N.i-
varre. The inquisitors were Dominicans as usual.
The king of Castile, St Ferdinand, proved his re-
ligious zeal by helping with his own shoulders to
cairv the wood for the burning of heretics. The kinuf
])on ])iego of Aragon attended with his sons at the
torture of Pedro iJurango de Baldach, burned by sen-
tence of the Inijuisitor-general Burguete.

In Castile, at least, this tribunal presently fell to
pieces: so that in 14(54 in that kingdom no intpiisition
was to be found, but many desired its rcestablishment.
No steps, however, were taken in that reign. In
1478, at the request of Isabella, who was acted upon
by her sj)iritual advisers, Sixtus IV. empowered the
catholic kings to elect three prelates, and other eccle-

,18.

IXQUTSITIOV.

US see
ixiceiith
ully (1(>-
i. And
tlHccs <>t
a; ('(iiii-
ns with
avagisMi
■ tiiiK' of
I in the

spiritui.l
turv iii-
ouglioi'.t
tsv. If
\\o mvw-
over to

HIS ciru-

()|te was
of eoer-

itution,

irc'cted

islmu'iit

d Xa-

usual.
his le-
ers to

.! kin!^
at tlio

fell to

lisition

inicnt.

11. Ill

upon

td the

ecclo-

Sia>;tiral doctors and lietntiatos, (if jj^ood llf(\ to iiKjuIro
after and jiroeeed aL;,'{iinst tlie heretics and apostat'js
of tlie realm, accordinj^^ to law and custom.

Tli(-' motlern iiKjuisition was estahhslied in tlie cf)n-
vrnt of San J*al)lo do Sevilla, whence it moved in
] iS| into the fortress of 'JViana. In apjti'aranee, ilii:.j
(nhous institution liarnionized witli the ortliodox fr.ith;
in reality, the Spanish iiuiuisition was less an eeeh^si-
a^ieal than a i)olitical trihunal. It ])laced in the hand
of tilt; st)vereii^ns a jiowerful instrument for suppress-
ing- faction and strenLjthenin_!jf royal d»>spotisni. The
nieclianism of the modern iiuiuisition was pre pared
more esjiecially lor the conversion of Jews and ?!(»-
liaiiiinedans. As the order-lo\i'i<jf citizen looks conijila-
ceiitly upon the t'-ihhet erected for the punishment of
crime, so oi'thodox S[)aniar(ls at first rei^-arded this
ominous instrument, which M'as to })uiiish usurious
unhelievers and turhaiied infid(^ls, with ia^■or 'ither
than with fear; hut in the end they found, to tJH'ir
cost, that hi(ld(Mi iiower should be wielded only hv the
hand of omniscience.

Forty-five iiKpiisitors-nfciuTal, with the Dominican
Toi(|Uematla at their head, were ap})ointed by iheir
catlmhc ^Fajesties and the pope conjointly. Thirteen
courts were orgaiiiz(;d, and edicts issued calling upf>n
j;!l jxrsons to give information against any su.spected
of heresy. Every now and then some member of a
societv mvsterit)uslv disapiteared from his accustomed
liaunts, never again to be seen. When an"este«l, the
j)risoner was conducted to the secret dungeon of t'le
inquisition, and all intercourse with the world forbid-
den liim. Evidence was given in writing, but the
name of the witness was known only to the judges.
The accus(T and the accused were never brought face
to face. Often the piisoner knew not for what crime
he was accused. Secret and presumptive testimony
was allowed, and the most absurd proof admitted, "^i'o
convict of Judaism, it was only necessary to eat with
a Jew, to wear better clothes than usual on the Jewi^di

.T' !

COMPAP.ATIVi: CIAHLIZATIONS AND SAVAGISMS.

sabbath, to drink Jewish wino, or keep a Jewisli mis-
tress. After undt rjjfoinjjf a mock trial, those who re-
fused to confess tho crime charged upon them, whether
•(uilty or not, were put to the torture.

Tliree ordeals were practised in Spain for determin-
ing the guilt or innocence of the prisoner: the cord,
water, and fire. Trial by the cord was performed by
fastening the hands of the victim behind lils back with
a strong cord, one end of which was passed through a
pulley attached to the roof of the chamber. The exe-
cutioner then raised the victim to the ceiling, and
after holding him suspended for a time, suddenly loos-
ened the cord, permitting him to drop within a foot of
the floor, when his fall was suddenly checked. By
tliis terri1)le shock, the cord was made to cut into the
flesh, and the joints were dislocated. The shocks
w^ere repeated until confession was made or life endan-
gered. The ordeal by water was performed by bend-
ing the body over a wooden horse, in such a manner
that the feet were higher than the head, and respira-
tion extremely painful. A lever and cortls were then
employed to distort the l)odv Jind cut the ilesh. While
undergoing the most excessive agony in this i)osition,
in order to render torture vet more active, the mouth
and nostrils were covered with a piece of fine hnen,
wetted, through which the victim with the utmost
difficulty respired. Water was then poured uj)on the
face, a small quantity of which slowly filtered through
the linen. In the frantic efforts of the suflcrer to
swallow and to breathe, blood-vessels were ruptured,
the linen was saturated with blood, and the body
broken and lacerated by the cords in a horrible man-
ner. In the ordeal by fire, the feet of the victim were
I)laced, firmly bound, near the fire. Oil or lard was
then rubbed over them, until the flesh was literally
cooked, and the bones protruded. Such are the sick-
ening details by which alone we may show how Chris-
tians labored for the salvation of souls oidy four
hundred years agol

AUT0-DE-F6.

tim were

The demoniacal solemnities of the inquisition cul-
minated in that grandest and most imposing ceremonial
(if the church, tho anto-de-fc, or act of faith, upon
wliich occasion punishment was inflicted upon the con-
demned. Once more I would ask how to distinguisli
the radical difference between the ])uman sacrifices of
the Mexicans and Peruvians and the malignant enor-
mities of tlie iiKjuisitorial trihunal, except tliat tlie
former Mas attended by far less ])assion and cruelty
than the latt( r. Punishments of persons convicted
hy tiie comt of tlie inquisition were of various gratU-s.
Propiity in every instance was confiscated; and as a
grtjit part of the wealth of tlie kingdom was in the
liands of jitretical Jews and floors, convictions were
rai)id and easy. Some were condemned to l)e burned,
otliers wlio could not be found were Imrned in effigy.
►Some Were condemned to be reconcih'd — bv which
term is meant fines, imprisonment, or disenfranchise-
ment.

K^w the morning of the day appointed for tlio dismal
spectacle, the populace were awakened l»y the muf'.Ud
sound of tlie cathedral bell, and soon a crowd of (\iger
spectators thronged the streets and public s(piare.
The dungeon doors of the tribunal were then thrown
open and the unfortunate victiuis were brought forth.
First in the procession were placed the penitents, or
those condenmed to do penance and l)e roco!:;iled.
Xext, barefooted, clothed in ,s«» hmifos, or long yt-l-
low frocks, decorated with searlet cross, and jiictures
of imps and fires of hell to which the W( aiTi's sr»ul h
doomed, with a high pointed-crowned hat u|ion the
head, and a large crucifix borne before them, were
those condemned to death. Then followed diigies of
uncaught heretics; and in black coffins garnished with
infernal symbols, the bones of thoi-e who had ili<<i
under torture or during confinement. The Dominicans
of the holy office, arrayed in sable robes, with the
baimer of the inquisition borne aloft, led the proces-
sion, while long files of monks in sacerdotal livery

(OMrARAlIVK CIVILIZATIONS AND SAVAGISMS.

biouj^lit Up the roar. Nobles ami graiulecs JDiiiod In
the cfrt'inony, zealous to set the sral of their ajjjtroval
U})on this santruiiiary saerifiee to their faith.

The dismal cortege then marched through the prin-
cipal streets of the city to the church. Tluii a ser-
mon was preached, and the sentences pronounced; at
the close of which an ofticer of the holy (.)fHce sti'uck
each victim ui)on the breast with his hand, signifying
tiiat the iiKpiisition thereby abandoned the condemned
to the civil authorities, chains were then placed uj)on
the ])iisoners, and they were led forth to execution.
Those wlio recanted at the last moment were kindly
strangled bi'fore being cast into the lire; otherwise,
thev were di'nied that favor, and burned alive. Thus
were punisluul between l-bSl and I SOS ;U(),()()0 ju'r-
sons, of wliom ;>"J,000 were burni'il. Such wen' the
njeasui't's adopted tt) turn the luarts of men to the
miUl teaching's of Mini whose name an<l mission was
love. Such wei-e the arguments used to impress
ri'ason with the truths of religion. Who can wonder
tliat cruelty aitd fanatic zeal characterized the S[)anisli
adven;urers to the New World, when at home such
foul acts tor the stiHing of human thought weiv ]»om-
]>(»us]v ])(>rfornK>d bv mi<>Jitv soverei'Mis and holv cede-
siastirs?

]n Ifxll Ferdinand was succeeded by Charles, a
sincen', houi'st, and by no nu>ans itaibheai'ti-d man.
Yet tlie I'eligious current into which he was cast
swi'pt lum into the nn)st barbarous and bigoted i-x-
tremes. A terribjv fervent li''ht, and hid under no
bushel, was his to the heretic. 'I\> buy a heterodox
book was death. To bi- a heretic was (lames anil lire,
both in this world and that which was io conu'. In
the low countries the deatlis for this cause were esti-
mated at oiu' hun(h'ed thousand. Almost the last
tleed of the old emperor was to a<ld a codicil to his
will, abjuring his son to show no mercy to the accursed
plant o\' JiUtheranism.

Jvight well did I'hilip keep his father's precept.

;ms.

RKVIVAL OF LETTERS.

joinoil In
ai>[>r()val

tlie prin-
v\\ a scr-
iiK'cd ; at
CO struck

(luUMunod
oi'd upon
'Xecution.
re kindly
)thorNvise,
•c, Tims
),000 IKT-
wcro the
Ml l<» the
issioii WHS

) ilUltlH'SS

.11 wdudcr
e Siuuiish
oiiu' such

■i'lV polll-

oly ceele-

I'liai'les, a

lied mail.

was rast

(ttt'd t'\-

luudt r IK)

ctcrtxloX

and i'lie,
)iiu'. In
WW estl-
the last
il t(i Ills
accursed

Hi-; motto was, " Better not to reijj^n than reiL^n over
hrreti( ■;." A life gultled hv this loadstar K-I't .such a
hlood ti-ack as may he ima!L,niied; and so thoroii<rlily
did he Jiis work that lieresy, which convulsed all
J"]ui'o]H\ was ill Spain practically dead hy the year
l.)7(t. I'rom the IVreiiees to CJihraltar all were
lo\al, ;'ll wcif orthodox. I'heii further aimed the he-
niu,iiaiit Pliilip, even at thi> empiic of i^urope, that he
iiii'^ht u'ltcily away from the earth with those rude
doctiiacs that still ott'ended his iK)strils from many a
<|uai't(i'. Thus the spirit of intolerance, kindled hy
the ]\Inha.iiinudan wars, and fanned into a tierce Hame
hy til' r> rormation, was kept alive hy the mighty
j)oW( r of (hc-^c royal higi)ts.

T!;r It \iva] of letters, which acted as a powerful stim-

uit in mental (K'velopment, prtK

luccd

a corres[)()ndini^

adxaiicc ill morals. As laymen were cnahled to read
i'or tluinselves, they were no longer (lepeiidcnt ujion
tlie < 1 'f^;y for an interi)retation of sacred and secular
wiitiii ;s. Men he'j;an to think and to judLie for theni-
.selves. The clouds of su[)erstiti<»ll Wore dispelled hy

i.l^

ions ot science.

:ri

le Jloo'liias of the cU

lurch

and t!n' li\(S of tlu* clerLTV were comnarcd with the
teachings of the apostles. The t'oui (hseascs hrcd hv
ecclesiastical excesses threatened I'uiii to the church.
The j( ftrmation which hroke out al»out l.VJO under
l^utlici- in (lermanvand Zwin-'li in Switzerland di-
vidcd I'lirojie anew. The unity of the diurch was
forever hi'oken. A power minjlitier than that of
arinie; and rituals jiad arisen -tlie jtower of tli<niv;]it,
the li ;lit to Judgi", mtiial and intelle«'tual fret'dom.

he iiiipu

lls,> t!

lus ''iveii to thoU'.'ht can seaicelv h

imderstood hv us. W

can

I'oha

lie\cr

full

leali-..', lirst, how thoroui^dily the hlaek jiail wa
thiii'j;' over learniiiiif and reason hy the medijeval
cliurcli; and .secondiv, how vidiemeiitlv it was torn
asunder with the rise' of s[)eculati\(' discussion. J^ut
in Spaiii protestantism was destined to a short career.

C.vi.. I'.isT., Vol. I. 4

COMPARATIVE CIVILIZATIONS AND SAVAGISMS.

That implacable hatred for heretics which for so many
centuries had nerved the arm of the nation, and kept
in a fervent ^low the spirit of fanaticism and persecu-
tion, had not yet time to cool. Luther's doctrines
were fiercely met hy the incpiisitors; his books were
seized and burned as fast as they appeared, and tliose
who read them were exeonununicated. Soon after
the Index ExpurgaforivS: or list of hooks condemned
l)y the inquisition as dangerous to Spain, was pul)-
lished, and any pepson in whose possession a copy of
(me of those hooks should be found was condenmed
to deatli. Thus the rising spirit of iniiuiry. di'stined
to regenerate all Europe, Avas crushed, and bigotry
and fanaticism still held rule in Spain.

The effects of the reformation were nevertheless
keenly felt upon the peninsula, and the church herself
set alxiut correcting those abuses whicli heretical
reformers were not alloweil to touch. Arms and
n'issi(»naries were liberallv bestowetl upon the New
W(nl(l, and the colonists char<_ied to exert their utmost
powers to extend the faith to the benighted natives.
While Luther was nailing his theses to the church
door at Wiirtenber<x, Cortes was thunderinnf at the
portals of Mexico. " God clearly ?ho.se this bold
captain, Don Fernando Cortes," says the pious Mcn-
dieta, "and adopted him as an instrument to open
through him the gate, and j)repare the way for the
preachers of his gospel in this New World, where tlx^
catholic church might be restored and recom[>ensed
in the conversion of njany souls, for the great loss and
injury which the accursed Luther was to cause, at the
same epoch in the old Christianity."

Yet another reaction. The zealot to phvase God
first j)lunges into the depths of p<»verty and woe ; tlien
basks in sunny sloth and fatness; then growing amln-
tious, soars to eminence in statecraft, war, and wealth,
only to be tlirust down by the jealous aim of royalty.
Before coriuption had retiched its height, or a refor-
mation had been thought of, papal sovereignty began to

POPULAR UEPRESEXTATIOX.

Iwinir ainl)V-

tloclinc. It was tlio wealth of the clerc^y, however,
that was taken iVoni them, ratlier than their religion.
Fertlinand and Isjiliella were no less vigilant in sup-
pivssing ecclesiastical power tlian in curbing the pre-
tensions of the nobles. They claimed as a right the
nomination to episcopal seis; the utmost care was
taken by the crown to obtain and hold the sovereign
juriscliction in churc-h affairs. Although the reverence
of Ferdinand for the church was unbounded, his crafty
y.cal pnlVrred himself as spiritual overseer, and he
took care to have all ecclesiastical dignities and emol-
uments tliroughout liis entire dominions at his own
disposal.

(^)uetn Isabella watched with solicitous care eccle-
siastical morals, and endcav<tred by every means in her
vowcr to elevate and pui'ify the chun'h. Ik'sides a
system of vigorous purgations, and introducing the
most wholisome reforms, new zi'al was imparted to
tlic clmrch bv new ecclesiastical orders. In la.'U
f^natius of Jjoyola founded the society of Jesuits,
denouncing luxury antl self-indulgence, holding in
abeyance the senses, and renewing the ancient obliy;a-
tions of chastitv and i>overtv.

*- I t'

Thus I have sketched lightly, but I trust not with
undue proportion, the salient points of church inilu-
en<e in S[»ain; more lightly still the reformation
w Iiich was .strangh d in its swaddling-chtthes. Wliat
had Spain to do with such things!' She could see no
sheej) not of this f(»ld. She had ordy ft a- such sheep
nameless torture and execration. She worshipped
blindly, fervec.tly, wholly; no Laodicean ilrop in all
her bottomless devotion. Father Juan Francisco de
San Antonio spake with the voice of Sj)ain when lu;
said: "The pol)e, then, is our visible monarch and
emperor, in things spiritual, hi things tt niporal ; the
living (jod of the earth, or vicar of (jod; the two
constituting on earth a single tribunal.

"I*a})a stupor mundi, (|ui maxima rerum.

"Xec JJeus est, nee homo, quasi neuter inter utrura-
que.

i ■III!

|J, ^ I ,

COMl'AUATlVi: CIVILIZATIONS AXD SAVAfilSMS.

As 1 \nivo said, tlic world is not without ol)lij;;itiou
to tlio oliurcli for tlit; ]);irt she played in the darkist
a<jjt!S, even thou<^h lu-r inlluciict.' did hrinj^ that dark-
ness down on the noon of (Jreek and llonian culture;
and that ohligation still exists for manifold reasons to
this day. And while we renienil)er with horror the
|>ast erinjes of civilization, let us heware for the future
of those delusions which swallow as in a black gulf all
the nobler attributes of soul and sense.

Popular representation existed in the several klnir.
donis of Spain at an early period. According to Fer-
reras the first cortes or coiiLjress of ("astile was held
at liurgos in I JOS). It was conipo-cd of three estates,
the cler<]fv, nohilitv, and coninionalty. In Catalonia
the third estate was the rei)resentatives of cities,
and tin; presence of the deri^^y was not indispensable.
The king summoned and })resided over the cortes in
person. Spain before the coalescence of Aragon and
Castile was sepaiatetl into minor provinces and petty
kingdt)ms, whose rulers possessed authority but little
superior to some of their most powerful subjects. The
coiles of Aragon was com[)osed of four estates: nco.s-
h(unhrcs,ov nobility of the first class; ////«;/2:o»cs, knights
or nobility of the second class; de[)utiea of towns and
repres(?ntatives of the clergy. In ancient times the
poW(!i'of this body was supreme. Twelve members con
stituted a (juorum, and no measure ci)uld be adopted
without a unanimous vote; kings were created and
deposed by this body at will, ami every branch of [)ub-
lic artairs was under its control. Ui>on the coronation
of a king the monarch was conducted before the as-
sembly, the (Jran .fusticia being seated on a thi'oni'
and surroumled by the grandees and prelate s of Uie
realm; the coronation oath was admir.isteri-d, '.^ here-
upon each of the nobles drew his sword, and placiii'j;
its point np<»n the king's heart, exclaimed: "X<» , qu '
valemos tal que vos y juntos podemos mas que v<»^,
vus faceuios rev para (^ue guardeis la ley e (si uon,

SMS.

ol)H«i;atlon
le darkest
hat (laik-
n culture;
reasons to
lorror tlie^
the future
,ck gulf all

vcral king-
ing t») Fei'-
c was lu'ld
ree estates,
1 Catalonia
s of cities,
lispensahle.
lio cortes in
\raii;on and
^ and petty
y but little
jects. The
tates: rivoft
/(cs,kni<]fhts
towns and
times the
liMubers con-
he odol'tetl
•reatetl ami
,nch of puh-
coronation
ore the as-
in a thron<'
lates of tiie
fred, "vhere-
find phicini
"No , qu'
as que vo^.
y e !si uou,

-§

1
I
I

An
M

■1^

SANTA UERMANDAD.

non." We, eacli one of us your equal, and together
mightier than you, we make you king, that you may
keep the law, and if not, not.

Upon the union of the several kingdoms of the pcn-
in-;u1a under one monarch}'', the local legislative bodies
were merged into one national cortes composed of two
bodies, a senate, and a chamber of deputies, whose
ddiherations must be apart from each other, and apart
from the presence of the king. An act of the cortes
must be sanctioned and pronmlgated by the sovereign
hcfore it becomes a law; but in the absence or inca-
pacity of a monarch their authority of the cortes is
ahsolute. Ferdinand and Isabella brouijht forward
several engines to weaken the power of the cortes.
Tlie inijuisition — by silently removing objectionable
persons ; balancing one element of the assembly against
another so that the whole cimld be easily wheedled ;
hv the establishment of the militarv orders of Santi-
ago, Calatrava, and Alcantara, and the formation of a
military i)olice, called the sanfa hermandad, or holv
l»i(»therhood. This fraternity w;is a sort of feudal
vigilance committing, a legally organized conipany of
knights-errant, formed bv the villaLjes for the imr-
j»ose of preventmg enormities which were prevalent
Iteyond the settled portions of the country. Each
|iU('l)lo, or town, elected two alcaldes, or justices of the
peace —one noble, the other plelK'ian, undiT whom were
pi leed inferior officers having at connnand acuadrilla,
or eonq)any. The cuadrilleros or mi'nd)ers «)f this
association, sometimes attended by the alcaldes, at
other times in(lej)endently, scoured the country for evil-
doers who when cuught were tried and executed on
tlie spot, or taken to the village and there confmed.
This frat(;rnal en<nn<' wielded by the kinu: aijainst the
umighteous seigniorial justices, and the unjust oppres-
sions of the nobles, «»;reatly assisted to increase the
j»nwer of the throne, which had hitherto bien unable
tn i)revent the intestine disorders which captious sub-
j 'its constantly occasioned. In time the santa her-

iOi

'I li;

M COMPxUlATIVE CIVILIZATIONS AM) SAVAiilSMS.

inaiidad deteriorated, and the association was abolished.
Tliat justice wiiich works in secret is never permanent;
its intluenco becomes pestilential, and if cr)ntinufd,
oftentimes turns and wreaks a deadly venj^eance upDU
its author.

I have here dwelt upon Euroj)e's savagisms and
civilizations, from the twelfth t<> tlie sixteentli cen-
turies, more fully than America's, from the fact that
the latter, so far at least as the Pacific States are con-
cerned, has been fully presented in my Nat ire Iiacc!i,U*
which the leader is referred for further comparisons;
suffice it to say in conclusi(»n that in all the phasrs
and stages of human proujress in all jiarts of tlie WNrl.l,
and in all aj^es of mankind, there are present inm;-
merable parallelisms, the lowest savaj^jism having in it
appparently the germ of the highest civilization. We
see in savage tril)es the same necessities mi-t by similar
means, tlu^ same progressional phenomena piesent in
uniform sequence in all human societies, rude or cul-
tured.

As regards n^ligions, superstitions, witclicraft, and
priestcraft, the Americans were no whit W-hind the
EuroiM'ans; they could not surpass them in absurdity.
Evi ly nation had its theory of creation and a futuie
state. The l*imas had their deluge as w« 11 as the
Hebrews; the Pueblos their siicred fire; the Califiir-
nians their sanctuaries of n'fuge; the ^[iztccs tlnir
straight and narrow way to jiaradise ; and the juoplc of
Yucatan tlieir phallic worship. I can understand the
Yakima word for soul as readily as I can that ot
the Buddhists, or Clnistians, or ]\lohammedans. The
Eskimos enjoyed witchcraft long before the Salem
puritans, and the Thlinkeets gave to certain animals a
humanity i>efore ])arwin was born.

Every American nation had its order of priesthood ;
one of the [>rinci})al cities of the Zapotecs, Tojiaa, was
ruled liki; Rome by a sovereign pontiff*. The people
«»f the ^fos(|uito Coast had their pantheon as well as
the Greeks. The ^lexicans had their ceremonial cal-

llillil

[SMS.

abollslietl.
LTin.ineiit;
contiiuud,
ance ii\Hni

^isius and

iontli I'on-

fact that

.'S are <-<>n-

C lilUCi, U>
ujiarisoiis;
he j)lia.siri
the WMlhl,
sent inmi-
avin<f in it
tion. V. e
hy similar
piL'sent in
liUe or «ul-

icraft, and

►chind the

ihsunllty.

I a future

II as the
e Calirnr-
teis thrir

JH'Ojdc of

Stand the
n that ot
ans. The
le Saleui
animals a

'icsthood ;
L>[)aa, was
Ihe peo|)le
IS well as
gonial cal-

AMERICAN CIVILIZATIONS.

ondar, and jtrayers and offerinj^s were everywhere

anc

The Chinese liad their Confucius, the Christians
Mohannnedans their respective originator
Aztcts their C^uttzideoatl as well as their Nameless
One, tln'ir Sujtrenie Creator, their only livini^and true
God. They had their monasteries and religious festi-
vals.

It is a slander upon savagism to talk of its extraor-
diiiaiv tiiarhiiies and cruelties in view of the la<'ts
ot' J\iui<)]Hau civilization. Conij)are the barharities of
the chivalrous Pedro de Alvarado, not to mention
Francisco I'izairo, and the tortures inHicted on Span-
iards hy the Frenchman L'Olonnois in the West
liiditvs, with those of anv wild men the world has ever
sei'U. Yet more: com|)are the most horrihle sav-
agisms of any . ge or land with the barharities t»f
Englishmen in India within the present century.

^\s regards irovernment and society, it is liardly
neeessaiy to refer again to the absolute monarchies of
the Xahuas and ^layas, with their scores of subonli-
nate limited monarchies. Outside of them all was
1'lascala, with its aristocratic rej)ublican system, and
jiailiament, or senate; and tiie confedeiation of states
in Mexico, Tezcuco, and 'I'lacopan, capable of acting m
some respects oidv as a whole, while the authoritv of
each at ]u)nie Nvas su[>reme. Where among tive hun-
ched otiiersdid the Aztecs mt their idea of the cere-
mony <if anointment and coronation, to say nothing
of znoli)|;i(;d gariK-ns, reveime system, orders of
nobility, women consecrated to i-hastity, natioi;al
games, dancing, and gynmastics, social system of aris-
tocracy. })lel»eians and slavt'S, tenures of lantl and taxa-
tion, and knightly order of tecuhtli i

I cannot si)eak here of the maniiscrii>ts, alphabets,

cal'iidars, and system of the Mayas; the crtination
rites, ehronological records, eloth and paper manufac-
toiirs, eode of law's, courts of j»rocedure, and gladia-
torial cond)ats of the Xahuas; or of the currency,
government, religit}n, slaverv, ornamentation, court-

COMPARATIVE CIVILIZATIONS AND SAVAOISMS.

sliip and raarria<ife, war- weapons, feasts, houses, and
dress of the Cliinooks, the Nootkas, and all the rest
of tliem.

Glancint^ at the prmiitivc liistory of tlie Anu'rican
peoples we discover in more nations than one triiec s of
a bright age and a dark age, with ninnherless tuin-
ings and overturiiings, until, as in the Old W'oild,
feudalism and chivalry arc passed, and standing
armies, learning, and persecution for opinion's sake
are reached.

I would not be understood for a moment as one
attempting to place the aboriginals of Ameiica on an
ecjuality with Europeans four hundred or eight hun-
dred years ago. The Indians, savage or civili/:t'd,
were far behind the Europeans; yet not so I'ar as
many affirm. 1 say only that it is striking, the (simi-
larity of humanity, of nature, and progress everywhere
on this planet. It shows that if God made man in
Europe, he made the men of America, and that the
(jrod of the crusader, the God of the pirate, oi' the
intjuisitor, of the modern college professor, the modern
counterfeiter, the modern monopolist, and (oiiuj)-
tionist, the God of the Mohammedan, the Chi I 1 an,
the Jew, and the Aztec, is one and the same I ( ng.
Or, if it be nature, and man is indigenous, his mm Id-
ing is but ]>art of the general evolvings oi" the iii;i\ < rse
which makes one all worlds and systems of worl I .

LMS.

iscs. and
the rcbt

Vintrican
tiiM-ts of

less tuni-

lI Wo.M,
s^taiKl'mg

oil's s.ikc

lit as one
ica on an
i;^lit li un-
civil i/it'tl,
so I'ar as
the .sinii-
•crvwhere
lie innn in

tiiat tlie
te, ol' the
le luoilern
I (oiruj)-

liii. I an,
no 1 ( '11,2^.
is uiin kl-
> ui:'i\« rse

IVOfl i>.

CHAPTER II.

COLONIAJ. POLICY OF SPAIN.

I do not know .mytliiug niorj liiduTous amony the solf-doceiitiona of woll-

nuMiiiii.,' [ [ill' tliuii tlu'ir notion nf patriotism, as nijuirin^' tlu'ni to limit

tlitir ctl'oits to tliu good of their own country; tlie notion that charity is a
j;i'ogra|>liii'.d virtue; and tluit what is holy and righteous to do fur jK'oplo on
(iiiu hank ot a river, it is quite imi)roi)t;r and unnatural to do fi>r ^leoplo uu
tiiL' other. — Ji((din.

Poi.iTU.s jis a science is too young yet to toll alto-
gotlur iVoiM what has been what shall he. And yet,
ll'W philosophers are found with sufficient assurance
to s[>cculate upon the progressional vagaries which
lliree or five centuries jience shall .stand out against
the t'eudalisnis, the knight-errantries, trials hy coinhat,
lack and tliuinh-screw conversions, and rehgiou-re\(>
hitions ofTive or three hundred years ago. J^ut unless
human nature he horn anew, then* is little I'ear that our
siiccessois will iK)t find their full quota of foirK.\s to tilt
for withal. We are not quite ready to place cf)lony-
plantin<'- in the cate«>f»rv t)f infatuations such as holv-
.sej)ulchrc crusading, yi't those who shall come after
us may he. Nevertheless, the twenty-sixth century
may derive henefits fi'oni the experiences of tlie six-
teenth.

The two hundred years fo.iowinu' the discoveries by
('oluml)us, the Cabots, and Vasco da (j!ama were the
world's great age of colonization. Before the six-
teenth c(>ntury, and after the .seventeenth, there were
distant .settlements established by ])arent states, but
none such as then appeared. And none .'^uch will ap-
[)ear again until for cisilization time bridges another

(67)

ih y

ii'jiii!'!'

M niLONlAL POLICY OF SPAIN.

Sea of Darkness, and some new eliristiunity finds fer-
tile heathen fields to j)lough.

riaiifat/oii, corrt'spondhig to the Dutcli volk-pUuitiiuj,
stands as the (ally English euuivalent for the word
colony, from cdlo, to till the soil and dwell in a place,
jis originally applied to the grants hy Roman generals
of conquered countries, snndar to the settk'ments
niade later l>v tlie Kussians in Central Asia, which
wiie at first niiiitary centres and afterward towns,
^'et the former terms referred rather to countries
than to cities. Long before this, however, we recog-
nize tlic colonization idi'a with different motives — for
pur[)oses hoth of trade and agriculture, as among the
I'luenicians and Greeks; for puqioses of migration,
con(|uest, })lunder, and occupation, as among the north-
ern barbarians; fr«)m excess of population, from a love
of gold, for purposes of j)roselyting, and in order to
I'scape servitude, religious j)ersecution, or other kin-
dred infiictions. Those who go, dream of actjuisition
in one or more directions; tho-^e who send, expect ad-
"\antage. Carthage, herself a colony anf' the r.iother
of colonies, defined a policy by which she established a
great navy, and controlled Mediti-rraman commerce.
The (h'eeic colonies Were nominally free, but some-
tinu'S tributary to the pariiit state. The causes actu-
ating or undirlvinii' colonial mi^'rations have not arisen
as a rule from any noble impulse or jirinciplc. The
]*uritans, laiuling on the wild shoi-e of New l^ngland,
]>resent the sul)limest picture in ctjjonial history, and
almost the only one at all sublime. Xeithev for greed
nor glory did they leave comfoi'tabUi homes; neitlier
to defraud the natives, nor fasten on them a strange
religion, did they brave the wildi'rness. It was intel-
lectual freedom they Would have, the higliest, holiest
aspiration humanity is heir to. It is somewhat signifi-
cant in this connection that the descendants of these
])eople did not long n-main colonists. Yet even here,
if the truth nnist be told, was conduct incompatible
with justice and strict moral j)rincij)le, by a people

EARLY COLOXIZATIONS.

will) claimicl to liave siicrificetl all for thoso same prin-
ciples of justice and morality.

Tills Uusiiioss of colonizing in its c uTicr staj^'cH was
sclilom i)lua.sant or profitable, either to [larent or oft'-
s;!ring. The first atten^jts were almost always fail-
ures so far as the ha[)i)iness of the latter w. s concerned.
There was usually too nuich of the fij^htinii,^ and gov-
eriiin"" elements amonjx the emigrants, and too few
haiiils accustomed to the axe, and spade, and like
i;!"; ]i inents for the building of substantial connnoii-
wialths, Xeitlu'r hav»> the s.)VC:reigns of Europe
jilayed any noble ])art in this [)eople-]>lanting. llow
til Genoese was obliged to importune them for the use
ot' three or four small v 'ssels! Ferdinand s[)ent some
money on succeeding "loyages, and then like IK-niy
of En'dand irraciouslv i)ermitted his subjects to dis-
cover and colonize new lands at their own cost; ami
after receiving a royal share of whatever was pur
cliased or plundered from the natives, lie held all as
crown i)rop(;rty and crown v ssals.

\\u • the Latin races of Europe had wrested from
sa\i.:\; or hal. -civilized nations three fourths of the
world, tilt; larger pai't of the territory so sinzed was
taken by the Teutonic races and divided into common-
wealths, which wei'e in some instances united i.i leder-
ations more free and forward than their originals. It
strains our credulity somewhat to bi'lieve it, but j»i'ob-
ably l*ope Alexander, Ferdinand, John of Portugal,
Klizabi'th, and Chai'les II. were serious when thev is-
sued maxims un<ler which the world miglit bi' light-
t'ou ly partitioned and possessed, ordering all heathen
lands to be seized and their inhabitants if neid ))e slain.
^Ve sh()uld call such doings to day piratical, abomiiia-
bh', t)nly some captious critic might choose to place
in tlie same category such transactions as the seizuio
and amiexation to the United States of Texas, Cali-
fornia, and the lands intermediate, the Ihitish c<.n-
tpie^t of Scinde and the Punyaub, and the French
occupation of Algiers and Tahiti.

COLONIAL POLICY OF SPAIN.

|5 K

The European occupation of America was by means
of colonit'S. Tlie whole territory from I'atagonia to
Labrador was early cut into uiu'cjual parts claimed by
diil'erent ]']uropcan ]>owers. During the seventeenth
and ei^hteentli centuries, America was popularly
designated 'The Colonies.' Then from five America-
holding nations prior to IG74, the mnnber was reduced
to four, and after 17(>^), for th<.' most j)art to three;
between 1775 and IS'Ja European domination in
America became almost extinct; meanwhile in the
United States arose the political j)rinciplo called the
Monroe doctrine, which declared that any attempt on
the part of European nations to extend their system or
contn 1 over any part of this continent not already
occupied by them, would by the ITnitod States be
regarded as d;in;;vrous to their peace and safety.

Jud;;ing from our]>ri'sent stand-])oint,<,n'eater results,
ethical, intellectual, and material, ha\"e arisen from the
colonijrations of (Jreat l^ritain than fi'oni those of any
other nation. I refer to voluntary offshoots rather
than to colonizations at the cannon's mouth. Though
the first centarv of Sitanish-American history was
mediicval ratluT than n>.odern, Sjjain's colonists in
America were not persons impelled to escaju) the
tradi'-guilds, or conunercial, political, or religious dom-
ination of imperial cities that ground them tmder
imposts and intellectual tyrannies. Spaniards did not
wish to fri'o themsidves from anything. They wi're
satisfied ^\iih their country and all its despotisms and
fanaticism.s. Even before thinking of themselves, tiiey
coiujiiered and colonized for their king. Ai'il th(Mr
establishments wluii founded were like neither the
IMuenician factories nor the Roman garrisons; take
from them their gold mines and repartimientos, and
there was little of thetn one would acce|)t as a gift.
Imnu'diate gain with glory, spiritual gain and juate-
rial gain with the glory »f concpiest and lordly domi-
nation, was the pU!i.,.M' of the Spanish colonist, liike
a child or a t^iivage to gratify a passion or achieve a

ENOLANI/S METHOD

proximate result lie would uiKler^o any liardsliij); hut
III tiiut tlioroutjfh and jH-rsisti-iit application lor remote
;iilvaiita;4c'S Mliieh t'liaraeterizi'S the hijjjher onK r of
iiitclii'jfenee he uas founc wanting. His passionate
ciicr'jv (liili'rt'd widely from that persistent nidustry
wlilcli K.ut'd tlie political fahric of the Anglo-Saxons
ill Xiiith America.

The i^liiglish colonist thought of the future. Whether
lie rciiiiuiu'd at home, or wlierever he walked upon tlie
eaitli, lie could not heguilt himself of the idea that he
Mas a i'lee man. Ife had no thought of murdiT and
japliie as means of suh-iistence, but Ix'took himself to
a'Ticuitui'e, lahorinix with his hands, and instructing;
his children in those natural riglits of which ni^.i must
alwiiys stand ready voluntarily to reliiHpii.-h iome for
tlie hetter Securing of oth(>rs, yet not with sutHcient
ri'Liard tor the riiJ'hts of others, I i-ejiret to sjtv. So far
as their own peo})le were «-oncerned, tlu^ \iiglo-Saxon
Wire ready c) ough to till their breasts .vith a love of
Hl)"rty in all its highest and purest forms. In these
sentiments, winch were alroa<Iy necessities, lay tlie
security which b«>U]id them first in states, and later in
federations. Thus while the southern American col(»-
nies Were kept wi'ak and puerile by the exci.-ssive legis-
lation of tlie parent government, as we shall j)resently
see, ihe New J'higland colonies, content with nothing
h ss than a p(»lit'cal libei'ty which shoidd enable them
ti» make their own laws and rear their own institutions,
gr(>w sti'ong in the exercise of natural an<l inln>rited
rights. Sub.se(pientiy, when the yoke of SiKiin drojiped
otl' l)y rea.son of its own rottenr.ess, all Spanish .Vmerica
lapsed into a state of revolution, which IxH'.ame the
primary c(»ndition of their proi^-n^ss, whih" r< v,»lutiou
to the Anglo- American is u[>on instinct abonunation.
The diflerenco then between Teutonic America and
Latin America is not circumstantial but an inlnrited
(hli'erence. From their mother one received theg* ini
of strength which unfolded in magnificent civility; tlio
other weakness, with its attendant stagnation and

COLONIAL POLICY OF SPAIN.

(leatli. One souj^ht the conquest of savages, the
other the conquest of self Tlic colonization of the
one was a hirtli ; that of the other a i)urial. It can-
not he changed to climate. We all know what a
Ufarden of wealth hlossonied in the West India
Islands after they were wrested from the Spaniards
hy the French, English, and Dutch, little enough hav-
iM<r been made of them l)efore tliat time.

In all which, there is not so verv much after all for
England to he proud of Yet she is ])roud; and slu;
would UA\ you it is because these foufiders of new
nations were Enii'llshnien, whose descndants huxe
c<»ntinued the work and ui)held the great principhs ot
freedom underlyinuf Enjjlish institutions. She will
tell you had rulers and not the English peo[)le at-
ten)[)ted to deprive the colonists of their rights; but
is it bad rulers, or is it Englishmen, who even while
I write are still practising their old-time atrocitii's !"
As to English colonies, liritish America and Australia
are less English colonies than sovereign states. Her
treatint^nt of the American plantations and the p«'o-
ple of India add nothing to her glory. It is the
irony of honesty and humanity to hear 1'Jiglisji states-
men tu^k of the honor of it — tin? honor of the parent-
age of nations not one of which was brouL^ht forth
save in cruelty and injustice. I shall have nmch to
say of the narrow and suicidal colonial ])olicy (»f
Sjmin, yet I find little in that of other nations at that
time better or more liberal. I find nothing .so impoli-
tic as the peremptory measuri'S by which theattemj>ts
of the Americai colonists to manufacture certain
articles i'or themselves were nu-t by the British iiarlia-

ment, not to mention innH)sts and other tyrannii>s. cl
Read the declaration of independence if you would
know the rest. Besides her colonies, England's pride
has been her maritime strcngtii, emj»loyed sometimes
in carrying bibles, sometimes in forcing on unwilling
nations negro slaves, tobacco, opium, and in other

,,,- I

TOMPARATIVE COLOXIZATION.

v'asxps, the
ion of the
1. It can-
•w wliat a
ost India
Spaniards
lougli hav-

iftor all for
I; and slu!
ors of new
iliints hiivt'
•rincipli'S ot
She will
pcoi)h' at-
iT^hts; hut
oven while
I atrocities :*
d Australia
utes. Her
id the ])eo-
It is'thr
:lish .statt's-
lie parent-
|u;j;lit forth
e much to
policy <»f
Ions at that
1^ so inipoli-
u attenijtts
re certain
ish parlia-
tyrannii's.
()U Would
find's pride
sometimes
unwillin;^'
in other

like detestable traffics injurious to men and morals.
Though we have less of Asia in America than yet
clings to Europe, we may still find here, up to a recent
p( riod, slavery apart from savajjism, and polygamy
without Mohannnedanism. ]'2nglish policy shows no
systematic attempt to raise savages from their low
estate, or otherwise t(» improve them solely for their
own good, such as we find anumg the Si>aniards. The
English <j:(Mierally found it to their intiTests to
maiiitaiii fritMidiy relations, and some fi-w feeble
iH'orts were made to christianize after a fashion; but
Spaniards established for the natives thousands of
churches, colleges, and schools. The horrors of con-
(|uest over, the policy of the Spanish government
toward the natives became exceedingly lienign. On
niaiiv occasions it encouraufe<l colonial industries with
exceedlnj; disinterestedness and liheralitv. Even while
(fcorge 111. was crowtling his colonists into open op-
positii»n, Ctlrlos III. was pacifying his Xew World sub-
jects by every means in his power. It is ass(>rted of
the latter, Spain's best and most liberal-minded mon-
arch, and of his niinister, the cimde de Aranda, that
they soberly had under consideration at oiv time the
i)oliev of giving the American kiuLidoms autonomv, or
iixh jiendence, and that such policy was not carried
out through fear lest the small white population shoidd
l>e overwhelmed by the natives. The aim of the gov-
ernment (Mjrtainly was that communities in its Ameii-
«'an kingdoms should be as hiixhly cultiired as auv in
i]ui()p(>. It is but fair to add, however, that the
Spaniards in these efforts had to deal with clvilizeil
nations; in their intercourse with the Apaches, Co-
luanches, and other fierce tribes they wert; as unsuc-
cessful as the English.

Notwitiistanding her man\' ben«>volert motives and
acts, Spain, like England, imposed many evils in fit-
terliig political and intellectual liberty, in n-stricting
commerce, manufactures, and tlie like. How then
came British rule to be of so much shorter duration

COLDXIAL rOIJCY OF RPAIV.

■1:

in New KuglanU than Spiiin'ti rule in Mexico? Bo-
cause, as [ have said, New Enghmd was settled by
men who left tlieir country throujj^h a love of hherty,
and tliis they were determined to have in its broadest
sonse. The Si)aniards, on the other hand, left homo
to rule nei^Toes and Indians; they soon saw tlieir ml -
take in kiliinLf so many of the natives; and alter that
thev treated ihem better than tlic En-'lish, who ibund
them uni)r()ritjd)le laborers, partieularly if forced. Tiio
S[ianiards were satisfied with luxury and laziness;
tluy desired rather to enslave others than to be fne
themselves; and so lont^- as their grim sujieriors but
smilingl}' iVowned on their irregularities and shared
the {)roceeds, all was serene enough.

The fact is, the svsteni of holding foreiijfn comniuni-
tics permanently subordinate and contributory to the
mother conimunitv, as we shall all in time conclude.
is unnatural and unjust. Colonies are ephemeral; they
will not last.

but tl

lay

itly

le mature ollspring is as indejiendent as himself.

So states ma^- ju tly protect, and while protectin;
govi'rn tlu'ir colonies until they can stand alone; after
whicli it is o[)tional with the latter to be ruled w not.
Further tlian tliis, it is unjust to the members of the
home govermn<nt to untlergo taxation for the benelit
of any connnunity other than its own. All men, all
nations, all communities, young and old, liave e(jual
rights; in natural justice the colony has as nuich right
to share in ruling the mother country as has the
mother country to interfere in the coloiiy. And be-
ing unnatural and unjust, permanent subjection of
colonists will disaj)pear as have feudalism and the
crusades. England t(»-<lay in India is trying to pour
the new wine (»f western civilization into thi^ old bot-
tles of eastern civilization. Erom Hrst to last, that is,
so long as anything like rule continues, discontent has
reigned among the British colonii-s. Coni[)aratively
seldom have thi! Si)anish colonies manifi'sted irritation,
or displayed ^y•ml)tonls of rebellion : not that they had

LESSON'S FOR OOVEUNMEXTS.

s.>Ulcd by
of liberty,
ts broadest

, U'l't ll'HUO

V their uii -
1 after that
, who fouiul
mecl. Tiic
id la/Zmess ;
to he free
jieriors but
and shared

^n coniinuin-
atory to the
le eonelude,
mend; they
k-erii a clidd,
t as himself.
! protecti!i;j;
alone; alter
■uled or not.
libers of the
the beiielit
\ll men, all
liave e«iual
nuu'h rij;ht
us has the
. And be-
libjeetlon of

sm an(

I tl

li'.i'jj to pour
lh(^ old bot-
[last, that is.
iitent has

Beo

[miiaratively
•d irritation.
Lit they had

lv.^.4 pause, but by reason of their loyalty and content.
It is true that three or four viceroys were depo.sed by
the })e(»j)le, Spaniards and natives acting tt)gether, but
dislovaltv or discontent with tlie home j'overnment
liad little to do with tlnse acts, (jrovernnients are
]n riiianeiit only as they faiily represent the national
cluu'acter. ]'\)r centuries iii ^lexico and clsi-where,
thert: existed this essential conu^ruity betwei'U })olitical
forms and the peo[>le. The trouble in the end was
that, fast as the colonists had degenerate tl, the parent
m)V( rnnuMit had den^enerated faster; weak as was
^It \ieo, S[)ain was weaker.

It lias taken <'overnnients a lon<' time to learn, and
tiiere are some statesnnn who seem yet unaware^ <»f it,
t!iat liberty and e<]uity alone are conducive to j^ain.
'I'lade has been the never-failinjjf excuse; but experi-
ence sliow.s that self ujovernin^ Kiii^disli-speakim^ states
huy I'ar niore in Kiii;land than do her huyi' colonial
infants. And it is now quite well uiulerstood by the
phiiusophurs of Enj^land, if by no one else, that loss
entails on the accpiiiing and ridiuLj of distant territory ;
that bare acres politically adt led to national domain are
a minus (juantity, benefieial to individuals, perhaps,
hut prejudicial to the interests of the connnunity at
larL;('. Undoubtedly, benefits accrue to s(jnie by reliev-
ini( overcrowded ci\ ilizi'tl populations; but let this be
a privati^ and business atl'air. (Jovernments should
iiraetirallv stav at home. Ft»r the benefit o|" both,
those wiio remain may help some to ^o; but ht not
such helj) be j^iven with a \ itw to subse(juent imposi-
tion. Leave colonization and trade, wheTO relii^ion
and all ethics are oi* slioukl be, to natural chamiels, if
We would see the most made of thtin. Tln^ i^o»»d old
riuht to steal lands, and to kill and i'nsla\e ad libitum
uiiotlindini; men, formed the main fiatures of eolony-
plantiny-, followed by (»ther8 no less onerous to thq
colonists; hence its later history is a record of decline.
W e mav rule servants, but not sons.

may

Cau Pamt., Vol. I. 5

! i'!

ill i'

COLONIAL POLICY OF SPAIN.

There wore three prime factors in tlie Spanisli colo-
nial f'ahric, the govenimeiit, the euiij^raiits, aiul the
pacitii'd peoples. All colonial jK)wer and pn>perty
were vested in the crown; America had heen a tree
fr'ii't to Isabella and Ferdinand by the pojie, who de-
rived title from St Peter, and he from the cicator.
From the sovereigns flowed all grants, and to them
reverted all lands. All governors, magistrates, and
officials, civil and ecclesiastical, were creatid and de-
posed at pleasure. To the settler belonged no rights*
or ])rivileges apart from the crown. To nmnieipalities
was given the liberty of electing their otticials, but
from the people sprang no political power. It is a
significant fact that the king of Spain likewise called
himself king of the Indies; mdicating thereby tliat his
transatlanti<' possessions were provinces, and integral
parts of the crown domain, rather than colonies in the
ordinary sense. The cedillas rcalcs, by wliich tin-
royal j)leasure was expressed, fornud in reality the
Hist kgislative code of the kingdom of th«> Indies,
embodied in the Recojiilacinv dc las fitdias, back ot
which was that of Castile, and /.(/.'* Sicfc ParfaUix, or
tlie common law of Spain. After the establishment
of the council of the Indies, legislative j)ower veste«l
in that body, under the king; executive j>o\ver, in the
captains-general and vicercys, unuer the king.

I havt' fully narrated in tlu^ first volume of my
history of Central America how govermncnt was es-
tiiblished in the Indies, first umliT the Admiral of the
Ocean Sea, and continued by his successors, and se<'-
ondly under the au<liencia of Santo Domingo. Fol-
lowing the continental conquests. New World affairs
were divided into two great governments, with the
viceri>y of New Spain at the head of one, and the
viceroy of Peru at the head of the other. Subse-
quently this division becoming inconvenient, a thinl
viceroy alty was established at Santa Fe de Pogota,
whose jurisdiction extende<l over the kingdom ol
Tierra Firme and the jjrovince of Quito, and later that

T)ELF/:ATEn POWER. •>

of "Rio (le la Plata. In fi)nus and paraplicnmria, gov-
(•n.Drs of tho siudllcr tolonits imitated the vieeroys,
us tlu' viceroys in tuni imitated royalty. Witliiii tluir
icsjiecti- e territories tiie viceroys exercised sovereiou
.-iiilliority, r<|)r('.sentiin; the person of the king and
jiivr-fcd with his functions. They were supreme over
(•v( IV department of govtirnment, civil and milit^iry,
ami wrie tlie emlxxliment of the two gnat powers,
ii'4isl;itive and executive. They apj)ointe<l to all va-
cant otlici's ad interim, and nominated to many high
p().st.s. that is to say, wlien the king's jealousy permitted
him to Kavi' so inuch power at tlie di.sposai of any
servant. The \ ie( lov's eouit was modellid on the
eouit ^<\' Spain, having a I'egularly estaMished Jionse-
liold with guards of horse and foot, parasite-s and
eouitic IS, and ruimerous officers and attendants. Jic
might eiiiplt)y the royal 'we' in speaking of himself,
hut this was not common; ho was legally addressed
as ' exeelentisimo.*

Next in author it v wnv the audiencias, or sovd'eiiiii
trihunals, elsewhere explained. With tlieso tlu; vice-
I'ov mi'j:]it n<it intermeddle : indeed, tliouixh not suhieet
to tliem Jiis acts wer'e sometimes hrouglit under their
review hv wav of Ic'al restraint inteii)ose<l hetween tho
soverei'Mi and the suhi(.>ct„ The vieerov exercised no
Judii'ial or ecclesiastical power-s. Yet after all tlm
audieiicia might onlv advise; in case of collision, the
will of the viceroy generally pr-exailed. Irr theahsencc
or- death of the viceroy, supreme powei- vested in the
audieiicia.

And notwithstanding all this viceregal pomp an<l
power, such of the laws of Spain, however just aird
desirahle, as were ohimxious to the settlers, icceived
little attention in the colonies. There were many
honest viceroys and other otKcials, l>ut often the vice-
roy was as ready as any one t«) wink at popular irreg-
ularities — for a consideration. At one time it was
dirticult to find either irr Spain or in the Indies a
revenue otticer who would not take a bribe. The

COLOXLVL POLICY OF SPAIN.

ih[ M'l

;i'1

i I

roiitrabaud traiU' was in volume CMjual to one third of
all the colonial traftic, Justito and injustice couUl l>e
Imu'^lit and sold, and tlie natives w«'ie abtuninaltlv
misused in the face of what were intendcil as the
most righteous laws in their favor. And so nt»torious
was national dt'linqueney at one time that 'Spanish
lioncstv' heeame svnonvnums with 'Punie faith.' The
fact is, the jj^overnnicnt was so jxjndcrous and unwicltly
as to be in some directions inoperative, and justice
was overwhelmed l>y the endless forms and *lis[»lay by
which it was surrounded. The innumtiable offices,
b.ianls, and tribunals incident to this com[»l«x and usc-
l^ss machinery, occupied an army of officials, few of
whom were endowe<l with political or conniiercial
morals higher than the filling of their poi'kets without
incurring punishmi'nt. It was no disgract; to steal
from the government; there was no disgrace in being
caught at it, provided the metluul «»f it had not been
bungling, and some certain things, such as the king's
firth, had not been profjined.

TImisc were the <lays of nnch governing. Isiibi lla
anil Ferdinand had earlv determined that their ihitv
in this respect should not be neglected in the Indi* s.
I'pon neither the l*ortugese, French, nor English in
America was inflicted the jirotection of the jwireiit
state to anv such extent as in the Si>anish col(»nies.
Lands lacking silver and gold })os8essed little in the
ev<s of r<»valtv Worth i)rotectin«': and so their sub-
du«'rs were for a while left to struggle and grow strong
unmolested, Ac(juainting themselves with the soil
and climate of their new possessions, and the chara*'-
ter of the natives, the S[)anish st>vereigns s« t them-
.selves about to regulate everything. The fruits.
vegetal>les, and domestic animals of the Old World
were transplanted to the new. Fmigration was en-
couraged; free pas.sage offered; grants of lanil witli
Indian laborers wi>rc freelv made, as (Jod had ijivi ii
them much in this direction, and at little c<»st; colo-
nists were exempt for a time from taxation. Five

REV^ENUE.

o thirtl of
J couUl l>e
j«)ininul>ly
I'd as tin*
nil »t« )!'»<> w^
; 'Spanish

aith.' Tho
lI unw kUIv
11 id justuH-
aisi»l:iy hy
A,k' (.flit»s,
rxaiulusi-

ials, few oi
comuuTcial
Ltts without
ico to stt-ai
ace in iH-int^
lul n»»t h»« a
IS the Vwv;^^

yr. Is>llhtlla

tlicir duty
_ tht' In'li" s.
ir Eu'^lish in
tho i>iuyiit
sh (olonir--
UttU' in th»'
. th«ir suh-
.^n»\v i>trou;j,
ith tho soil
the rhurai -
s g. t thrm-
The fruits.
()M WorM
tioii was v\\-
>f laud with
\ had t^iv<u
o c<»st; folo-
itiou. Five

hundred artisans, scientists, and agriculturists wire
stwit to Espaiiola; and to any one i)r«»niising to culti-
vate land I'or four years, besides a repartimiento, were
yiven seed and stock. Towns were endowed witli
jiiivileges equal to any in Spain. Marri«'d men were
jartieidarly favored.

Thus we see if their catholic Majesties ooverned
liuieh and demanded much, they gave with a liberality
ill uuirked contrast, not only with that of other nations,
I '.it with their own suhsi^quent policy. Presently they
tlitd of sowing, and determined to reap. An ava-
J .iK'he of edicts was hurled at the heatls of the de-
f net less colonists. A heavy tux. was put n\Mi\ goKl,
hist two thirds, and subsequently one fifth, and all
mini'rals, precious stones, and dye-woods were reserved
t.> tho crown. Then for a time enterprise languislu-d,
l")r this was prior to the epoch of systematic pecula-
tions. Under the s^'^stem of licenses to private p^r-
j oils for purposes of discovery and trade, colonization
iivived, lor here was opportunity. The natives were
naked and possessed much gold, anJ there was no
king's army i)resent to protect them. Erelong it be-
« unie necessary to establish the Casa de Contratacion,
or House of Trade, and the Cons* jo de las Indias, «)r
Council of tlie Indies, for the more perfect mana'.;e-
nient of coloni.d commerce and colonial oovernnient.
-Vn<l so protection became oppression; and the Sivm-
i>li sovereigns woidd have smiled had any one toM
them that, in order to insure greater and permanent
good, tho more widely extentled tlie commonwea];]i
l!ie simpler should be its laws and forms of govern-
ment.

At first Spain's i . venue from her American king-
<lonjs was not lar-'o. The Xetherlands jrave Charles
A . four million to one million from the Indies. Then
iuilustiics were established in the colonies, and the
yi< Id increased, until Carlos III. was able to l)oast,
alter paying one hundred thousand well-disciplined

COLONIAL POUCY OF SPAiy.

ii!i ti

' .ill! <

soldiers, tho cost of one hundred sliijjs of the lino, and
all otlior expenses of jj^overnnuMit, one hundred millions
of dollars in the treasury, and all froni America. Tlien
came mismanagement. And later, thou<^h the ri-ve-
nues from the cohtnies were large, government ex-
|Miis(S there and everywhere gri'W large also; so that
neither the parent state nor the colonies were benefited
l»y this excessive governing, l^esides the king, only
{\io ra|)acious official, who, himself imj)res8ed by iMtl-
l(t\v show, sought by the same means to im[)ri'ss
others, and the clergy, who came in for a large share
of the spoils, sucking substance fr(»m every industry,
derived nmch bent'fit from the svstem. As ainoii''
our legislatois to-day, more ingenuity and brain-powt i
were einploytnl by the officials to keep their places, and
iiicreasi! their already enormous iH-njuisit/JS, than in
the entire administration of public affairs. The vice-
roy's salary, rejxching to thiity thousand dollars pt i-
annum, was but a small part of* his in<'onu;. J'y
tlu^ sale of lucrative offices, the monopoly of certain
branches of ct>mnierce, and by innumerable frauds and
abuses of power, the viceroy might accumulate such
sujns as would enable him after a few years of service
t«> return to Spain with a ])rincely fortune. It is said
that a viceroy received fifty thousand dollars on one
iK-easion in birthday presents. On the otlur hand,
several vicerovs entered office rich and abandoned it
in debt, and some refused all presents.

Finance, as well as evervthin-'; else, was founded on
the tln'oiy that the king was proj>rietor of the land.
(V'l'tain of the natives [)aid a capitation tax; some a
j>riiiiivias, or first-lVuits tax; othei-s gave eighteen
months' service in the mines, not all at one time, be-
tween the a-'cs of eighteen and fiftv. A tenth of tho
proeee<ls frt)m cultivated lands went to the chur«h in
the form of tithes, which, adiled to the many subse-
<pu'nt re<|uircments of the crown, imposed ui>(in the
plantt>r taxation at every turn. After the raw mate-
rial paid a tenth, the prepared article, such as indigo,

CIUVEliNMEXT.

10 lino, and
rod millions
rioa. Then
I tlio rovo-
rnniont ox-
so; so tliat
re bonefitod
kinj,', only
sod bv Iku-
to ini[>ii'ss
large share
:y industry,
As aiiu>!i;j;
brain-powoi
• pla<'os, and
t-is, than in

The vicc-
dollars jx v
loonio. I'V
; of c'ci-tain
! i'niutls and
iiulate suoli
■s of sor\ ice

It is said
lars on one
>tlu'r liaiid,
|)andoni'd it

f«)inulod oil
|»t' the In I id.

LX ; some a
[e eiyfhti^en
le time, be-
knith of the
p chunh in
liany subse-
|l upon the
raw mate-
as indigo,

roohindd, and sutjar, paid aL,^ain. Then tlierc wore
tlic oiist.oins duties, tho alcdhiild, of vendor's duty on
urlicKs of coiiiiiicroe, and the ijuinto, or fifth, of the
jiroci't'ds from tiie miius. The sale of tobaoro, salt,
aiitl canls was nionopojl/cd by tiie king's oUhjers; tlie
jMistal revenue belonged to the crown. For keojiing
a t'eiiy, fir hei ping game-cocks, and for selling ]i<iuors,
special duties were paid in some of the provinces.
Detwceii l.'»J-2 and l()4o, certain offices were made
salalilc! by law; such as those of high sheriffs, notaries
of all classes, clerks of audicncias and inferior cou its,
receivers and pi-oett)rs, councilmcn and clerks of coun-
cils, inspectors of Weights and measures, collectors of
judicial penalties, all officers and servants of tin; mint,
the postmaster-general of New Spain, assessors, audi-
tiiis of royal accounts, otli<-ial sellers of stamped paper,
and many others. These offices, whenever vai-ant,
Were put u]) and s(il(l l»y auction to the higlu'st bidder;
they Were licritaMe, descending from father to son,
and wrie so held tluring goo<l behavior, and also pro-
vided the (inala, or yearly tax, was j)aid t(» the crown.
The owner <lying leaving no ju-ir, the office reverted
to the king and Mas sold again. "The king of Sj).iino,"
growls J^ojx'z Va/, "because bee hath many other
countries under hini, bee doth little estecme of this
countit y, but doth take out of it all things that are
for liis jiroHt, having used those pi-oph; with great
crueltie, and taking of them nmch tribute."

It was the policy of the king to keep tho colonies
111 a state of iterpetiial i)uerilitv, and ln' succeeded. It
IS inipossihle lor live pro'^rossivo institutions to irer-
rninate among a |)oople having no desire for llbt-rty or
knowledgi!. OtHces and exactions wore the <loniinant
idea c.f Spaniards in taking possession of the New
^\ orld. JOvery one of them must have something
to rule — if not Spaniards, th(>n Indians or negroes.
The highest ambition of the colonist was to imitate
Si»aiii and Spanish institutions, not to throw them off

COLONIAL POIJCY OP SPAIN.

or improve upon tlu'iii. As their parent government
had ti'ttereil and Ho^jrcd tlieni, ho would tliey letter
and Hog ()th(!rs; meanwhile thanking G(hI for a fresh
ptM>|»le so to ehristianize and eivilizc. And yet the
time eanie whtai umon<; thost; who made ^lexieo in-
dep«Mident were Spaniards tlicmsclves, t > be bufteted
and ul»used for tln^r pains a Httle later.

We have notijcd in Ferdinand's instructions to
Ovando in 1501, li<»w first he was to \>or8hip his (jlod,
and miik(? the natives WMjrship the same deity; to good
men only should he given office, and th<'re must be
exercised kindness and humanity in practising the im-
position of repartimientos. He nmst be moderate in
his household expenses, and niake otheivi so; he siiould
leave judgment to judges, l»e kind to all brotherhoods,
pay no heed to tale-bearers; he should be considerate
in council, ciiret'ul in exami)le, discouraging idleness,
att^'iitive to business, displaying courage and brevity
in all things, yet not hasty or jxissionate; but when
puiiisliment was necessary he must send it swiftly and
suri'ly.

The Spanish sovereigns were exceedingly jealous of
their prerogatives, not only as against foreigners, but
as against their own subjects; and this sj)irit incn^ased
with the increase of their knowledy:e of the extent
and value of their American posstjssions. Conunerce,
njining, agriculture, and every art and industry were
pUiceil under a system of severe restrictions. No for-
eign vessel might trade with the colonies; no foreigner
might visit them under penalty of death and confisca-
tion of pro|K'rty. All merchandise to and from the
Indies must be carried in Spanish bottoms. For a
time even intercolonial commeice was forbidden, lie-
tween ACexico and l*eru, between Guatemala and
Chile, there must be no civilizing intercourse. But
this highly imiH»litic restrictiou was formally removed
by Carlos III. in 1774.

Many manufactures were prohibited, and even the

COMMERCE.

niltlvatlon of tlic olive and tlio vino. Whatever it
Mas best I'T tlioni to hav«', tl»o niotlu>r would kindly
f^;,],plv — tiuir fiinri^uro, their clothes, and no small
jKtrtion even of their food, ller own welfare tirst,
th(; Mrliareof the colonios second, was Spain's hiaxini.
And Irst tlie sovereii^n's suhordinates in America
.sliduld learn to love themselves more than him,
ami the new homes hi'tter than the old ones, it was
liiiallv ordained that natives of Spain should fill the
higher and larL(er proportion of otKees in Spain's
enloiiies; and these must he of the purest rank, vliiipf-
tniit'K, ,)f old Christian fannli«'S untainted hv Jewish
or Moluinunedan hlood, uncensured hyany incpiisition.
J'idni first to last, however, many natives of America
lia\e als(» held hii^h oftice there, political, judicial, and
ecclesiastical, under royal a[>pointment. And then it
nuist he reniemhii'ed that in Spain even, h'yj:}i ofHce
could n(»t he held in the occu[>ant's awn jtrovince.
What folly to tiy to make communities at once self-
opeiative and dependent I

lU exclusiveness was the most hateful feature of
Si)aiiish colonial commerce. Monopoly is toconnnerce*
what coercion is in religion, the most outraixeous of
tyramiies; and the day will come when a free people
will no more suhmit to monopolies, or iiiicjuitous com-
hinations in railway, wheat, or other traffics, than
they W(tuld how hefore the unjust mandate of a royal
<l<'spot. Monopoly is hut a form of rohbery, in which,
under i^uise of fair dealin'j;, the stron*:' extort from
the weak without due com[>ensation.

The old-time delusion was still entertained that
money was not oidy wealth, but the most valuable
and imperishable of propt'rty; hence that commercial
jiolicy was best which brought into Spain and kei)t
there the largest amount of gold and silver. The
resources of the country were strained to produce this
result. Every article of foreign growth or manufac-
ture must be furnished the colonies by Spain alone,
and to Spain must be sent all products from the soil

COLONIAL I'OLK V OF .Sl'ALN*.

or niiiK'S of Iut ilci'viidciicii's. Tin- (|u;iiititv, ((iiiillty,
l<iinl, and prin: uf all iiirrcliJiiMlisi! sent t<» tlu; cdldiius
Avert; (Itttiiniiird 1)V tlio tviiisiilnati' niotlur. And it
\vas tli(! aim otlxttli jj;(>vt'nimciit nliicials uiid iiioiiopn-
li/iii;^^ iiicrrliaiits t*» inako the supply always I'all sln»it
of lli«' dtinaiid, so that hiiycrs would In; fayci' and
prices hiioyaiit. That oijuit}^ atteiidiiijjf all healthy
Iraiisaetions, whleh bciicilts the huyir as much as the
seller, was waiitiiii^if.

FiM a tiini! all JOiirope was ohlimd to •^•(j tt» Lishoii
fer Indian ]»i'oducts, as pi-e\i<tMsly Alexandria had
l)een the depot. So in S[>ai!i all American coniiMeice
was restrict«'d to one port, SevilK' at tiist, and al'fer-
W'ard (Vidiz; and in America to JVirtolu'llo and Wra
Cruz. JJi'tWeen these poits j»assetl the aiuiual fleet,
('(in\oyed l»y vessels of war. An<l on the other side
of the continent lor two centuries and more the Span-
ish nalleons wei'e carj'ied hy the trade-winds stiaiinht
aci'oss iVom Aca|»ulco to AFanila, iiiturnimj^ hy a
northern <-ircuit. 'i'lie ( u-noese had sailed at Spain's
cost in search ot' the Indies, and tin* amhitious Span-
*iai'd was not satisfied until they were found, nor until
the papal partition hull had heen construed to fit
Spain's pretensions at the JMiilippine Isles, nor until
this rich tr.dlic was cstahlished hetweeii Asia and
America with a S[ianish i-ntrepot ut either oml (»f the
line.

It was til the siji^le jiort of ( 'ii.diz that all merchan-
dise wa- sent from Fiance, Eui^land. I lnlland, and el.>,e-
wliei'e after Spain had, with the expulsion of In i-
artisan, driven manufacturiMs from her shores. All
these ^oods must then pay a heavy duty on iiiter-
ini( Spain, and another on leaviuij^ S[)ain. and another
on enterinijf Mexico, anti anothei" hy the sellej- - one
liundred per cent in duties, and two hundred p«'r cent
inon; taxes and piufits must thus he added to the co-^t
hefore Spain's <'o|(»nist could call his own any Muro-
[>ean article. Thus it was not loujj,' aftei' the plautinjj;
of the Spanish colonies before S[iain's neighbors were

i;i

CLIMATE.

i(y, i|iiallty,

Liu; ('t)|((iii( s

r. Ami it

IkI llioiiolxi-

's I'till sliuit

ranci" aixl

all lualthy

iiucii as the

It t»» Lislion
andi'la had

I COllllllflCC

, and jirtti-
) uiid Wia
niiual til t t,
j other side
o tho Spaii-
uls stiai<jht
uiiiLf l>y a

at Spuiii'.s
ti(»us IS|»aM-

1, nor until

urd to Ht
nor until
A>ia and

end of tin

nirii'han-
il, an<l cl.x'-
m ol* lit r
lores. All

on eiitcr-
\u\ another
ler— one

•d pe!- eent
o t he ci^t
any Imiio-
plantiii^
dtoia wero

dt-rivinu" nion> honcfit IVoui them tliau Spain lierself,
whieli had so jt alously o;iuii(hd theiu, andyetdid i,'uar<l
tlieni, not diHaniin^' that they were n«»t a soui'eo <tf
tin' hii^hest profit t«» lier. And it was not until 1778
tiiat S|)ain's eyes were faiily ojtened upon t!ie suhjeet,
anil Me.xiro iiiid J*eru were in soiuo dej^reo delivered
tVoiii this thnldoni.

The ]iro(t'..>s of peopliiiiL;' the Xow W«)rld froui Spain
was not a rapid one. The estimate iseflveii that sixty
\. ais al'ti r the diseoverv l>y Columltus theio w re not
Miore than fil'leen thousand 8j»auiards in the iiidi«s.
N"( t o|" these tlierr Were inauy ot'the fii'st «'lass; while
tVoi.i the other states of Europe there went to Auier-
i. a liw hesides the seeond, or third, or tenth elass.
It was ordered hy the eatlutlie .«.overeii^Mia in l."»()8
that.dl eonvirts and infamous jicisons .should he .><iit
to tlu' Indies; hutin I ."• IS this was rhanj^cd, ami none
I. lit '^-ood (•.'itholies, no suspected persons even, were
allow td t<i ;4o.

\astly dillerent was life and society at home and in
the CI I. .nits Nature jd'escuttd to luu'ojM'ans the'
New \\ oi'ld on a scale «;raiider thaiuu.y ttt which they
had heeii accustome*!. Mountains w< re hiirhi r and
jilauis hroadti-, lakes Were deeper and livci-s laiucr;
ve;^i tation was nioi'e ledimdant; the air was cl .ij-cr,
heat and cold intensi-i-, and colors hri^^htei-. Ahiio^t
all the territi.iy at first occuj»i> I hy the SpaniartU lay
within the tropics, with hK-'h iiit«'rior plateaux; and
it was on these tahle lands, raised fioni miasmatic
junules into cold ethereal iiel'^hts, that aliori;4inal ci\ il-
i/atlon aw<>k(.' to consciousness. There, t.io, th-*
colonist was suddenly freed from twent\- c. ntinies »tf
coi,venti(tnalisms, many of them so holI..w an<l sisper-
stitious as should make mankind hhish fir e\ er I.a\ ia-r
practised them, and some of which are unfortunati !v
'ontinued to this day ui l!uropi', and foolishly c« | ied
m America; hut now tlie colonist was free in so far
as he Would he free of wldch priceless privilege sonio

i iil

! ii :i

COLONIAL rOUCY OF SPAIN.

advanta;jf(' was taken, though not nearly cnou<;li. Now
the c'Dliesions < if societies niijjfht Ix; estahlislied on new
hases. The Spaniard niiglit hve in lordly ease and
independence anii<lst the si-rt's and cattle of his vast
estate, and the Kn;j;lishinaii njiijht sin<; ])sahMs. hurn
witches, and indulge in eni[>ire-l)uildin<jf after his
liishion.

It was a ])aradise of lici'jjsc^ and sensual enjoyment
the Spaniards sought, and hei'e tlu-y found all that
their wildest iancy had picture«l. (iold was the first
and more inun«'diate aj^eiicy t<> this acconijdishnient ;
and so having sUiinnied the placi-rs they sat down to
centuries (»f day-di'eanis. The slowrr, surer road to
()j)ulence was disdained at the heginning, hut with a
little gold wherewith to sto<k nuith land and huy
many vassals, the aim of life was accomplished. Tin
first coni|Uerors were dissatisfied when all was gi\« u
tluin, grants of land, and lahorers, and sto«-k; tin n
th«y cried alone for gt>ld. The Spanish system of le-
jtarlimientos which in\ol\rd a di\ision of tlu" natives
with a dl\ ision of the land, and was so highly estrcnnd
in after yeajs, appeared at first to many as a traji to
catch th«! simple. Some accejited tlu" oiler (»f the hr-
nign nionnr<h, anil with their natives they gatlu red
the <;old from their lands, or cut the dye-woods, aftei-
wjiicli they planted sugai'cane brought from tlie
( 'anaries, or al)andone<l their plantation and went haek
tt» Spain.

Jt would se«'m that thi^ shouM he the last place on
earth, and these the conditions least favorahle, tor en-
gtiidering class ditferences; and yet, seldom has this
ilummeiv heeii cai'ried to a greater extent than ln're,
where were litteiH'd <lroves of mongrels, half and
(juarter hi'ceils, eightlis and sixteenths, the hlue hhrnd
of Spain mingle<l with the tawny hlood of .Vmerii.i
and the hiaek hlood of AlVica, until almost all trat'eot
it was lost, and the stream was made turgid hy thesf
int< rmixtures, to the ultimate decadence (tf all cot ■
cevned. Jt is said that in South ( 'ai'olina, Jamaica,

SOCIETY.

nufjh. Nov:
<lu'(l oil now
Iv oJisi' and
t)f liis vast
)saliMS, Ituiii
i:f al'ttT liis

I cnjoynniit
Hid all tliat
A' as tlu' Hist
in]>lis1ini(-nt;
Silt down to
iror I'oail to
, ))ut with ti
nd and Imv
lishi-d. TIh

II was j^'iviii
stork; tli«ii

^vstcni of i«'-
i' tho nativt >

dv ('StcollK'd

as a tia|» to
<.r 111.' Ik-
s' yatlu red
woods, al'ti r
IVolM tlif
I WiMlt liark

last jtlarc on
Mr, tor iii-
>ni lias thi'^

tlian lion ,
, hair and

hlut; blood
»f Anu'i'ii'i

all tract; ot

id l»y tlu'sf

of all <'oi.-

a, Janiaiiu,

and Java, thr mulatto cannot lonij reproduce itself,
whih-' in Florida, Mc\i<'o, and Central America there
is no ditliculty in so doiii;;. lint it is not iieces.sary
to d'sccnd to tln'so lowest depths for class divis-
\i>\\>. The creolis, as tin- otl'sprinj; of Europeans born
ill America were called, thouij^h descendants of tho
(■iiiii|iiir<»js. and jireser\ iii'^ in their veins the best
hloud of .SjKiin iiiitaiiited, were in many instances by
],(W d« Lfi'iided, and made inferior to those shiftless
(•li,i|iit.iiics who had li\ed in idleness at home. \\'hat
j(n|i(\ i-oiiid be more suicidal than this, which in etlect
drbariid those cntitlid liy their enterprise to the most
)inii<. table positions tVoiii any but a scanty lot in tin.;
institutions of the c<»uiitry, and made them by virtue
of iliiir devotion wellnii^h ostra«-i/,ed. In the distri-
biiliiiii of lands and natives, the coiuiuerors and their
descendants Were sUp|ios(d to be t'avore«l before all
"ifheis. i>ut men from S|iaiii must manage the oovern-
iihiit ! institutions ot' the e(tmitry. Thus de^^raded
and Ii ' '. indolence and listless and luxui'ions indiil-
'^eiice, they sank into the strange jiosition of wealthy
J iiid respected liumaii beings, ha\iiii^ bonus but no
ciiniitry, lia\ inn' ackiinwledi^rcd rights but no voice in
111" ii" vindication ; thev were I.ikIs nf laiid-^ ami vas-als,
ai.d yet the most impotent t»f mankiml. Thus w.is
engendered hate between classes which subsecpieiitly
la|ist d into chnmic ci\il wais.

Attempts lia\c been ni;ide to classify these several

C-astrS, tiioUoJi wilhnnl |tronoUlU'ed SUece->S. il.tbelt-

siiii places first the chapetones, or old ( "bristian.-, un-
tainted by Jewish or Mojiaimnedan blood; s<-coiid,
crcfil.s; third, mulattoes and inesti/os, the former the
otlsprinu: of an African and Miiropejui. and the latter

inericaii and Kurojieaii ; ami la

llyl

idians an*

11' u roes unadulterated. MarriaLTc with the natives
was t iicouniLred by the l;o\ ermiient, but few of their
CO iiiections Were ratified bv nnv holier sentiment

tlian lust. Tl

leie \\;i-, one oldv '.^reat li'Velhr of

rank, the church. Tor<piemada .says that on Sun-

W fOI.ONIAL POUrV OF viwiy.

days ami foast days the geiitliiiiaii cuukl not bo dls-
liiigulslifd iVoiii tlio ulflioian, or tin; kniy;lit from the
sijuire, all di-<-N.siii^ a!ll;e in rlt-li garments. And yet
(idorcs and liio'li <iiL;nilarirs would ilL^litoNt r iilaccand
tlie position ot" their t-liair at cliurcli as (juidcly and us
licrt-cly as over |»olitit'al prt'rrn'ncc.

Where tlie altorij^inul in]ial)itants Were essentially
extir[>ated, indtpendcnt nations of tluj deseendants of
]'iUropeans spranLf uj>: j»rotrctive interference with
le^ard to the nati\cs, in any eonsidi lahle extent, is
i'ound only wlu-re the liair-<-ivili/.»'d existed' in h\u\i
numbers as to render it iiMpraeticalde to tea( h or tor-
ture them to death.

Teutiinie Anieiie.i ha>: Met !) sutlieienlly curbed by
its al>sor|»tion «.f the (ii'e_ns of l^ui'ope; hill, it has ln-ei!
still worsi- with Latin Ameriea, wliose invadi-rs thus
mixed with their l.lood that of the Indian and Afi"ieaii
to su<h an ixtrnt us to ]>roduce a )non!4'rel ]>oj)uhi-
lioii iuferifU' to any (|e<ide| tyj»e. A\"ith the examii'ie
of Clillt^ beiore them, however, tlie Spanish and IN'r-
tu'^uesc in Anieriea need n(»t des)>airof ai)j>roaehin';'
the SJiccess aehieved bv the Iju'liNli. \t all events,
tho hyi'othesis of ] huulioldt and ileuil, in \, u;ue /il'ly
years ai^o, that ail the Spanish ('ohdiies in ^Vnuriea
Would he in tiitie overthrown and subordinated bv the
^J'eutonie ia.ee, antl that the i^nat republic ihenc*^ aris-
in-jf would fall in piec<'s by its owji wi'i^drt, seems now
le^s likely to pn»ve true. Thinkiisef Americans aiv
satisfied with the extent of their doniain; it is only
eandthrs in mines, land speculators, and denia]^o^ues
Avho Would now and then creatt a st nsatieu liv crvin''
U[i some injury, only tt> hv. atomd by a cession of to-
ri tor v.

Kven though soiut! of the Sj)anish-uVnicrican states
are not so lar adsaaced in iidture and sti(ii;.^th as
their Kuntp' an jirinioi^enitoi-. tiiey uro for the mo.-t
jMirt intellii^i'nt and stron^j enou'^h to have put oii
indi'pendetice, and to manliest ti desire i'^v pr«iL;it>.
It i.s now eonc"<.led. by those best able to juuge tli;>i-

■I

not bo tlls-
lit IVoni tlio
i. And y<t
,( r iil.u'o uiul
ilcklv uud !i>

V. cssoniially
sceiuliuits of
'crencu witli
(Ic (xieiit, is
;trd in sn< li
i(!a( !i or toi

Iv furst'd iiv

t it lias \)vr\\

iivadors tlius

tand AfVicJUi

\<fu\ |>(ipill;i-

tiiti exaiiilil''

Ish and I'or-

apju/oat'liinu'

.t all evoius.

1 1 v-.u'ur fiuv

in AnuTii:i

iiati^d l»y tl <

lliciK'i' aris-

scrnis now

Ucl'U JUIS i

llv

it IS onlv

iliUiaj^onuis

«;i liv orvin'4

|'s.«;ion of t<'t'-

•jican .stati's
sti«'M;.!;tli as
.!• tlif ino>t

i;"\'(>

lit oil

.|- |)ru;4ic

CHURCH AND CLKUCJY. 79

l!ic dirurcnfo in tlie results of Latin and Toulonic
c.ildiiial attciiijtts in America is as niudi «lu».' to a dif-
f. I't'iKT' of national lirnt and honif inllufncc as of lai-o.
Tin' Sjtanisli c(.I(inists jiad beou un<l<r the strictest
ji'dltieal ccclesiasiieal restraint at home; and l>e((iio
ai l.iiviii'^ [lolitieal independenet; tliey had to enianci-
jite their niinils, wliile tlio I'ni^lish threw oil' in some
<i free their intellectual fetters before sailiiii;" lor
Anu rica.

The Spaniards in Mexico and Central .Vnieriea

w I re after all not so nnu-h colonists us eon«|nei'or-..

in the ahseiiee of auv ennobliiiij^ idta or j>rin<i|i!e,

Mjrii as t-entrali/.ed and ai^-dntinated the eH'orts of the

i'urltaiis till the shores of Xew Kn^land, they \vti-«.>

! :t to the full indul'jencc of their lust, and so iii;;;;n

(o den-em-rato the moment tlnv laid down th. ir artns.

To rule the aboriu'inals, holditi'^ their sons as m r,"s

and their <ia,n;^htei's as concubines whih; fa-;ti'nin;^ on

tli-:n theii- laws and their religion, to j^aiiier weahli

ami h\e at ea^e, W( I'e amon!.=; the hi^'hest asp'rutions

o|' the successors of t!i«! con<jU<'rors; hence with tin;

Very bi ^inuinu'" of their social strneinie a ilryrot set

in, which mi'iilieil t!ie tU'ects of the many jiro'i-is-

sjiiiial stinmlants by which they wi'i'c surrounded,

IJlood admixturi's with the Aztecs, a soft (Tunatt.' or
• heaniy atmttsjiheii'. or i^xternal operations, siieh as the
encroaehments and ahscrbiniLj inlluence of ihe Knitcil
States, have had but a shai'e in the de^'i'iieiacv of the
Spaniards in Mexico, (jiii.vous blame falls (.n thee>!d
institutions of Spain tiansplante<l to a rich and virgin
soil, in whitli tiuy Lcrew riotous at first, and then tMl
into deeay, an«l in wluise manamment those mo>.t inter-
este«l Were not jiermitted to take jtart; chri tianity
piopa'^ated at the ]...iiit of the sw.nd, and Wialth
amnnulated by injustice and cruelty; (»ne part of

»e(y iuttened to ,rr<»ssness hy tin; abasement of

.tl

mother iia

lit.

umI wii.iermu" restrictions upon all jno-

Mris^s— these are not the methods fir the attainment ot

nio'je

that

the hi«,diest culture. The pi-imary power in M.'xic

iiii

ill ^

W COLONIAL POLICY OF SPAIN.

until Into luis been tlio s\vor<l; aftrr tluit tlio cliurcli;
tlio jH'opKi Iwive Ikm'ii little Ix'ttor than siri's. At one
time tlic clcriLry, wIumu wo will next nunc particularly
(•<»nsi(lrr, htsidi'S their tithes hekl one half tlie landi d
})ii»|>tity id' Mexico. But n<»w war and reliorion are
•^iviii'^' way in stune meaauro to the arts of peace and
liealthy deNelopment.

Thf cliisivl'., I Hfiy, ruled with a strf)ni;' hand tlu
infant eiMonies. Ecclesiastics wi'ie weiconud to the
New V\ (»rld, and by the time tlie settler arrived his
sj>iiitual ruler was ready for him. Kcclesiustieal !l,^ov-
trnniei't was estahlished in America under forms an<l
dt'Ljrees similar to those in Spain; archhishojts, l»islioj;s,
deans, and jninor cler:Liynien, amon^' whom were the
curair, 'An< doetrinero, and the mi.ssionarv. Fr(»m the
poj)e the kin!4' re«-eived full privileges with rejjfard ti*
the external polity of the ehurcli in America. The
hierarchy in the N^w W(nld was as iniposinij; as in
Spain; its inlhienee was as yreat. TIk' revenues ol
tiie ej. i;^y were lar^i', and their estahli.-'hments e\-
pensi\e. Anioni;" the e;i.rly ads of |'\rdinand was thi'
huiidinu-. at ids own cost, ot" the cathedral eluii«h at
Siinto I )iimin!4o, and eharnin^' llif prtlatrs to cxt reiM'
extra' 'liiiitry diliu;«'nce, "that thi- devil miulit no more
i>revad 111 the Indies." The prelates should look w» 11
Vt the >«ul»«»rdinate clerii'V, and chastise otliiult is.
HeretW's, Jews, an<l Moliannnedans, if any crept in,
should !••■ exterminated, that the church mi^ht not he
seandalizfd ainon<^ the natives. \v) eltruyman nd^iit
j/o to tin- Indies without a litcnse. i'^riars were fur
nished with a free paswi^e imd provisions, an<l on

arrival they were under the s[ieeial J)l'(»ti'Ction of the

j;<»v«rnor, who was to see that the clert^y p< rlornn d
thrir «luty m the bond of peace. IMate for ser\i'i'
passed free ut' dutv.

Xotluni^ Mas to interfere with th*' huildin;,^ of
t'hur<-hcs, th.e clerLjy had y^round ^iven th-ni a}>arl;
from the lait\', and it \\as forbidden to lavanv impo-i

EFFECT OF IllTUAL.

ho cliurcli;
s. At Olio
particularly
the landt «l
rolij^iou nr*-
t' peace uhd

[f liand tilt
\nvd t«> the

arrivod his
iuisticnl ;4<>v-
■V tonus ami
(t]»s, l»ishu|<s,
)m %\vro tilt;
From tin-
til regard ti*
ui'vitii. 'Ill''
ij»(»siu;^ as in

rrvoiuus <'l

.vlillirlltS C\-

i;ui<l was tlu'
il cliurth at
s to l•^^•rci^<■
iojit ]i<» nit'i'
il<| l(t..k \vi 11
e otU'i»«lt i>.
|»iiy cn-jit III,
ui;^lit n>>t 1"
viuaii luiiili''
ii'S wtTc t'ur
lotis. ami "il
ctiun t>r til''
y jM ii<>r»i»< il
for Hcrvi' •

ImiMln;,!; "^
ih'.iii iH>art,
any iiiil'"'i

tl<»ns iii)f)n tlicm. They ini<iht accuniulato property,

jiiid disjioso of it l>y will. When ii<» prolate was
i..'es. nt to take eharji^oofa iieWchiireli that was huilt,
the kind's tnasurer should attend t> ))ayinents. In
til. ir resj>eetivo districts, pn-lateswcro t tact as in<|ui.i-
itors; and neither f^Mvernors n<ir secular jud;j;es nui^d.t
int-rl* re in mutters l)elon;j;Inj^ to this sacred enj^inery.
On the other hand, it was onhiinetl tliat i>relates
shnul I Ji"t meildlo in secular atlairs; they slioidd visit
the Indians of their jurisilietiou at hast once a year.
Tlit'V slioidil not enjpl'iy ee< lesiastieal <'ensur«'s f* r
li'iht. nlK-nees, nor lay pecuniary fines up(»n the natives.
I'l i'-.«ns dyinj,' nuL'ht chooso tin ir l)Urial-]>laee, jiru-
vid. il it. Mas consei-rated jjfround. Friars n»u>t not
j>i'->s >!Jv persons to leave thoiu le^^acies. Children
iif iiiHi'tls must he haptized; Indiatis a.nd ne!Lj;roes
I'lii^t attend church. Jndians were not to pay for
iiiarria'j,rs or fani'Tals.

Jjy apostolie anthority, and under the text that to
us are i^i Veil theheatlun for an inlieritaniM-, tho clor}.(y
were jtfnnitted to do much as tla-y j>lea„sed with the

Indians, thoU'di under strict l.iW:

To tl

lest,'

llt>\V

i\er, they tVe«|ueiitly paid litthi attention. I have
seen it stated that their s^'stein of prescripts was
carried so far that tlav iv'inindctl tlieir converts,
amoii'L^ t)ther thinj^s, of their inatrinnmial thities at
niidni-lit, l)y means of a hell I Filars wi-it; allowed
vtiy liberty to <ui from jilace t<» jdace to preach the

t^ospel. Tlu^y mi;4;ht not he imnished l»y secular
l»o\vtr, hut if dt,rnii|iient must he turned <»ver ti> their
superiors. Franciscan monast<Ties must he at least
fi\e le.M'jjues apart.

When We cinisidcr the ])ower of the Ivoinaii rihj.il
over tho imai^ination even of the most enlii;hl«ii<d
Fun))»eui;s, wt; may possihly etmceive something.' tA'
the ellect vipon tho Ameiicans. Ther»5 is somethirj^
ivmark.iblc in it« mohility ti> adapt itself to ev» ly
• hatacter and cI{v.sh, to tvcry climatt! ami condition.
AiKI to thi^ ])ower of forms tho pt>wer ttf proj)erty, tho

Cai,. V.\sr., Vol. I. 6

COLOXIAL POUCV OF ^V\lS.

il^

^,1

I 1

ji iwi r (•!' cx.iMipl"', iiiid tilt' ]Mi\\(r ut' liiV' and tloatli.
aiil tlitrc was iinthiiiu;' left t(» thr native but bliml
>ulmiissi(iii. And it is wondci't'ul li<>\v stiuni^ is tlir
(•.'tlxtiic t'liuich t<t-da\ : with tin- |»:i|)a(.-y an al»-.tra<ti<iii
ratlit'i- tlian a rcility: with tiir rhiirt'h itsi It" a society

• tt* in<h\ iduais and not a ^oNcrninciit, and nut as it
lias ln'cn hy sciiisins and cfintfnvcrsicg — ii is stroii'^- r
]M-i-]ia|)S tlian Muhannni'd.in'sni and J>ud<llii>in, wliii h
l"i>r the most jKiit ha\rh'Id thrcNfii t. nor of tinir
way, Shiito and Suiniitcs to the ronfi;iry notwitli-
standin^. And \tt all w.is not sctcui' in rt-jard t •
the temporal alliiiis of thtsr holy m<'U who hail ihl'ow i
< tl'all woildlimss. ( )\\{' wonlil almost take tin* l»isho|i-;
for nii-n of 1m li;d whm one saw tlniii <li-|'Miin'4 ahour

• •ni-aiics and eiiiohinirnts. And thtsc fen'-^ wi|-<' cuv-
n-nt, not only httwirn the secular cltiiry and oj»[»o>iii ,f
religious oi'di -IS, hnt anioni,^ Krethnu of the saniu- ordi r
fitr provincial or' ronMntual oljice-; of honor Tln-s.-
di-|iutes lasted many years, |iarticMiiirly a> to tin'
imldin'^ of snch ollices hy S|ianiards. '_;;irl.u|ii!ies, or
Creoles. ;i!l to tile infinite dis'^ii>t of jiope .ind kin;.^", ii
whom ap[>( als wer<' constantly l»einij made.

l'!cccntric a-i we nil know socic tv to he, wecan harliv
r< alize tlu^ coiillictin;j,' ahsurdities which the hum.i i
mind is cap;d»le of cntertaininLj. ^^ e punish miii' ;
misd* incaiiois iind let ;4o j^m i .-it crimes; we jter^^ecii'
and kill in tin- name and for the sake of tin* pea<-e < i
( hrist; we eiif.ipce the "gentle jireeepts of a <ien?!
faith at the point of the hay(»net ; then wc fpLiii i
ainoU'.^ ourseKes. an<l straiLrhtway oivJmi/.e and ai:.i.
«li\ ide and ti^ht, ( 'iiiistiiins meanwhde jira\ in;.;, not i r
their en<inies, nor f n* the rijj^ht, hut each f«»r th r
respective side. Hnt hhssed be war; elst; Klior''.
there should not he standing-room (»n this planet ! i
the wise men such t'nli^htemneiit woidd eu'cnderl

Little is to l)«! said of the elfeet of Spanish coloni/.i
tioii on tilt; n.-itives of the New World, Swift \^ «'
their departure upon llie ap[Mo;i(h of the Juii-ope;iii-.

• aiul doatli.
>i' Wut bliii'l
tmii'^ is til'
I) ;il»>trarti«>ii
it It* a MM-icfy
ul r«'Ut as it
it is stitin-j;' 1"
ill,i>ii», Nvhi' li
I iii»r <»f tii'ir
•jirv ii.ttwitli-
in rc'jatd t •
() lijul lliiow .
;c tlif l»i>!i"|''
-|.iuiii;j: alx'i'.t
'Uils Win- cur-

• ;,|„1 (.J»l»Osill ,'

In- saiiuj or«l' r
iMiior lli'>''
•ly a-, to tli ■
fat i.u|»ii»«'S. "V
!• and kinu". ' '

w .ran liar liV
till' liuiii;! 1

j.Ulllr>ll ini'i'T

till' |»<ace • t

of a <,m«mt1 ■

u \vf «|uaii I

ni/.f au«l ariii.

ia\ iii;j. U'lt ! r

■a.-h V'T til 1

; «ls«' slior'^''

iiu't t-r

;liis i»li
tii'.rfiK
uiish <'i>l<
il. Suiit

HI ':i-

\^ r

IK'

»r;i;

XATIVr TiAfTS. tt

:iii(| (1. unliable ilic Avay of it. The <iisl.jV(<nion(s, tlis-
« IMS, and ivlii;i(»u <.t' l'^uro|M'an civilization jiastoiiid
to <-oiii[>loto tlif woik ltcM;ini liv tilt' s\vt)r(!. Some few
< t" thf wild triltts iidiahitliiv^^ uiiwliolf.sttnio lowlands
w. jvKitl uniiit>K'.stftl. Tlioct»u(|ut'rorsot'act>iiunuiiity
t itiur ul>sorl»or are al)'sorln'd by the roiujucicd. ^Plif
<;vi]i/atioii oCtlio Xaliuas aiitl ^Favas not lioiiH' striMiLT
«-,i(tii^]i, likt! tilt! (Irccian, to take captive its oontiuci-
o;s, Was nicrL,^'<l into tli<irs, ti> tlic debasement tf
Tlio nati\ts wii-e not in (lie eyes « t" tlicir coii-
rs like Christian liat-Ucar' rs.oi* lui-bain-d inlidcl;, ;
rt ol" raw matt rial I'or cliristianitv to

i« it II.

tjUi ro

tat \ Wfl'tj a so

W(.| k

Upon, witiit»nt need t)t cxcrcisiiiL,^ any Imnianc
eitnioiny in the use of it. The eliect was to cri ale in
t!ie hreasts tit' th(> weaker race wants, such us beliefs,

■lotl

les, and

braiiil

Its, wliert iiv eould i>t! sown civiliza

1 b

ili

tioii s tiiseasi's, so

that

ci\ ili/atioii s (Inr^s nii;

fht

!»<>

sold, spiritual ainl tenii>oral. Xot all of these wants,
houeser, w'er(! pennitted gratification; instam-e the
reLi'uIatioiis ibrbitldini^ natisfs to ridc^ on horseback,
.mil u iihholding the white man '^ privile^-e ot' keepinLf
nn>tr(!sscs.

ThoUsanils perished whili> attcinllii;^ the Spaniards

uuniiL;" tlieir tontpiests and civd wai

ow niaiiv

ha-: \'asco Nuhe/ to answer Ibr ? how many ('lUtes'
liou many I'izai'rti the Infanitius? In the iniiies of
the mountains perished many, ini'ler the haiil labor ti

lie CO

hi.

wiiicU tl ley Were unaccus'.oiiieii, and lieltin
p'lietratini^ air that strmk with fatal chills their
enti\a(ed frames, so sudtleiily foiced fVom their wai'm,
Miiiny vales. Hut by I'ar the trnviter part >iiiiply dis-
ap[»eared. |*'or in whatsoevei' e;aib t!ie llurojiean
stiani;er appi-oached them, whether as pilferer, priest.

Ol'

peltry

man,

■ IS

reselice was (liutlU

I-

lliopeail

plet\ was little It Ns pestilential than European ;uai-i«
iJoth ill ueeordetl with tin; native, rei^inie; both eii^en-
deii'd disi'ase, struck down stalwart warriors, swept
tl

Iioll

J^aiids limn the i-arth with a rapiility and certainty
nnattaliiahle by steel and gunpowder.

'k 1

H roLoxTAL roLirv of spaix.

AVlu'ii the iUir runiinoiit of Nortli Amtrica lay rowl-
liii}^ ill juimoval plenty, U|"»ii its wcHtmi half al<>in', il'
we iiielude ull <»t Mtfxico and Cmtial America, dwdt
inure than mix huiulred tuitions, tril«H, or |»conl»'8,
spcakinjjf more than six hiUKlrrd lan<;;na^eH or dialects
of laii<^uan;(s. Jiefoie the JOun»itean came with his
superior arms, his Kte<l, saltprtre, pri.Hts, and bh)o<l-
ln»unilH, his stianjjfe diseases, hin stranj^er lusts, his lovc
ot j4old and (jl<»d and ;;lory, wherein were woes uii-
nuiiilM'ted heaped on men whose only crime against their
tormentors was in liviiiji; where their creator had placed
them, and btrikinj; now and tiieii a feehle blow in de-
fence of their homes — before that time the place was
heaven as compared with wliat it has rvi-r been simc
'I'iiesc bcintrs lifte ifsidiiig were not the beastly thiiii^s
they liave lu'cn painted. They w«re human, and nean r
ourst'lv<'S in their nature and their thou«jhts than maiiv
lia\r supjtosed. In (hem were the s;iiiie likes and dis-
likes, the same aspirations and |iassions, the saiiic
mixture of pride, avarice, credulity, ami sus[»ition, dl'
aitlessness, shrt-wdness, trustfulness, and treachery,
fouml in all humanity. With natural quickiu'ss nl"
perception they united cl»»se reasiming powers; with
diLjnitied melancholv, a fondness for ornament and dis-
play Under whatsoever sun, within whatsoever wnip-
pinjjfs of tlesh or environment, human nature is no le>s
individual than wondert'ul.

IS a sad

I tall

)r«'se

nted

m any

of its phast

AVhatever the primitive process of obtaining f<"»d, it
was much more easy and certain than ever afterward.
If the implements used by tiie wilder tribes in the
capture of animals for fo()d and clothiin; were less ef-
fi'ctual, animals were less wild and more easily cap-
tured. Invention sprinj^a from necessity, and whd forth the invention ceast s,
the jiro}.(ress madt! in that direction is soon lost. (Mm-
of the greatest hanlships imposed upon tiie nativ< s,
particularly toward the north, was despoiling tin ir
country of game, and leaving nothing wherewitii '<•

AMERICANS AND EUROPEANS.

ca luv rovil-
lalf ttl<»ni', u
itTica, dwilt

or |)C<)|»1«'8,
M or iliali-'t'ts
lie with his
, uiul bhxMl-
ustsi, hish>vr
ro WOC8 uu-
ttgaiiist their
)rhacl placed
• blow in dv-
he place was
■r been bin*'',
.eastly things
m, aiul Heart r
,ts than nuuiy
likes antl •lis-
iis, tlie wuiii'

sus[>iei»m, ol
tl treachery .

(|uiekn»'SH »>t
[Kiwern; witli
iiu-nt aiul dis-

[soevcrwrap
Lure in «u> h'>^

|f its phases

t"lM»<l. it.

«r afterwai'l.

tin-

[.ribes in
less

were

fi-

|-o easily ('»!'-
and wh« a
'ijtion eeasrs,
Jiu l<»st. <>'"'
|i till' iiativ> H,

sustain life. Wild un'U eaiuint snddcidy cluintjr ilieir
lahits, and dt-rive subsiHteiur fn»ni nrw sources.
Many of the f'lir-liuntrrs supplied tin- natives with
\v< ajioiis superior to tluir own for the purpose of kiil-
iuLT fur-ixarini; animals, and then as jranie became
Hiucc left them without amnuinition. It lias l»ceii
rlaiincd tor the Spaniards that the conquest stopped
thr lionihh' sacriti<«' ot'hnman biinixs which was eliock-
iii.: tlic ^rowtli of ])opuh»tion ; but how niui'h «.M'owth
of jtu|iidation di«l tiie Spaniaids check witii their fiie-
l.Mk-and swords^ As thotii^li the j^rowth of native
Aim rican populations was a matter of su<'h vast con-
4 c 111 to KuropiansI And how many human hves did
S|Mi!i sacrilic*' in christiani/iuLj America'

Touchiiii; the rii^dits of <'ivinzation to lands held by
hunting' tribes, I would say a word. WhiK; n-coy-niz-
\\\'j^ fully the economical princijtlr, tiiat, unlike personal
|ii'ijierty ac<|uired by lahor, the lands of the eaith
111 loiiLT to the whole human race, not to be monopo-
lized hy a few and their siu'ees.sors to the exclusion of
the rest, I am yet unable to perceive any rii^hts apper-
tainiiii; to civilization that do not apply to sava^ism.
If e\ery individual born upon this earth h.as a rii^ht to
h.s .>>liare of it, as he has a liLflit to his poition of the
water, the air, and the sunshine, and that without
the distinctions of wealth, inheritance, or culture, then
the savai^e has a right to his portion ecjually with the
eiviJized man. Xor may agiicultural nations .say with
reason to jiunting nations, "Adopt our modi* of life
and take u|> less room," so long as the aeiieiiltural
nations peiniit certain of their niendxis to oeeui»y
l.inds not ai'cording to their necessities hut limited only
hy tli>ir means with which tf» buy. So long as thc^
minds of men are not e(|ually cultivated, the soil ciiii-
iiot, be. 'I'he se\eral parts of the earth's surfaee have
their several population.s, each (litfering from the others
ill pr<»gress and condition. One has Jio more riuht

pctiling th'ii" |H tli.iii another to call upon his neighbor to abandon
therewith tu HI traditional customs and assume ill-litting eondifioiis.

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

{./

'/,

1.0

I.I

IM 112.5

^ IIIIM 1112.2

1.8

1-25 1.4 1.6

■• 6"

>■

Photographic

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.•\

<■"

"^^

'ti^

23 WIS f MAIN STREET
WEBSVERN.Y 14580

(716) a/2-?''C3

(/J.

J' r; '«

!l V

I !!1

■ 'I

i.i

COLONIAL POLICY OF SPAm.

It is neither just nor expedient that land should be
held by individuals in large parcels, no more by the
civilized man for his Hocks than by the sava(>e for a
game preserve. When a landed piopriotor fails to be
a purchaser, when he does not improve his lands or
permits them to deteriorate, from an economical stand-
point he IS as much a detriment to civilized society as
would be a savage with his game park, or a European
nobleman with his. "They do not make a good use
of tiieir lands," says civilization of savagism. And who
is to be the judge? And is every rich man's lands
and money to be taken from him because he gamblis,
keeps mistresses, buys legislatures, bribes judges, fos-
ters iniquitous monopolies, and is a curse to his kind
generally i Better a thousand times leave lands in the
hands oi' tiieir aborisjcinal holders than allow them to
become the j)roperty of tlie average man of millions.

It is a piggish race, this human race of (jurs, and
one that delights in its piggishness. The hrst comers
and their descendants attempt to monopolize all the
available land, and mankind forever after must buy or
rent or steal from them. Who were those first rob-
bers w. may not always know, nor does it nmch
matter, for we are just as ready to rob to-day as ever
we were. One thing is evident. The native Amer-
icans, as a rule, held their lands in common, as the
property of the nation, which custom civilization to-
day nught well consider. In maiked contrast to this
policy, landcHl property in America was not cut by the
colonists into ])arcels convenient to jx.'rsons of moder-
ate means, and made to pass easily from one to another,
but large; tracts, sometimes wliole provinces, wei'e
se'ized and held as encomiendas, greatly to the detri-
ment of the colonies.

The right of Europeans to seize and occu|)y the
lands of the Indians was never questiomsd by the
stronger })arty; neither ditl they pause to inquire it"
the almighty erred in creating America, or if he made
half a world for the malevolent s[)ort and donnnation

INTERNATIONAL LAW.

of tlic otlior half, or if his servant Alexander might
not [)ossibly have exceeded tlie bounds of his conuuis-
sioii. Ocju[)aucy, by which the lands of a nation
were made its captor's, was amon;^ the Komans a nat-
ural law, and the property of an enemy res nalli'u;^,
as I have elsewliore explained. Aristotle taught that
Gret;ks were called ujx)!! to recognize no more rights
in barbarians than in brutes; and CfJisar said it was
the right of war to treat the conquered as the con-
querors pleased. By the discoveries of the lifteenth
and sixteenth centuries, this lionian principle of occu-
])iney became somewhat confounded, and failed to
tloterniine how much of an island or a continent the
sovereign of an adventurer could claim by reason of a
lucky discover\^, or what were the acts necessary to be
performed to secure legal ])ossessi»m against other
nations of the European world. These points were
settled, as usual, by fighting, the victor construing the
law. If our teachers would sto}) their cant, and I'ully
recognize the absolute and inexorable right of might,
half the problems of mankind W(mld be solved at once,
it were an)using, if not so })ainfully absurd, to hear
Montescjuicu and the rest of them talk abt)ut "la loi
de la nature," and "la loi de la lumiore naturelle," in
connection with the rights of the conqueror. Natural
justice recognizes no right of conquest; and yet all
nations acquiesce in, and most of them justily, sucli
robbcrv. As is ofttn s(H'n in communities of men, so
m communitlt'S of nations, wrong once become perma-
nent is acknowledged by international law as aright,
and as such it usually passes into history. In the
present day of enliglitened and ])urified morals, ag-
gressoi's committing this species of robbery usually
Seek to shield themselves undi'r some claim, real or
pretended, and so escape the world's censure, fi»r even
the sim])lest of us now I'ecognize the piinciple as
atrocious; or as in the case ')f the; treaty of Cuada-
lupe llitlalgo between the L'u ted States and Mexico,
t!i(^ \ iclor pays t!;e vanipiisln-d money, and so ratities
tiie tlieft by forced bargain and sale.

COLONIAL POLICY OP SPAIN.

Montesquieu is sadly in error vvhen he supposes it
the wish of the Spaniards to sweep the country of it-i
aboriginals, so that they might the better occupy.
Such a charge might much more truthfully be
brought against any otlier European nation. Ter-
ritory was nothing to the Spaniard without sul)jects;
mountains of metal and rich alluvial plains were
valueless without laborers. Never was a conquered
race more tenderly considered — in theory. Other na-
tions were less scrupulous. Spain would ship no slaves
from Africa, but her colonies bought them from the
French and Dutch, until England browbeat her into
buying all her slaves from English ships. And always
the other nations of Europe far exceeded the Spaniards
in their cruelty to negro slaves, the English roasting
them alive at Jamaica for desertion, and this within a
century. In short, when the directors of the East
India Company themselves admit that "the vast for-
tunes acquired in the inland trade have been obtained
by a scene of the most tyrannical and oppressive C(jn-
duct that was ever known in any age or Cf)untry," it
is idle to argue upon the relative cruelty of European
nations.

There was no system of destruction practised by
the Spaniards. In their eager desire to seize the
present, and secure every means for its enjoynient,
only too many of them worked the natives to their
death. This was all, except the m3'stery that the
simple presence of civilization, even when overHowing
with kindness, is poisonous to savagism. Still more
untrue is the assertion made by many tliat the exter-
mination of the Americans was urged by the catholic
ecclesiastics, who claimed the slauixhter of idolaters
to be pleasing to God. If ever tliere was piety or
purity in man, if ever charity or heavenly zeal, then
do these high and holy qualities shine resplendent in
those ministers of peace who abandoned country and
self, sank name and identity, and laid down their
lives for the salvation of souls in the wilds of

COST OF IT ALL. »

America. And as for those general charge.s in cer-
tain quarters that in some of the later occupants of
holy office spirituality had turned to flesh, their zeal
to laziness and lust, resulting in nothing more impor-
tant than repeating prayers and breeding itullins Jfilii,
I can only say that I have elsewhere given the his-
tory of all as fully and fairly as I am able.

And here the anomaly presents itself, that while the
parent government in all its ordinances and instruc-
tions is more just and tender toward its savage sub-
jects than are the colonists, through i orrupt agents the
natives may be more vilely treated than they would
be by filibusters or pirates. Alone in a wilderness,
with no doting parent to call upon for protection, the
private colonist or settler hesitates ere he raises a
swarm of enemies about his ears. Many of the
atrocities attending govermnent colonization are ab-
sent in private colonization. The conduct of Peru
stands out in contrast to that of Pizarro no less
marked than the subsequent doings in Pennsylvania
contrast with those in Peru.

And what price was Spain to pay for all her follies,
crimes, and indulgences, for the outrages of lif r con-
querors, the maleadministration of her agents, her
selfish exclusiveness, her vagarious policy, her exac-
tions and enjoyment? For nations, no more than indi-
viduals, can indulge in crimes and follies with impunity.
In colonial aft'airs as elsewhere, greed generates disas-
ter. Tyrannies and unjust exactions bring their own
])unishment. Iniquity is inexorably alien from per-
manent prosperity. Spain's punishment was earlier
and more severe than tiiat of other European nations
equally or more guilty, and whose reckoning is yet to
ome. If England's God lives, then England has yet
to make her final reckoning.

Besides superior energy, Spain possessed material
advantages which placed her before all otiier nations
at the beginning of the sixteenth century. Her mer-

#1,

lli.

[

I ■

> !

COLONIAL POLICY OF SPAIN.

caiitilc marine was the finest in tlie woikl, nuinberiniif

over one thousand vessels.

(juays of Seville were

crowded. The nianutactures of Spain were anijdi', in
addition to lier own requirements, to supply all her

\>V

colonies. C'kttli and coral-work were jiroduced at
Uarcelona, which city rivalled Venice; silk and gro-
ceries at A'akncia; ck)th at C^uenca and Huete; swords
and muske-ts at Toledo; silk, })aper, and flaxen goods
at (iranada; cloth at C'iudad-i'eal, Segovia, and Villa-
castin; steel blad<.'S at Alhacete; soap and groceries at

•pc

•sandOcana; hats and saddles at (\)rdova; linen

in (ialicia, and cutlery and j)late at Valladoliil. Some
of these cities emjtloyed a thousand workmen. IFus-
handrv was conducti'd hv the Min'iscos under the best
methods then known. IJy systi'Uis of iriigatit)n, the
soil wa-; made to yield large retui'us in rice, cotton,
sugar, and other jiroducts. Even the Spanish lan-

i>ii

igi- and the universities felt the im[;ul.-

As earlv

a.s I j.K), the descendants of the concjuered Aztecs and
Peruvians woi' i'ound in the schools of Spain, and
Indian words in her language.

Some time later look again this way. Tlowditferi'ut
the ])ieture Spain [MX'sents toward the close of the sev-
enteenth century. Her soil, exhausted, runs to waste;
lu-r factories are closetl; her aitisans and her agricul-
turists goiu' — oiu! million of her best and most ind
trious subjects, the ^^()riscos, at a single 1)1

us-

(iW

small, round worm has bi'en busy among the (piarti'i"-
ings of ( 'asiiK'; lu'r domain is dismembered, Holland
and J?ortugal gt)ne, Artois, Ronssillon, and Franche
Comte, and after anothei- hundred years, nearly all
these broad Americas have slip[)ed from her posses-
sion. The exi>ulsion of the floors by Felipe 111.

followtd the destructive foreign

wai

s of Felipe IJ.

and with the beginning of the seventc^enth centurv
her connmree and manufactures bt'gan to fail, ^len
were even wanting for the army, and ships lay rotting
at anchor for lack of sailors.

The navy, which in J^hilip's time had been the tcr-

PRIXC'E AND I'KOPLE.

ror of the sea, was now nduced nine tt-iitlis. Arse-
nals and inajjfazines wore enii)tv, and tVont'u r I'oitivsscs
unj^iiri'isoned. Crime and disoriK-r jirtvadfd tliiouL^li-
»)Ut the land. Simony and peculation wc-rc unlilush-
in*;' and enormous; so that, while the [)i'()[)K' were
ground by taxation, the jiuhlie revenue w.is small.
.Vs a renu'dv, which in truth onlv ay'ijfi'aNatiHl the
disease, the currency was dehased. Any tliird-iate
])ower n)ight now insult with impunity the heirs of
(,'liailes the ^[a,i;nificent, and of riiilij), his mo -t

thol

ic son.

Tlie lesson is — and let it he written in

e sKv and ijfraven on the eterna

d hill

s— n<

itl

lei- in-

chviduids nor nations can loui^ live hy im[)ositions
practised (»n their fellow-men.

Still there was territorv enoui^h. Often has the
judicious pruning" of a too widely s[)read empire pioved
heneHcial. It was pith and pulse Sj»ain pow lacked.
She had hied her own vi'ins; played mntlur pelican to
the church; and now to this conijih'xion things have
come. In vain .shall a Chai'les aim at universul em-
])ire; even })etty Duke ^[aurices will not hiiw it so.
In vain shall your nether-millstone-hearted I*hilip

iloat

mvincihio armadas.

n vam slia

11 V

einaniU) tie

Jlerrera and Luis de Leon gain the topmost height of

)anis

h 1

vricism ; m vam a

( ahl

ei'on or

Veg;

I im-

nKM'taliztj their drama; even in vain shall tlie gre;^test,
grandest, richest name of all, Cervantes, take r<tyal
place in the fame-roll of literature. Let Mariana and
Solis paint the history of their countiy tliick and
bright, hut above all (piick : tliese gloiii s fade so fast.
Alt these pi[)ed to a country that would not dance;
or if it did it was onlv the iicmral dance of death. ( )f
late Si>ain has slept with moie or less htaviness; a
sleep somewhat troubled, it is true, with fi'vercd
tlreams, wherein mingled with smalhr sprites French
revolutions, Isabellas, and Carlists, llolu-nzollerns and
Amadeos, and Prims, and re[»ublics, and one haidly
knows what else.

Daring the middle age, and up to the tim. of J"'er-

COLONIAL roUCY OF SPAIN.

4. 1.

dinand tho catholic, tlio people of Spain possessofl
greater liberty tliaii any people in Europe, But about
that time monarchist t<iok a long stride forward,
fanaticism following closel}' at its heels. The power
of the nobles, undermined by Ferdinand, was com-
pletely liroken by Charles, and for three centuries
thereafter Austrian and Bourbon princes ruled Spain
with a despotism almost absolute, Tliese Austrians
and l^ourbons were ever remarkable for tlieir piety ;
but although they loved the cliurch much, tliey loved
themselves more. The little game of prince, priest,
and people was then played somewhat after this fash-
oin: The prince was in possession of the power. This
power he derived from the people, who helped him to
break down the nobles, and hold in check the clergy ;
in return, the prince employed the church to rivet the
chains of despotism tighter and tighter upon the peo-
ple; so that with the mind enslaved by the clergy,
and their every action at the order of the king, this
so lately free and chivalrous commonalty was doomed
to be thrust backward at the very time the new light
broke in upon Europe ; at the very time when liberty
of thought and action would have carried it forward
with any nation in Christendom. Thus to the great-
ness of Spain in the sixteenth century Spaniards of
to-day owe their littleness; to the teaciiings of tradi-
tion, enforced by the stronijf arui of royalty, they owe
their ignorance ; and to the wealth of the Xew World
they owe their poverty.

The student of civilized history has seen how gen-
erations of discipline made strong the arm of Spain ;
how loyalty and religion united to concentrate and
direct the energies of the people ; how the enginery
of the incjuisition was hurled against the reformation
and every kind of religious inquiry ; how a religious
war stimulated religious zeal, how zeal fanned the
flames of loyalty, and how loyalty and zeal bound
men together ft)r good and evil. He has seen how
man's nobler impulses came forward and bowed before

CHURCH AND STATE.

tills slirinc; liow churcli and state dlvlilod between
them elnvulrv, leurninj;', and wealth, leavhig the pit)-
ple poverty and obedienee. And wluii Granada i'ell,
leaving tyranny master of the fiehl; wlien not a lure-
t.c, not an alien, polluted the soil of Spain ; when fnnn
the Pyrenees to Gibraltar, from the Mediterranean to
the Atlantic, all were loyal, all Christian — where was
tliis mighty enginery next to be directed? Most
opportunely at tliis juncture a New World dropped into
the lap of Spain. And such a world! Truly it was
a reward of merit for eioht centuries of i^odlv service.
To her piety and patriotism Spain had sacriHced her
wealth. She was left bv the successiul terniination ot
the Alohanmieilan contest strong but poor. In this
New World was wealth untold. (Jod, grown kinder
to liis people than in ages past, there paid cash for
j.rotielytes. A new crusade was preached, in wMiich
gold was the reward of piety, in which romance be-
c.une reality, and glory here was but the harbinger of
glory hereafter. And in her colonial policy Spain
could be hampered by no constitutional restraints.
She might model her colonial affairs and issue her
edicts by mere act of prerogative, and change them
at pleasure. Whenever through the usual mistakes
attending first attempts things went wrong, laws were
made to fit the like emergencies of the future, and
soon such a mass of ordinances and edicts were heaj)ed
up that even the Spanish government could not en-
force the half of them.

The epoch of discovery was the supplement of the
crusades, the crowning result of the grand levelling
of partition walls by advancing civilization. Then,
through the stubborn zeal of Luther in Germany
and Zwingli in Switzerland, assisted by the amorous
propensities of Henry VIII., Europe was divided
anew, the north becoming protestant, and the south
remaining catholic. By her excessive exclusiveness,
Spain repelled that which constitutes the very essence
of progress, curiosity, inquiry, scepticism. The result

f'OLONTAL rOLTl'Y OF SrAlTT.

»'! J

as seen in Spain and sonic parts of Spanish America
to-day s[)caks volunu's.

The (picstion could scarcely have ariatMi in the six-
teenth ceiituiy whether tliis New Woi-ld seized so
eaii^erly, clutclied so greedily, would prove a blessing
or a curse to its possessor. What I lands more fertile
and fifty times broader than Spain not a blessing ?
Surely gold and pearls and slaves are blessings, to
say nothing of new enipires to govern, and nullions of
heathen souls to save.

Tlic innnediato eftect of the colonics on the mother
country was to (piicken Tde, expand connncrce, and
enlarge all industries. Commercial com])anies were
formed. Tlie prices of all connnodities advanced.
Money was plenty, and everybody rich. Some com-
plained, not of the abundance of gold, but liecause it
now required so nmch to buy so little — an extra mule
for the ti'aveller being almost necessary to carrv his
pui'se. Then, knowing little of the principles of
economy or of foreign conunercc, the government
ste[)[)ed in with its suicidal restrictions and monopolies,
and confounchxl what might, if left to natural chan-
nels, have })roved beneficial to the commonwealth,
^lore men then went to America, drainiii'jf the coun-
try still further of its bone and sinew, and more gold
was sent to Spain. The cost of labor and of raw
material rose rapidh'; indeed, it was soon impossible
to obtain these essentials of manufactures in Spain to
the extent recpiired. It was (\asier and more alluring,
however fatal, to let others do the work, while Spain
commanded the situation and handled the oold; and
so l\)rtugal, France, Flanders, and J'^ngland wc>re em-
ployed to furnish the required commodities, while the
Spaniards gave themselves up to enjoyment. They
were breeding at Spain's cost communities of artisans,
which more than soldiers or sailors were to Income
the bulwark of the nation, and Spain was forced to
pour into their coffers her dearly loved gold in ever-
increasing ratio; until finally, notwithstanding the

RKFLECTIVK IXFLUKNCE.

ononnous yield of the two Atncr'u'as, she liad not suf-
licit'iit lor lur own lU'ct'ssit'us. Tlio malleoli sci'\ icf,
tor more than tw(» ci'iittnit's i]\c pridr of Sjtaiii on
hotli tlio Atlantic and I'acific, was I'ssciitially at
an end bv tlio middle of tho oi'^litoonth i-onturv.

Fni'tlicr and yet fnrtlicr grew tlio ra^o lor woalth,
and tho distasto for lal)or. Wasto was tlio order of
the day in both jiuhlic and |)rivat(i affaii'S. The nn)ro
^old Sj>ain got, the more she re<{uired; the more .sjio
sutl'ered from her exactions, tlie more she exacted.
Xow the king anil liis court, and imnunerahle minia-
ture estal)lishmi>nts, and households of all grades, were
kept aHamo hv western !>old alone. Industi'ies of
every kind vveie aliandoned, and men lived only for
that for which brutes live, to eat, sleep, ar.d propa-
gate. Far better were the days of war than these
days of enervating peace. It was as if all Spain had
laid down everything useful, and had adopted gam-
bling as an occu[)ution. And when this influx .of
Wealth began to iliminish, it was found too latt ; that
the nation had nothing on which to dej)end for sup-
port. Spain became impoverished. Gone were the
mercantile glory of Seville and Ci'idiz. A resort to
l.iws prohibiting the export of si)ecie and raising the
value of copj>er was without benefit.

Xor was this all the disastr-ous effect of Spanish
colonization in America on the aboriijiues, on the col-
onists, and on the j)oople of S[»ain. There' were even
wider eflects than these — such as the influence upon
the commercial and political intercours(> of nations,
which the thoughtful student of the times will con-
sider. Partly from the reflex influence of her colonies,
and partly from other causers, Europe to-tlay is more
republican than monarchical. England, Holland, ar,d
Portugal are monarchies in form only; France has
struggled into republicanism, and even Spain has at-
tempted it.

Thus to the Spanish people America was a C.erna
of ills, a Naboth's vineyard. They despoiled the in-

H COLONIAL POLICY OF SPAIN.

habitants of a distant land only to dissipate their ill-
gotten Wealth, and tlu-n sink beneath the excess of
8elf-iii«Iulgence and sensuality. Two civilizations S[)ain
succeeded in crushing before her ibll, an eastern a: id
a western ; in Mexico and Peru it was her evil destinv
to destroy a culture but little inferior to her own, and
in her turn to be destroyed thereby. Spain was
ruined by her successes. Let men and nations learn
tiie lesson, for there are yet many in like manner to
be ruined. Lord Macaulay and others resolve all
the causes of the decay of Spain into one cause;
which term signifies, if it signifies anything, an erring
people, a corrupt priesthot)d. But this is not what
Macaulay means to say. He assumes too pointedly
that the Spanish nation fell into decay through the
retrogression of its scn'ereigns, which assuredly was
not the case. Were our Philips and Charleses worse
than your Georges and your Louises; why, then, did
not England and France attain these depths ? A mon-
arch may helm the ship of state toward the rocks and
create temporary disaster; but no nation was ever
ruined solely by its rulers. With the people who
constitute the nation and make the rulers, the blame
must chiefly rest.

;i'.

CHAPTER III.

MEXICO AS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF SCIENCE AT TFIE
OPENlN(r OF THE NINETKKNTH CENTURY.

Miiltitiido omnia, »icrtt natnra iiiaria, per se immnhilis est; u^ vrati et
auriu cii'iit, ita atit tratiqiiilluiii aut priKjelliu vohis sunt. — />(Vy.

The two Californias were invaded and occupiLd by
j)ri('sts from Mexico, at a time wiien this iv.'ion was
lii'lil to be a part of Mexico. ^Mexico has been ohr-o
seen; perliaps twice. The coiujuerors were ch).-;'i ul»-
servcrs — tiiat is, of gold or anything worth stealiiiL;;
but 'i. tlie eyes of com])reliensive genius Mexico has
never been so viewed, before or since, as by FreiUrick
Hinrv Alexander von Humboldt at the opening of
the present century. His visit to our continent was
in the interest of general science, rather than in that
of any particular })ersons or ])lace. He was thirty
years of age when he landed in South America in
171)9; thirteen years of his life had thus far been
devoted to close study, and before him were yet sixty
other years. We are told that he was a vain man,
and very egotistical; but sur(>ly he had something to
be vain of, and his ego was by no means a small one,
either as regards time or dimensions. In his match-
less ct)nunentaries we hardly know which to admire
most, the universe which he describes so perfectly, or
tlu! all-comprehending intellect capable of such deline-
ation.

Alexander von Humboldt was born in Berlin on the
1 4th of September, 17(>9, when the first mission of Alta
California was being founded at San Diego. His
father. Major Alexander George von Humboldt, liad

Cal.Past:, Vol. I. 7 (97)

¥ i

MEXICO IN THE NINETEENTH CENTUPA'.

been in succession chamberlain to the great Frederick,
and to Elizabetr, princess of IVussia. His mother
wlien married by his father, was the widow of a cer-
tain Baron Yon Holwede, and was descended fronj a
Burgundian family, Colomb by appellation, notable
cral'tsmcn in glass in their old country. The young
l[umbt)]dt was for the most ])art brought up in hi;>
Other's old castle of Tegel, three leagues from Berlin.
Here Alexander and his elder brother William played
and studied, in a quiet, unrestricted wny, till 178(5,
when they commenced their academical life at the
university of Frankfort on the Oder. In 178S they
removed to that of Gottingen, "a staid, grav(^ place,
fall of earnest students and learned professors," among
wliich last were Blumenbach, Heine, and Kiclihorn.
The universit}^ life of the brothers ended in 1781).

In 1790 Alexander visited Holland and England
in company with George Foster and Van (lenns, and
])ublished his first work, Observations on the Basalts of
the Rhine. In 17D1 he began studying under Werner,
the Celebrated geologist, at Frej-berg. The result of
some of his observations in the mines of that district
was published in 1793 : Specimen Fhrx Frelhcrr/eiisis
S:ihtcrraneii\ In 1795 he visited part of Italy and
Switzerland, and 1798 found him in Paris, where he
became acquainted with Bonpland, the naturalist, des-
tined soon to be his companion in trav( 1, nnd with
many other French savans. He here ]val>lished, in
conjunction with Gay Lussae, Researches on the Cow-
jws'tioii of the Atmosphere, and on his own account a
work on subterranean gases.

From his boj-hood, Humboldt had been planning
some great voyage of discovery; and in 1789 ho was
in Madrid, applying for permission to explore th(^
Spanish possessions in America. That permission
was granted, and havuig secured Bon inland as a
coadjutor, he sailed from Corunna in the sloop Pizarro,
on the 5tli of June, 179r. On the 19th of June the
Pizarro put into Santa Cruz, in the island of Teneriffe;

ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT.

IV aiul
i-c he
, dos-

witli
led, in

Com-
)Uiit a

Inniuf^
jo was
re the
ilssion
as a
zan'o,
\\Q the
icriffc ;

and the naturalists, avaihug- themselves of the few
days the ship remained there, ascended the famous
Pico de Teyde. In the middle of July they reached
Cumand, South America, and landed. They spent
the rest of the year in visitin<^ the coast of Paria, the
Indian missions of Chaymas, and the provinces of
New Andalucia, New Barcelona, Venezuela, and
Spanish Guayana. Leaving Caracas in Jaimary 1 800,
they examined the charming valleys of the Aragua,
and the great lake of Valencia, or Ticarigua, resem-
bling in general appearance that of Geneva, but with
its shores clothed in all the beauty and luxuriance ttf
a tropical vegetation. From Puort>) Gabello they went
south, crossing on horseback the vast i)lains ol" Cala-
l>()Zo, Apure, and Orinoco, and the dreary llauus.
At San Fernando, on the river Apure, they began a
latiguing navigation of more than ;5,000 miles. They
jiei formed this in canoes, crouching in awkward pos-
tures, scorched by the terrible sun which not only
liiihtens but colors and burns, and devoured bv a ten-
fold Egyi)tian plague of crawling, creeping, and Hying
tilings. Sailing down the Apure, they entered the Ori-
noco at the seventh degree of north latitude, and then,
ascending this river, ])assed the cataracts of Mapures
and Atures, and gained the conHux of the Guaviari.
Thence they ascended the small rivers Atab and
Teini. From the mission of Javita, they passed over-
land to the sources of the famou^ liio Negro. About
thirty Indians were employed to carry the canoes
through lofty forests to tlie creek of I*emichin. Fol-
lowing the current now, they shot into the Pilo Negro,
descending to San Carlos. From this they remounted
to the Orinoco, by way of the Cassiquiari, and thus
forever cleared uj) all doubts as to the existenee of a
connnunication between the Orhioco and the Amazon.
l*assing up the Orinoco, they visited the volcano
Daida and the mission of Esmeralda ; but the Guaicas,
an independent native tribe of very fair complexion
and small build, yet extremely warlike, prevented the

i'^M

100

MEXICO m THE NINETEEXTII CEXTrRV.

travellers from rcaclilnjx the sources of tlio Orinoco.
From Esmeralda thev tloscended the swelliin*- rivir to
its mouth, and then returned to Cumuna, by the plains
of (yari, ai'.d the mission of the Caraibs, a race, next
to the PatajTonians, the larofcst and stoutest known.

After a i^hort rest, necessary to their enfeebled
strength, they sailed for Cuba on the Kith of Novem-
ber, and were nearl}^ shipwrecked on the way. They
remained three months in that island; and fearini^
accident, Humboldt sent a good part of his collections
and manuscripts to Europe.

In March J 801 they hired a small vessel and sailed
for Cartanena, South America. ()wini>' to adverse
circumstances, the voyage was tedious, and they
ai'rived too late in the season for crossing the isthmus
of l*ananul, and reaching Gunyaquil or Lima; they
liowever pushed on up the Magdalena up Santa Fe
do Bogota.

In September 1801, though the rainy season was
not (piite over, they began their journey to Quito,
crossed the Andes of Quindiu, arrived at Cartago in
the fine valley of Cauca, passed througli Popayan, the
capital of the province, through the dangen)us detihs
of Almaguer, t]iroui:;li the town of Pasto, the villauo
of 'Pulcan, and the valley of Guaillabamba, and in
Jamiary 1802 reached Quito. Xeai'ly six months
were here devoted to researches of various kinds in
t!io surrounding country. Near midsununer, in com-
pany with Don Carlos ^lontiifar, they visited the
Nevado del Chimborazo. Thev traversed the fright-
ful ruins of Riobamba and other villa<''es, destroyed
by an earth(piake February 7, 1797, and climbed
the Cuchilla de Guandifa. On the eastern sloj)e of
Chimi)orazo thev stood on the hii«hest spot ever
before trod Ijy man. They then descendeil to the
region of vegetation and ft)lloW(Hl the great chain of
the Andes, with fiftemi or twenty baggage mules.
Skirting the high savannas of Tiocaxas, tlu?}' ad-
vanced to Sitzun, in the woody pnramo of Asouay,

ARRIVAT. IN MFAICO.

10\

and crossed tlie inouiitahis hy that dauj^orous passage.
Advaiu'iinjf toward Cucnca, tliov t'oinid ruins of
j);da(x,'S of tlio iiicas. ]3ryond that town was ]-.oja;
iVonj Loja they passed into tlie vale of the hcd of tlio
Cutaco; mounted a<j;ain to tlie forest of ( 'huhieanas,
near vast ruins of the incas' battle-fields; crossed
tlio uu>untains to San Felipe, and embarked on the
('huDunja; descended it to the cataract of Kentema,
asceiuled tlie eastern declivity of tlie cordillei-as;
t xaniiiied the arj^entiferous mountain of (iualiravoc;
visited the towns of Micuipamj)a and Cajamai-ca, itnii
th(^ ruins of the palace of Atahualpa in tlui vicinity
of th(^ latter place; reached Lima, <'apital of l*eru,
enteiinsjf for the first time that "Ion*; narrow valley
hi)Un(l«Ml by tlie shoies of the Pacific in wliich rain
and thunder are unknown."

J n January 180."3 the travellers embarked for(;tuaya-
<|uil; from Guayacjuil readied Acapulco by sea, land-
i:i^' in Mexico, 2.'5d of March, 18U;5. Acapulco stands
i;i the recess of a bay near a chain of '''ranitic moun-
tains. The iiort is i)art t)f an immense basin cut i;i

jLj^ranite rocks — a coarse-j^rained ijfranite like that of
I'ichtelbei'g and Carlsbad, toothed and rent like tlie
Catalonian Montserrat. In two hemis[)heres Hum-
boldt Jiad seiMi few wilder sights, few scenes at once
more dismal and more romantic. The climate was
terrihl}' sultry and noxious, tlie inhabitants sickly and

retched. A

cotton tree

hoinJh

'HIX CC/tMi, WJlOSt

overturned trunk was more than seven nietn-s in cir-
ca mferenc(% proved the tremendous force of the vctiila-
vahs, by wliich it was often swept.

in the beuinniiiir of May, tlie travellers set out in

'^}'

"^'

the direction of the capital, ascendin^jf by the burnii
valleys of Papagayo and Mescala — thermometer S'.).(r
I'ahr. in the shade — to the higher plains of Chilpan-
eiiigo, Tehuilotepec, and Tasco, existing in a ni<<rc
trmjiiTate layer of the atmosphere, blessi'd with the
pleasant sluule of oak, cypress, pine, and tree-fern, and
ricii in wheat-fields and barley-fields, eve~i on their

■i-t<

102

MEXICO IX THE XIXETEENTIf CEXTUIIY.

K n

hills, to <a hciglit of 0,000 feet above the sea. Having
visited the noted mines of Tasco, and seen its beautiful
cliur-eh, they passed on to Cuornavaca on the south
slo})e of the Cordillera of Guchilaque, to fix its longi-
tude, which was incorrect on the common maps.
Near this place was the remarkable monument of
Xochicalco, which Humboldt did not visit, having
at that time unfortunately no knowledge of its exist-
ence. It was a natural hill or mass of rocks, which
had been wrought into a conic form, in five terraces of
masonry; the wliole surrounded by a great fosse, mak-
ing an intrenchment of nearly 4,000 metres in circuu)-
ference. Among the hieroglyphic ornaments which
* decorate a pyramid, with which the great upper ter-
race or ])latform is crowned, are figures of men sitting
cross-le<><'ed after the Asiatic fashion. Humboldt
concluded from the foregoing information which he
collected, and from its position being indicated in a
very ancient native map by two warriors in combat,
tliat tlie place served the purpose, not only of a temple,
but also of a fort. Its origin is referred to the Toltecs,
f )r tliis nation is to the Mexican antiquarians what
tlie Pelasgian colonists were to the archaeologists of
Italv — anvthing of which a Mexican knows nothiiijjf is
Toltec.

We next find our scientists in the citv of AFexico.
Tliey found the latitude of the capital at the convent
of 8t Augustine by meridian altitudes of the sun
and stars. The lon-'itude was deduced from the
eclipses of the satellites of Jupiter, from the distances
between the moon and sun, from transference of tli*'
time from Acapulco, and from a trigonometrical esti-
mation of tlie difference of meridian between Mexico
and Vt>ra Cruz. This method of check and countt^r-
check was followed as far as possible in all cases, and
thouGfh detailed accounts of these thino's can Iiardlv
interest any but scientific men, they give to the most
superficial some idea of the minute and patient indus-
trv of Humboldt.

fill

CITY AND COUNTRY.

103

lllg IS

ludus-

Mexioo is described by earlier writers as seated in
tlie midst of waters, but it is now more tliau two miles
from the margin of the diminished Tjzcuco. This, a
residt of increased drainage, has not contributed to
tlie general fertility of the valley. A lack of vigorous
vegetation has been becoming more and more appar-
ent since the conquest, at which time the clayey soil,
being washed by more frequent inundations, was cov-
ered with beautiful verdure. The climate of the city
of ^Mexico is generally mild, even in winter, as that of
Naples. In point of appearance it is one of the finest
cities in the new continent. It is more im]K)sing and
majestic, thougli not perhaps so beautiful or so smil-
ing as when great tcocallis lifted their minarets ovi r
the heads of an uncomjuered people, and waters pressed
on its foundations, and thousands of boats shot througli
its street-canals — an Aztec Venice. The present arch-
itecture is generally pure in style and of good taste,
not surcharged with ornament, but solid, often even
magnificent. Seldom arc to be seen those ponderous
wooden balconies which disfigure .-^o many other Eu-
ropean-founded cities in the Indies and Americas; but
here tlie balustrades and spates are of Biscav iron
ornamented with bronze.

Tile travellers were somewhat surprised to see in
tliis city many fine establishments devoted tt) science
and the fine arts — a school of mines which was grndu-
;\\]y intro<lucing juster ideas of mining geology, and
some sorelv needed reforms in minin<jf metliods — a
line arts academv, owiii'jf its existence to the liberalitv
of ]»nvate citizens, and ':lie protection of ^linistcr
( ralvez, I possessing a collection of plaster casts
finer than anything of the kind in (Ji rmany. Lao-
cooii writhed there in the sui)reme aijonv of his iuiuioi--
tal struggle with the serpents of Tenedos; and the
ilivine form of the Apollo J^elvidere had cast out for-
ever those hideous monstrosities that the Aztecs de-
lighted to honor. In this academy instruction was
free, and here were found studying and competing all,

104

MEXICO IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.

ill 'I

Si 1.

I i

i:!i

Indian and vvliite, whom talent and ojjportunity fa-
vored, for art is nature, and makes the whole world
kin, knowing no aristocracy but that of gf;nius. The
excellent instruction supplied by this school has had
already a jjreat influence on the architectural taste of
the nation. In Mexico, Guanajuato, and Querutart)
were many edifices which would have adorned the
finest streets of Paris, Berlin, or St Petersburg. For
the jj^reat square of the city, Don Manuel Tolsa,
director of the class of sculpture, had just comi>letcd
a maj^nificent bronze equestrian statue of Charles IV.,
reiLcning king of Spain, and Humboldt had the i)leas-
ure of witnessing both its castinij and its erection. In
this square were the new cathedral with its massive
towers, built over the remains of the great tenqdo of
Mexith, and the viceroy's palace, fronting the s[)ot
on which the palace of Montezuma had formerly sti>od.
]5uried in one of the passages of the university
of ^Texico was a great double Aztec idol, in ba.saltic
})orpliyry, which had been dug uj) by workmen en-
gaged on an excavation in 17*J0, conveyed to the uni-
versity, and concealed there lest it might trouble the
weak faith of the Aztec youth. Humboldt, by dint
of solicitation, secured the privilege of examining and
ski'tehing it. ]te supposed it to represent tlie Aztec
god t»f war and his wife. He also studied the stone
of sacrii'ice, and the calendar-stone. The first was
adorned in relief with the triumphs of some old Aztec
warrior, probably a king. This stone, Humboldt, con-
trary to the usual hy{M)thesis, suppc)sed to have served-
the pur})ose, not of an altar for tlu; sacrifice of human
victims, but of a tcmaJacatl, one of those great stones
on which, as on a platft»rm, prisoners were allowetl to
contend, in certain cases, for their lives with ^lexican
warriors. As to the calendar-stone — the most imj)or-
tant of all the Aztec monuments, and one which seems
to prove the existence of a civilization which we have
some difficulty in belitving to be the result of ob-
servations made by a nation of mountaineers in the

VALLKV OF MFXICO.

10.-)

unciiltlvatcd regions of tlio iww continent Huni-
l)ol(lt coniiJarod tlic cinunistanccs attending" its jtos-
session by tlio Aztecs to tliose in which a l:in^n;ii;'e,
rich in words and in };;raniniatical forn^s, is found with
a jKople wlioso paucity of ideas is wliolly incoininen-
surato with the niultiphcity <)f nieiha adapted to eon-
\ry and enihodv tlieni. "Tliose lani^ua-'ts rich and
ili'xihle, tlioso modes of intcrcahitioii which picsup-
j»os() jin accurate knowdedj^o of the duration of tlic
astronomical year, are perhaps only the renmants of .mi
iiiheritancc, transmitted to them 1>\' nations jiejtto-
i'oro civilized, but since relapsed into baii)arism."
Humboldt had often been struck with tlu' analogy
wliich existed between the ancient tradition and
i.ieniorials of various })eo[)les of Asia- the; I'liihetans
and Ja[)anesc, for example — and those of the ^Fi'xican
races; but this anal(»_i^y was n<»wliero so ajtpai-eiit as
in the division of time revealed in this calendar, in
the employment of recurring jteriods, and m tlie in-
genious though embarrassing method <tf designating
a day or a year, not by numbers, but by astrological
;.igns. The sv.'tem of the methods of those .\siatic
nations and these American is essentially the same.

The valley of ^[cxieo is in niany i-esjiects nui»|U<\
It is surrounded as by a circular wall with a icmark-
able chain of ])orphyritic and basaltic mountains.
The whole valley is but the dried-up bottom of
an ancient lake. The five basins of fresh and salt
water in the centre of the plateau, "the tive lakes
/umpango, San ('hrist(')bal, Tez-uco, Xochimilco, and
( 'Jialco, are to the geologist but the feeble remnants of
a great sheet of water which ftrmerlv covered the whoh;
v;dley of Tenochtitlan." Yet despite the iiiterest
attaching to this valley historically, geologically, and
ill i'esj)ect to its various hydi'aidic c<»nstructions, thei'(;
existed no map giving its true form, Hundxtldt,
therefore, fixed by many astronomical observations
tli(> limits of the v.allev, and from thest> and a <>reat
mass of collected material constructed an excellent

'<!

lOG

MEXICO IN THE NINETEENTH CEXTURV.

I 1

uiii}). By a bold simile he compared the whole valley
to that of the mountains of the nxtoii.

The distinguished visitor was reeeived at the eapi-
tal with all that eonsideration and liospitality to whi(h
his eondition and his personal nurit alike entithvl liim.
AmoiiiLS' the several congenial sjtirits wliieh he found,
lie took especial delight in Jion Jost' Antonio ]^i-
chardo, whose house to him was as tlie house of Si-
ijfiicnza to tlie traveller Gemelli. This man liad tlio
finest collection of hieroglyphic paintings in tlie capit;d ;
sacrificing his fortune to obtain them, coi)vini; wliat
he could not buv. In the new as m the old continent,
the collection and conservation of objects of national
imjiortance are generally left to private individuals,
and those not always the richest of the people. I>ut
IIumb(,ldt was a man of the sahnis as well as of tlie
museums, and was as perfect in flirtation and sarcasm
as in handling fossils or gymnoti. His flirting was
])robab]y a mere foil of politeness and relaxation, but
his sarcasm was incisive. These, his less philoso[)]ii-
cal (jualities, or if you will his littleness, have been
quietly ignored by his biographers as derogatory to
h!s dignity, or to his amiability. In the city of ^[ex-
ico he seems positively to have been smitten outriglit
by a famous creole beauty, I^a Giiera llodriguez,
dauiihter-in-law of that Count dc liei^la wlio l)uilt,
ecjuipped, and presented to the king of Si)ain two
sliips of war, of the largest size, in maliogany and
cedar, and offered to pave the road from A'era Cruz to
the capital with silver, if his ^lajesty of Spain would
visit his American provinces. "She was then veiy
young, though married, and the mother of two chil-
dren," says ^Madame Calderon de la Barca. "He came
to visit her mother; she was sitting sewing in a corner
where the baron did not perceive her; until, talking
very earnestly on the subject of cochineal, he inquired
if he could visit a certain district where there was a
l)lantation of nopals. * To be sure,' said La (jriiera from
her corner, 'we can take M. de Humboldt there;'

MINKS AND >rANUFACT>miES.

107

been

V to

Mcx-

•ijjjlit

JJllCZ,

)uilt,
two
and
uz to
iNVould
very
ehil-
canie
corner
Ikin^jf
juireil
was a
from
lere;'

whereupon, lie first perceivintjf lier, stood aniaze<l, and
at leni^tli cxelainu'd, ' Wihjdtne Dio^i ! \\\\o is that nii-l C
Afterwar<ls he was constantly with her, and more
captivated, it is said, l)y her wit than hy her heautv;
consideriniif lier a sort of western !N[adanie do Staiil."
Ifuniholdt next visited tlio mines of Moran and
Real del ^Foiite, handled the obsidian interstratitied
with the j)earl-stones and ])orph\'ries of Oyamel, and
u-(<'d bv the ancient Mexicans in the manufacture of
knives, and sketched the hasaltic colunms of tlie
Staffa-hke cascade of Ileola. lleturnin*^ to the capi-
tal in July, lui again left it to visit the rich mines in
tlie north of the viceroyalty, principally (luanajuato.
And on his way thither he first examined that great
opening in the mountain of Suicog, the canal of Hue-
liuetoca, ixcavated to previintunchu! risings of the val-
li y lakis, and untimely inundations of its metrojiolis.
It was choked up in IG21), and Hooded the town Ibr
fi\e years, filling its streets with canoes as in the old
(^)rtes times. From the valley of Tular, thi-ough
which this desagiic ran, JIumboldtpassed by the moun-
tain of Calulpan, and tlie town of San Juan del llio,
to tlie city of Queretaro, a place noted for its tasteful
buildings, which was also making some praisewoi'tliy
attempts to manufacture certain kinds of cloth by
an execrable system. In August, Humboldt visited
certain f)f these manufactories. The technical ])rocess
ni tile preparation for dyeing was very imix'rl'ect.
Tlie situation of tlie workshops was unhealtliy in the
extreme, and the treatment of the workmen ahomina-
l>le. The convicts of the country Wi'r*; distributed
among these factories, that tliev miujht be coinnt'lled
to work. But free men wi'i'o confouiuU'd with these
convicts, and subjected with them to the treatment of
felons. Every workshop was a dark prison, whose in-
mates, shut in by double doors, were ragged, pallid,

and mai

»y

of th

dcf<

lem (icTormei

1. i^:

veil

lose wJio hv a

refinement c»f sarcasm were called free, never saw the
faces of their families except on Sundays; while all

Mi..

m
w

I !

108

MEXICO IN THE NINETKKXTII Ci:\TUUV

werc subjt'cted to incrciilt'SH fl<)<jfix"m!4H upon tlio most
ti'ivial int'riiiLjt'incnts of t\\v rcLiulatioiis, Tliis ])o\vcr
ovrr tV(c M'orkt'i-s is i-uiiird l»v clioosintjf fi'(»m the
])oorfr Indians such as it is thoiiiflit Avill suit tlie \vorU ;
lluMi advanciu''' tlicni inonrv, or in otlur wavs dijiw-
inj^ thoni into d('i»t. Sucli is tlic impi-ovidcnci' oftlio
majority of these pcopli', and their ])assion i'or intoxi-
<-ation and _!^and)iin<j;', tliat tlic i)lot j^cnerally succeeds.
In sucli a case tlie man is a debtor, that is to say, ];e

is a slave, wliom it is lawful to enclose in tl

le woi

•k

pliops till he shall havi- worked out his tk-ht; whic h
he tjfciu'i'allv does with his life. It is not thus that
tin- manufai-turcs of a country are pernnuuMitly m\-
Aanced, nor thus that a desire for that ad\ancenient
is likely to be excited in the minds of thi' people.
Humboldt next went to (Guanajuato, stoi)pin!^' on

us w

^^y

at the mines of S<»tolar, Juchitlan, \av

Ai;-uas, ^Faconi, Kl Doctor, and San Christohal. lie
remained lu're two months investi^^atinuf the j^eolo^y
and botany of the country; the iirst, principally in
connection with the mine of A'alenciana, the richest
in ( Juanajuato, the richest in all Mexico. Here in
I "()<), with o-oats feeding on the hills aroimd him, a
stout-hearted S[ianiard named Obregon beoan to

WOl

a vem aoo\c

le ravmc

of S

an Javier.

had bi'cn an old Indian mine, and was sup|X)sed to be
exhausted. Obregon ki'pt sinking his pit and his
money, and that of his friends, with but little result
for many years. In 17()7 he was forced to take a
jH'tty merchant of Kayas as a ])artiu'r; and from that
time the })it grew richer as it was sunk deepi'r, and
from 17? 1 it yielded over ,i^ 1, 000,000 annuallv.

In general, in Mexican mines the mineral was
abundant, but, weight for weight, nmch ]H)orer than
that of the Euro|)ean mines. A contem[)t for inno-
vation amouL!: the master miners also enormously in-
creased the cost of extraction, by the use of antiquated
machinery and exploded mt^thods of working. A lit-
tle more method, a little more attention to the ad-

MINKUAI.S AXD MKTALS.

100

"Las
lie

llyiu

ichost

e ill

nn, a

Lt> l>o
his

[VSVllt

that
, anil

was
than
innit-
,lv in-
^uati'cl

vnno(\'^ in clitMnistrv and nnchanics, Avonld ha\«>
11 thu'»'(l the rxji«>nsrs hy liaU'. Jn the [iroccss d
aiiial;4aniati(ni (.'specially, tlu'i't' Avas an eimi-nious w.-istc
of iniTciiry, which itself should bo a ncvcr-failini,'
source of wealth. Few countries have so many indi-
cations of cinnuharas this tahle-land from tlio ll'th to
t!ie --t{ parall<'is. Wein'hini;', liowcscr. upon what

was (

xtracti'd were various vtxati

Kiis '_;(>\(rnnn'nt

regulations, forcini;. i'oi' exaniph-, e\ery niiin-ownei'
to buy such and such a )»rojM)rtion of tlie ;;dverninent
imported mercury, and in fiict, dealing' »)ut tlie sup-
plies from all s(»urces in an arl)itrary and »'nteipii>-r-
destroN iu''- way.

The ores, too, when extracted, ai'e suhjectid to
\arious inij»t>sts and duties of seit^-iioraue. Ndw. it

le same wi

th tl

lese (hrect imjiosts on o(

.1.1

lllMl

\er as with the jtrotit the novertnnent derl\i's from
ll;e sale of mercury. Miniiij^' o]»erations will incre

ise

;e; these nn[)osts (hmiiMsh, and as the mercury iiKhs-
|niisal>le to amalgamation sjiall he furnished at a
llumhold was astonished that Adam

iwer i>rict

. 1' . .

Smith should minu'le with the soundest ideas i-elative

to the exchani;'!' of metals a defence of the suicidal
(hities of seig'iiorag'e. Considering", then, the vast ex-
tent of the Cordilleras, the jirohahle richnes- of tlieir
drposits, and the wasteful way in which the compnra-
tively few veins already examined ha\*' heen woiked, it
is prohahle that tlu' mines of ^[exico have yet to reacli
their maximum. T\\c opinion that Mexico jiroduees
oiilv perhaps the third pai't of the ])recious metals
which it could under hapjiier j)olitical and social cir-
cmnstauces, under a better administration and with a
more industi'ious and better instrueted people, is eoni-
iiion to the most intelligent individuals of that country.
Humboldt knew wi-ll that this was in direct oontra-
(liction with most authors on political economy — they
allirming the Anu'i'lcan mines to be ])artly exhausted,
and partly too dei>)) for furtlicr retmmerativi' ex]tlora-
tion - still ho believed that theoretic opinions must

MEXICO IX THK NINKTEEN'TU (T.XTURY.

r!i;

ii I' i

giv(! wuy Initoro tlio results of the ])iiticiit investigation
tincl t'ctinparisoii of facts. Xeitlier did lie sluire in
anotiiiT very general idea, that the mines were at bot-
tom more injurious than helpful to the country, and
iion-prodiietivo in tlie long event of any permanent
good. Of course, notwithstanding the great advan-
tage of the precious metals in ])urchaslng the goods of
other nations, it is well to understand definitely that
it is in the nature of thin<j:s that sueli stoi'es will one
day run out, and that even immense developments of
them will, nearly in proportion to those developments,
diminish their connnercial value; that in fact the onlv
cai)Ital which constantly multiplies and increases itself,
tlirough time, consists in the ])roduce of agriculture.
And those who have more knowledge of the interior
than the vayue information at tJiat time accessible
could give, know tliat tlie ])rincipal riches of ^lexlco
are not in her mines, but in an agriculture which has
been gradually extending and improving since tlie end
of tlie preceding century. Yet all this, however true,
is inferential of nothing to the prejudice of mining as
a valuable source of national wealth; it merely shows
that agriculture is another and on the whole a more
reliable and permanent contributor to that end. It is
not to the mines of Mexico that any backwardness
in the other departments of national industry is justly
attrii)utable, but to those political, moral, and physical
stumbling-blocks hitherto obstructing the advancement
of the Spanish col(»nial interests. If these mines have
fostered a spirit o reckless expenditure and s[)ecula-
tion, tliey have a^ ^ called out, and do call out, enter-
prise, invention, a ' geological and chemical researcli.
If, indeed, these ct eted metals add little to the real
wealth of the worlo their seekinjjf creates or stinmlates
a thousand necess ies which do. Roads are built,
great systems of traffic inaugurated, and an increased
demand springs up fDr those things which sustam
life and make it enjoyable. The influence of mining
on agriculture is plainly shown by the fact that the

CLIMATK A\I) VOIXAN'OFA

Invst cultivati'd lands in Mcxuo iivv tli<»si' cxti-ndinj^
fnmi Sulanianca toward Silao, (Juanajuato, and H:o
A'illa do Jjcon; that is to say, tho lands appoitainin^'
to the riclust nuniiii,' iv^^don of tho known woild.
And now, in disniissinjL? tin; sultjcct of ndniny, wc may
add that Humboldt rooeivid little information fioni
any |)ul)li(' colK'ctions of minerals. At Mexico, as at
^ladrid, while these collections contained the rarest
s|>('ciniens from other and distant countries, tlioso
illustrative of the mineralogical <j^eo_<^rapliy of New
f'pain were almost entirely "Nvantin<j;;. It is to he
hojK'd, however, that the proy ietors of the mines will
gradually coiikj to see how much it concerns their in-
terest that a knowledge of localities in detail, and of
the properties and j>ositions of the several minerals,
should l)e i'acilitated and exten<l<'d.

From (Juanajuato ]Iumholdt went south, hy Sala-
manca and the valli-y of San Jago, to N'alladolid
(Morelia), a small city of 18,000 inhahitants, and cap-
ital of the ]>rovince of ^Fichoacan, the most fertile and
dcli;^htful (»f Mexico. Next ho ilescended, notwith-
stanchng the heavy autumn rains, to the plain of Jo-
rullo, hv wav of l^ascuaro, situated on the shore of
Lake J*ascuaro, whose picturescpio beauty riveted tho
attention of the traveller. ]^ut admiration gave place
to awe at sight of the !Mal[)ays, a tract of thi'ce or
lour S(|uare miles in extent, which had been suddenly
tiirown up into a great dome by volcanic forci's, in
Juno 1751). On this again six great masses a j>peared,
of irom l,r{00 tf) 1,700 feet each above the old hv(l of
the plains. Among these the great volcano of Jorullo
was cons[)icuous; and the whole was stUTounded by
tliousands of little cones from six to nine feet in
height, and always covered with vapor. On the night
this eruption occurred, the earth rolled like a troubled
sia, and spouting fire, ashes, and mud, swallowed
tlio two rivers of Cuitamba and San Pedro. The
subterraneous fires at this time were moderated, and
Vegetation was beginning to appear on the sides of

112

MEXICO IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.

I ' '!|

the great volcano. Still, such was the eftect of the
hmunicrablo small cones, or ovens, as they were called,
that tlie thermometer, even at a great distance from
the surface, and in the shade, marked 101)°. On the
19th of September, Humboldt descended 250 feet into
the burning crater of tlie central cone of Jorullo, and
collected its gaseous products.

The position of this volcano gave rise to a curious
train of speculation in the mind of its visitor. He
remarked that there had existed from historic times a
parallel of volcanic mountains, situated in a line at
riofht anoles to the axis of the o;reat cordillera of And-
huac. The Peak of Orizaba, the two volcanoes of
Puebla, l*op atepetl and Iztaccihuatl, the Nevado de
Toluca, the Peak of Tancitaro, and the Volcan de
Colima, cimjpose a single " pa rallele des grandcs eleva-
tions," from the Atlantic to the Pacific; and when
Jorullo sprang up, it sprang up in line. Considering
all this, he supposes it to be not improbable that there
exists in ^[exico, at a great d^pth in the interior of
the earth, a line of weakness, as modern physicists
would call it, IP)? leagues in length, through the
porphyritic rocks, from ocean to ocean. Perhaps, too,
this chasm extends to that archipelago called by Col 1-
nott tlio Archipelago of Pevillagiedo (Revilla Gigedo),
around which, in the same parallel of which we have
been speaking, puinice-stone and other volcanic pnjd-
ucts have becK seen floating on the Pacific.

From Valladolid the traveller returned toward
!>[oxico by the plateau of Toluca, where he examined
the trunk of the famous hand-leaved tree, the cheiros-
tcmon 'i)hdan aides of Professor Cervantes, nine j'ards
in circuit, and of great antiquity. He also climbed
and foun'l the level of the adjacent mountain, which,
itself over 10,000 feet high, contains a lake in its
crater at an elevation of 12,000 feet, from which flows
a cold stream, temperature 48' Fahr. Humboldt was
once more in the capital about the close of September,
Here he and his companion set themselves to arrange

MOUNTAINS AND PYRAMIDS.

113

f the
xlled,
from
n the
t into
), and

irious
Ho

,raes a
ine at
: And-
oes of
ado do
3an do
; elcva-
[ when
ideriii*^
t there
jrior of
lysicists
the
is, too,
Coll-
igedo),
'c have
e prod-

oward
amhied
chelros-

yards
Vnnbed
which,

in its
h flows
kit was
teinber.
arrauL-e

®
s

their f^eological and botanical specimens, to calculate
various nieasurenients which they had made, and plat
out some of tlieir maps — especially the <Tfeolo<jfical
atlas — all of which served to detain them till the close
of the year.

In the bt'Lj^inninuf of January 1804, Humboldt went
and I'xaniiui'd the eastern slope of the cordillera, and
tlien visitid Puebla de los Angeles and the pyramid
of Cholula. This pyramid was about four times the
(hniensions of the Place Vendome, and covered with
a heap of bricks to twice the height t)f the Louvre,
From its great platform Humboldt made many astro-
nomical observations. The eye there commands a
iiiagiiificeiit prospect: Popocatepetl, Iztaccihuatl, Ori-
zaha. and the stormy sierra of Tlaxcala loom — three
of them liiglier than !Mont Blanc; two, burning vol-
canoes. '^NFasswas said in a small chapel where the
temple of Quetzalcoatl, god of the air, had once stood
in the golden age of the i)eoplo of Anilhuac. As to
tlie end subserved by these pyramids, their essential
jtait was the tower-shaped editice which crowned the
wliole, and contained the images of the divinitv t(»
whom tlie structure was dedicated — not the riM:e[)tacles
or chambers in which certain dead were placed. They
Were tombs and temples, but especiall}' temples; they
wviv generally artificial hills raised in the midst of a
I'lain to serve as bases for altars.

llund)»)Mt ])erceiv )d a c^reat analogy between the
Mexican tcncalliti, of which Cliolula is the most strik-
ing type, and the ancient tempio of ]^el at Babylon —
not onlv in c#>nstructio)\, l)ut in object; cither beiiiL;
at once a tomb ai'd a ti'nij)le. There also existed
strong analogies between the form of these teocallis
and that of the other pyramids of Asia and Egypt;
hut on the other hand, their destinies were dift'erent.
Tlie pyramids of Asia and Egypt served only as the
tmubs of illustrious ])ersonages. Between the Egyp-
tian and the ^fexican, the p3'ramid of Belus is prol)-
ahly a conuectiug link, inasmuch as it would seem that

Cal. Past., Vol. 1. 8

114

MEXICO m THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.

Vir.m

P'. ; lii

li! '

^y-M

■^ m.

c'iil:

tlio addition of the temple to the latter was an acci-
dental circumstance.

Next, tlie volcanoes of Iztacciluiatl and i*o|io(.-utcj)(tI
were visited, measured, and the latter ascended. Ti.is
"Volcan grande de Mexico" is higher than Mont
Blanc, and in the scientist's opinion grander in aspect
than anything Europe can show.

Tlie travellers then descended, often by steep slopes
and through dense forests, to Jalapa, where they
lodged in the convent of Saint Francis. This charm-
ing town commanded a magnificent view; on the one
side the ocean and its sultry adjacent plains; on the
other the Cordilleras of Andhuac, the peak of Orizaba,
and the square-topped Cofre de Perote.

The intendency of Vera Cruz contains a remarkable
ruin, that of I'apantla — a pyramid which Humboldt
describes, but does not seem to have visited.

The danoferous route tlirou<j:h thick forests and other
impediments, between Jalapa and Perote, was thrice
barometrically levelled, to determine its capabilities
for a post- road, then under the consideration of tlie
government.

From Jalapa they descended to Vera Cruz. The
yellow fever, vomifo negro, of Vera Cruz has a sensible
influence on the supply of connnodities in ^Lexico ami
their price. This is the only port on the eastern coast
which can afford any shelter to large vessels. iJr.t
when the terrible epidemic is upon the city, no vessels
that can possibly help it land, and no nmleteers from
the interior can be induced to enter its precincts.
Commerce stands still, for it cannot get carriage tbr
the merchandise; mining falls away, for iron, steel,
and mercury become beycmd price in the mountain-.
There wtsre two remedies usually proposed for this;
the one to utterly root out and raze the town, ami
compel its ree.stablishment at some more healthy spot;
the other, to adoi)t some plan to render the port moio
habitable; the latter should if possible be the course
followed, considering, not only the immense sums In-

TIERRA CALIENTE.

lis

n acci-

Mout
aspect

1 slopes
re tbey

chann-
tho one

on tlie
Orizaba,

narkable
^uuiboblt

indotbev
as tlirice
pabilities
m of tbe

■uz. Tlic
sensil ,lo
cxico antl
cvn const
Icls. VnX
|uo vesst Is
vva tVoiH
prccinels.
Vriago for
,, steel,
liountaiu^.
for this;
Itowii, aiul
llthy sp"^"'
[port iHoi"^
the course
sums in-

vested by the government in its fortificntions, l)ut Die
fate of the 10,000 individuals wlioso fortunes aro to a
<>rrat ext(!nt staked on its existence.

In February Hundx)ldt and Bonpland saw in tlio
liospital of San Sebastian wliat would seem to have
been the only cast; of the epidemic then in Vera Cruz,
it brinjjj the cold season. The yellow fi'ver wjus not
considered contagious at Vera Cruz; still it is inipnjb-
ablo that there are many unprofessional p<;rsons who
Would care to carry their medical researches to such
au extent as this, in a town of such an unpleasant
cliaracter. The air of Vera Cruz from its natural sur-
roundings is always tainted with putrid emanations,
wliich, breathed for the shortest time when at their
maximum, introduce disorder into all the vital func-
tions. Yet so potent is use, that persons born in that
ciiy are not, while in it, exposed to contract the
disease. Let them, however, leave their native; coun-
try, let them visit llabana, Jamaica, or the United
States, and they often fall victims to its })articular
typo there; and conversely the same is true of the
inhabitants of these latter places when they visit Vera
( 'ruz.

From Vera Cruz the scientists were carried to
llabana by a Spanish frigate, leaving Mexico on the
7tli of March. Having spent two months at Habana,
l)aehing and shipping their various collections, they
sailed for Philadeli)hia, visited Washington, and
spending eight weeks in the United States, studying
A\ith interest the men and institutions of the great
republic.

On the 9th of Juno they set out for Europe, and
landid at Bordeaux August t], 1804, having been five
years absent from Europe on their American explora-
tions; of which time about a year had been spent in
Mexico.

At the time of Humboldt's visit to Mexico — or New
Spain, as he preferred to call it — "the wealth of the
great landed proprietors had attained its maximum.

lie

MEXICO IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.

The extraordinary success of mining adventures, which
had gone on flourishing with scarcely any interruption
for nearly a century, had stimulated the cultivation
of the soil ; and from the comparatively low price of
labor, immense fortunes were realized by landlords
and ca])italists."

On [lis arrival in New Spain Humboldt was favor-
ably impressed by the contrast oflered by its civiliza-
tion to the very limited culture of most of the Spanisli
South American colonies. This contrast led him t(»
study very particularly the causes which led to this
result. Karely has there been a man better qualified
by nature and education for such a work. Profound
in many of the natural sciences, and knowing more or
less of all, at home in many languages and loving
literature, a man of society, with German sober sense
and French esprit, who knew how to conciliate those
with whom he was brought into contact, he was in
every sense qualified for his self-imposed task. Xo
light task either, wlien we consider the magnitude of
its results, and the paucity of previous information
existing on the subject. To ascertain the cxael out-
line of elevation of the great table-land of !^[exico, he
executed five great surveys: the first across the whole
country from ocean to ocean — from Acapulco to Mex-
ico, and from ^Mexic to Vera Cruz; the second from
Mexico to Guanajuato, by Tula, Queretaro, and Sala-
manca ; the third from Guanajuato through I'ascuaro to
the volcano of Jorullo; the fourth from Valladolid
to Tolucaand thence to Mexico; the fifth was devote 1
to the neighborhood of Moran and Actopan. lie
determined the exact heights above sea-level of 20S
points, situated in the country bounded by the i)ai'
allels IG^ 50' and 21° of north latitude, and lyinu'
between the meridians 98° 28' and 162° 8' of longitudi'
east from Paris.

In the main, the soil, climate, and vegetation of
Mexico resemble those of the temperate zones; liut
its productions arc of no one type ; it depends little

;s, wliich
rruptioii
Itivatioii
price of
iandlords

'as favor-
3 eivili/a-
j Spanish
id him tt»
(1 to this
• qualified
Profound
if more or
^id h)vu»g
obcr sense
iate those
he was in
task. X<'
Lgnitude of
iformatiou

exact out-
\[cxico, he

the whole

to Mex-
cond from

and Sala-
'ascuaroto
VaUadoli'l
as devoted
opan. lit-
vol of 20S
y the pav-

and lylnu
f longitude

fetation ef

1 zones; i'Ut
r)ends little

CLIMATE AND SOIL.

117

on latitude, for nature has piled all climates upon the
1 lacks and Hanks of its mountains. Its worst want is
that of old Spain herself, a want of water. There are
parts of the Mexican interior so arid and destitute of
vei^etation, that their aspect recalls the j)lains of the
two Castiles; and where saline elflorescence abounds,
the steppes of central Asia. This evil has augmented
since the concpiest by the Europeans, who have tk>-
stroyed without planting, to an alarming extent, and
drained to excess great tracts of country. I have
('idled attention to the etlects of this latter evil in the
viilli y of Mexico itself; and the effects of the former are
perhaps even more disastrous. For timber grows
scarcer year by year, while the demand as steadily in-
creases, and the lands cleared of their wood seem often
to become barren. The iuHuence of forests is princi-
pally })reservative, cooling and refreshing the air, and
protecting the soil against the direct ravs of the sun.
Humboldt proves that a single tree, with foliage of a
given lu)rizontal section, exercises an influence of this
kind several thousand times greater than a surface of
humid or grassy soil equal in area to this section.

Happily, however, the sterility of which we have
spoken is only to l)e found in the most elev^ated jdains,
and a great part of the kingdom a|>pertains to the
most fertile regions of the earth With proper cul-
tivation the many climates and varying soils of Mexico
could be made to su})pl3', in greater or less extent, all
the productions of all the zones. But agaii'., m a few
seaports and deep valleys, this fertility is balanced by
a terrible concomitant. Beneath the burning sun of
the tropics, extraordinary fertility too often indicates
an atmosphere charged with deadly miasma, laden
with the terrible germs of tropic fever. It was this
which made the price of labor three times as high at
A era Cruz as on the central plateau.

Manufactui-es had made but small progress in the
Spanish colonies - a thini; hardlv to be grieved at if
many w^re conducted after the brutal system followed

I 'S'llS

118

MEXICO IN THE NINETEENTH CENTUPwY.

at Queretaro ; a thing in no case to bo wondered at,
considering the vexatious anr^. suspicious pohcy of the
home government toward colonial [jroductions — a
policy wliose spirit embodied and stigmatized itself by
orders for the rooting up of vines, lest the wine of
Spain should suffer by competition; by indirect and
direct discouragement in all similar cases.

This was partly the usual modern colonial policy.
For ages all the mother countries of Europe had con-
sidered a colony as a sort of step-child, which, [)os-
sessing few of the privileges of home province, was
to be subjected to more enactments and restrictions
than a conquered one It was only thought useful in
so far as it supplied raw material for the metrop )litan
manufactures, and consumed again in turn a greater
or less portion of these manufactures, when carried to
its harbors by metro[)olitan ships. Such p"hiciples
are easy of adaptation, and perhaps very slightly pro-
ductive of evil to islands of small extent, or to isolated
factories on the shores of a continent. It was other-
wise with the Spanish colonial provinces, particularly
with Xew Spain, where were sutticient hands to fur-
nish labor, and a demand sufficieut to pay them. If
other reasons were necessary, they would be found in
the enormous expense of transporting goods iidand, an
expense which would, properly applied, go far to ])rii-
duce them on the spot, and an ex[)cnse still fuitlur
increased by the sup[)ort of officers to guard against
smuggling. Strictly speaking, there existed no royal
decree declaring that manufactures should not oxisi ;
but then it is on the spirit in which laws are admiuls-
tered that their effects depend; and where indirect
and equivocal decrees can, by their manner of exeiu-
tion, bo made to produce the required effect, there is
evidently no necessity for a waste of thunder in edicts
more explicit.

As an example of the method followed by tiie
Spanish government in dealing with private enter-
prise, read the following: "II n'y u qu'un demi-sieclo

[ered at,
y of the
ions — a
itsoir by
wino of
rect and

.1 policy.
lia<l con-
icli, pos-
iucc, was
stnctioiis
useful iu
trop )litau
a ivroater
cairied to

p">Ut'ipk:^

;rhtlv pro-

• " 1 1

to isolatud

^vas otlior-
.iticulaily
ds to fur-

[tliem. It'

|e found in
inland, tin
ar to pi""-

lill fuitlKi'
rd ai^'ainst
lI no royal
not oxist;
•c adniini!^-
•c indiivtt

of CXC'i'U-

■t, thoiv is
Y in edicts

Ld bytiie
late enttv-
leau-sietl*^

MANUFACTURES.

119

que deux citoyens, aniiuc's du zele patriotlque le plus
pur, le conite de Gijon et le marquis do Maunza, con-
(;ur«.;nt 1(! projet de eonduiro a Quito uue colonie d'ou-
viicrs ot d'artisans de I'J'^urope: le ministere espaL>nol
f('i»»nant d'api)laudir a Icur zelc, no erut pas devoir lour
rt'tuscr la permission do monter dcs ateliors ; mais il
sut telkimi'iit entravor les demarches do ccs deux
lioinnies entreprenaus, que s'otant a[)orcus ,\ la fin que
(^ics ordres secrets avoient etc donnes au vice-i'oi et a
I'audient^e, pour faire cchouer Icur entreprise, ils y
rcnoncurent volontairement."

In New Spain the nuumfacture of powder was
wliolly a royal monopoly, as in most other countries.
Jjiit here, as elsewhere, tlie j^overnment which creates
artiticial restrictions and monopolies is .smitten with
tlie pla;j;ue' of contraband. Hundxddt, as the result of
diligent research, concluded that the quantity of pow-
der manufactured by the rcjyal mill near Santa Fe,
three lea^'ues from the city of Mexico, was to that sold
fraudulently in the proportion of one to four. The
mines are the principal consumeis; they are dispersed
far iVoni towns, in the wildest and most solitary situa-
tions, on the ridges and in the raviiu'S of the cordi-
Ihras, wlien; it is impossible to watch the smu^gh.'r.
This branch of contraband cannot be met but by re-
ducing the })rice of the government powder, or wliat
is Ifctter, bv t]irowin«>f the trade cntirelv open.

The manufacture of money and jtlate was an nnpor-
tant braneli of Mexican industry. The smallest towns
liiid tiioir goldsmiths' and silversmiths' shops, and the
mint of Mexico was the richest and most extensive in
the World. The academy of the fine arts and tlie
(hawing-schools of Mexico and .T;diq)a had dom^ mucli
to diii'use a taste for the beautiful forms of the anti(^ue.
Sei'vices of plate had been manufactnr«.'d in the capital
whieh, for elegance and finish, might be compared
Willi the beautiful products of European taste and
skill.

The mint was a building of simple architecture.

120 MEXICO IN THE NIXETEEXTH CENTURY.

atljoining tlio viceroy's pdacc. The silver ])roduced
in all the mines of Eur()[)e would not give employment
to this mint ior more than 15 clays. Yet the various
machines in use were far from as })erfect as those in
the French and English mints, and the motive j)ower
was still mules, though the building was so situated
that wat(!r might ho easily applied.

The taxes on imp(3rtation, the ulcahala and the in-
numerable (/crccAos, tended to clog ^lexican connnt ree,
in the legitimate smisc, and promote smuggling. Hum-
boldt, by the collection and examination of exact data,
found that the yearly imp(jrtation of foreign goods
into Spain, contraband included, amounted to about
twenty million of piastres, and that the ex[>ort of its
agricultural and manufacturing; industrv amounted to
about six million piastres. Xow, the mines of Xew
S[)ain produced yearly 2:j million of piastres; from
eight to nine were exported on account of the king.
Deduct, then, from the 15 million of piastres remain-
ing fourteen million, to meet the excess of the imj)or-
tation over the exjjortation, and we find a million of
piastres, balance, in favor of Mexico, thus:

Piastres.
Mexico pays annually for fdreign goods. . . 20,000,000
Mexico cx^Mirts on account of the king. . . 8,000,000

Expendituro of M'jxico 28,000,000

Mexico receives for Iicr exports 0,000,000

Mexico draws from her mines 2.%000,000

Income of Mexico 29,000,000

Balance in favor of ^Mexico — 1,000,000

The specie wealth of New Spain was then annually
increasing by something less than a miHioi\ piastres.
In collecting the matter fur the various tables on
which his conclusions are based, HumboMt endeavored
to inform himself on the spot in each province, jis to
its trade, agriculture, and manufactures; colk^cting
and comparing all the information which might pos-
sibly be of value, from all sources — in connnercial
matters principally from merchants of intelligence,
and the various tribunals of commerce.

As to the amount of the contraband trade, it had

ii|, :„.:|

li ' ' T '1

til

ROADS AND TRAFFIC.

121

rtduced
)yuiciit
various

•>

hose in

s power
situated

wt'i

the in-

nuurce,

Huui-

Lct data,

n <jjoods
,o about
rt of its
uuted to
of Xcw

es; from
,ho Vxng-

s reuiain-

le iiupor-
iiillion of

- 1,000,000

annually
piastr«"S.
tables on
idcavorod
ncc, as to
collecting-
light po^-
»nunercial
;cllin:cnco,

le, 1

t had

been cxainfgerated by the greater number of authors
who liad treated of SpanisJi coninierce. For example,
it was affirmed in certain widely circulated works that
the English alone, before 17G5, gained by the contra-
bantl tra<le — juincipally profits of the Jamaica mer-
cliants — more than 20 million of piastres [nv annum.
To show the exaggeration of this, it is only necessary
to add the sum mentioned to the (luantitv of gold and
silver n-gistered at Cadiz, as arriving from the colonies
on account of the king, or in })aymeiit of Spanish
goods, to find that the total sum exceeds the actual
jiroduce of the mines.

The means of interior communication in Mexico
were by no means worthy of an important kingdom.
This was being in ])art remedied by the construction
of a magnificent road between Vera Cruz and l*erote;
u road in which, as we have before shown, llumboldt
took the liveliest interest, and which would, lie con-
sidered, when com[)letcd, be a worthy rival to the
roads of the Simplon and Mount Ceiiis, and exercise
moreover an appreciable effect in lowering tlie })rice
of those commodities whose carriage formed a con-
siderable item in their price. It had been begun,
under the directiim of Sr Garcia Conde, wliile
lIund>ol(lt was staying at Jala})a, in February I !!()4,
at its most difficult points, in the ravine called Plan
(]' 1 liio, and on the C^uosta del Soldado. It was i:i-
tinded that columns of porphyry should be })laccd
along the road, graven, not only with tlie distances,
liut also with the elevation of each pillar above tlic
li'Vel of the sea.

Humboldt strongly advocated the introduction of
camels as beasts of burden in Mexico. 1T(^ did not
tliiuk the ta1)le-land through which the great roads
i)assed too cold for them; and he was sure they would
sutler less than horses and mules from the aridity of
tlie soil and the lack of water and pasturage to which
hoasts of burden are exposed north of (Guanajuato,
> sjtfcially in that desert by which New Biscay is
separated from New Mexico.

122

MEXICO IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.

I ii . '! if"l

riiusiili

III

! ■U,:f:l

Highly impressed witli the importance of an inter-
of'canie communication, Humboldt collected all acces-
sible information, and map[)etl in eight several .sketches
the various points at which such communication
might be possible. Having discussed in detail the
various obstacles and advantages to be overcome and
hoped for in a junction of the two oceans, at some
point of Central America, Mexico, or even north of
tliere, he finally concluded i)i favor either of a passage
tlirough the isthmus of Nicaragua, or of one through
tliat of Cupica— at the very northern extremity of
South Anujrica — not because these were the shoi'test,
but because, if the im|)erfect information then attain-
able could 1)0 depended upon, they were the least
obstructed by natural obstacles for canals of large
iliiueiisions — such, in fact, as would constitute a veri-
table strait, by which vessels of the size usual in the
Indian and Chinese trade could pass — not a mere
means of inland carriage for bari'es and Hat-boats.
Humboldt ]>()inted out the Caledonian canal in Scot-
land as one possessing all the qualiti(!s required for an
interoceanic liighway of the world's ships. He be
licved, howevc^', that a joint association for such an
undertaking could oidy be founded when the practica-
bility of sucli a canal — a canal capable of receiving
vessels of 300 or 400 tons burden — between latitudes
7° an iLi", had l)een fully proved by accurate prepara-
tory surveys, and the ground fixed u|)on and recog-
ni;:cd. .Vlso, tliat whatever •••overmncnit miiifht own
tlic i,o\\ ou which such a canal should be estal)lished,
tlie benefit of such hydraulic work should belong to
every nation of both worlds which would contribute,
by t.ikin 1^ sliares, toward its execution.

Next in eligibility to Nicaragua and Cupica, he
put the isthmus of Tehuan tepee- --the importance of
the Coazacoalco to this end had been discussed by
CortJs rM early as the conquest-- and Humboldt only
gave to tlie Istlimus of Panamd a fourth place as to
probable practicability.

1 ti'

GOVKIlNMF.XT.

inter-
acccs-
etcbos
catiou
lil tho
no and
■j some
.vth of
)a!ssug-o
hrougli^
nity ot*
iii»rtt!fet,

attiiiu-
le least
)f large
i a veii-
,1 in the

a mere

Lit-boats.

in Seot-

.J for an

He be

sueb an
inactiea -

eceiviuLi;

latitudes

prepara-

d reeog-

al)lisbed,
elonjj; to
utributf,

ipica, be
Irtauco of
lusscd by
Licit only
laec as to

New Spain, socially as wvW as pliy.sically, was tlie
country of inequality. In no otlicr country could
such alarming contrasts in tho distrilmtion i»f for-
tun«'S, civilization, and population have been stcn.
The wealth, luxury, refinement, and cleirance of the
higher class had its frightful antithesis in the naked,
foul, and de))raved misery of the pariahs of the hind.
This inequality of fortune existed, not only among the
whites, but was often found among tiie mixed and
Indian castes.

Within the twenty years preceding Humboldt's visit,
the S[)anish- American youth of the settlements of the
new continent, beiuij brou<»ht more and more into con-
tact with Anglo-Americans, English, and Fiench, had
sacrificed apart of their national prejudice and formed
a marked predilection for those nations more energetic
and more advajiced in culture than the Spaniards. It
was then nothing strange to him that the i)olitical
movements of Europe, since 1789, should have excited
the keenest attention among a peo[)lo long aspiring to
rights, the privation of which is at once an obstacle
to tlie public jirosperity, and a motive of resiMitmont
against the mother countrv. Certain vicerovs and
governors had proceeded to take measures, which, far
from calming the agitation of the colonists, had only
imbittercd tho nascent ill feelinof. These over-zealous
rulers pretended danger in all associations for the pur-
suit and dissemination of knowledge. Printing-presses
were prohibited in towns counting forty or fifty thou-
sand inhabitants; and to possess and read quietly the
works of Montesquieu, Robertson, or liousseau was
to be suspected of revolutionary principles. Now, to
to be just, this terror was not wholly without founda-
tion; 178'J was quite sufficient to scare any Si);uiish
viceroy; it had scared all the kings of Europe — had
l)urst upon Europe like a storm, causing a general
holding on of crowns with the one hand and clinging
tc thrones with the other. "That whirlwind of the
universe," as Carlylo has it, wherein were "lights ob-

124

MKXirO TN TifE NINKTKKNTH rKXTURY,

»''l

: ^li

litt-'iat'd, and the torn wrecks <»!' earth an«l Ik 11 huiled
aloft into the empyrean, hlack whii-hvind, which made
even apes serious, and tirove most of them mad," was
(juite iMpial to causing, hy the terror of its iid'ernal
pyrotechnics, a Ht of moral eurft'W-legislation, and
confused jjilini,' of bushels upon lights, pitiful to see —
arising out of Hahhiness of liver anil oscillation of
knees amonuf ministers and yfovernors and the like in
^[exico. But it was not in these futilitii-s that t\\v
security of a Spanish govi^rnment lay, hut rather in
the disp(!rsion of the inhahitants over so vast an extent
of country, and in the mutual hatred of the various
castes. The lack of sociahilitv, the utter want of all
sympathy between these diffei'ing castes couhl have but
one effect on an advancin<; national life. Wise after
its jxeneration — a ^feneration soon to be known no
more in Mexico — the government fanned these ani-
mosities so that in division there might be weakness,
and that in wranglings within there might be left
neitlnT stomach nor capacity for strivings without.
In this policy, and not in arnii<!S of small eft'ect and
rigorous measures of worse than none, lay the true
security of Spain. As to a foreign foe, Humboldt
considered New Spain almost impregnable from the
physical accidents of her position. From a land
attack, the nature of the soil and the intervening
deserts protect her; and toward the sea the natuial
fortress of the tierra tem])lada looks down upon coasts
better guarded by the sword of the pestilence than
by the guns of San Juan dc T>lua at Vera Cruz, or
of San L)iego at Acapulco,

Though the Indians were no longer legally subject
to forced labor, they were in tlie mass in a state oT
miserable degradation. Driven to the worst lands,
indolent, if not by original disposition, at least by that
character superinduced by long political depression,
and unnerved by the listless fatalism which is its inva-
riable concomitant, perhaps consolation, they live, let-
ting each day provide for itself. Except in intoxica-

SO<MKTY.

125

uilod

" was*
fornal
, and

iike ill
it the
\\vY ill

t'Xtollt

,'arious
■j of all
ivc l)ut
o at'tiT

)Wll lU)

'sc ani-
sakuL'SS,
be left
vitliout.
^'ct aiul
he true
uiil^oldt
■GUI the
a laud
rvenui;^
natural
n coasts
lee than
ruz, or

subject
I state ot
It lands,

by that
hrcssion,
[its iuva-
llive, Ict-
Utoxica-

tlon, no passion, no sontinu'nt but that of i ndi fie rone e,
a|»|u'ars in their fari's, wliatever the (hirk eh-nunt-i
that mingle in their hearts. Perhaps this has coin-
nii-nced in self-control; and ])rol)abh', with time, be-
eaine in some sort insensibilitv. With reufard to thiise
people, Humlxtldt <^ives it as liis im[)re«sion, tliat
iihhou^h they possessed in a hi,n"li dejj,rec powers (»f
exact reasoniiiij;' and quickness of aj:i)reliension, tliey
were of all races the most dt^stitute of imai^ination.
\'et he wiselv observes: "We must be exceedinulv
cautious in ])ron(»uncini»' on what we are pleased to
call th(! moral and intellectual tendencies of i)e('.j)les
I'mm whom wo are separated l)y dillerences of lan-
L'ua!4('S, manners, and customs. . . . How can a travel-
l<"r, after havinu: soiourned some time in a distant coun-
try, arrojj^ate to liimself tlu^ right to j)ronounco on the
various faculties of soul, and of tin; preponderances of
leason, wit, or imagination amon«jf races T'

How could he form any idea of the capabilities of
the ^lexican people as then existinj^- Crushed by
ij^enerations of oppression; l)rutalized by unavailing
toil; deprived of their ancient writings, religions, and
jiiiests ; and having appropriated little in their place —
they were no fair exam})les of that people wh«»se civil-
ization shines from the mi<jhtv structures, elaborate
sculjttures, and curious hieroglyphics that remain, or
that have been — shines with a light cauijht at the noon
of Aztec history, and that flickers yet, though the
sun of its glory has long since set in blood. The Az-
tecs love to build their cabins on the slopes of the
lonely mountains, and retire from the neighborhood of
Europeans — from that st)cial life with which a sad ex-
perience has so disgusted them. They love the soli-
tude which gives them again the freedom of natuie,
and j)erhaps carries them back in memory, to their
auti(pie grandeur, for

"The hi'!s hiivc iu> memory of sorrow or death,
And thuir uuinuiita arc sacred to liberty."

There is, let us hope, a brighter future in store for

126

MEXICO IN TllK NINETEENTH CENTURY.

:-i t

:i:'l

\m- M^'^'

t\-

the Indians in Mexico; jukI it is coi'tain, as the records
of the ]t(:ll-t;ix prove, that, liowever, at an earher date
this indigenous population may liave l)ecii diminished
by the cruelties of the eoiKpieiors^at the time of ]luni-
holdt's visit, and for fifty years before, they had been
steadily inereasini:.

Connected with these peoples are several great
problems of origin, anti(|uity, and civilization, coneei-ii-
in<^ which we shall attemjtt to present Humboldt's
conclusions. And first, as intimately connected with
these, wt' may speak of the ai^c of the Amei'ican con-
tinent. He looked with a ij^ood deal of fjuiet ri(hcule
on the idea that the so-calk-d new continent was in
reality j'ounsj^ei- than the old. Was it that its exuber-
ance of volcanic action indicated a modern structure,
the eiiL^ines of whose ele\ation were not yet cold ? If
so, is not southern Italy tlie twin of this ultimate olF-
sprinij;' of chaos? Who asserts this? yet why should
jihilosophers })ut asunder times and causes which effect
has joined ? He preferred to su}>posi> that the volca-
noes of Amei'ica had, in tlu' n)ass, pi-eserved their fires
lonj^'er than those of the other continents, bec.iuse the
mountains through whicli the}^ acted happened to be
in ijeneral close to the sea— a nciijhbor which, in some
way yet to be explained, appiars, with few cxce}>tions,
to influence the eui-rgy of these subterranean fii'es.
Aside from this, there are n^asons founded on hvdrct-
static laws and geological discoveries which would
forbid the idea of any large part of America remain
ing submers^ed after the emerLT'^nce of the old conti-
iu>nt. Lastly, to account for the superior climate and
Soil of most parts of America, compared with that of
Africa, for example, it is not at all necessary to sup-
pose a later birth or upheaval from the central daik-
ness. Its physical conformation, its outlines, mountains,
and rivers, are fully suflicient to account for this.

Nor does the existence of man seem to date, in
America, from any more r(>cent epoch than in th<>
other continents. It is not necessary to suppose that

/ -t v.

RACE PROBLEMS.

127

cords
• (late

Llum-
been

great
nccrn-
bol.lt's
il with
111 coii-
idicuU'
was in

ucture,
kU K
iat'3 oiV-
sliould
•h effect
[> volca-
eir tires
use the
(.1 to he
in some

ptions,
,11 fires.

livih'o-

\\i )ul J
remain
conti-

ate and

that of

to sup-
lal dark-

luutaius,

lis.

date, in
in th<'

)se that

tlic countries the most anciently inliahited are tliose
which sliow tlie largest populations. There are vast
tracts of northern Asia as scantily j)eoplcd as the
plains of New Mexico and Parajjfuav. ]-ieiU'iith the
tro[)ics, natural ol)stacles — the vigor and mass of
the vegetation, the breadth (»f rivers, and the frequency
and extent of their inundations — fetter the migrations
of peoples.

Tfe believed in the unity of origin of the human race ;
and as nearly as might be in the unity of stock of the
American aborigines, with the exci'ption of those bor-
dering the j)olar circle. Yet, it is well to understand
that a European who decides on the resemblance of
swarthy races is subject to a particular illusion. The
uniformity of color conceals for a long time diversity
of features — the eyes are l(>ss fixed on the expression,
soft, melancholy, or ferocious, as it may be, than on
the strange skin, antl the coarse black hair, so level
and glossy that it seems always moist. Besides, it is
intellectual culture which individualizes faces; wdiere
this is wanting, there is rather a physiognomy of tribe
than of individual — something which may be also ol)-
served in comparing domesticated animals with those
which inhabit the wild i)laces of nature.

ThouLjh he thus «>ivesus his oiiinion as to the origin
of these autochthones, and does actually discuss the
(|uestioii in various parts of his works, lie considered
this whole question of the first origin of the people of
a continent as entirely beyon*! the pi'ovince of history,
and even of philosophy.

It is evident, from the whole tone of his refiections
on the })arentage of the uVmerican races, that he is in
favor of an Asiatic origin, but from what particular
stock he derives them it is difiicult to sav. On the
whole, and by compariion of various passages, ]\v.
seems to lean toward the opinion that the Toltecs
and Azt-^ . were a part of those lliongnoux, or
descendants of Hiong-nu, known at diflferent times
under the name of Kalkas, Kalmuks, and Burattes -

128

MEXICO IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.

warlike shcpliercls, who, under their name of Huns,
have laid waste the fairest regions of civilized Europe,
and changed more than once the face •*" eastern Asiatic
politics.

He seems to favor China as the p(Mnt at which this
emigration left the Old World. Let us not forget that
wo are discussing, not the original c(jlonizing of the
American continc^nt, inhahited as early, according to
Humboldt, as tlio rest of the world, hut that of ^lex-
ico. "It is historically demonstrated that Bonzes and
other adventurers navigated tlie Chinese sea, to seek
a remedy which should secure inmiortality to man.
It is thus that under Tschin-chi-houang-ti, 201) years
before Christ, three hundred couples of young people
of both sexes, sent to Japan, established themselves
at Xipon instead of returning to China. Miglit
chance not have conducted a similar exjiedition to the
Aleutian Islands, to Alaska, or Xew California? The
American conthient and tlie Asiatic only a})proaching
at the north, and the distance separating them in
the temperate zone being too considerable for such a
voyage, we must suppose this disembarkation to have
taken place bencjath the inhospitable climate betM'cen
the 5jth and Oath parallels; and that this civilization
penetrated little by little southwards, the usual direc-
tion of American migration, as all data would indicate.
at that time." llemains of Chinese or Japanese
vessels have even, it has been affirmed, been found on
the American coast as early as the 14th century.

He then seems to bring his colonists south by slow
stages into ^lexico, ami connects the monuments of the
Gila witli this migration.

The ^lexicans made use of hieroglyphics in chroni-
cling: their micrrations and other historical events:
though in a manner very far from that perfection tn
which the Egyptians had attained. The Mexican
writings were principally rough paintini^fs of oviiits,
eked out by a few conventional signs repn'scnting tlic
elements and relations of time and place; while tlic

AZTEC CULTURE.

129

luns,
irope,
.siatic

h tills
■t that
of tlu'
injjj to
Mcx-
ius aiul
to seek

man.
) years

1 people
uiselves

Migl't
11 to the

i1 The

foachiag
them iu
»r such a

to have
[between
.ilizatlon

■i\ threc-

uidk'ate.

ivpaucse

[found on

jury,
by sh^w

ktsoftlu'

In chroii'-
ovents;

octlon to
Mexleaii
If events,
Intln;? tlu>
Ivhlle tlH'

Egyptian ^vritings aj)proached nearer to narratives,
coiiiposetl of arbitrary and .simple eharaeters, suseepti-
l)le of being emj)loyed si>parately, and of being tliiier-
ently eombined. It is :)nly by a refinement of the
hitter method that the painting of ideas becomes easy
and ap[>r(>ximate8 to writing.

Tlu^ rudeness of these ]Mexiean jialntings no doubt
(U'notes the infaney of art; still, we nmst not forget
the end they were prineipally intended to subserve —
tliat of a simple record: and that the necessity of
siin])licity, and rapidity of execution, would lead a
])eo|ile, who so expressed their ideas, to attaeh as
little importance to artistic painting as do the literati
(■■' J'>uroi)e, in their manuscripts, to a fine handwriting.
S. we may see in all this a potent means of spoiling
(ho taste of a nation. This constant familiaritv with
the most hideous and disproportionate iiguri'S, and
tliis obligation — under pain of confusion — to preserve
the same forms without chanu^e, were enouuh to root
out all sense of delineatlve grace, all feeling of the
heautiful in art; without which sense and feeling,
jtaintlng and scul]iture, he they nover so diligently
tol lowed, cannot rise above the ranks oi' the mechan-
ical.

As to the value of proofs of migration or origin, to
ho *l''rlved from languages themselves, whether writ-
ten '»r s})<*ke;i, j[und)ol(lt si'cms to have consiih'rably
ihr,ige(!. or uj least modified, his ideas in his later
\vi ir>' ii.-' 'bst opinion of their importance, as ex-
]i''sst;i in 'ic introdu( tion to his Pergonal Xarratirc,
was extra vagMLiy high; the most concise and [)erl'ect
i:li a of his mature conclusions on this subiict niav be
Hiven by a (piotatlon from his TahJcaux ik la Nature:
"Th(> analogies of languages are worthy of no con-
fidi'iice when they are limited to mere accord of the
Miuiids in their roots. It is necessary to penetrate
into th organic structure, the granunatical ilexions,
and id, hut interior mechaiusni where traces appear
'»f tlu \. i!: t>f iiitelllixence."

Ck'u. i'AsT,, Vol. I. 9

I '■

190

MEXICO IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.

His only definite conclusion as to the languages of
Mexico was that their great variety proved as great
a variety of races and origin — a conclusion wliieh, un-
less tlie tiu'nis race and origin are understood in some
illogically restricted and comparative sense, is flatly
in contradiction with the manner in which he else-
where expresses himself

We may here notice an interesting kind of record of
migration, which Humboldt pointed out as worthy of
attentive examination. He sa^'s identities of tastes
among various peoples, as to the cultivation of certain
plants, indici ; '^^er identity of race or a contact
more or less a it; so that vegetables, like lan-
guages or physiog: mies, may become historical monu-
ments. A few strange vegetables, a few foreign
words, either in tlic possession of the wanderers or
among those through whom they have passed, will often
fix the road by which a nation has crosses* a continent.
Considered thus, the potato furnishes a problem. Not
known in Mexico before the arrival of the Spaniards,
it was yet cultivated elsewhere in America Irom lati-
tude 40" south to 50" north. Did the Soutli Ameri-
can tribes succeed in penetrating northward to tli<'
banks of the Rappahannock ? or did the i)otato wander
south, like the successive peoples who have apjKiarcd
on the plateau of Andhuac? Iji eitlier case, how
came it not to take root in Mexico? It is probabU'
that pi)tato cultivation gradually extended itself north
from C^hile by Peru and the kingdom of Quito, to the
table-land of Bogotit, the course followed by the imas
in their conijuests. But here the Cordilleras, whlcli
had preserved a great elevation all the way from Chili',
fall suddenly near the sources of the river Atrato.
Xow, in the tropics, potatoes grow only in the cold and
^(^l^gy climates secured by elevated grounds. S'l "h
were not to be found in Choco and Darien; l)at
instead, close forests inhabited by hordes of hunters,
enemies of every sort of civilization and cultivation.
Here, then, is the barrier which physical and nn'ial

CHARACTER OF HUMBOLDT.

131

nroS of
U, uu-

l SOlllO

tlatly

clsc-

■corel of

vthy of

;' tastes
certain
contact

Ike lan-

il monii-
forei'j^n

[crers or

,y\\\ often

ontinent.

nn. Not

ijxiuiartls,

from lati-

1 Anieri-

•a ti) tlif

,() Nvander

ap]K'ar»'<l

;ase, 1>'>^^'

[self north
ito, to tlu'
the iw-i^'^
•as, wli'u'h
foni Cliil^',
jv Atrato.

|o cold autl

[s. Svv.-U
.rien; '»^i^
i{ Ivuntevs,

lultivafu'n-
Luul nv'ViU

cruses have opposed to further progress from this side.
As to the nortli, if Kaleigli's settlers really did find
potatoes there, as is asserted, we can hardly refuse to
l)t lieve that this j)lai)t is independently indigenous to
the northern hemisphere.

And now we liave followed the distinguished natu-
ralist from the shores of J'^uropc to that new continent,
which, if Columbus discovered, he revealed; fmm
plains rocked hy the earthquake, up to mountains
where the lava shaj)ed the path, and down again to
marshy sloughs, whei ' gymnoti writhed in the tny/.v,
Hashing at will througli Jieir slimy and sj>ott(-d skins
such ti'rrible shocks as no man or beast could endure
— or farther south, between the Orinoco and the
Amazon, where the soil is hid by impenetrabh; forests,
ceaselessly echoing the noise of waterfalls, the roaring
ef the jaguar, and the weird cries of tlie bearded
ape, presaging rain, and sounding itself like the first
muiiled sounds of a distant tempest. On the s.ind
banks lay the crocodiles, moti(jnless as logs, and witli
giipuig mouths, seeming in their clumsy way to ])ant.
On the river banks the boa watched, with its tail
anchored on sonic brancli, and its spotted skin coiled
]ik(! a spiral ; and the jaguar, as he couched along his
f.iNorite limb, in silent ambusli, flattened himself still
more at the traveller's step. There were men, too,
not less savage, who coukl drink the bl(v.)d of their
inemies; or, venomous as a viper or a Borgia, kill by
tlie scratch of a thumb-nail — "men who r<'Vc-aled to
man the ferocity of his species." As Humboldt
passed to the north<;rn continent and ]\r<'xico, W(! fol-
lowed him still, no longer afar off and vaguely, l)Ut
step by step, and hiaving no notable word or work
without its faithful chronicle. For us his work is
<iiiii(>, and if Asia S(>es him on her distant steppes, and
tlie I'ralian mountains, and the Siberian prison-house
of the tzars, wc follow him not.

■'V

132

MKXICO IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURV.

:^r:yrM

« i

t: fi

"Hi

Humboldt as a savant and a man astonishes us, not
so nmch by liis heiglit as by his breadth. It is proba-
l)le that in any simple branch of research and learning
there have been greater men ; but for comprehensive
knowledge his ecjual had not at this time a])peared.
Not a peak piercing hea\'en, too awful, too barren for
any sentiment save awe, but a mighty tiible-land, such
as he loved to describe, broad as a continent and far
above vulgar level; yet not so high but that golden
grains and jmrple fruits dwelt there. Though egotis-
tical he was humble, as all great souls are who have
lifted themselves over petty men and things by stern
and patient lobor; for the illimitable fields of the
universe widv ii as we climb. There is a time when
young and eager minds think they are very near to
the most p< rfect truth — think it but needs anothc r
thought, anotlier fact, and their theory of cosmos Mill
l)e compli-te, ineluctable, irrefragable. But every lunr
lact trails in new thoughts, new complications, and
new contradictions. Men of average mind stop herr;
tliey become frightened, seize an opinion, and stick to
it as a battered limpit to a rock; or worse, become
aggressivclv bi'^o^ed. ]^ut irumboldt was a great
man, for he could always see two sides to a question;
a great man who knew what he did not know.

Such knowledge seems sadly wanting, for the most
part, to his biographers — a race by whom he has beta
ridiculously overj)raised, they either not knowing or
not caring to remember that in both the literarv and
scientific parts of his work were constantly employed
the revision and aid of almost all the great men of
his day. l^robably no man ever enjoyed the intimate
society of so many philosophers as Hmnboldt, and
few appear tt» have made a better use of it. It I-;
oidy bj' studying his enormous scientific and friendly
correspondence that a just idea of his means of
information can be formed.

Ho could not write of natural history like Bufibn,
nor of jihilosophy and physics like his (ierman Goeth< :
lie could not })aint a ruin or an antique palace liKo

OENIUS AND H.\BITS.

i33

;, not
v(>\ ai-
ming
•usive

311 for
, such
lid far
ia)kk'U
ecrotis-
[) have
V stern
of tlu)

lu-ar tt>
an«>tlur

nos ^viU
fi y ncvf
ous, aiul
o^) here ;
stick ti>
),ecouie
a tijrcat
|Vicstiou;

the most
has boiu
l)W\u"j; **r
Irary ami

men ot
1 intimate
)klt, aiiil
It. It i<
friendly
iieans el

BuiVeu,

Goetli' -.

llace Id"*-

liim who looked on ^Melrose by niy^lit; the scttini^ sun,
n storm among" tlie mountains, like tlie ereutor of
^^an^'red; a ]»rimeval forest, a Nia<;ara, like Cliatoau-
hiiand; or the Ljlorv of tlie firmaim-nt, the elouds of
heaven, and tlu^ mountain-tojis, like the peerless .jolm
liuskin; yet ho was not very far from the suhlinu' in
tlie massive and scjuare simplieity of his great vvoiks.
He had the purity of uninihiti'd style, presn-viiiLT
always a perfect atlaptai)ility and fitness to the end lie
ki pt in view. l[o matlo no attempt to j^ive what it
pleases Knskin to call "the far hii^her and (U'e[)er
tintli of mental vision, rather than that of tlie physi-
cal faets;" and consequently, Ins descriptions are of
more use to engineers and geographci's than to painters
aiitl poets. He could not soar, and ho was wise enougli
not to court an Icarian failure. This is in itself an
clement of greatness not to be despised.

Of Huud)oldt's method of working, we will tran-
sciihe Bavard Taylor's account : "Tho habits of Hum-
holdt are not remarkable, except in the limited nun)l)er
of liours necessary to sleep, and in temj»ei-ance and
regularity. His time is systematically divided. \ le
lises at six in the winter, and five iji the sunmier,
studies two hours, drinks a cuj) of coti'ce, ictunis to
his study, and commences the task «»f answering his
letters, of which he receiyes yearly m()re than one
hundred thousand. From twelve until two he receives
A isits, and returns to work at two. At four ho dines,
in sunnmT with the king, in winter at hom(>. From
lour imtil eleven he passes at the table, an«l gonc^rally
in com}>any with the king, but sometimes at the meet-
ings of learned societies, or in the comjiany of his
friends. At eleven he retires to his study, and con-
tinues there until one or two, answi'i-ing letters, or
Avriting his books, or jireparing them by study. 11 is
lust books have all been written at midniy^ht. He
sleeps four hours." With sm-h a brain, for so long a
time so (Miiployed, there is no wonder that great things
came of it.

134

MEXICO IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.

It was Humboldt himself who said that " the course
of tlie world refuses to admit of great exceptions to its
com}iensatory system of pleasure and sadness," and he
proved it well. Liberal in politics and religion, he
was a bitter morsel, upon which bigots and reactiona-
ries were always gnawing. Take the following ex-
tract from his friend Varnhagen's diary, date 2(jth of
December, 1848: "Humboldt has called ; he assures
me tliat were it not for his position at court he
would not be suffered to remain in the country, but
would be expelled, so strong is the hatred of the
ultras and bi<;ots ajjainst him." And at this time he
was in his eightieth year. In February 1854 Hum-
boldt writes: "I live in a monotonous and sad mood —
et mourant, avant le principe." His brother was dead
long before, and he had no consolation but in his own
heart — a heart which was never closed by envy or
avarice against any worthy object, liis enemies even
being judges. His was a hard and lonely journey,
without wife or child; even though his ]»ath was
])avtd with honor. At the best of times, " tlie way
to fame is like the way to heaven — through nmcli
tribulation." But since the beginning of the world —

"Be the tlay weary, or l)e tlio tluy li'iig,
At luiigth it riugeth tt> evuii song."

And after bearing up stoutly to his 90th year against
the infirmities of age, he took to his bed for the last
time in April 185U. The traveller was setting out
on his last journey. On the Gth of May he dietl.
Karely Berlin sees such a funeral; the princes of the
r()val blood of Prussia stood bareheaded by his cotliii
with the greatest and tlie poorest of their people.

" He is goiio—
Who never soUl the truth to servo tlio liour.
Nor paltered with eternal Clod for power;
Wlio let the turhid streaiiia of rumor How
Tliro' eitlier babbling world of high ami low;
Whose life was work, whose Lmguago rife
With rugged maxims hewn from life;

. . .lie wears .a truer crown
Than any wreath that nuiu can weave him.

. . .Speak no more of hi.s renown,
Jjay your earthly fancies down,
And in the vast cnthetlral leave him,
(Jod acceDt him, Clirist receive him."

?ourse
, to its
uicl ho
oil, lie
ct'ioiia-

llg CK-

2GtU of
assures
urt lie
:ry, l>ut
of the
tuuo he
t Huni-
luootl —
,'as tload
his own
envy or
ACS even
jourmy.
)ath was
the way
r\\ much
worhl —

Ir against

1- the last.

jting out.

he died.
les of the
Ihis cotWu

)ple.

CHAPTER IV.

LOTO.>i-LAND.

In the afternoon they came nnto a laml.

In wliicli it seenieil always atti.'rniH)ii,

All roiind till! coast the languid air did swoon,

Breathing like one that hath a weiu-y dream.

T/ie Lotoit-EiUcrn.

Tf ever one were justified in rising out of tlio ])ath
of exaet narration, and indulging in a brief spell of
till' fanciful or ideal, it is in thinking of California
when the white men came. A narrow strip of sea-
hoanl, the air low hreathing and of tender tone, with
green and grizzly mountains for a baekgrouiul, all
opening toward the sun-waves — this is our lotos-land,
where fancy may place the lotos-tree, with its leaves
like the ears of elepha'its, and its branches dro()])ing
(li»\vn fioiii heaven. Among these branches are birds
of sweetest song, whose strains are fresh from para-
dise, and under their shadow angels pause and rest.
The seeds of this tree each encloses an houri; and from
its rcjots spring the two rivers wiiich How by the in-
visible throne of Allah. Sitting on a lote-triH>, rising
from the water}' mud, the Egyptians i)icture deity,
while the great desert prophet jdaces a lote-tree in
his seventh heaven.

It is a winterless earth's end perpetually r»'freshed
by ocean, a land surpassed neither l)y the island grotto
of Calypso, the Elysian tit'ldsof Homer, nor the island
valley of Avalon seen by King Arthur ju his dying
tliought. Here day after day, and year after year,
may come the stranger, and eat the lotos, and be
li ij>|»y: he may eat the lotos and forget the old home
and country, forget the wife and children, content for-

(135)

li'' I

m '

iiki'/ki

1 !^ a*

136

LOTOS-LAXD

ever to rest in this strani^o land, wakinj,' to fall asleep
aiL,'ain, and dream day-dreams and niglit-dreains, as
he floats silently down the sluii;'f,nsh stream of time.
Here might he placed the Hebrew's Eden, or the
l)eatitude of the Buddhist; here may the dark -eyed
Italian enjoy his dolce far nientc, and the sighing
ghost of Charles Lamb find a region beyond the do-
niain of conscience. And I d('>ul)t not, if proper search
be made, that here may be found the singing-tree of
the Arabian tale, the leaves whereof are mouths, each
one of which discourses harmonious music.

At either end of this seaboard strip is a beautiful
ba}'; San Diego, in the south, the starting-point in
Alta California of the Franciscan friars in their tour
northward, the initial point in their line of mission
buildings, San Francisco being the northern terminus.

What shall I say of this land, and not lay myself
open to the charge of hy[)erbole, grosser than any
ever indulged in by the ancients f If they wrote
nmch about their Arabys and Arcadias — the world
learning their stories by heart and repeating tlieui
over and over to this day — may not I write a little
about a better country ? But indeed, there is no need
here for exaggeration, even if I desired to indulge in
it; plain, homely prose best fits this and all honest
occjusions.

Grant that Andalusia is the garden of Spain,
Amboise of France, Italy of Europe, and Sicily of
Italy, and we may justly claim for our lotos-land a
place before them all as the garden of the world.
Grant to be not wholly fanciful the great story of tin-
Greek Ulj'sses; we can match it in tangible truth from
the li[)s of the English Anson and Cook, wlien among
the soft South Sea isles, and fn)m the profane mouths
of scores of ship-masters sailing along the California
main, who tell how they often were forced to drag
back their seamen to the vessel, provided they were
fortunate enough to catch them, so loath were they to
abandon the fascinations of the shore.

PHYSICAL FEATURES.

187

islccp
lis, as
tiiiic.
)!' tlio
i-eyed
'iLjlnn'''
iie do-
soarch
tree ot"
s, ouch

jautiiul
loiut in
jir tour
mission
riniuus.
' myst-'lt
laii any
y -wrote
e world
(T tlu'ni
a littlt'
no need
lulo-e in
lionest

Spain,
)icily ^'f
5-land a

world.
ly of tilt •
itUiVoui
|i anioni;*

moutli^
Ulifornia
ito dra;j;
ley wero

they to

I do not say that there are licre no ott* days, no
trt'a<'her<)us rocks, or slimy reptiles, or poisonous
jijants; 1 do not say that winds never blow and
storms never beat; that there are no withering;
northern Idasts, or sand-whirlinijfs in the desert, or
Miow on the uiountain-to[)s; or that sometimes when
iii;j,ht sets in the eastern ridges do not subside and
cover their heads beneath the fog-blankets of the
valleys — but these are the exceptions, and there are
scarcely enoui»'h such days to break the dead monot-
ony of the warm, misty mornings that overspread the
Iiiipjiy hills and echoing canons, forever wooed by the
cnclianting smile of ocean. Here along we may be
sui'c are no waters of adversity beneath which the
sca-llower blooms nt)t.

l^ut I have seen the ^Mediterranean angry, spit(>-
i'ully so; one would infer from the high recorded cx.-
jiciicnci's of the veracious old IHysses, in his little
jiadillings thereabout, that he had been five times
loimd the world, to have seen so inany things which
never exi.sted. When we have catalouued the ills of
all other Edens, the fever-breeding sun, the f»)ul, float-
ing miasma, and other pestilential airs of Amboise and
Andalusia, of Egypt and Italy, antl have spread them
all out before our California lotos-land, we shall then
see the poverty of this place in death-dealing agencies.
To grass and flowers, indeed, death comes not in the
cold and melancholy robe of autunm ; but sublimated
by the summer's sun, undecaying they die, leaving
their ])art substantial for the hungry brute, like the
departing soul which leaves the substance of its life in
generous deeds. And we are even told of saints de-
]i;iitcd, whose bodies were preserved by the gods from
decay, even as Hector's body was kept fresh and
roseate by the devotion of Venus and A])ollo.

Ming vourself in early morning, the skv red-flu.sh-
uig with the rosy dawn, upon a point of land — Point
l^oiiia, if you will — and looking seawar*.! and shore-
ward aloiisjf the white, curvini; line of sand, until in

iJV-

1^ M

., '!

It i

LOTO.S-LANU.

tho far perspective slioro, Bca, and sky meet; pres-
ently you may see Aurt)ra stealing over the eastiiu
mountains, ami peeping'- in uj)on her favorite fairy-land,
nestling warm and glowing under a coverlet of gray
mists, while with roseate lips she kisses night away.

Salute this land, blessed above all lands! Salute
the unstained altars and sky-roofed temples of lur
gods I It is not the Arcadia of tradition, sung by
poets, and ethercalized by romance writers as a golden
refuge-land, free from the harsh prosaic life of other
lands; it is the Arcadia of reality, with the three
fates plying their lively trade — Lachesis who spins
the thread of life, Clotho who holds the distatf, and
Atropos who eli[)s, clips, cli})s, every time-tick ending
an earthly existence and opening an eternity ; yet with
sweet vales tl(»wered by fairy fingers, and watered by
smoky streams and dew dropped by departed night,
and opening through the mountains vistas far inland
of a country where day is but night warmed and
lighted by tlie unseeing sun, and night but shadowy
day; where s[)ring and winter, life and decay, fetcli
and carry fair forms and sweet odors, their coming and
going being not birth and death, but only change, and
man most of all most unintelligibly changeable, per-
chance with daughters who even now, like butterflies,
lie dreaming m their ante-natal home.

Almost Jill the days are halcyon, wherein upon tho
surface of the sea the kingfisher may lay its eggs to
incubate. So gently slide the seasons from sumnur
to autunm, and from winter to sprmg, that sunnmr
seems but winter smilmg, and winter but the sum-
mer born anew by the refreshing rain. So gently
fades the summer, like stars before the rising moon;
so sweetly falls the winter rain robing all nature in
gay livery! Stingless winter with its fresliening rains
spins the green and flowery coverlid which sprinj;
spreads over the hills and plains.

Spring breathing bliss comes, and holding wmter in
her warm embrace until his surly mood is melted,

SKA AND SEASONS.

130

prcs-
■asteru
y-laiul,
f vrniy
iway.
Saluti!
of lur

ang ^)y
gokluii
)f otlur
o throe
lo spins
;atf, and
: ending
yet with
torotl \»y
!cl uijjjiit,
ar inland
mod and
shadowy

•ay
uiinjj;

fetrli
and

iw^c, and
iblc, por-
ittertlies,

I upon the
[s eggs to
suninur
smnnur
Ithe suni-
irentlv
g moon;
laturo in
lin^r rauis
fh sprin:4

I winter in
melted,

spreads the hills with brilliant tapestry, paves tlu? val-
I ys with tender green, and freights the gtintlo winds
with the melody of birds and the fragrance of ilowijrs.
t>vi'r the white shining peaks iloat tiie white shining
clouds, with a purity and splendor equalled only by
the gk>ries of Bunyan's eelestial city Gentle showers
suoeeed the heavier rains of winter, and after the
si>rin<' showers are the invisible mornin<' dew-elouds,

I o o

whirl), after dropping tlieir celestial moisture, hie at
tlie bidding of the sun to realms impalpable. Then
from the refreshed earth spring life-sustaining fruits,
low panting to perform their mission of martyrdom.

Spring skips over the hills scattering daisies, toueii-
iiig with a livelier hue the paljutating vales, distilling
into the blades of grass a darker green, deepening the
eiiiiison on the rt)bin's breast, while the lapwing crests
himself anew ; then sunnner comes to every valley atid
gulden, curing the gra.ss, and reddening and yellowing
the liHci(»us fruit, filling the air with rich aroma.

Soft, warm, billowy sea bonlered by a soft, wa)'m,
iiillowy shore; billowy green shore bordering a billowy
hluo sea, and canopied by a deep blue sky; the
iiicniiniifs always youn*;, the nii^hts soothinij:, j^entle
(It \vs descendint'' wooin*j frajjrance from the fra*j:rance-
hicathing tlowers, the valleys carpeted with green, the
iilaius clothed in balm and boautv ; while always toward
the east the hills rise and roll off in voluptuous swells,
like the heaving breast of a love-lorn maid. On pin-
iiacU's of the aged mountain range staiids flushed by
wtstei'ii light the aged snow. Over blos.soming law-ns
rush the wild, bellowing herds, treading out honey and
]Hituuie, while the bashfid hare, innocently bold, leaps
through the tall grass. In the air are swallows, birds
ot luck and consolation, sacred to the penates.

hike the happy valiey of Rasselas, it is coni])ara-
tivcly inaccessible except from one side; yet softly on
this slanting shore falls the slanting light, gilding the
slanting shore.

The soil is light and dry, and like Attica, it is a

■M

140

LOTOS-LAND.

'"Ml

land of olives, vines, and honey, of sheep and cattle,
rather than of corn or cereal cultivation, jL^ow-bencl-
ing branches, freighted with fruit fair as any that
ever tempted Eve, yet all unforbidden seek the hand,
begging earth and man to relieve them of their fra-
grant burden. Sun-painted grapes glowing in rich
purple, green, and black clusters, fragrant with tin;
unawakened, care-dispelling juice, coquet wantonly
with wind and leaves.

Here and there tlie earth has clothed herself above
the dark and sappy green in a coat of many colors
eschscholtzias, ytiUow as gold; lupins, blue as the rohc
of the ephod, or purple as Ciesar's toga; ancient colum-
bines, twining convolvuli, and lilies white and shining
as snow. There is laurel for the Parthian victor's
Mreath, wild olive for the Olympian, green parsley
for the Nemean, and green pine-leaves for the Isth-
mian. Gray groves of olive, dark green orange-trees
gilded with golden fruit — the olive, symbol of peace,
emblem of chastity, sacred to Pallas Athene. For
when the gods decreed that vviioever should [jroduce
a gift most useful to man should have possession of
the land, and Poseidon, with his trident striking the
ground made to appear the horse, Athene meanwhile
planting the olive, did nt)t the gods decide that the
olive was more useful to man than the horse, and so
gave the city to the goddess, from whom it was
called Athenie?

Back of the Coast Range our lotos-land reaches
not; but Jigencies are there at work, and none the less
influential because unseen. There is the proud Siena,
standing like a crystalled billow rolled in from the
ocean, scarred and knotted by avalanche, riven hv
earthquakes, rent asunder by frost and fire, fiK<l
down l)y rasping glaciers, cut by winds into geonutnc
irregularity, rounded by rain into symmetry and
rhythm, and topped by silvered cones and turret (d
peaks. Standing there, arrayed in purple robes of
majesty, with an immaculate glacial crown, like Atlas

MOUNTAIN RANGES.

1(1 cattle,
lOW-beiul-
any that
the hand,
their fra-
y in iicli
with thu
wantonly

ts the rol)c
ent coluui-
nd shinin^^
an victor's
en parsley
• the Isth-
ranpje-trees
)1 of peaa',
liene. F<'i'
Id produce
jssession <»f
trikhijjj the
meanwhile
e that the
rse, and so
oni it Nvivs

keeping asunder heaven and earth, and holding up
the sky, our monarcli Sierra assumes the dictatorship
of all this region — Father of all, Dominator, Pre-
server !

The pliocene tertiary period probably saw the waves
of the great ocean forced to recede from the base of
the Sierra, and the valley of California lifted from
beneath the primeval waters by the same Titanic
power that upheaved the adjacent acclivities. Check-
iiii; with adamantine walls the pretentious ocean, the
ureat rano;e ever after nresides over our western sea-
hnard and its destiny, directing air currents and water
cunents, regulating tenjperature and creating climates.
\\'ith its own garment of earth it clothes the plain,
and overspreads its slimy surfiice with rich alluvium,
heedless of itself. The ambitious winds it chtM-ks,
compels the clouds to give up their humid freightage,
and drop their moisture in fruetifj'ing rain and snow
ii|)nii its western slope, while the cold, dry, wrung-
oiit air is permitted to escajie eastward to the unhappy
consolation of the desert. Rearing its head above
the limits of life, watching the stars by night and
tlasjiing haek in proud defiance the sun's rays by day,
it lays its innnutable laws on all filesh and grass.
Turning its back upon the east and all old-time tradi-
tions, it guards our little newly made world as did
Olyniiiian Jove his Greece; folding in his (juiekeiilng
eiiiiiiae(3 our happy valleys.

The minor ranges, like subordinate divinities, join
also ill controlling nature, oft in selfish quarrelling
niood; one extendinij a shielding moisture-oatheriiii,'
banier, another excluding too long the refreshing
I'reeze, and exposing the basm-like vallej's to the
fierce solar rays, or admitting the withering northers.
These western later-born formations of nu^tamorphic
civtiiceous rock are embraced by the Coast KauLre with
Its numerous spurs and peaks, of which only three rise
ahove r),000 feet. ()r» om* side they present mostly
an ahiui)t and forbidding front, while the other side

I'iF'.ll'

U. Iti

If;

142

LOTOS-LAND.

melts away in soft verdant or tawny hills. Although
less majestic, they form in their extent and location
the main oroi;raphic feature, and help to frame the
many fertile valleys of the country, with their wavinj^
wild grass and native groves and vines. The lead-
ing chain, interlocking with the dominant Sierra at
Mount Shasta in the north and Mount Pinos in the
south, forms that huge basin, the great valley of Cali-
fornia, famed for its golden wealtli, first in yellow
metal, subsequently in yellow grain.

Trickling from the side of the Sierra, fed by the
melting snow, now hoarsely tumbling over rocky ob-
structions, now creeping sullenly through gloomy
canons, settling in silent crystal pools, and shooting
swiftly on in broad, shallow rapids, the Sacramento
and San Joaquin wend their tortuous way down t(»
the quiet plains. Under the influence of the warm
sun upon the snow above, and the coolness of tlu>
night, their clear, cold waters rise and fall each day
with the regularity of the tide. From the woodid
valleys lying between the parallel ridges, spriii)j:.s
shoot up and send their rivulets to swell the largi r
streams. A series of singularly regular table hills,
risijig into mountains farther up, where they assume
the form of battlements, with all the angles of regular
fortifications and bastioned wings and front, mark the
course of these headwaters i'vr many miles. The
table mountains, for from fifty to two hundred feit
from their flat tops, present a blank, cheerless suifac"',
with perpendicular sides, then slope off in uncNrii
descent, with here and there small indentations con-
taining a few stunted trees and meagre vegetation.

There are no outlets offered, aside from mount.iiii
passes, save the portal pierced by the mighty streams
through the Carquinez Straits and the Golden (iato.
That rush of waters drained tlie inland sea once left !•>'
receding ocean, and still drains its relic in the bay < f
San Francisco, ever widening the channels which aro
still too narrow or shallow for the swelling spri ig

":4.

VALLEYS AND STREAMS.

143

dthougli
location
'ame the
r wavinj^
Che kad-
Sierra at
;ios in the
y of Call-
in yellow

2d by the

rocky ob-

h glooniy

I shooting
iacraniento
y dtnvn to
' the warm
less of tho

II each day
j,lie woocU'd
es, spriiij,^^

the larir^r
table hiU^.
ley assume
Is of regular
,, mark the
lilos. The

ndred feit
less surtaiv,

in unevrii
.ation^ coii-
[rctatioii.
niountiilu

^ty streams

[olden Ciate.

,ncc left I'V

the bay « t'

[a which nvo

lUng spriig

.;f;

flow. It is in truth two valleys merged in one, with
two great rivers that join in sisterly embrace near
the outlet, forming one continuous line. Each pre-
sents a beautiful leaf-like ramification of tributaries,
one hundred and twenty miles lotig on an average,
flowing from the east as the higher slope, owing to
the greater upheaval of the Sierra and its lieavier
wadi. This system embraces the main flow of the
country; a few minor streams fall into the same bay,
the rest into the ocean in great number, but small in
importance. For instance, the only navigable stream
-and that only near its mouth — south of the bay of
H;ui Francisco is the Salinas; all south of that are by
uutinnn lost in the sands before reaching the sea.

The five eastern tributaries of the basin partake of
the romantic interest centring in the country, passing
;is they do through so wide a range of altitude, scenery,
iiiid wealth. From the sharply })rofiled sky-line of
the great Sierra, where the snow-clouds sweej) from
peak to peak through the cold dry ether, and falling,
liang in glistening festoons from pinnacle and dome,
tho brook leaps down in l)oisterous play, enteritig open
vales all afoam from their mad race, pausing in lacus-
trine hollows, rippling over shallows, eddying arouml
rocks, and splashing against bowlders. Descending
t'aitlu X, the gnarled and storm-whipped coniferie wiiich
hover about the limits of plant-life are soon left, the
th'jily scattered pines gather in aroma-shedding dus-
ters, tlie white rocky summits are shut out by the
(iccpcning foliage of stately groves, and at length a
belt of black, cor.ipact forest is entered, vast in extent
and wildly sublime, bounded by earth-fractures, fan-
ta>tio with buttress, towers, and bastions. Closely
fitting the mountains like a vesture, rising and falling
with thoir heaving sides, and wrapping their limbs in
its warm velvety folds, a robe of emerald succeeds a
crowK of hoary white. A belt oi billowy forest in-
tervenes between this and the prairie-plain below.
lianged in long vistas of sweeping colonnade, or gath-

II if-

^ If:

;i ','1.

m?'

LOTOS-LAXD.

erod in donso t^roups, standinsj; asido from bramblcd
cnigs and tiilted bluflk to let in tlio j^lowinij^ sunshino,
arc myriads of barbed arrow-shafts and tinted i^reen
spires pierciii*:^ the sky, sable points of pine tiankin*^
the Sierra, and drooping plumes of swarthy eypress
and closely interwoven firs and cedars casting cold
shadows on the earth, and roofing it in infinite \erdurc.

Then the ocean-seeking stream emerges upon a hilly
bench sloping roughly toward the ]>lain, and covered
with red metalliferous earth, blushingly conscious of
its embosomed treasures. Here along tliis western base
of the Sierra, from Siskiyou to San Diego, stretches
the famous gold belt of California, with its thousands
of dead streams, soon to be flooded by currents of
human toilers inflowini; from every corner of a tributary
world. A general dryness characterizes this region,
as if nature, exhausted in her mightier efforts above,
])aused before entering upon the more di'licate traceiy
of tlu' valley. Kising duskily from the }>lain, and
fVinoino- the background wall of dark ^i-een firs with
golden-berried manzanita and pttlished madi'ono, with
antlered maple and dogwood, the Sierra foothills
present their own peculiar aspect. Their rusty vig* -
tation and dull gray undergrowth, their groves of
dwai'fed pine trinnned with large bioad-spreading oak.
ai'cord well with the scorched soil and lurid, eojipt ly
tone. Even air and sky seem significant of tlie luct-
alh'.rgical j)rocesses which have here beeri going on
since time beyfan.

Much of the barrenness is due to the age of fr(>st,
v\ hich in the building of the Sierra succeeded the a^o
of fire. Slowly creeping down the mountiiin, its
monster glaciers forced their way through earth and
solid rcK'k, and ribbed the western slope from toj> t"
bottom, at intervals of twi-nty or thirty miles, with
eroded canons and serpentine chasms. Lesser furrows
were ploughed between, and thus the Sierra's b-i-i'
M'as sculptured into a maze of foothills. Then tin iv
was the widening process by the rains of winter and

FURTHER .CONFIGURATIONS.

146

\ irrotiU

\onlur»'.

[ covoivd
scums oi
.tt.rn\)iise

stivtfUos
[,\\*)usan«ls
irrouts ot
.trilmtavy
lis vo;j;i«>i»-
its al)ovo.
ito tracei y
|)\aiu, au<l

\ iirs with
.ruuo, witli

I tootiiiU^^

■usty vooH-

o'VOVOS t>l

,t' tlu' lUft-
r. '.lioin'j; "11

re of fr**^t'
[ed the a;4o

oarti\ au'l

|-<)U\ tc>V ^"
inilos, with
,,.r fun-'Avs

Lrra's h=«-^'
IrUrn tb> 'V
1 winter au«i

tlio melted snow of summer, which came in rushin*;
brooks and vaulting torrents, freighted with earth and
roik and gold, heaping up the old moraine, and mak-
ing ready for the grand carnival.

A little farther and the streams enter the level plain,
gli(Hiig dreamily past old and festooned oaks along the
;j;rassy banks, finally to merge and enter all together
into the great receptacle. The course of the two main
rivers differs more than that of the tribufciries. The
Sun Joaijuin, rising in a vast expanse of morass cen-
tring round Tulare Lake, H<)ws through marsh}' soil,
sonii wliat turbid, yet still free from the yellow tinge
that after 1848 testified to the disembowelling along
the eastern base. The Sacramento runs for a long
distance in the midst of striking mountain scenerv ere
it enters the broad plain to expand between the fenny
banks.

The space enclosed by the two ranges is charaeter-
izt'd by gjiind beauty of topography, of uneven har-
mony, and uniform irregularities of siu'face. F(»r
liun<lreils of miles the great central jdain, fertile as the
vallry of the Xile, extends flat as a prairie and ahnost
without a break, swaying from side to side, narrowing
between the low red hills and bolder headlands thn.wii
eit from either range; then widening so as to embrace
the t ver-nioving landscapes, the rusty ridges and flu-
viatlle ravines, and clusters of {)i(|uant, saucy hills and
cirrnlar glens. Mark its meand(>ring watercourses
Aviinling round the green-enanu'Ued glacis, and creei)ing
with gentle nmrmurs through the tules, or round st)l-
itarv buttes. wiili crests wreathed in soft silvery cloud-
mantles, whieli rise abruptly from a |»lain carpeted
with long, wavy grass! It swi'eps round the arena,
rising lu^ie and there in long undulations, and throw-
\\\\i; itstlf in angry waves upon the base of the Sierra,
iuid tinally breaks into a chain of oi>en plains whose
links are formed by forest-elad promontories, whieli
soHiriinu's extend half-way across the valley, and cut
It into transverse sections of successive ridges and in-

Cal. 1'ast., Vol. L 10

,i!;i

h ii'^^ m

146

LOTOS-LAND

tervcning glades, their sides fretted with rivulets and
flashing cascades winding in successive leaps and rests
down to a base garnished with blazing yellow and
purple flowers, and expanding into smiling vales, liko
isle-dotted estuaries of the ocean. The Coast Range
with its series of ranges is full of these long valleys,
running parallel with the coast, some exposed to tin-
winds and fogs of the ocean, others so sheltered as to
enjoy an almost tropical climate. All of them may
be classed among the loveliest spots of earth, our lotos-
land still remaining apart, unap])roachable.

Round the whole circumference of the valley of
California, clustered like a great diamond set in a circli-
of diamonds, this system of minor valleys extends, in-
tricate and confusing at the northern end, l)ut more
simple toward the south. Most of the smaller <»iu s
are oblong in shape, and have a level surface. Far
up the sides of the Sierra, even, hundreds of them ai »■
found, well-watered, fertile, and exceedingly beautiful.
The soil in the great valley consists chiefly of rich,
deep loam, covered in places by beds of drift. At tlic
northern end, where the plain rises and blends with the
foothills, the surface is red and gravelly; but soiitli-
ward, and throughout almost the entire area of tlio
great and small valleys, for purposes of agrieultuiv
the soil exceeds in richness the most favored districts
of France, Italy, or the Rhine.

Much is idyllic, park-like land, with natural nu all-
ows arabesque with tawny wild-oat fields, patchis of
blossoming pea, and golden mustard beds sown and
husbanded by nature, and interspersed with indigo-
nous vineyards, fruit thickets, and fairy flower-ganleus
laid out in exquisite pattern, stars and crosst.i and
chaplets of yellow, purple, white, and red; all vario-
gatc^'d with scraggy, scattering oaks, clustering gro\ os,
and clum})s of undergrowth, freckled by the shadows
of floating clouds, and lighted by trembling lakes and
lakelets, shining tule lagoons, and rivers which n<»\v
race through the canons like frightened herds, tlicii

CLIMATIC FEATURES

147

ilcts au(?
and rests
illow and
;ales, like
st Range
cr valleys,
^ed to the
ered as t<>
them nuiy
. our lotos-

i valley of
t in a circli"
Ljxtends, iu-
l, but ninre
mailer I'lus
rtace. 1' '^^'
of them art'
ly beautiful
etly of ri»-h.
ft. At tlif
nds with the
but south-
area of the
acrriculture
red districts

with muffled feet roam the low-lying Lombardy pUiins;
canopies of glistening foliage Hushed with misty sun-
shine, with branches densely^ matt«d into a smooth,
continuous belt of russet gold and green. Warm, sen-
suous life is filling lowland, lawn, and meadow, and
flinging the foothills which here and there crop out
in little zones of timbered land, crowned by beech and
birch, ash, myrtle, and laurel, or garlanding with
tulips and wild onion, flax and prickly chaparral, the
smooth-browed hills that rise from these seas of ver-
dure.

The foggy district, or seaward side of the northern
section of the Coast Range, is clad in majestic forests
of redwood, which overspread its sides like the shadow
of the Eternal ; while the southern section, and inner
ridges and valleys of the range, are smooth and bare,
and dotted at intervals with orchard-like oak gather-
ings, groves of stately arbutus, az^dea, and royal
laurel, and red hills covered with maple, hazel, berry-
li-aring bushes, red-stalked, glistening manziinita, sub-
dued pines of balsamic odor, and tangled solitudes of
annual and perennial plants and sweet-smelling shrubs,
mustard plains, heather wastes, and meadows, all
drinking in tiie morning vapors. Trailing through
the valleys are long lines of sycamore, garnished with
mistletoe, and on every side lakelets of blue lupine,
golden buttercups, fleurs-de-lis, white lilies, and dainty
hare-bells, tessallated beds of purple larkspur and
thistlo-Uossoms, white and variegated convallaria and
wild honeysuckles woven in fairy network, crypto-
ganious and delicate ferns, aftd over all presidhjg vener-
alile oaks, bearded with long flowing mo.ss of silver-
gray. The madrono, with its smooth bronze trunk and
culling i>ark, its blood-red branches and varnished,
waxen leaves, fit garniture f(»r a nmrderer's grave, is
at Monterey^ a stately' tree, but northward dwindles
to a shrub. Here, also, nature spreads her green car-
pet in autumn and takes it up in summer.

The animal kingdom is no less profuse. Pelican

148

LOTOS-LAND

i^ #.

and sea-gull fish together in the bays; seals and sea-
lions bask and bark upon the islands of the shore;
myriads of noisy wild fowl fill the lakes and tulc-
marshes; the streams and ocean swarm with sulmoji-
tfout and cod and herring; lions, panthers, and the
great grizzly bear roam the forests, preying upon
elk and deer; hares and rabbits fill the underbrush ;
coyotes howl upon the hillside at night, and by day
sneak around the edges of watercourses; the plains
are perforated by ground-squirrels; and larks, robins,
and tufted quail make the luxuriant wild oats their
covert.

Here birds and beasts may rest content and never
migrate, their little journeys between valley and moun-
tain being scarcely more than an afternoon's ramble.
Piping on the tangled hillside is heard the soft note (tt
the curlew, likewise the rustling of the pheasant, tliu
chirrup of the blackbird, the whistling of the i)ar-
tridge, and the sweet songs of the robin and meadow -
lark. Even the prudent bee, careless for the futuic,
sometimes leaves neglected the honey-bearing Howori^
and fails to lay in a winter's store. To elk and ante-
lope, deer and bear, hill and plain, scorched by smnnur
sun or freshened by winter rains, are one; bounte()u.>^
nature brings forth the tender verdure, cures the
grass, and }>rovides the acorns. Here is no froziii
winter, and before the white man came to stir the
ground, no damp, malarious summer ; cool, invigorat-
ing nights succeed the warmest days. Ice and snow,
banished hence, sit cold and stolid on distant j)eaks,
staring back into the faCe of the sun his impotent
rays, and throwing its eternal glare over the per^ipir-
in^c earth and back to mother ocean.

In the survey of grand scenery, distance always
lends enchantment; in California, distance covers tlie
naked earth, fills up spaces which intervene between
clumps of foliage, mats the thin grass into lawns in\ it-
ing to repose, tones down rugged deformities, brides
aoualling chasms, blends colors, veils the hills in purple

WONDERS OF NATURE.

149

oauzo, and casts a halo over the roinoter mountains;
until the lantl8c'a|)c, cold and forbidding jterlia[)S
uiitKr closer scrutiny, fades away in warm, dreamy
|M rspective. Nowhere on earth do landscajtos display
so throat a variety of tints and shades. Italy may
l)(iii.<t the blue haze, but only Californian skies disclose
tlu' iL^oN^en.

Besides these qualities of land and sky and water,
iver varying and inspiring, ever revealing fresh re-
sources and new blessings, there are natural wonders,
the show-grounds of our lotos-land, unsurpassed for
their beauty, grandeur, and marvel. Instance the
Yosemite chasm, with its series of stupendous domes
and i)eaks, of perpendicular walls nearly a mile in
Ik ight, of rushing cascades fed by glaciers, and its
succession of waterfalls matchless in luMght and strik-
ing features. Within the radius of less than half a
(lozt'u miles is here presented a combination of magnifi-
ctiice which lures travellers from every corner of the
oiobe, and leaves them impressed with ineffaceable
awe and admiration. And this j)lateau-rent has its
ciiunterpart, or nearly so, in the Hetch-hetchy.
Al»ing the approaches to both are numerous groves of
niuninioth trees that rise from pedestals of more than
thirty feet in diameter, into majestic proportions and
hrin-ht, or lie in petrified masses. There are natural
affiles and brirlges, three hundred feet in span, formed
hy l)urrowing rivers, and caves with stalactite and
tiiituous chand)ers; and there are bubbling lakes and
siirings of miraculous virtue, among them tlie world-
t'anud geysers, fuming and spurting their steam and
liwitt'd water, hissinjx and roarini-' under the volcanic
fiiivts that impel them; weird in as[)ect, and Plutonic
in thrir many local aj^pellations.

Everything is great and glorious, compact and
l>('(uliar, in this favored country; in soil and climate,
nsnurees and eniovments, it more than verifies the
iiiowuig scenes ascribed to an ever- retreating Hes-
l'tri(h's. even to the doubling of the goklen app.lc.j, in

160

LOTOS-LAND.

t'^f-m

w^i' ;.'■■«.

glittering metal, and in fruit of orange groves and
orchards. Here, at the. world's end, nature has in
truth made the last and supreme eflbrt toward a mas-
terpiece.

Thus dreamily the Pacific had slept the sleep of the
ages, its waters unploughed save by whale amd por-

f)oise, itn sunny islands breaking into ripples the seji's
azy swells, or frowning back the laboring tempt-st.
Thus ages have rolled along, centuries have come and
gone, while no stranger approached the gilded sIkmv.
And now, silent as a snow-bound canon of the Sierra,
lonely as night on a moon-lit lake, beautiful as un-
folding womanhood upon whose face the rude gaze of
man hath never brought a blush, sits California, on
the siiorc of a great sailless sea, the world's divine.st
poein, all unsung save by the waters that murmur
their presence at her feet, save by the mountain birds
and wild fowl, the land beasts and water beasts, that
raise their voices to scare away the stillness; all hid-
den and unknown her blushing beauties and her
treasures, save to the native men and women, wli(»,
clotlied in the innocence of Eden, creep through the
chaparral, or lie listless on the bank beside their rustic
rancherfa.

" Let us swear an oath, and keep it with an equal mind.
In tlie hollow Loto8-lan<l tn live, and lie reclined
On tho hills like godd together, careless of uiaukiud."

CHAPTER V.

OPPOSING FORCES.

Tlie visage of the hangman frights not me!

The sight of whips, racks, giblMsts, axes, tiros,

Am HCiiffoltliugs oil which my soul climbs up

To an eternal habitation.

JUoHniiKjer.

While the happy wild man lay outstrctchecl upon
tlio softly rounded promoiitory, lay and sunned liini-
st'H', lulled by the low, murmuring tones of ocean,
(lnainin,i( half awake of the fishing presently to bo
(lone, of the early morrow's hunt, the periodic raid
ui)<)n his neighbor, too long postponed; his faithful
wives meanwhile catching grasshoppers, and curing
savory reptiles for the future food-supply — while these
and other necessary measures in the aboriginal econ-
omy were being carried out, tliere came to these
Arcadian shores men from afar, from beyond the
i^ncat waters, men of fairer skins, and subtler brains,
and more determined purpose than the isolated Indian
could hope to have — they came to tell the hapj)y
wild man that it was all a mistuke: a mistake first
that he liad not been created ditterently, and se(;ondly,
that he had been made at all. In any event, he was
ill the wrong place, and in fact was alto«;ether wrong
liiiiiselt.

ite had his gods, other men had theirs; other men
wtie stronger than he, and their gods were stronger
than his gods. If he would abandon the gods of his
fiithers, and disclaim all ownership to the land of his
tatluTs, then the incoming and more righteous men

151

152

OPPOSINO FORCES.

;,:i

if:t'

^«-

^;il:.::i

and i^otk would ])ormit thoin to live, and walk ujion
the <4r(>uiid, and brcatlu.' the air, and tc'cl iIh- suiisliiut',
otherwise they should he killed, they and their wives
and their little ones; for it is thus that the stronijftr
men and j^ods decree, even as these wild men lnar
tliemselves toward one another. The ditlerence be-
tween them was onlv on the surface. All men at
heart are still l>rute8.

This was tlie lesson these j'entle sava«rea were now
to be taught; they had never known it else. Hitherto,
on their hills and in their canons, these lords ahoriij;!-
nal had themselves dwelt like Olympian deities, con-
tent with their nectar and ambrosia, and careless of
the joys or woes of the busy world without, careless of
the moanin<;8 of mankind, careless of the weariness
and heaviness of heart of others, of wars and revulu-
tiofis, of biting wjint and ])estilence, of seas tumultuous
and deserts scofching, of Christian butcheries, of^xiliti-
cal snarlings, of joy-dispelling books, of inquisitions, of
murky, reptile-breeding prisons, of penitential castiga-
tions, of hunger, cold, and heat, of m u,rs on evil, the
moanings of progress, and the creaking wheels of civil-
ization.

All that was bright and sunny, all that savored of
out-of-doors, belonged to them. They were cheerful
and thoughtless and triHihg, but they were not morose,
or melancholy, or sad. They were human and child-
like as Homeric heroes in their petulance and tears.
Enough they had both of gods gloomy and gods sunny ;
but though the evil spirits cried aloud, there was al-
ways at hand a certain escape. Sure 1 am the gods
of their 'varm, billowy shore were sunny deities, lu»w-
ever black the priests may have painted them.

Hitherto the savage had supjuised himself — if in-
deed he thought at all — one with his environment; of
hills and vales, of ocean and sky, of trees and fruits
and game, a part. He had his tlieory of how all these
came about, how the world was made — thougli imt
imagining that it 'extended far beyond tiie mountains

m :-m

COMING OF THE MISSIONARIES.

15.1

[k u\>on

iv wive-*
stronirer

ouco bo-
uiL'U at

,vcrc now
I litlu'ito,
s al)onu;i-
itics, ei)U-
aroless of
^•uroli'^^ of

lul rcvitlu-
uuiultu«)us
■s, of^'oliti-
aisitions, ot
ial i'a«ti!^a-
n evil, tho
lels of fi vil-

yonder — liow man was created, and whithor ho f^oes
\\ hen he leaves tlii-s wo. Id. His coneeptions wen- cruder
than thcst v»f tlie Europeans; nevertheless, he had tlio
same riiifht to them that the Europeans had to theirs,
jind who shall say where none know which was right
or wrong ?

Whosoever his creator, and f(>r whatsoever purpose
iiiiidc, the California savage was fulHUing the design
of that heing concerning him. He was not, as the
incoming strangers would say, an interlop<M- in this
world, and occupying ground which should he put to
lifttir use; the same agency or being that made this
charming lotos-land placed m it these dark-skinned
('li\ldren of nature, perhaps to develop into something
fairiT and better, j»eniaps to be slain by men from
otlur lands, or civilized and christianized out of this
World into happier realms.

However this may have been, it was while nature
was warm and fraLjrant, and humanitv here was free,
uiuursetl by conventionalisms, that these men came —
Imly I'len, they called theiuselves, men of (iod, priests,
juh' .- friars, monks, at all events, missionaries, in
loiii; gray g \vns, with shaven head, slightly bent
in attitude of circumspection, with book and beads
whereby to hold connnunion with the Ljreat Jehovah
who lives beyond the sky, on the other side of chaos,
ill the realm of the illimitid)le. There were also
others, not holy, but bearing firelocks and swoids and
spears, to kill men with; one clan being by professiou
soul-.savers, the other destroyers of men's bodies,

'Why come they hither f the wondering wild man
asks. '"'What do they desire?" "What woidd they
ha.', us doT' "Why did they leave their homes if
they are honest folk ai»d have honest homes.''"

"Peace, savage! What should you know of the
jjreat doctrines of salvation, the nature and attributes
of the trinity, of mediation, transubstantiation, ini-
iiuiculate conception, and the rest? What should you
know of missionary labor — you whoSe mission it is to

at'

154

OPPOSING FORCES.

eat and sleep, hunt a little, fight a little, but in all
things taking God at his word, not trying to interfere
with his })lans, or improve his handiwork?

Like you, these men have their traditions regard-
ing the origin and end of things, tales told when the
world was young, and intellect clouded, and men were
very, very ignorant — as ignorant as you, poor shock-
head! Yet it is from these poor and ignorant men
who lived many thousand years ago, and wlio knew
nmci- less than men know now, but who believed all
the more knowing so little, and whose imaginative and
inventive faculties were quite good for filling gaps
it is from such as tiiesc that we are supposed to receivi;
all our knowledge of the creator of the universe, liis
character and attributes, his ways and works, and of
heaven, his dwelling-place, and of hell, where lives his
great enemy Satan, wht)m the onmipotent camiot
wholly overcome, though he be called omnipotent,
still being unable fully to cope with this adversary.

These who are now wending their way hither,
round throujifh the canons and over the rolling hills,
sleeping under the madrono, or in the clustered man-
/anita, eating their frugal meal by the clear runniiiLf
water, and praying int<> the inhabited heavens — these
sainted strangers are coming hither to do you good,
to tell you what the ignorant and superstitious of aL:is
past ac'A of the supernatural, and to ask you to ii"-
lieve it. Thev bring their formulas and ceremonials,
and tell you thus and so; if you accept their hcatc-
ments — which I grant is somewhat difficult for a rea-
sonable .savage to tlo — well; then you shall be permittid
to wait UDon them, and work for them, build houses,
ten«l cattle, and till lands for them, you shall pray
like them, and bless and curse as do they; and wii< u
you all di(^ you shall ^ollow them to the happy luax eii
they tell about, an*' wait u|)on them there. If you i< -
fuse their piottered benefits, which they have come so
far an<l suliered sucli tribulation to bestow, then tin sc
with the firdoclcs and steel will slujot you dead, ami

THEORY OF PROSELYTISM.

is regard-
when the
men were
)or shoek-
orant nun
^vVio knew
eheved all
native and
ing gaps—
I to reeeive
diverse, his
irks, and t>t"
?re lives his
cnt cannot
omnipotent,
dversary.
way hithrr,
rolling hill^.
itored nian-
„ar runniiv^'
Ivens — the>''
[() you goo* I,
ions ofag^*^
vou to l"-
oremoniai>,
their hcat*-
\\t for a ivii-
jopernihtid
luild houses,
shall \>vay
; and wiH u
iippy heavtu
if you iv-
jave eomt' >"
, then tli'>^''
,)U dead, aiul

cut you in pieces, you and your wives and little ones;
for so their masters hid them do.

They have come to tell you that you arc very
wicked, while they are very good; to teli you that the
maker of this universe is their particular friend, that
tliiv know him well, and all ahout him — his impulses,
thoughts, desires, and purposes; and that they are
sjitoially commissioned by this almighty one to come
to this lotos-land and tell the people hero that they
are all had, altogether oad, vile, miserahle .sinners,
tit only to he cut in pie?u.s, uidess they will say that
tluv believe what is now beinir told them, in which
ciiso they shall some day go to heaven, tin ic to sit
and sing the })raises of their masters throughout all
tteniity, while watching with holy satis'a«'ti»m the
writhings of the tortured who never had so said.

It was quite a mistake on the part o' the creator
to have mac'e you at all, redskin brotLor, and unless
wi' can imp' ove his handiwork we shall murder you.
We do not know how a perfect being can produce
imperfect work, but we know that it is so — and be-
sides, we want this land, and we must have it; so
speak (|uickly, for we must know whether we are to
kill you, or only cultivate you to death." Thus came
tlie serpent civilization into this Eden, and the inhabi-
tants thereof from that moment were doomed.

Again the wild man asks, "What benefit shouM
tlow from this serene and heavenly life?" And the
ai:s\ver is, "Besides religion, your beasts aiid reptiles
aii(! birds of j)rey will be exterminated, the wilderness
will be turned into a garden, famines will tH\ase, pesti-
lence will be controlled, physical forces now intago-
I'istie to your well-being will be subjugated, and you
will bo less dependent on fitful nature.

"Vou do not want them, you say, or their religion.
^ oil arc better otf as you are, as the re*il and true
eniitor made you and placed you, and you do not
1« lievo that their traditions, or knowh'dge of tlu^ un-
kiiu\vul)lo, are better than vours, or that they know

OPPOSING FORCES.

more than you of wliat they have never seen, of wliat
no one has ever seen — for surely tliey eoiild not ask
you, you say, ignorant and superstitious tliougli you
are, to accept as true what other ignorant and su[)er-
stitious men said they saw ages and ages ago. And
'f the strong white man has the right to take the
li'.nils of the weak red man beeause he does not make
the best use of tliem, may not any one who is able
take the possessions of another on the same ground?
And why do they w ish to per-suade or foret; you to
accept their faith* and what would tlu'V sav were vou
to cross the ocean and endeavor to thrust your religion
down their throats?"

Ah! gentle savage, these are pertinent <|uestions.
There are several reasons why they wish you to accept
tluir faith. The principles upon which proselyting
stand arc benevolence, superstition, and selfishness.
Probably the last named should be i>laced first. Tlnso
men firndy believe that by making converts to their
fiiith, as they call it, they will be most liberally })iU(l
for it after their death. They have many maxims to
this eflect. They will shine as stars; they will have
a high yeat in heaven; they will in many ways be
specially favored by their heavenly father, all the whili'
having the satisfaction, as I have said, of seeing those
who would not listen to them broiling in regions below.

Again, if you accept their religion you accept them,
and their ea 'thly master, the king of Spain; you nmst
give up your liberties and your lands, and work for
them, thereby making them rich and comfortable
even in this lifj, so that they secure a foretaste of
heaven here. Piety with property is great gain, my
good savage.

Then, too, strange as it may seem, believing wh.it
they tell you is true, it is natural, not only for n li-
gionists but for scientists and all wlio have anj' enthu-
siasm in what they think and do, to endeavor to win
over to their way of thinking .as many as ])ossible.
This proselyting spirit is all well enough within pro[>» r

MISSIONARY WORK.

^ of what

not ask
,ujrli you
lid su[)er-
To. And

tako the
not make
u) is alile

•CO you to
/• wero you
,ur roligion

(jucst'ions.
mtoao<-<-'\>t
jiroselytiuj^
solfishutss.
rst. Thrse
;rt9 to tlieir
berally paid
J maxims t'>
y will have
iny ways bo
|iU tlio VUilo
jcein*^ tliosc
^ioiis bolow.
J;copt them,
h; youmu>t
[id work to I'
icouifortaitlo
forotasti' »'t'

lliniis; it is well enough so long as sound reasoning
iiiiiy is employed, and not steel and gunpowder. Co-
ncion in this direction is the greatest of crimes. In
propagating creeds, or in moral conquest, conversion,
(»r proselyting, men are secured more easily being led
than driven. Argument has little to do with conversion
ill savage minds, but example much, and food and trink-
i is more. Let a superior race practise pompously
any tt'iieto, I care not what they are, aujong savage
)i',(>|)1l'S, and the doctrines so pronudgated will prove
citcliing. See how radically in political matters a
leading mind can change opinion throughout the entire
tiiuimimity. So a strong-minded missionary will coii-
viit ids thousands and make them do his bidding by
sliver force of will.

These ndssionaries are men of sublime heroism, of
imhounded faith, of limitless credulity. In their
(K'\(>tioii to their faitli they are as firm as Abdiel,
upon wliom Satan's eloquence urging heaven to revolt
fril powerless. They have been told that it is the
tiling to do to ct)nvert the heathen, to njake them
stand still while they nmmble dogmas and scatter
water over them. Therefore they do not fear. Man
<an do them no harm, for if killed tliey enter heaven
at once. And in truth, some of thorn seemed as
hard to kill as Saint Cecilia, who, kept of Christ,
folt it no woo to bo shut in a hot bath, and whoso fair
neck the executioner could by no chance smite in two.

Muscular strength was the Greek i(Ual of manlv
eliaraeter; strength through weakness, that of the
( hristian. Antesthetic fanaticism does nuich for those
called to suffer nuirtvrdom. The dull, unintellectual
nature of the extreme bigot renders him in some
measure insensible to suffenng.

Regarding tlie matter after the manner of men, the
ahori^inal inhabitants of our lotos-land have existeil
Vn\'X enough. They have accomplished tiieir destiny
mill ,ire readv to die. Their work is «lone. That for
wliieli they are here is upon the »)riginal basis eon-

•l V ij/ ,(

R-- , H

158

OPPOSINPr FORCES.

eluded; there is nothing further lor them to do, and
they can accompUsh nothing on a new basis — for they
cannot shift their position.

Tlie early conquerors believed themselves divinely
inspired to discover lands and christianize the pe<>i>lc ;
we of to-day see in it all the natural product of his-
torical antecedents. The power of the almighty tciii
pered their steel. "Ah! thou my good sword, hail,
bright Toledo, soul-saver, slave-maker, land-giver,
gold-finder, I worship thee ! Of all things, what can
give me so much as thou? Sensuality and salvation,
wealth and worship, lust, avarice, and immortal glory.
God and Satan recompense me for doing devilish
deeds in Christ's name. Cut and slash, thou switt
blood-letter, thou holy hewer of quivering tiesli ! I
bow to thee ! "

In the solitude and gloomy shade of their wildii-
ness, although alone, no one knowing their wlun-
abouts, the niissi..naries felt, at all events, that tlic
eyes of God were upon them — the eyes of tlio oiii-
ni[)otent Jehovah, of the Lord Christ, and of the holy
vir«rin, stealing through soul and sense like the g.i/c
of a tender mother, which penetrates with such strono;
magnetic influence the breast (»f her not wholly unci»ii-
sclous sleeping child. Their faith, like Mambriiu-V
helmet, rendered them invulnerable to evil. Tiny
could pray for a safe and prosperous journey to wlmt-
ever spot God pleased, for thither were they bound,
and then strike out boldly and confidently into tho
unknown, trackless wild. To them the loss of a lift'
was insignificant compared to the loss of a s<>ul.
Teaching, as they did, with the doctrines of tin ir
faith the arts of civilization, these missionaries m. rv
in the strictest economical si'use productive labor* is.
In their mission were united all the utiUties, material,
moral, and ideal. And every opportunity is gi\iii
heaven to bless them; they always leave a handle t'nr
providence to take hold of, as the ^[ussulman hfivost
upon his shaven crown a lock for the angel's ham I to
grasp while being borne aloft to }»aradise.

POWER OF PROSELYTING.

(S diviiu ly
lie peopU".
uct of liis-
iglity t«--in-
Nvord, bail
land-givn",
^, what can
I salvation,
ortal glory.
Q<T (lovilisU
thou swi't't
ig ttesh! I

their wihlci-
■lioir wh«n-
its, that tho
; of the t>n\-
tl of the holy
like the gii/o
such stron;j;

holly UlUiMJ-

Mamhn»*'V
evil. Tluy
tiey to what-
thcy hound,
itlv into tho

[OSS (»i a ''' '
of a soul.
ues of tli>ir
lonaries w ro
ivo labor. IS.
lies, material,

lity is g'l^*'^

la luuulb' t'-r

ihnao hi'^^'*

■oVs bau'l to

TTiif.py combination ! Soldiers for Clirist and soldiers
fdi- the king. Christ for men, and men for souls,
tlu! devil helping, taking his chaneo of securing even
some of tho elect Wc can understand how the king
f Spain might employ soUlicrs; but that the Lord
Christ should want such sc-rublty things as these gt)ing
up and down tho eartli killing savages for him is past
the comprehension of all wisdouK A little learning
iiiiide priest and secretary pretenticms, putted u|) with
])r()ud sui>eriority. And in their own eyes the AEexi-
»;ui soldiers were ever cool, gallant, patriotic, and of
inflexible coura»je. Their hearts swelled with hiijh
lievotion to a cause.

In the new-comers were united the attributes of
settUr and saint. Like Ulvsses, thev wen; n>en of
pious ^viles, tlu'se missionary fathers; they were wise
as seipents, though not always as harndi'ss as doves.
Tluy knew how to captivate and capture the wild
men. First tluy t>ntered into intimate relationshi[)s
with them, material and mental, placing them.selves
in their stead, seeing with their eyes, thinking their
tlidughts, and weigliing and measuring their every
idea and idiosyncrasy.

At the outset their material condition nmst be ini-
inoved. A savage can understand that religion is a
tj^ood thing when it feeds and clothes him. In pro-
jtnition to the presents given will his faith be. The
St Sinionian soc-iety of Jesuits in Paraguay, uniting
with religion a communily of W(»rldly interests, brought
ilie minds of the natives under such control, that not-
withstanding their abhorrence of work, they sultmitted
tlieniselves with reverence to the new authority, and
labored faithfully for the comnmnity.

Wealth is ever the })recursor of civilization. !More
than that, wealth is the foundation-stone of religion.
Of all intellectual and ajsthetic culture, pt»verty is tho
oiieniv. To send missionaries amoni; the savajLjo
Ileal lien with empty hands avails little. Abstract fu-
ture u<i(xl they cannot uiulerstand, but food and proxi-

160

OPPOSING FORCES.

mate comforts appeal to their stronjjest reason, the
soiit of which is the stomach. Little reupiiijjf there
will he if with the word there be not ulsr) sown
wheat, corn, and barley. Little fruit, if with tiie
fornmlas of faith there be not also potatoes planted,
or orange-trees, or olives. To civilize poverty is im-
possible. To christianize savage ignorance is imims-
sible. Feed and clothe if you would educate and
elevate. Educate and elevate if vou would christianize.
Plant the valleys and cover the hills with herds; give
Siivages material benefits if you would see them enjoy
spiritual comforts. These material benefits are wealth,
and with them wealth is religion. But here the
blessed strangers are upon us. And the pathway of
their holy zeal is as beautiful as the rainbow-bridgf
let down from heaven for a pathway for Iris when on
an errand of discord.

lis I

E't

k I,

ll'^v

Ave Maria! Santfsima madrc de dios; vfrgcn san-
tisinia ! Bells wau: tieir discordant ton<rues and call
to prayers; prayers everywhere; in the church ami
over the hills, about the granaries and gardens, the
storehouses and corrals; jnayers by the padre, by tlir
blooming damsel, and the shriv jHed old woman, by
comandante, hidalgo, and va<juero. Pray, brothers,
pray! Beseech him who made this universe to finish
it, and do l)etter work than formerly' ; beseech him
who made us bad now to make us good, and to ilo ;i
a little better by us every way. Pray, and }>eradv»ii-
ture the great creator will change his mind and )»ur-
pose because we tisk it — we, who know so much bttt> i
what this world should be, who could make so mu« li
better a W(»rld had we the power. Then pray, brot It-
ers, pray I and we shall see come of it what we sliall
see.

Hail, holy virgin! Hall, holy child! Hall, fatht r nt
all, omnipotent regulator! One father in heav«>n; many
fatiicrs (»ii earth — lioly fithers, soU* agents and r< piv-
sentative.s of our fatlier in heaven ; lathers of every

MEDITATIONS OF THE SAVAGE.

161

ason, the

llh^) HONvn
with tho

jrty irt iuv-
is iin\>«>^-
[ucate and
bristianii'^'-
icrcls; giv^'
them enjoy
are wealth,
t here thi-
pathway «'t
il)ow-brul:4'^'
ris when on

. v{r<^en san-

iTues aiul liiU

church aii'l

gardens, th«'

wire, by tin'

woman, hy

ly, brotheiv,

^.rse to fiiiif^'
Ltesoeoh h'uu

ai»cl to il«' :i
11,1 perailvi Mi-
md and \»ui-
>much Vnttt 1
mke so mil' 1i
pray, brotlj-
,'hat we siiiil^

[ailfathii-ot
leaven; nwinv
Its and iv\'»'-
liefrt of •-•very

nation, toni^mo, and color; fathers of the black gown,
Au^ustinian and Dominican; fathers Franciscan, blue
and uray; Carnu'litc fatliors of the white gown, and
all the rest; fathers true and fathers false; fathers
jmi'e and impure; fathers who are not fathers, and
t'lilhers, alas, too much! Twelve children crowned
the joys v)f happy Father (;iabriel, missionary president
of the two Californias, in the year of our Lord 1 HID —
su it is said, and a wise father, he.

Further the red man ruminates: "If all that they
do and say be good for white people, it must l)e go»)d
for the red; for we are told if we pray enough, and
in tlio riglit way, the almighty will revise his work,
and we shall all be made white, and cunning, and have
ureat good here, and a better place than others in
heaven; though why a repentant sinner should be
luadi; more of by the select society above the clouds
than one who has never sinned, it is difficult to under-
stand."

])oul)t]ess heav(!n is a iiappy i>lace; but earth is
more substantial. ]3oubtless tlu- joys of heaven are
very fine; but few care to K'ave eartli's sunshine to
;jjo theii^ ])oubtless Christianity is a great bo(»n : tin*
native .Vmeiicansare willing that Europe should have
tlu' whole of it. Doubtless angels dislike having the
roinforts of the celestial citv to do drud"'erv work here
I'll larth; but in seU'-sacrifiee there is bapiiiness- -in
wliirh case it is not self-sacrifice.

There an^ earthly anufels as well as heavenlv: tliev
aiv (ilttinies indeed of earth earthy, and not always
\i ly clean; spiritually minded, but gr«)ss and mattiial
I'll the surface — very. Two or three hundred y»ars
i(>.,'o there were more angels on this eartli than now;
tin IV weie too many; nn-n had to labor ttM) hard to
tird and house them; the way to heaven can now be
noiiit((l out more bricHv and with fewer wortls : so
>"iiii of them went to heaven, while others went — to
Work.

Tilt i-e is more to Christianity than monks and nuns

Cal. 1'a.ht., Vol. I. U

162

OPPOSINfl FORCES.

IfH;

ft"

ii ;,

l«K t.

J,. .. J,
IS*" ,

— for example, the bell, invented by Paulinus of Xola,
about tlic year 400; the or^'an, brought from tlic
Greek church to the M'estern one in the seventii or
eighth century; the gothic cathedral, which sitrani^-
from the religious efflorescence of the twelfth century
— all these were powerful aids to make men tit for
lieaven, to make many fit for heaven who were not iit
to live (m this earth.

The Franciscan fathers who kindly came to our
lotos-land, who came from afar to our lotos-land to
drive out Satan, were astonished to learn that in*
devils were here before they came. Why do deviU
so beset good men; and why did not these fatluis
stay at home and fight them there' "I have set ii
and <lefied innumerable devils," says the truthful tiiid
refined Martin Luther.

St Bonaventura tells a story of St Francis of As-
sisi, our San Francisr , wlit) died a victim nf aseeti-
eism, of which performance he should be reasoniil)ly
ashamed. Raising liimseL and gazing upon his ema-
ciated limbs, "I have sinned against my brother, tlic
ass!" he cried; then sinking back he fell into a tranc*',
in which a voice, attributed b}- the holy man to the
devil, spake to him and said, "Francis, there is no
shiner in the world whom, if he be converted, (ioil
wdl not pardon; but he who kills himself by haul
p(Miances will find no mercy in eternity." This was
very kind of the devil, who seemed to possess tho
better sense of the two. ^fany priests about this
time whipped themselves into eternity, who awakini,'
there were no doubt surprised at their former folly.
Th(! natives of the New World used to commit suicitle
to m-t away from these same hated Christians, who
could stop them only by threatening to kill themsilvcs
and follow them to the next world. Significant of
sorrow and of terror were the words dc iiiiitaliotic
Chrt'sti, and ik contcwptn (unm'inii vaiiitafitm, breathiiii,'
as they did the inspiration of medijeval religion. To
the dogs with this world and all its beauties and bloss-

RELIfilOX -^rAKERa.

163

Iii<4sl Let selfishnos.s Ik; ivfiiiod and .subliiuatcd I
I'iirtt, l>ray, scourge, and sit in sackclotli, for so sliall
the soul find plenty and joyous honors heroafti r.
iruinaii nature is fitting an immortal soul predcstint'd
to eternal damnation by a beJieficent creator only as a
s;u'rifice to l)e offered up for the subse(|uent bemfit of
the spiritual nature. Hence the holy fathers ciy, hv-
ware of the devil! and Dante revels in purgatorial
pictun's.

To tlie church and clergy of Spain, America is in-
ilthttd for woes umiundured. The strujjf'dc against
the ineradicable |>rinciple of evil within the heart,
aL;ainst the fascinating demon of wrong-d<iing, began
witli tlie race. Grecian philosophers attempted its
analysis, and formed codi's of ethics, l)y which tlu*
l.igliest destinies of man were attainable; but with
tlie advent of christianitv, asceticism found a richer
soil. In order to crusli out natural j)assions to free
t!ie mind from bare and material things, and restore
the (»rit;inal puritv of the soul. Christians souuht in the
siihtude of the ilesert, or apart u|)on the mountain, or
in the close seclusion of the monastery, the companion-
ship of God and holy angels. Or it may be, a van-
<(uishe«l warrior in life's battle retires, heart-sick, for
jtiiiitence; it matters not whither so that he be alone

alone to lay bare the secret workings of the heart
htfore the intelligence that created it. Thus the j>ath
el' the believer was a Jeremiad, a lamentation, a tah-
el" \V((e. Hating life, the body a loathed encumbiance,
li'' Would anticipate death and enter at once a gl(»ritied
existence

I''iM\ulation is excited; admirini^ crowds j-athei- around
the hermit's hut; Mionasti-ries are built, and thus the
inward spiritual lite finds outward expression Aus-
triity and discipline, having attained perfection, grow
l.aiiglity. The humble saint bcccmies proud of his
liuniility. For a time he still denies himself sensual
indulgence, but only in order the better to gratify the
nioio subtle vices of pride and power. He accepts

164

OrPOSIN(; FORCES.

|>i(tflri'r('(l nduUition, aHsunu's autliority, levies trilmto
for his ;4<)illiness, waxes fat, and enjoys relij^iou. No
more caves or shaky huts, or inidiiijjht vi^il, fast, or
jK'iiaiioe ; hut stately castles, hroad fields, ami well-filled
larder. Crowds now tlock for admittance to the churcli
that <^ives her votaries both sensual an<l celestial joys,
^[endica!lt orders overspread the land like locusts.
To escape starvation or violence, jiaupers become
monks. The lean and ghostly hermit is now a portly
abl>ot, and in place of stony cavern and scanty Iierbs,
rich viands, generous wines, voluptuous revels; and to
grace their jileasures, if we may credit Draper, ** visions
of loveliness . ere converted into breathing, blushing
realities, who exercised their charms with better ett'ect.
than of old their phantom sisters had done." Behold
the end of ri«rhteousnes8 overmuch: so hard it is for
man to re-create himself 1

Is not the philosophy of living to avoid extremes'
The golden mean is the rosetta st<nie of social hiero-
ulvi>hics. The man who throui;h all the waves of
passion, by the craggy walls of prejudice, and through
the tortuous paths of reason, holds nearest a medimu
coursj', live'S nearest a perfect life, and nowhere dors
excess appear more ott'ensive than in religion. In tin-
earlier stages of the church, many of lu-r votaries, iii-
sjtired by the examples of the apostles who lived with
simplicity and sutfer-ed with resignation, labored t<>
out<lo their exenijilars in virtue, and render tin ir
lives yet more simple and self-denying. To such ;iii
ixtent was this conceit carried that self-abnegation,
which in the first instance was a necessity, became in
the eyes of enthusiasts a positive excellence. If iii-
dirt'ereiice to wealth is conuneiulable, abject poverty is
mon^ praiseworthy; if fortitude under trials is well,
self-Hagellations and bodily torture is better.

Christ inculcated on the mind of his followers • s-
trangement from the world, fasting, meditation, prayer.
The earlier zealots went further, and for meditation
retired to hermitages, built monasteries for prayer,

EVOLUTION OF SAINTS.

105

trU)uto

on. ^'"
, fast, or

10 chunU
itial joys.
3 locusts.
. becouu'
V a portly
nty bev\)s,
;\s; au«l t«>
,|. "visioiis

r,'\)\usl»ii>'^

ii'ttfi- I'tt'*''^'
" Boholtl

rd it is *"•'»■

1 cxtroims '.
social hiev»'-
10 waves ot
and t\iro*»:-i^'
st a mcdiuiu
.owlierc (.U»« s

ion. l»t)"'
votaries, m-

,vo Uvocl witU
,, la\>orea <"
render tlu »»•
To sucli iiu
f-abncj^atioM,
•V. bccan\e >i»

.onco. K>'!-
loct vovei-ty i>
trials is ^vtH.

tor.

ti foilowcrs ' >-

Itation, pray; v.

\,r nieditatio"

■a for vray''

and sjient their lives in koo|>iii«^ their body at deatli's
tl.M.r \)y starvation and tornicuts. These anchorites,
h\ rigi«l tasting and sloopUss and incessant contenipla-
tinii, wrouglit tlieir imagination into a frowzy not
unlike tlic dehriunis of o[)iun«, of alcohol, or of fovor.
'i'lu'V saw visions and dreanud dreams. Thi' sensihil-
ity of the body was blunted, and strange phantasms
llo.ittd through the brain. Thus the ai)paritions and
niiiaelos of the church arc not in every instiinco a>
Mtnie would have them, inventions of designing priists.
Xumborlcss instances are recorded of strui'i'les with
« inissaries of Satan, of fierce wrestlings with imps
.ind diabolic monsters, of visions and rt;vcIations of
liravcnly or hcUisJi import, in which the sincerity

• if the visionary was bevond <|Uestion. The victims
ul" these liallueinations may have been insane, but they
wnc not impostors.

Tit doubt till! sincerity of the monks and fiiars who
cumo as ndssionarifs to the Now World is to doubt
nligion, and give the lie to humanity. Schooled in
till' discipline of the cloister, the old nature with the
nld life is eradicated. By their vows, the world with
its passions and andiitions is forever denied them,
iiiiying aside their apparel and a(loj)ting that of their

• mlt r, giving up their very name for some simple or
siiiitl}^ appellative, identity, personality, that which
Utnrious minds most hiufhlv prize, and which consti-
tiitt'stho most powerful incentive to noble actions, is
iii>t. Honors and rewards await them not hero but
li< itafter. They have nothing to hope for from man,
iMiiliiug to fear; for earthly ignominy and pain only
add to their future joys, and death itself is but a re-
Itaso from toil and sutferiny: to the eternal jovs of
liaradiso. Nic«)lini tells us that when the citizens of
\ it'ima threatened to throw Legay into the Danube
ti'f |>n>mulgating the reforms of Ignatius of Loyola, he
>'oiiifulIy replied: "What care I whether I enter
111 :i\( II by land or water?"

And Motley says: "Priesthood works out its task,

'H ^\-^:i

: i:

-^'i

mi-'- '■■

!'?

'l I.

166

OPI'OSINCJ FORCKS.

aye after a<^e; 1U)W Hiiioothiii^' ponlteiit death-bedt*.
roiiscciatiii^' <Xravcs, feedin«^ tin; liiuif^ry, clothing tlic
naked, incarnating tho Cinistian precepts in an a^T
of rapine and lioniicide, dt)iug a tliousancl dt'cils of love
and charity anjonv; tho ohscuru an<l forsaken deeds
of which thi;ro shall never ho a human chroni«'le, hut
a leaf or two, perhaps, in tho recording angel's Ixtok;
hivuig precious honi'}' I'roiu tho few Howers of gentle
art which hlooni upon a howling wilderness."

The power of the priesthood is invariably in propor-
tion to tho ignorance an«l 8Ui)erstition of the peopl. .
The ureater the ignorance, the ureater is the honestv
and sincerit}' in nhgion, and conscipusntly the uKHt
easily is the n)inernatural powers in human events. To tlic
forces of nature, and the apparent prevalence of chamc
in human affairs, a cause must he assigned, ainl
without a knowledge of the true and natural caiiM .
extraordinary events are attributed to supernatui.il
agencies. As the causes which govern natural |i1m
nomena are known, th.it which before was supernatui;il
in nature disappears. Eclipses, comets, and eaitli-
• juakes are no longer evidences of divine displeasun .
13ut so long as the people remain in [)()verty and igno-
rance, so long will they blindly follow their religious
teachers.

At this time, not only were men taught to belicvr,
but forced to btslieve. l*roselvtism is an esseutial
element of every religion ; anil as te;'.chers are possessul
of power, so, whether priest or puritan, will they en-
force their teachings. To persua<l(> if possible, if not
to coerce; to win by love, or teirify by puJiisluiunts:
to compel the intellect to receive what reason rejects:
to make men believe to be true what they know to !»•
false; to constrain to a life of hvi)ocrisv or doom t«
martyrdom; to force by violence convictiotis that < iui
not be carried by arguments; to torture men in act < pt
ing forms and creeds which conscience teaches tin ni t(
reject — or fjiiling in this to kill them. These ys'vix

SrANISH CHRISTIANITY.

tlie iri.struiuents with whicli religion wrought in the
tiltt'onth coiitury.

Thu.s it wa8 that not uUine nobles and prelates, hut
tlio illiterate dregs of old ^ 'astile, were lofty in their
li»yalty, exalted in their piety, fearless of any danger
Nivo the i^ods and devils of their own ereation. As
adventurers to the New World, without a murmur
tlit-y would encounter the inhospitable climate, inhale
the nmlarious air, wade through tangled morasses,
(Tniilt rugged mountains, swelter under a tropical sun,
and all for the love of CJod, and gold, and glory;
traversing the trackless wilderness, scourging, bap-
tizing, working miracles, scorning pain, disease, and
dtath in their mad eflbrts to save from hell men not
lialf so near that place as themselves. Carried away
by a ferocious enthusiasm, they became devilish in their
(lisiri's to make men Christians; butchering their fel-
iiiw mm by scores, thousands, converting and killing —
int anwhile ravisjiers of maids, jnurdi'rers of old men
and children, j>erfidi«)us liars and cheaters, laying a fair
l;ind waste in the name of peace. Their heroism was
as higli for [)lunder us for piety; for lands and captivi;
.slaves thi'V I'ould wrestle as fervently as for S(>uls, and
thiir unscrupulous severity in the accomplishment of
tht ir desires was only e(|ualled by their versatility in
the clioice of means. Why they were so, what made
tlirm so, it is easy enough to see in the ign<»ran<'i' and
hlind fanaticism growing out of their religious teach-
ings, and in their social maxims.

Nor were these heterogeneous, di.set)rdant elements,
though thrown together by a conjunction of clas.ses
and clans, destined to remain apart, some in one and
siiMic in another; on the contrary, they cond>iiicd in
gitatcr or less degree in the individual, an«l formed
till' hasis of Spanish, more particularly of (\istilian,
cliaracter. In the same person wo see united enthu-
siastic piety with cruel avarice; indeed, we need not
';.'> l>U(k four centuries, nor look alone up«)n the Span-
ish IVuinsula, for unions of ill-assorted and badly min-

i'l«

'; 1

i
i

'■

108

OPPOSING FORCES.

gle«l traits of human cliaractor ; for even now in Anjjjlo-
Stixon- puritan stock, in every u<lvt;nturous crew turiud
loose iiit<» a wilderness in seareh of j^oUl, away from
the in(|uisitorial inllucnees of social life, may be seen
ei-o|»|»iiiir out the fruits of excessive liberty, the saiiir
lustful, venal, infernal spirit wliich possessed the Span-
ish coiHjuerors of the New World.

Father Juni[)oro, blessed and justl While on the
Atlantic side of our present domain An^jh (-Ameri-
cans were fighting for deliverance from tiie imtcrn.il
chains, Hispano-Amcricans on the l*aci(ic were brinu-
ins4' to a benijj^hted thou<;;h ha[i[)y race tiiat civilizatidii
an«l Christianity which always sends native nations td
earth. Th(»se first puie pri<!sts who came hithrr.
devoted ministers of tlie liviiii; God, who reallv di-
sired the welfare of the abori^^inals, desired tluin U>
live and n'>t die; these; with their cond'orts and tin ir
kindness kill«'<l as surely as did Cortes and IMzarid
with their ifunixiwder, steel, ami pit'ty.

Scion of the coiujuerors, a coiKjueror liimscif; tht y
fit^htinj^ naked sjivaj^cs, he fiLrhtinjjf tieiuls; they ctm-
((uerinLT for Charh's, he for Christ; (^hrirst and Charit s,
both all-powerful, y<'t both needing fighters; both iti -
nignant, yet both re<(uiring the slaughter (»f some
millions of (jod-made men to add to their genciil
glory and j>articular comfort and happinessi So tluse
saints and soldiers would have us believe.

.lunijM'jo was a <'on(pit'ror, and his g»«'atest achicx' -
ment was the compiest of self; as I'ublius Syrus iisi >\
t(< say, "IVis vincit, (jui se vincit in victoria" - he coii-
qui'rs twice who coiKjuers himself in victory. Thoiijii
outwardly mild and humble, a fii'e of devoted entliii
siasm burned within; butwitii self sacrificed so suli-
onlinated that he envied his divine mast<'i" but one
thing, cru<*ifixion — this fire shot forth occasionally,
when he fancied his redeemer slighted or insultnl,
but never for slight or insult placed ujion himself

Hear how a brother I'riar tells in orthodo.x. terns

THE PADRK I'UKSIKENT.

109

, Anglo-
V turmtl
ay iVoiii
be sc'«u
lio saint'
be Span-

Ic on tl\i'

(>-Aui«ii-

|>iiti'rniil

L'l'o ln'iii;.;-
iviruatioii
nations \'<
Hi hitlifi'.
rt-ally (K-
l tlMin to
anil tlitir
nl I'iwuio

iscll"; th<y

tlu'V t'""-
(U'durl.s,

\)otll 1" -
If ot" StlllK-
\y rri'lK nil

tSo tli*>^'

1st JU'lii*'^" -
iynis US- 'I

-]\V i'oll-

Thoujh
Led i-ntliU
,1 _..Sl) Huli-
IT but ii^''

[(•as'n'iii'l'^ •
Ir insult' ^,

iumclt.

uluX. toUiS

tlio story of his lifi": "Juniju'ro St-rra was born on
the li4tli of Xovcnibfr, I7l;{, at tlu; villa d»; IVtra,
i>laM(l of Mallorca, lu'lonoini^ to jMcditrrrautan Spain.
His parents wwe pi'ojdf in liuniblo circunistancrs, but
lit' (Irxout and pious faith accordin*^ to the c.-itiiolic
(liurrli. Jlis liithor's name was Antonio Srrra, liis
iiii>th«r Mart^arita Ferrer. Fi'oin liis cliildlKMid ho
w.is (tf a iLfrave, benevoh'ut, serious <'haraeter, and liis
^iv.itest j)U'asure was in attentlinj.^ the church of San

jlciiiardino in liis native town.

lest

habit:

s nnnressed uiion nis nn

ind tl

« dutv o

(livotinjjf liini.self to the si rvice of the church, and Im
•rdinyly assumed the habit of a Franciscan fi iai- at

a«'i'i

tlic ai^t' of sixteen. ilis zeal and exemplary conduct
iiidcared him to hi-( supej-ior, and thi! brethren of the
tinier, who vied with each other in forwardin:LC his
\ii\vs, and perfcctini; his theoloLjical studies. His
atlrctionate, earnest, and devout spiiit led him to seek
tiie conversion of the American In«lians to the faith
• it" ('liiist, and he accortrm'';lv became a missionaiv of
ilir Societv I'oi* the I'ropaLjation of the I''aith. In
ill rdidanee with the linietious ol' his new otlice, and
with the lienetlictions of ilis friends and th

o.se «)

f tl

111 it

ht rhood of San Francisco, he proceedtd to Mex-
ii ". and for many years ollieiated in the Indian mis-
^Imis of the Siej'i'a ( Jorda, an<l of Saha on the frontiers
• ittliat countrv. iUit moved 'iv the accounts received

iiiiiii

It this time t»f the expulsion of the dtsuits ft-oin
b"\\ii' California by the Spanish i;o\ (•iiiiiicnt. his
li' lit was drawn by th» ar(i<)r of a I'ervent zeal to de-
\'it'' his life to the convi'rsioii of the Indians of tlii'se
i< iimtc iT'^ions, who lie believed were now aWout to
I" iiiandoiicd to their savage and brutal habits. Ac-
niidiii^ly, eiicourai^rcd by the viccioy and authorities
"t Mexico, and with the assistance of many de\(nit.
•:n!iMlics of that country, he embarked with a hand of
I'l'itiicr missionaries of the I'ranciscan or<ler at San
I'lli-. iiieitino; at that port the exileti Jesuits from
h '\^- r California, .\rrived in that distant ]^>rovince.

170

OPPOSING FORCES.

aiul fintlinj^ tiie religious ostaldishiiieiits there placetl
under the eoiitrol of the ]Joiniiiicans, with the ui<l (»f
the officers of the Spanisli goveriunent at Loreto h

(■>.S

irojeeted two expechtions to Alta Cahfornia, one l)y
iiid on the sliore hy tlie gulf, and the other hy sea.
The one hv land hrouufht tlie first livc-stoek, altout
GOO in nunilter of all kin<ls, t«> tliis eountry; and in ;i
coniparativelj short space of time, from the finen
ot the climate and richness of the pastures, they were
numhered hy tens of thou8an<ls.

"At San ])iego, on the niei'ting of the two compM-
nies, was founded in 17<>1) the first mission of Ah.i
California. ]n the year following was founded the
presidio of ^[onU'rey, and the mission of Carnielo. Ily
the year 1784, he had foundetl and settleil with priests
the estahlishments of San Fiancisco ])olores and
Santa Claia in the north, and tho.se of San liuis
()l>ispo, San Antonio, San Jiuenaveiitura, San ( lii
hriel, and San Juan Capistrano in tin* south; at each
of which places weie also retained small companies ut
tin' king's soldiers.

"(jlradually the [»ri«'sts, under the enorgt;tic hut
paternal dirt-ction ami care of the veneraide president,
gatiieri'd into their missions the wild Indians of the
valleys of the coast. H is and their lives wi're of gr< at
exposure, lahor, and jierpetual risivs and disadvantaue>,
thinui'h which tliev persevered with an ind»'lat iua''lf
zeal, kiKtwn only to men ind)ue(l with direct [iurp«>-es.
ami a lively, ardent faith, which knew no ([ueiichiu.;
m a new field lor the rea[K'r's sickhs and lal>orei-s dis-
jiroportioned to tlie work. They huilt housts, conse-
crated churches, planted vineyaids and or<'hards, sowed
fields, stocki'd the j>asturi'S, taught the gentiles lalmr
and the consolation of Christ's religion, and finally
triumjihed over all difficulties of the first settKim lit
of a frontier wikh-i-ness, which, after th«ir saciil

and

sound as the rosi;

j>rivations, sprung to lite and Idooniei

1 and

liut this was not the oidv reward of the devottii,

DEATH OF JUXiPEUO SKUUA.

171

c placed

10 aul *'^

t)10tl) 1'*^

L, one l>y
r by ^*' :>•
oU, al«>ut
and in a
. lini'niss

Llu'y vvi-'i'^^

,V() coniv;*-
u ot" Ait;i
viuded tli>
nielo. I >y
/ith priests
olores aii.l
San l^viU
t, San *;;'
tU; at *-a«li
i)nJl>anic- "I

I'trctic b"t
u president.

liaiis of tli<'
riv ol' ;j;n !it
.nlvanta-o-
idrliitij^a*'^"'
|(.t \nuv"-;^-
,) (jiicnt'i'ii'-

,.Urti-S, eousr-
uir*ls.s..\\.(l

irntUrsb'"'!'
ar.d linalK

•ir sueriti*''
I and I'l"-

llhi" dr\"i"*'

( nii^t'tlc, and pious lilV' of the founder ot our state.
His aim was the crown of j^lorv, tht^ jutssission of
whieh aniniat(\s the devoted eatlioHe to lav tlown his
lite, if neci'ssary, when he remcMuhers for all trials
and sulferinjjjs that lie that e(mvorteth a s«)ul to God
shall shine as a star in the Hnnainent of heaven.

And now, ai^e creepiuij on apace, and privations

ami

Irauie

I exiiosures haviuLT had their natural eUe«'t on his

le was taki'ii sick in the month of Aui;ust,
with a severe <'omi>laint of the throat and lun^s, at
tin' mission of C'armelo. Loni( and an.xiously did the
iVieiids and companions of IJic venerahle foundei- ol
California nurse and attend him witii tlie' m<»st tender

iv; but ju! told them from the first, with serenity
aii<l calmness, that ( Jod was ai)out to call him t»» hini-
S( It", and entreated their prayers tor the salvation ot
liis soul, aiwl that he mij^ht he permitted through
('liii.-t to ent»'r into the jMijoyment of lieaNcn. aii<l ot
tli> -t who had devoted tiieil" lives to the '>'I<»>'N' of" (Jod
Mild the conversion of tlu- gentiles His Indian chil-
tlivn heuailed with ijroans and tears the melandiolv
ii|i|iroach of the time which was to separate him t'or-
(•\if from their si^ht, who had left all to rescue tli< ui
tiHiii liarliaiisni and the lives of hrute heasts.

"At last jiis body, spent with exhaustion and wi ak-
in >>, but his mind eleai- to tlu' last, the fatlier of ('; I-
it'Hiiia sank to j-est in the ai-ms of his beloved iVirud
ami disi-iple, Francisc(» l*alou, as i^cntly as an iiit'nit

• «ii its mother's breast.

'"Tins event took place on the dav of San Au'jiis:iii
fit the mission of Carnielo, near ^^onte•rl y, in the yeir
17> I, at the ai.^e of seventy -one, lacking- a few wcek^,
I'llty-four years of his life had he olliciatt d a> ,i
I'l'i' st, thii'ty-five of which were spent amoiii;; the ln-

• liius of Cahlbrnia and Mexico, as a missionary ot'tlie

• itliolic church. liis body was biuied near the last-
iii'iitioned nussion, in one of the most beautiful vales
"• ( alilnniia, within S(»nnd of old ocean's soh nm le-
'I'i' III, and amid the tears and niourniuirs o| the <<>n-

172

orrosix;; FOnCES.

M'ltod heathen wlioin lu- aixl his oonipanuuiM luul
tijiinod to the enjoyiiitut (tf Christian hahits ami coii-
scdations. Great was tlie sorrow felt l>y the mission-
aries and sinipki pijoph: of thosi! days, in our th( ii
rciiiote eountry, at thi; luss of tlie veiirrahlc fouiMlrc
and presi(Umt oi' tlie missions — a ftrHnu- which ex-
tended even to Mexico, where his memory was nvcn d
by all elasses of piiopK-,

"Junfpero Sena was a man of i;nat henevokiu *
and amiability of ciiaracter, charity, and <^cnerosity,
combined with a fervent zeal in his iii^h duties, wlurli
attaehetl to him with sti'oUL'' atlection all who caiih
within the s|)herc of his inlluence. ]|e was a man i I
the most in(lefatiij:al)le and industrious habits, ot'<>;re;ii
persevtrance, enter[jrisc, and personal couraj^c ; and it
may be said that no man with a diiferent chariictf i
c(»uld have accompiished. in those days, obje<*ts sdi
roun(le<l with su«'h perverse ditticulties. Betbre hi-
deatli, after fourteen vears' labor, he had founded tin
jiresidio of Monterey an<l pueblos of San iloso and L">
An-icles, and ijaihered nearly <i,<>90 savage Indian-
ini-o nine of the- [afterwards j wealthiest miss'otis of tin

untry
His o-

overument was fru''Jii,

thrifi

an<

J fi

W( ll-dirtieted eiiei-uv; for at his death the live-st

(M>

f the

-tablishni'iits number* d nearlv 20.000 hea.

and the tiacliinu of tlu' ]»iiests was takitijf deep m anish «i;ovci'mni lit. I i i-
life was ])ubliNh«'d in Mexico, in I7."7. undi-r th

lowniLT title

a I

id a liiiililv curi

«»u.«

a! Ml

(

interest 'II''

book it is to those wh(*-e Kouh-, are not »lto<j^i'tl
oixcn t(» jiain. Ihhiriini Jll.shinra «lr hi Vnia 1/ .1

'' '/

tulictts Tanaailrl Votcnihlr I^mhr F. J(inq)ero .S r/'
(!<• Idft MI^Hioiirs que fniulo ni hi f'tilijoritla acpteutri""*'^
y Anevos K.stuhlcviitiicithm ih' .}f<iti(rn ij: en'r'Ui jkh" If.
Frintn'sra I'dhm. linprti'd ii> M/'xivit, pur I>int l-'il'jx'

U Yj

tu:

'",'/" .'/ ^htiiviro^.

I7b7

T<j one great miml, imi)Ued with the loftiest pi la

XIISSION OF SAX cXRLOS.

173

lUitl roll
inissioii-
>ur tl\< u
t'ouiul'i'
bich i'^-

lU'VoU'li*'*'

I'lifrosity.
■„.s, \vM«ii
who ciiii'^
* a mail 'I

i(r(« ; and it
■ rliavi»«'t' »

Bcfoiv 1;'-
ouutl'd t'"
>so aiul 1' "'
crc Intliiiii-
cvtons oi til'

laud l"uH -*
le iivc-st<" i"
lo.OOO lua.i.
If ill r\» >■•' ''

not y' ■'; ■
l„Ur til. ' •'■

illtrivsl'ii.:

jlltO'^^'^^"''

\i<la H ■'.''

[sfp/r/i/n-"" '
■r'/(» J""' '. '•

Laiest I'll"

Inn

( iplrs of «'f>iulu(t, and (lirectetl with «^roat rlroinnsjH'c-
titpii and cncrixy, di> wu owe th(; t'oinahitiou of tlio
structure of our Pacitic enipirr, wliicli has, within lour

\ ca

IS, sliakcn to the roots old system

an<

•nncMilrs.

iii>tfd and hardened by the past «;,0()0 vi ars. I!)

Si>\\l(|

the

secti

1, and

wo reap the fruit; hut who can
t. II wliat a dav will hrinu- forth ^

■ We now concludi' a fcrhlc atten)])t t<» s]<rtrh the
lil'i of a iX''»'at and y;(»od man, but at the same time an

lill!

!ui>l,' eathoMc missionary.

To 1

tim is {'alifoniia

!wii \{>i' indel>te<l for a perju'tual monument in the at-
t'letioiis of lier people; lor thouj^h hitlu-rto known hy
fame to hut few of the present new raei ini!a!Mtin<^^
lifP lieautii'ul valleys, and dij^vini'; in her snow-e;ipj»ed
iiieuntains, and scareely heard of out of the records
nf the Sj)anish ratholie church of Mexico ami ('a!i-
r'oniia, the )iiore necessary is it to hold up to men, in
these -greedy times, the imitation of so rai-e a person.

"Siiwt' the jiresent hislMtj) of Monterey lias assumed
hisiiUice, search has he» IT made iu the ( 'armelo juissinn
t'»r thi place where the l»ody n{' Junipei-i. Seira wiss
l.iid : liiit from the loss of nian\' of the mi>sifin i'ect't(!>.

lUiu none now !i\ mil,' in

Mont

er«'V who Wel'e ah\e at

tlie time of his death, it has heen without su

ccess

In lh( present period. Ihe spot when- our Xelielalih'

f'lUiiiler first said mass in Monterey in I7()ti is still
traditionally pointed out hy the old Sj»anish nati\<s

y »!,

town

Tim- simply, though not win illy without redundancy

\ni| III n I iir assumption, one bnitm r recites

the I

I'aisi s o

uMiitlier. It was i»i ISj2 that this sketch was printed
in t'n San Fraii'isco llcroUI. •■dite<l hy that hriLjht
little [risli catholic, .Tohii Xu^ent. t )ne hnmlted
\tars ai'ter Serra's death, his devoteil hrethien are
:it\\utk eiideav()rin'_j to restore th(> old mission church
"t San ( arlos, in the ( 'armek) \alley, iindei- whose
^l''lli tlae;s the hody of the Xtiieiahle plcsidi lit v'.as
liiiii at, rest.
'■' M' the tw''n'^\-<inc missioii-." t!iese brethren ^o on

ill

i:t

orr()si\(; FoiicES.

i! i

to sjjy, ''c'staMlsliocl in C'alifonila, n I'lW iivc well prc-
sorv('<l, otluTs art' in ruins, and ui' sonit; nut a vcstiii/o
is lelt to mark tlic; sjiot wlicrc tlioy ont't- .sto(»»i, T!if
nK)st pi('tur('8(|no and poetic of tluse lii.stoiic l.uitl-
niarks of »»ur state, ami tlu- nohlcst work of I*adn'
Serra, is tlio old stone eliurcli of San Carlos, at Car
nulo; and. it is a sad. speetaele and a reproaeli to Cali-
fornia to see tiiis veneral)l»' pili." sharing the coinnniii
fati' and slowly cnunhlini; into dust."

Sena was a o-o<»d and great man ; s<»me oi" his sur-
cesso's were <4ood men; sonu; of them were not -n
ijfoud. The ehmate of Califortiia is dati_L;< rims to jwi-
sivc piety. Th«! <jf<»ld o\' California is ne\er fnunfl
jH rfei tly pure. I'here was no mistakin«j;' the mate ii:il
of which Sei'ra was made. A I'uniaee cannot emit a
iervent heat and not lie ^liowini^' hot within. 1 lowt \ . i'
mill! his h<art an<l mind, in his veins i-an imt altuMcihi r
milk and hoiuy. Early Jiict}'' is not always the n^-t
lastinu". Thouuh he could not hoast a life sanetith d
by yovithful sins, oi- even youthful suH< rini;s, tin i<
was somethin«_f nxtre than piety in Seira's Califoiii a
life — there was wtalth and power, powir and weahii
tor tlic church, of course the almiL,dity n<»t having
retrtin<d a^ nuieh jn'opei'ty on this planet when !■
nuMJe it as he now desired to have — and lor Jumi" !■•
liim-<lf. Hie piumised transformation into (»oo linna-
nn nt .-"tars, t»r one of the hest positions in h«aven. at
his option.

T!io indifleri-nce of tln^ S{)aniar(ls early in .\m' rira
to 8uff«'rin<j;, an<l to w«»men, may he traced din etlv to
their loiii; reliL^dous wai. Tiny nuisf accustom tin ni-
selves to cruelty, War liein^- so ci-m i; and aei u>toii(. d
to iiitlict cruelty, they mu.^t aeeustom themselves t"
hear it. And as for women, tame, indeed. mu>t !•
earthlv forms, fit only lor t-arthU use, heside hei- w loiu
they w«jrship in hea\en her for whom they fi'^ht a'nl

die, .'.,'.

hut this i-efiLjious loyalty. whi<h in California was
of the first consetpu'uce HI pi-omutiny the diaciphni- "I

JUNII'KIU/S SL'» clXSi )US.

17ft

wA\ I'l'o-

)IU' l.iutl-
ot* ra«i»c
s, at C 'lu-
ll to Cali-

,,r \iis su' -
iir iK't ■"

I, not i'Uiil :i
llowt \> r

italto-til" r
ys tin" lU'-t,
tV' sauftiti"!

s Calit*'vn.;i

11. »t buM ••-:
, t wli«n 1
r,.r Jumi" •
o COO liviiia-

11 hi av. n, at

• ill Aii\' 1 ' '
id iliit •«•'''>
uslt'in 111'"'

Iht'insi'lv"^ '
c'.l. nivi-' '

L.y ti:j;\.t "■"'

hilifornia wu^

botli pru'sts n\u\ snklii-rs, :tiHl so stTuriiiLj uiiaiiimity
of j>ur|n)st' an<l unity of action, \w would Imrdly look
\\,r it f" contiiuu' tlii"ou;;,liout tin- <-«'iituiT. Ixiu^; so liir
K ni'Afd fVoiM tlic Houicc of' sujiply. and tin- authors

ol .111 tins wildfi'iu'ss n»a<4nilu'<'iirt' Ik inj^ •

dead.

nil' was wiicn a mans nioials, or ins it|iij^u»us Im

lit I", jifU't'tctl liis jMCuniarv endit, and >till iiioic liis
jilillity to hold oHicf; hut now tin* Itankt r thus not
;i-k of his custoiniT who wishis to hoirow iiiomy what
his opinion may l»r in i\'i;ard to thf immai-ulatt' con-

>tion.

d I

I Voiced i)V science. iciit;ioii iind i^ovirn

iiniit arc no lonurr aiiic

oialit V an<

I iclii;

ion Were

.luiiipero's stock in trade; and e\t ry tihie ot' his nafuic
was so imhued with them that, in the suhju"u;ation oj
the wilderness, a handiul of men under jiis o-uidance
was c(|ual to an army under tin direction ot' aimther.
Xoitliward he marched, hi<;'ii, holy, and Hcreiic, hi.-
inind and attitude as (iod's (Jahrii 1. j'l.intin;^ at intei-
\ lis those i^reat nKMiuineiits to hi> laith. which hence-

Initji Were to stand there in tlcir monotonous inllueiice

like the lireakillLf ot' time Wa\«'S on the shore of ete|--

liltV

yreat

ocean.

llul alas! .lunfperos succ«'S.sors were not all lil
liiiii. As a lule. they could not Ik- called liaii«lsome
iiieii. or men of reline<l f«-elin</s, or ureat intellect, er
sujMrrmc morality. Hut in the eye> of thiir tloek
w'liitl Well' they \\ hateVer Iheycliose to he. ( )\.r

liH'ir whitewashed wild ones they e\ei-ci>ed a too
I'lU I'ful inllueiice. in theii- features earths defor-
mity and heaven's «li\ inity met : so that althoU'^h they
iiii'jlit 1)0 the most ill favored of men. tiny ueie yet
till' most iuautil'iil of heiiiLj.^. I»y their looks and
lite arul teachinLjs, and hs these alone in (he minds

k; hunple .savaefes, must he shaped hcaxciis eter

ale si I ill MX

lull '4lory,just as cosmoMdnie coiic«'piioii.-
''V .innate ami conliouration.

.luiii|iero was a man of ^^reat wiii-powtr and enei'^fy
N't who could not exercisi- will and ener<_ry. knowing'
tliat the almi''litv walkid l>v his sitje to hear him up

\i->.i

i ifl

170

Ol'POSlXt; FORCES.

or pitcli liitn into ]i<>av<'ii in case hv fill. Ch-ii'Dud
ami awt'd as wc arc l»y tlu' artivc nianifcstatioiis ot
tuicc ill iiatuiT, We an- none tla- l«ss iiiturustcd in
watcliin^' tlic »ii('i';/y <»t' artinfi in num. EhxjiU'Mco is
iiitrllcct al»la/o; aiul wliat is lafkiiijL,^ in intellect may
oi'ttii Im> mad*' 11)1 in doL^matic dtM-lamation, in l(>u<l-
niuntlicd notliinL(s, aial \vliinin<^ly wimiin*^ NvayH, at
tfnd»d i»y nnisi'ular ontspiLJulinj^, air Kcatinj^, aixl
.swratinj^. Boys will nui to we a doji^.tiirlit, and mm
and wonu'ii will tlork to stc a man tiulit, cvtMi tliouuh
lir liavr no otluT adviisai-y than an imaginary dcx il.
Xcvcrtlu'K'ss, tlicy ucif ]»rlic.uis in tli«'ir i>ii'ty, tlitsc
siU-.sacTiHcinj^ ratlurs of the cliunli, and were always
ready if auccssaiy to t'cc'd their young with tluir own
i)lood.

I'litsts and |iiety, as a suhject, must ever present i
ehaptt r of e<»ntiadieti<»ns. lniat;ination is nnn'«' oft in
powcit'nl than reality. The lathers were sehooled in thr
invsteries of the iina<4ination, and now thev must tem li

lell' (liselples

l»V till! o\-erheat«'<l /eal of the ('liii>

tian li^lit tin ir souls were setii'ehed fis tilt ii" skin> l.-nl
heen liy the gloi-i(»us sun's ellidjijent hi'i'^htiiess. ,Miii
gled ^^ ith his prayers weiv <j^i-oa,ns, tears, eon\ ulsion-.
('|osin<^' his eyes to this woild. h." opened them n|

a world of ilhisioi

IS.

n jipoealyptic vision was t

ii ward of e\riy fastin;jr. Ilrll and liravi-n opened tn
them; anj^els tunecl their lyits to earthly strain.s, and
Hunds whis|)erfd in their ears. Paul and J»»hn and
their |i;itron father appeai'ed ;ind hijd eonvi-rst* w itli
thein. The hopping of a toatl was as signitieant tn
them of ( Jod's will as was the kneeling <A' hise.initl
to .Mohammed. The laws of (Jod they could inli r-
piet and act upon as they pleased; heiico it was (lie
law of exigency, and the laws of nature held gre.itir
sway o\er the actions of the missionaries than tin
laws of Spain «ir Mexico. Tlu' history of that civili-
zation to which We hclong is a !ii>tory of scculaii/a-
tions. The church wraps ancient learning in a luipUii

rHAU.UTKR OF TIIK MISSIOXAUIKS.

177

ltio»\s oi
estr«l in

Irct u»»y

\\\ lovul-
ways, at
tin;^', at»<l
, ami iu» II

lary tli'^'^
\oty, thi^-*-
i-ri' alway-*
I tlu'ir own

Uiol't' "**' "
lOol.'tllHtli''

f ill.- r^"'^-

urss. M>"-
,.,,\iviilsi<'ii-
tluni u\«'Ui
i,.n was ll"
■ 11 o\H'»»t 'i '"
strains, :iii'l
a John i>'"l

UlVi'VSr NVltl'

of li'iH raiii'l

colllil >'>'''■
. it was lilt'

\u>l.l K'''''V'"
..s tUiin il'y

,r Ihaf'^'^'-
I,f in a niM'l^>»

;iii(l lavs it awav; sint-o wliicli tiino tlu' iM<'i'nuitv of
iii.iM lias Im'cij t'in|>l()y«'«l to .strip oft' the rovniii^s, anil
|i t tin- lit^lit sliino forth. All things <lfsirahlo lia\ iiit;

1 atid ai»|)roj)riatt'«l hy tlu!

.11 j»n»iioun('('

sacrci
. 1' iLTy. tlitiT must he rostitutn)ii.

S.cU

L'lH't!

WV 1

ia\(! tin

larizatiou of i'vcrvthini;, from tlu; couvi-nts of
iliiitiju' to thr missions of Alta California.

Tlic niin<ls of (hxl's nuiiistrrs w«ri' constnu'trd
u\fi>\\ tin* <;hastly skclcttui of ahstra<'t r«li:^ious coii-
t< iii]>liitioii and <'«>n>monious homage as ])ro[>itiatory (>i
otl'i ruled dtitv. As to r«'al knt)wledi't', tla-v ha<l none.
Tin; orarh's of this ehiiri'h, tlic j)rt.'cci)ts of th»' fatlu-rs,
rt' to tla-m portry, philosophy, and s^'itMuc. In
rldlv wisdom tlit-v wtrr wist- to salvation. Poor in

t'S.

Wet

this wcdld's ijoods thry wrvv rich in heavenly tirasui
N'nr wrr»' tlii'V without a <'odlv prido. Tlu-v wt-ro
|iii'ud in tlu'ir hujnility, ])ioud <»f their sclf-ahascmont,
^i;it<'ful in their <-ontemplati«)ns, inllexihl»> in their
|ii iiitcnce, and sa<j^a<'ious in their passion. Soft as
Ar.iliy s air htlojc tlieir maker, tluy were cruel as
lili'.Ml-liounds to his disol t'dient suhjt'«-ts. ( )f the lij^ht,
iiiiiil>t( I nii,' an_i,^ls; of the darkness, fiends. They
\\'\,' <-ruel to he kind, at least so they fancied, us
kitidly ( ruel, tluiso soul-savris, as the sui%'eon who
<in>!iiid kills his victim in no hlood-thirsty or riv« n^e-
t'lil iiiood. And to this end emotion must he sacrilieid

tn motive

ll(

erou! and couiaL,''fous as tliev wtii

t!n.>e (jU.llities Were often seen to fade hefore the svill-

|>:itlictic and humane

riit'V hail come from afar, and liv a toil.soi

Me w;i\'

iH \' r nu'U struggled .so hard to acliieNt' martyi'doni.
\\ ' t' there no anijels at their own dotus to ent< ilaiii,
ii" whiter, nearer souls to nawf ()r is it that the re-
ward is in propurtion to the elfort rather than to ,suc.
'■'"^-' Surely there Were Worse men ill Sp;iiii for
wli '111 Christ died than these harmless lote-eaters.

>iit 111 Spam every man who.se soul was woi-tli s.i\ m^
iii.;l I hiive a priest of his own if he liked. They
VMv plenty en<»UL,di, and idle eiKamh. Hut tliiit was
( u. r\HT., Vol.. I. r;

!|'l

Ori'osiXi; FoHChS.

}.J

t<»<> rasy; i]\vuy Wi'vr lands wlicro cliristiaiiity v.as
not sn (i\(T«l(»ii«'. Too Ljfcat pro .|M'rity is a»H't»uiitt i|
ratlur ail <'vil than a Mcssini;; , ir(MKl dot-s not )»uni>!i
lie Is nui'snij^ his wralh. I^iki; I^Ml^i;.^), kinj^ «it
Spain, wlioni hy way of* prnanc*; tiio hermit consi^^m ,|
to a cavo filled with snukrH and li/tmls, which, niiiar-
uIon>iy restrained, tor days would not toueh liiin;
(lod would n(»t a«cej)t the sacrifice, would not (\iii
permit his servant the pleasure of hein^; eaten hy holy
nptiles; hut finallv one day, as the hermit, who h.i'l
heeii jiassin;^ the ni:j;ht in prayer, <'ame to him, he juy-
f'ully e\t lainied, "Thtyrjit mcnowl they eat me now I
I f'rrl the adder's hitt;!" And so t'orj^iven, his sins
atoned, rejoic'inj^dy lit^ dies.

It was the AuLTUstan a;^c of* missions, this, when the
Ljood tlun(pon> lived and died; all savaucedom must l-r
placed on the sto(tl <tf' re|»entance. An<l theirs w i>
the JiiMM (lictine nmtto, ( tra if UOiunt. I*ray ainl
woik -especially pray. If* work was too fatii^niinj.
prayer was tiasy and always effectual ; for if it hrou^l.t
not the <lesir<'d hlessin:^, it seemed none the less satisl\ -
in<4; to the sup|)liant. They wlu> invoked the aid nt
luaven aNcrted «*alamities, and htouj^ht tlown \<ii-
L',eance upon the enemies of tlu; nati»tn. It was tiny
who soothetl the <lyin;^, l»r<>u;.;ht paidon for sins, .iml
pi-ocure«l eternal happiness for the soul. liut iiiiitllil
he \ <>ui' j(»v, let vour triumph he low toncil, yom- li' lU
rin;4 out their peals in whisp«'rs, and yourifuns ImIImu-
ill noiseless puffs, for the souls that here should nn'st
rejoice have shot lu-yond the ether 1

ulty \v:m
ri'i>uut» <l
»t |mMi>li

•h, miiat-

UfU liiiii;

not (N'll

'II liy li"'iy
, who liail

m, ii»' .!">-
II, lii> ^^n'"*

I, wIh'M tlir

iin must I"'
tlicifs w.i-
l>niy iniil

> t:iti';,'uiii'i.

f it l»v<Hi:j,l.t
l^.ss siitis'.'y-

i\\v iiitl "'

Jown \>"-
It was til' y
'nr sin>. "'"'
I5ut iiiulll"l

.^iiiis IhII'iW
JiuiuUl in">t

CHAPTER VI.

COLKKN A<;K ok rALIIORNlA.

Ami ('%'(!!■ aKiiiuMt isttiii;; caruii
Litjt MIL' ill ttiift Lytliiku iiira.

— 1,'AUnjm.

First tlio fJoldtn A<;t', and tluu tlio \\fv ot'dold.
11<»\\ dilKr«ntI And yi't Itctwcfii tlu' end and ln--
'^iiiniii":; <»f a drcade Caldornia j^ivis us a s|K'('inM n
lit' each, Nvliirli brii'f ptilttd jin'scnts two I'pisodt s
nt" society till' history of tlio world cannot parallel.
Ilotli wt'ro oi'i^inal, hoth |»h('nonn'nal ; and so dostly
ii|ion the Im'cIs of one follow»>d the otlu-i", that lor an
iu>tant hoth wvxv on tho t-roimd at the same time,
iliit onlv lor an instant. The lamh may 1k' di»wn
with tilt! lion, and j>eratlventiii'e escape heint^ eaten;
ii'it so with tho mild find ni'rveless inhahitant of
SHiitherii ( 'alifornia, and the wild, tigerish jLTold-seeker
scenting; the metal iroin afar.

It was when the j^old-seekeis canu' that tiiis t^olden
aire of California wasdestinetl to he alloyed with hras> ;
I"!' not tho ii\f{i of »^old was ( 'alifornia's trui' Ljolden a^e.
Tlit^ ai^(! of 1,'old was tho 'a\*v of avarico, tho ago of hiii-
t.il iMurdi'rs, of wild nuloness and insano revellinus.
More riearlv resemhlin;' the <'Uthanasia of the ancients

as the pastoral lifo precetling the fimling of th

Sit ria's treasures. Xover hofor

o or since was

thel'i

a pi't, in America whore life was a long liappy holi-
• lay. where there was less lahor, less care or trouhle,
>ii' li as the old-tiino jrolden aije under Cronos or
Saturn, the gathi'ring o{ nature's fruits heing tin

' ^1

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

IIM 1112.5

'i^ IIM IIIII2.2

2.0

1.8

1.25 1.4

.4 6" -

►

Hiotographic

Sciences

Corporation

23 WES rMAIIl STREET

WEBSTEIi.M Y. 14S80

(716) 873-4503

«?

. -&

180

GOLDEN AGE OF CALIFORNIA.

chief burden of life, and death coming without decay,
hke a gentle sleep.

To constitute a true golden age, there must be pres-
ent certain conditions. Though there need be no
great riches, there must be enough, so that all may
live in plenty. Never were so many men in America
so rich as now ; yet no one would think of calling this
a golden age. We lack the true sources of happiness —
innocence and contentment — essential to a golden age.
We indulge too much in luxury and vice to please the
gods, and so we are cursed with crimes, political and
social. A golden age must be a time of truth, of
right, and reason, and universal moderation. Men
must be satisfied and women virtuous. Women must
be satisfied and men honest.

Half-way between savagism and civilization, Cali-
fornia's pastoral days swept by, midst the dreamy rev-
eries of a race half-way between the proud Castilian
and the lowly root-digger of the Coast Range valleys.
How much of culture, wealth, refinement, morals, and
religion does it take to make men the most miserable ?
Gold fi r use must have alloy ; in the golden age there
is no alloy. It is not for use, a golden age, but for
enjoyment. Savagism suffers too greatly from heat
and cold, from hunger and a too deep debasement.
Savagism has no golden age; if it had, it would not
be savagism; yet the naked wild man, when he is
happy, is very happy ; he has his periods of heavenly
bliss, but they are too short and fitful, and the inter-
vals are filled with a too deep despondency.

But let not civilization boast overmuch. What
though savages are ignorant and lazy lotos-eaters,
there is not a fancied benefit civilization has that is
not dearly paid for. As for ignorance, there is plenty
of it left; they who read writings in the sky are not
half so learned as they fancy. And as for energy,
had we less of it, smaller penitentiaries would answer,
and there would be fewer people at large who ouylit
lo be in them. A man rolls up his five or fifty million

WEALTH AND WISDOM.

Ifl

t decay,

be pres-
[ be no
all may
America
ling this
>piness —
Iden age.
lease the
itical and
truth, of
)n. Men
naen must

bion, Cali-
eamy rev-
[ Castilian
[Te valleys,
lorals, and
miserable ?
age there
re, but for
from heat
basement,
would n(»t
hen he is
f heavenly
the intei-

and dies; what is he the better for it all, or any oue
else? Peupeumoxmox, the savage, struggled nobly
for the welfare of his people, and died. Peter Funk,
tlio millionaire, struggled bravely for himself, for Mrs
Funk, and the little Funks, and they all died. There
are many Funks abroad, and they are getting thicker
and less worshipful every day; but only once in a
lifetime do we meet with a Peupeumoxmox, either
savage or civilized.

The human race is yet in its childhood. This planet,
which for thousands of ages has been preparing for
man, is but just now ready — is, indeed, not wholly
finished The six thousand or sixty thousand years
of infancy have barely sufficed to rid the best of us of
our swaddling-clothes ; a large portion of mankind yet
wear them, or wear none. Manhood, with its earnest
labors, is dawning upon us; the mind is just beginning
to think, and the hands to work. Nature in some
slight degree is being laid under contribution; already
we annihilate space, walking by steam and talking by
electricity. Yet everything to man is crude, unde-
veloped, and ill defined. Our religion is mixed with
superstition, our politics with selfishness, our morality
with fashion, and of science we know next to nothinjr.
It is only in a simple and quiet life that the soul finds
ail antidote to the materialism of engrossing intercourse
with the world, and is able to place itself en rapport
with nature and the supernatural.

After California's golden age and age of gold comes
tlie age of silver, into the mysteries of which we will
not attempt at this time to penerate. What, then, is
there here a deterioration? In many respects, yes.
Men have enough in the silver age, but they are not
satisfied. The bronze age is a time of violence, of
wars and misdeeds. Is it progress when social, poli-
tical, and commercial morals sink into the depths 1 Is
it j)r()gress when men rise from the ground and through
lying and chicanery get hold of the people's money,
organize iniquitous and grinding monopolies for tlie

we- GOLDEN AGE OF CALIFORNIA.

purpose oi extorting from a too long suffering and
patient people more money? Is it progress wlien all
tlie world, like silly sheep, rush to the gamblhig pools
of swindling manipulators of shares?

The heroic age — none such has yet appeared on
those shores. We have had heroes enough, braver
and better than any who lead armies to battle, or in-
dividually excel in the art of manslaughter — heroes
who conquer self, who put under foot their baser pas-
sions, who toil on all through a weary life, self-denying,
self-sacrificing for some good and worthy object, for
wife and children, God bless them, for the right,
for humanity, for something better than the mere
heaping up of money as a soul-substitute. An age of
heroes, yes; but beware the age heroic; likewise the
brazen age, still more the ages of iron, stone, and clay,
ages of deep debasement to w ich we know not but
wo may be unconsciously drifting.

The shepherd of the pastoral age is not the shep-
herd of to-day. On the gently sloping hillside, under
the outspread, bearded oak, sat the shepherd of pastoral
(lays, gazing out upon the liquid crystal, and watching
his Hocks as month after month they continued to wax
fat and increase. Serene his thoughts, and some-
times mighty ; mighty and serene as those of tiieir
herds, as they lay upon the warm, dry grass ruminat-
ing. The shepherds of to-day are wolves; the people
are their silly sheep, which they fatten but to devour.
Shepherds of the pastoral times knew something of
astronomy, and were full of piety to the gods. The
shepherds of to-day know how to salt a mine, how to
discriminate in freights and fares, how to keep up the
price of sugar, of flour, how to swindle, cheat, and lie;
they, too, are full of piety; there is no god like their
god, and his name is Mammon.

It was in rather humble guise that church and
state came marching hand in hand up along the ocean
border, two or three priests representing the one, and
twice or thrice as many soldiers the other. It was

MISSION-PLANTING.

183

enough, however, considering the power behind and
the impotence before them; not to mention the al-
mighty maker of the universe and the king of Spain,
or their legions in heaven and in Europe, there were
colleges and convents enough in Mexico to quite con-
found Satan, who flourished in a mild form in these
parts. There was the college of Zacatecas, with mis-
sions in Chihuahua and Durango; the college of San
Fernando in Mexico, with missions in Alta Califor-
nia. The Franciscans also had missions in Sonora,
Slnaloa, and Texas; the Dominicans in Guadalajara,
Durango, and Zacatecas ; and the Augustinians, Car-
melites, and Mercenarios, with the others, over nearly
all Spanish America.

After several expeditions by water and a thorough
examination of the country along the shore, sites
al)out fifteen leagues apart were selected for missions,
which should be heavenly mile-stones and temples of
God in the wilderness, resting-places of hospitality and
devotion for the wayfarer; and for the fat padres who
should dwell therein, acting as middle-men between
(iod and his creatures, they were marks of merit for
stripes, humility, and services rendered, and foretastes
of heaven. Thanks, cowled priests; but ages before
you brought hither your not too lc)vely persons, there
was not a foot of this lotos-land from San Diego Bay
to San Francisco that had not its living temple to
God, be it a pebble, a flower, or a horned toad.

In the selection of mission sites, care was taken to
be not far from a landing for ships, and yet not so
near that their Indians would be contaminated by
the evil influence of soldiers and sailors. There must
be water at hand, some tillable land, and a fair extent
of pasturage.

The work of conversion was quickly begun and
went bravely on. In due time mission buildings were
erected, and settlers came in and clustered near the
presidio, thus forming towns, many of which remain
to this day, some having grown into respectable cities.

GOLDEN AGE OF CALIFORNIA,

1'^

To the first one built in this northernmost section
of Spain's heathen fields was given the name of San
Diego, probably in honor of San Diego de Alcald,
who was a saint sprung from the Franciscan order.
It was founded on the IGth of July, 1769, according
to the record of the foundation appearing on its first
book of baptisms, "at the expense of the catholic
monarch, Don Carlos III.,rey de las Espaiias, whom
God prosper, defrayed under most ample authority
from his Excellency Don Carlos Francisco de Croix,
Marquds de Croix, present viceroy, govenu>r, and
captain-general of this New Spain, by the most Illustri-
ous Don Joseph de Galvez, of the council and clianibcr
of his Majesty in the royal and supreme of the Indies,
intendent of the army, and visitador general of this
Nueva Espana, by the religious of said apostolic col-
lege, San Fernando of Mexico."

Its first ministers were the father preacher Friar
Junipero Serra, president, and the father preacher
Friar Fernando Parron, apostolic preachers of said
college of San Fernando of Mexico, associated with
the father preacher Friar Juan Vizcayno, appointed
to the foundation of another mission.

The book from which these extracts were taken
replaced the originals commenced at the foundation,
and which were destroyed during an Indian revolt
in 1775, together with other books and papers, the
church ornaments, sacred vessels, houses, and uten-
sils of the mission. It appears that up to the 5tli of
November, 1775, 470 adults and children had been
baptized.

The mission was first established on the hill or
beach afterward occupied by the presidio at the port
of San Diego, which the natives called Cosoy. It
was subsequently transferred, in August 1774, to
another site up the river, two leagues distant, known
among the natives as Nipaguay, where the destriK -
tion took place. The authors of the revolt were gvn-
tiles and neophytes from upwards of 70 rancher las

MISSION SAN DIEGO.

or villages, and in overwhelming numbers assaulted
the mission, which they partly plundered, and mostly
burnt, wounding the corporal and three soldiers of
the mission guard, and killing a carpenter, Jose Ur-
sc'lino, a blacksmith, Josd Manuel Arroyo, and the
missionary Friar Luis Jaume; his fellow-missionary.
Friar Vicente Fuster, and another blacksmith, Felipe
Komero, miraculously escaping with life. Fathers
Scrra and Parron had charge of the mission to about
tlie middle of April 1770, when Serra departed to
found a mission at Monterey, leaving in his place
Friar Francisco Gomez, Father Vizcayno having re-
turned to Mexico via Lower California. Parron and
Gomez administered the religious and temporal affairs
of the mission for more than a year, when, owing
to sickness, one returned to Lower California, and the
other went away by sea to Mexico. It was then that
the president appointed to succeed them Friar Fran-
cisco Dumetz and Luis Jdunie, who had recently
arrived in California, together with eight others, by
sta. Dumetz remained there a year, and was then
transferred to Monterey, being succeeded by Friar
Juan Crespf, who had been till then Serra's compan-
ion at tlie San Cilrlos. In September 1772, Crespf
was returned to Monterey, and replaced by Friar
Toiniis de la Pena, who remained in the mission till
September 1773, when Father Fuster took his place
hy appointment made by the vice-president of the
mission. Father Francisco Palou, who acted in the
}ilace of Father Serra, absent in Mexico. Jdunjc was
murdered, as we have seen. It seems that, besides
tlie fathers already named, Friars Pablo Mugdrtegui,
^liguel Sanchez, Gregorio Amurrio, and Fermin
Fiancisco de Lasuen had visited the mission and oc-
casionally officiated.

It was the river of San Diego on which the mis-
sion was placed, a brave enough stream when flushed
with the rains of winter, but sinking into the simds of
humility in summer. If there is anywhere a fairer

186

GOLDEN AGE OP CALIFORNIA.

patch of earth and sea than here extends for fifty miles
in every direction, it has yet to be found. The soil,
though not so rank as to fill the air with noxious va-
p(jrs arising from redundant vegetation, is still rich
enou<jh for the breedinjr of a noble race. The ocean

• • •

sits here in calm majesty, unruflied by the cold winds
of the north, or the sweltering fumes of the steam-
ing south, while the sky above offers the shortest
open roadway to heaven. An area forty miles square
was placed under tribute, and soon the flocks of the
missionaries in charge of the whitewashed savages
covered the rocky hills. All was serenity hereabout
for the fat and sanctified cattle until the year of
grace 1830.

According to the records of the mission, the
number of baptisms of all classes therein and in the
presidio to the 14th of June, 18-4G, of which any evi-
dence appeared, was 7,126, including those eftccted
])rior to the 5th of November, 1775, when the church
and books were destroyed; the number of marriages to
April 30, 1846, the date of the last entry, 2,051, from
the date of the foundation. Friar Vicente Pascual
Oliva, the last priest at San Diego, went to San
Luis Key when the forces of the United States land-
ed at the port in 1846; when they reached San Luis,
he transferred himself to San Juan Capistrano, where
he died. The last entry of deaths was in May 1831,
to which date the number of burials was 4,156; the
£-;con'] book of the mission was not in the parish
church toward the end of 1877, and must have been
lost. The book of interments, which replaced the one
burnt by the Indians in 1775, shows on its first entry
the following facts: " Of the crews of said vessels," San
Antonio, alias El Principe, and the San Carlos, alias Kl
Toy 80)1, " and chiefly of the second, many arrived
severely suffering from scurvy, or mal de loanda,
and of them died one half of the detail of twenty -five
volunteer soldiers of Catalonia, who with their lieu-
tenant, Don Pedro Fdg(!S, had come by sea upon the

FROM THE MISSION BOOKS.

said San Cdrlos ; so that within a few months aftor the
foundation of the mission the account of deaths showed
tlif number of them to have exceeded sixty, to all of
Avlioni, but one boy, were administered the sacraments
of penitence, communion, and extreme unction."
Father Serra, not being able to remember all the
iianios, omitted to mention any, contenting himself
'with praying to God, our Lord, that the names of
all of them be inscribed in heaven, and their souls per
^Misoricordiam Dei requiescant in pace, Amen. "

Good men died there, and were buried in the mis-
sion church, for all good men die, though all may not
l)t' buried in sanctified ground. On the l*JtIi of
])econiber, 1784, they buried Juan Figuer; Jaimary
30, 1800, Juan Mariner; August 29, 1807, Nicolas
Liizaro; July 2, 1812, Pedro Panto, supposed to have
Itfi'ii poisoned by his cook; October 19, 1838, Fernando
?»Iiutin. Father Vicente Pasqual Oliva, the last of
the missionaries who officiated at San Diego, died
at San Juan Capistrano January 2, 1848, and was
.s)l('ninly buried on the 29th.

I find that on October 30, 1824, an Indian was ex
<('ut('(l l)y shootint; for some crime not stated. SavaLi'e.':
wt'ic not usually honored b\'" a special shot, witii fire-
lock, powder, and ball. On April 23, 182G, an Indian
was executed who was an accomplice in killing tiiret.'
8oldi(>rs and a neophyte, all of whom, as well as the
ixocutod one, were buried bv Father Fernando Mar-
tin. A connnander did San Diego mission the honor
to die and be buried there, namely, Captain Jose
Alalia Estudillo, on the 9th of April,' 1830.

It was a ijfreat event at Mission San Dieoo, the con-
f?t'(>ration of a new church, the one latest existuig, on
the 1 2th of November, 1813, the day of San Diego.
Tilt" benediction took place on the 12th by Father Jose
Bai'ona, Father Geronimo Boscana preaching the ser-
mon. On the following day were transferred thereto
the remains of the missionaries Jiiume, Figuer, Mari-
ner, and Panto. The sermon was delivered by Friar

188

GOLDEN AOE OF CALIFORNIA.

Tomds Ahumada, a Dominican from Mission San
Miguel in Lower California. The ministers of the
mission at the time were Friars Jos^ Sanchez and
Fernando Martin.

A maj^nificent pile for one reared in the heart of
savagedom, and not by the hands of experienced arti-
sans, was that of San Luis Rey, north of San Diego,
and at a little distance from the sea. It was founded
by Father Peyrf in 1798. The buildings surrounded
a large square, in the centre of which played a foun-
tain, while the gardens were filled with fruits, and
tlie fields with grain and cattle. This Padre Antonio,
as Peyri was called, on his departure from the coun-
try, took with him two or three Indian boys, one of
whom turned priest and lived in Rome, lived a sainted
savage near the Vatican.

Northward the good men go, and on the site called
by the natives Sajirit, and also appearing as Quanis
Savit, found San Juan Capistrano, Father Presiticnt
Junipero Serra officiating on the 1st of Novembei",
1770, assisted by Father Gregorio Amurrio at royal
expense during the rule of Viceroy Bucareli, yck-pt
" insigne favorecedor de estos nuevos estableoimieti-
tos." Its first ministers were fathers Pablo de Mugar-
tegui and the aforesaid Amurrio. The mission held
fifteen leagues of and along the seaboard, extending
back to the mountains, which area was interspersed
with shady groves and fertile ravines, and covered
with herds of stock and fields of waving grain.

On the 7th of September, 1806, was consecrated to
the service of God a new church built by the ne(»-
phytes of stone and lime, with vaults. The con-
struction was begun on the 2d of February, 171)7,
and terminated in 1806. The benediction took place
on the day aforesaid by Father Estevan Tapis, presi-
dent of the missions, assisted by fathers Jos(5 de Mi-
guel and Josd Antonio de Urresti, ministers of Mission
San Miguel; Mdrcos Antonio de Victoria of Mission
Santa Bdrbara; Jose M. de Zalvidea of Mission San

CHURCH CONSECRATION.

Fornando; Antonio Peyrf of Mission San Luis Rey;
IV'tlio de 1m, Cueva of Mission San Jose; and Juan
Norburto de Santiay;o and Josd Fdura, ministers of
Sail Juan Capistrano. There were also present at
the inipt)sing ceremonies Lieutenant-colonel Jose Joa-
(luin de Arrillaga, governor of California, Muimel
Jlodriguez, captain commandant of San Diego, Lieu-
ti'iumt Francisco Maria Ruiz of the presidial com-
pany of San Diego, Joaquin Maitorena, aHeroz of
Santa Barbara, besides a large concourse of soldiers,
civilians, and neophytes of San Juan and the neighbor-
ing missions. On the 9th of the same month were
transferred to the new church, from the former one,
the bones of Father Vicente Fuster, minister of the
mission, wlio died on the 21st of October, 1800. He
\vas, it will be remembered, the companion of Father
Jiiiune at San Diego in November 1775, at the tinie
the soul of Jdume was set free by the natives. All
this was not enough to intimidate a terrible earth-
quake, which cracked the walls and rattled down the
rafters and stones, killing forty-three persons, and se-
riously injuring a nmcli larger number. This mark
of tlie Almighty's displeasure occurred on the 8th of
December, 1812.

Here let me relate a miracle. No one who ever
lived and worshipped God in California better deserves
a name in history and a place in heaven than Padre
Jose Maria Zalvidea. He was a missionary Martin
Luther, if such a monstrosity could be conceived of,
eminent in talents, virtues, and efficient services, par-
ticularly in the development of the material resources
of San Gabriel and other mission districts. He
greatly loved to engage in hand-to-hand conflict with
his archenemy, Satan, at whom he would scream,
kick, and incontinently spar with his fists, until the
devil was so frighten^ he dare not come near him.
After that he would mellow, like a great l"mp of sweet
cream, into the rich milk of human kindness.

(Jnc day in the spring of 1841, while the pious

190

GOLDEN AOE OF CALIFORNIA.

father was blessing San Juan Capistrauo by li'is j;rrs-
cnco, he walked out among the cattle, his eyes fixed
upon his holy book, his soul communing with heaven.

** Have a care, good father," shouted a vaqu(!ro.

"He for whom God cares, my son, himself netd
have no care," cahnly replied the priest, as he raised
his eyes and encountered the threatening attitude of a
mad bull. Then lowering them to his book again, Ik;
continued his reading, turninij neither to the ri^l.t
hand nor to the left. The beast bellowed lustily; tlio
fatlier began to sing a hymn. The beast tore up the
earth with its feet, throwing dirt upon the sacred ves-
tures of the priest. Then the animal charged upon
the padre, while all who saw it held their breath in
horror, feeling sure that the next moment the good
man would be gored to death.

"Peace, peace, malignant spirit!" the father said
and smiled; "come, come, wouldst thou throw dirt
on me?"

The mad bull paused, then raised its head, droppt d
its tail, and trotted away to another part of the field,
overcome by the power of God and the magic of ti
good man's voice.

The mission San Gabriel Arcdngel, near Los An-
geles, was founded at royal expense, pursuant to ordii s
of Viceroy Marques de Croix and the visitador-general
of New Spain, Joseph de Galvez, by Father Junii>ei()
Serra, president of the missions, on the 8th of Sep-
tember, 1771. Its first ministers were fathers Pedro
Benito Cambon and Joseph Angel Somera. Tlie
number of baptisms of all classes from the foundation
to the 29th of December, 1850, was quite large, rcarh-
inof 9,123. The number of marriages is unknown, tlio
record being mcomplete from 1840 to 1849. After
October 1850, the town of San Gabriel was in charoe
of parish priests. The last qprtificate of interment,
dated December 28, 1850, bears the number 6.117, of
which 1,707 were prior to the end of 1800. Among
the gente de razon buried are iucluded those who were

MISSION SAN GAinilEL.

lis v-rcs-
es fixed
heaven,
m^ro.
lelf need
16 raisrd
tiule of a
a;j;ain, Ik^
l\\c rijJil.t
stily ; tlio
re up the
icred vcs-
*Ted upon
breath in
the good

ither said
hrow diit

[I, dropp< d

the tield,

Liaijic of a

iidiahltants of the town of Los Angeles. Several
missionaries of the college have died, and heen in-
terred in tlie church of this nussion, to wit: tTuly 28,
IHOli, Miguel Sanchez; October 12, 1804, Antonio
Cruzado, who had served 22 years in Sierrii (iorda
and 33 in this California ; January 15, 18 11, Fnincisro
Dunietz; June 16, 1821, Konian Ullil)arri; Dccendjer
21, 1821, Joa«iuin Pascual Nuez; July 0, IH.'U, Ge-
r<')ninio Boscana; and on July 10, 1833, Jose l^crnardo
Sanchez, ex-president of the missions. Thouias KKu-
tcrio Estenaga died some time in 1847, wliile on tjr
11th of November, 1850, Bias Ordaz breathed his
last.

This mission occupied one of the most chf ; .ling
spots in California. Its gardens abounded in oranges,
grapes, figs, j^ Miegranates, peaches, apples, lini' s,
pears, and citrons, and the air was pernnned with ifs
trees and flowei-s. Wine, brandy, and cattle were
liere produced in great abundance.

I'eople are af)t to tell and believe great stories about
money. Large sums in specie have been reported as
existing at the missions, especially at San (ial»riel,
h'.it such statements should be taken with allowance.
Where was such money to come from? Most of the
transactions with merchants were exchan":e of ijoods.
Tliere was some coin in the country, of course — more,
indeed, in the northern missions than at the south,
owing to trade with the Russians, who usually paid
for the wheat they bought partly in money. There-
fore, let it be understood that when I give the amount
of specie at a mission, I only repeat from the record,
but without fully believing it myself.

To drink and not get drunk; to teach temperance
and keep the world sober while manufacturing rum at
a good profit ; these are vital questions alike for good
livers, priests, and political economists. tT-^iissens tells
a story showing how^ the liquor-loving savages of San
(irabriel used to outwit him while making into wnie
and brandy the grape crop of the mission. It was in

192

GOLDEN AGE OF CALIFORNIA.

1840, while Don Juan Bandini was in charge. Jans-
sens observed that the Indians at work about tlie
stills were always more than half drunk, and well
swollen out in face and belly; the question was, How
did they get hold of the liquor? In vain was every-
thing closely watched night and day, and every imagi-
nary loop-hole kept under lock and key. In vain
liberal rations of wine were dealt out to them morn-
ing, noon, and night. The mysterious intoxicatit)n
increased, and bellies and faces waxed bigger and
bigger. Finally it all came out, and no thirsty Maine
man or Boston anti-prohibitionist showed more
shrewdness in evading the law than these so lately
gentle heathen, thus whitewashed by civilization.

It was Janssens' custom, after he had fed the stills,
to leave the Indians tendmg the fires, while he retired
to his room, through which ran the tubes of tJio
brandy stills and the water, the only exit tlie fluid had
from the stills. It was a comparatively easy matter
to watch the master, and while he was not lookino',
raise the cover of the stills and help themselves. TLis,
however, was soon detected, and padlocks put on tlio
covers, while the offenders were ironed. Then fol-
lowed a neater trick. The wine was conveyed from
the fermenting vats in barrels, with one of the hea(!s
off, the head being carried at the end of a long stick
by the hindermost man. The burden was heavy, and
the poor carriers were permitted to set it down and
rest occasionally. " O, if this stick were only hollow I "
sighed the hindermost. "A cane would do," answered
the foremost, "and we could then take our turn carry-
mg the barrel-head." And so it all came about; after
which manifestation of the power of mind over matter,
it were calumny to say that these heathen could not
be christianized.

In a beautiful plain north of San Gabriel was tlie
mission of San Fernando, founded in 1797, where was
distilled annually two thousand gallons each of wine
and fine brandy. In 182G, besides large herds of

I ii

SAN FERNANDO AND SAN BUENAVENTURA.

193

Jans-
)out the
.nd well
as, How
IS evcrv-
ry iiuagi-
In vain
;in luoru-
oxication
yger and
ity Maine
ed more
so lately
ation.
the stills,
he retired
es of the
e fluid had
asy matter
)t lookin;J,
ves. Tl.i^,
put on tli'J
Then fol-
eyed fri)ni
the heads
long stick
heavy, and
down and
[y hollow 1"
'"' answi>red
Iturn carry-
bout; after
er matter,
could not

iel was the
where was
Ich of wii»c
herds of

cattle, sheep, horses, mules, and swine, it had in store
$50,000 worth of merchandise, and $90,000 in specie.

The mission of San Buenaventura owned about
1,500 square miles, sixteen leagues north of San Fer-
nando. Besides stock, orchards, and vineyards, it had,
ten years before its secularization in 1835, $35,000 in
merchandise, $27,000 in specie and church ornaments,
and clothing to the value of $61,000.

Saint Bonaventura, cardinal-bishop, was one of the
great doctors of the church, and ex-minister-general of
the Franciscans. This establishment, with the Santa
Barbara channel at its door, was founded at royal
expense on the 31st of March, 1782, by the father-
president, Junipero Serra, associated with Father
Pedro Benito Cambon — both priests remained in
cliarge temporarily until the arrival of the royal ship,
wliuTi brought out more missionaries. A new church
was dedicated to the service of God in the mission on
the 9th of September, 1809, by its ministers, friars
Jose Senan and Mdrcos Antonio de Victoria, assisted
])y tlio clergyman, Jose Ignacio Argllello, a son of ex-
jrovernor pro tern. Joseph Dario ArgUello of this Cal-
ifornia, and subsequently governor of Lower California,
and friars Luis Gil de Taboada, Josd Antonio Calzada,
Jose Antonio Urresti, and Josd Maria do Zalvidea,
ministers respectively of Santa Bdrbara, Santa Ines,
San Fernando, and San Gabriel. On the 1 1th of the
same month were transferred thereto from tlie old
cliiiroh the remains of Father Vicente de Santa Ma-
ria, ex-minister, who died on July 16, 1806. This
clmreli was greatly damaged by earthquake s, which
rendered it necessary to erect a temporary hut of straw
at San Joaquin and Santa Ana, about three quarters
of a league away, to serve as a temple. The people
had been obliged to move from the mission buildings,
fearing from the agitation of the sea that a tidal wave
Would flood it. In November 1818, there was another
flip;! t from the mission, during the presence of three
weeks and three days on the coast of two insurgent

Cal. Pa8T. is

194

GOLDEN AGE OP CALIFORNIA.

ships of Buenos Aires, which, under Bouchard, had
bombarded and plundered Monteiey. There is an
entry in the book of baptisms of the mission, on the
30th of Decomber, 1827, in which the minister. Friar
Josef Altimira, formerly of San Francisco, and who
first planted the symbol of Christianity in the Sonoma
valley, certifies having christened Papenajda, a half-
breed from the Hawaiian islands, "whose natives live
without knowing the true God, in a most dark and
diabolical superstition, practising idolatrous rites, and
paying a cult, *nmy animal 6 bestial que dan al padre
pe la mentira, y gefe de los abismos.'" The zealous
father stated this upon information given him b}'' his
steward, an Englishman named George Colman, wlio
had lived ten years on those islands, and had lately
joined the catholics. Among the notable burials here
recorded were three soldiers, in 1810, murdered by
Mojaves, who visited the mission; of three Indian
centenarians, all women, one of 100, another of 105,
and the third of 114, and supposed to be even older.
Also, besides Father Santa Maria, were buried in tlio
mission church August 25, 1823, Jose Senan, vice-
prefect, and twice president of the missions; June 18,
1831, Francisco Suner.

Santa Bdrbara, famous for its choice wines and pro-
fuse hospitality, was located some nine leagues north
of San Buenaventura, upon a picturesque elevation
about three miles inland. The mission buildings wtio
of stone walls, with two towers at one end, between
which was a high gable, and two wings, all of stone.
The roof was covered with tiles laid in cement, and
in the towers were several richly toned bells from
Spain. In one of the wings lived the padres; tlie
other was the prison, while rows of adobe huts near
by wer? occupied by the Indians. Near the cliurdi
was a beautiful garden, surrounded by a high fence of
stone and cement, yielding a variety of choice fruit.
In front of the church were constructed of solid ma-
sonry a series of tasteful fountains, a pool, and a res-

MISSION SANTA BARBARA.

195

rd, hacl
e is an

on the
ir, Friar
tnd wlvo
Sonoma
t, a lialf-
ives live
lark and
•ites, and

al padre
e zealous
im by bis
man, wlio
lad lately
irials here
rdered by
•ee Indian
er of 105,
;ven older,
ried in tbe

iiian, vice-
June 18,

crvoir seventy feet long. Water was brought from
an adjoining hill through an open stone aqueduct, and
near it were the grist-mill and bath-house, the latter
a stone structure six by ten feet, over the door of
which a beautiful jet of water was thrown from a
stone lion's head. The water, after performing divers
duties, was carried to the tannery, and finally dis-
[tersed over the soil in irrigating canals. The churcli
was sixty by one hundred and sixty feet, forty feet in
heiijht, and the walls eight feet in thickness. Paint-
ings adorned the walls, and sepulchral vaults, the
final resting-place of the clergy, underlaid the floor.
Kichly furnished dressing-rooms opened into the
church, and the ususl paraphernalia of worship adorned
tlie altar. From the chancel a door opened into a
Availed cemetery consecrated to the burial of baptized
Indians. Within this enclosure was a general tondi,
six feet in depth, with heavy walls six feet apart, in
wliich the Indians were first buried. As the place
became filled, the bones were removed to a spot within
the enclosure.

According to a certificate of tlie father-president,
religious ceremonies were held by him on the spot
wliere the presidio was established on the 21st of
April, 1782. The foundation of a mission was sus-
]K>nded till toward the end of 1786, when it was car-
ried out half a league to the northwest. Notable
events: January 10, 1795, Ignacio Rochin, soldier,
executed for murder; February 4, 1798, was buried
Captain Josd Francisco Ortega, who was a sergeant
tif the troops at the foundation of San Diego in 1709,
a most efficient officer; February 11, 1801, Jose An-
tonio Rosas, a soldier, born in Los Angeles, convicted
o{' heiifiale peccatum, and sentenced to be burnt, together
witli the beast, was shot ; his body was passed over
file, and then given christian burial; February 24,
IS J 4, there was an Indian revolt, and some twenty-
nine of the rebels were killed, thirteen of whom were
buil'jd by the missionary, and the rest by their com-

106

GOLDEN AGE OP CALIFORNIA.

panions; December 28, 1848, Joseph Lynch, Pctcr
Remer, and Peter Quinn, murderers of the Reed fain-
ilv in the mission San Miguel, were executed at Santa
Bdrbara, and buried in the city cemeter}'^; Ramon
Rodriguez, who lost his life in the pursuit of these
malefactors, had been buried on the 13th of the same
month; February 26, 1852. Cdrlos Antonio Carrillo,
who, in 1838, received from Mexico the appointment
of governor of California, but was not permitted to
act as such by the northern Californians, was buried
here to-day. It is known that the remains of Gov-
ernor Figueroawere deposited in the mission in 1835,
though no record of the fact appears in its books.
There is no evidence that they were taken away again.
The followinof missionaries were buried in the mission
church, to wit: February 14, 1793, Antonio Paterna;
December 2, 1829, Antonio Jayme, who had served
upwards of 30 years in California ; Antonio Menendt z,
a Dominican, who was acting as chaplain of the pre-
sidio b" permission of the father-president, Narciso
Duriln ; November 1834, Francisco Javier de Una;
December 18, 1840, Buenaventura Fortuny; May .'5,
184G, Francisco Garcia Diego, first bishop of the Cal-
ifornias, who died on the 30th of April, at the age of
sixty years; June 3, 1846, Narciso Duriln, president
of the missions, one of the guardians of the vacant
diocese, who had been vicar-forain of the bishop tif
Sonora, and twice prefect of the missions.

The missionary. Friar Luis Gil de Taboada, said
that on the 8th of December, 1812, while he was at
tlie presidio of Santa Bdrbara, the earth shook nidst
violently, and the sea receded, forming a high lilll.
He, with all the people, ran toward the mission,
chanting the litany to the virgin Mary. Suddenly
there was a great calm. And yet all was not calm.
For, upon setting up in the ground a pole with a hall
upon the top, in a place where no wind blew upon it,
the ball was constantly in motion during eight days.
After that, the ball would keep still for two or three

SANTA IN^S,

197

, Peter
ed fain-
it Santa
Ramon
of these
he same
Carrillo,
jintment
litted to
ls buried
, of Gov-
i in 1835,
ts books.
^ay again,
le mission
, Paterna;
ad served
Menende/.,
,f the pr.-
t, Narcis!)

de Urm;
, ; May '^
oftheCal-
the age of
, president
\ie vacant

bishop of

lirnirs, and then move again. This lasted about a
fortnijiht. Hundreds of miracles Vtiit unrecorded
hereabout, because, first, they were too frequent to be
startling, and secondly, the fat priests were too lazy
to write them down.

It was an even thing l^etween them sometimes —
Christ and Belial — as represented by the army chap-
lain and the soldiers, though when it came to tlie
darker-skinned natives — for that of the Mexican was
(lark enough — both Christ and Belial were against
them.

There was Father Antonio Menendez, at one time
cluaplain at Santa Bdrbara, a Dominican of gay feather
even for an army chaplain of the olden time. Men's
souls for heaven, but women for himself, he loved,
and wine and cards. This good man was once sta-
tioned at San Diego, at the time when Pio Pico as a
young man was trading between that point and Lower
California. One day Pico arrived with a fine lot of
sugar, upon which the good priest cast his eye covet-
ously.

"What say you, Don Pio, let me deal you a little
nionte this evening?**

"With pleasure, holy father, and may Saint Domi-
nic help us."

Game after game continued, until when the short
liours were reached, all of Pico's sugar had melted
into the priest's capacious maw. And with this lot
of sugar was gone young Pico's entire capital, none of
wliich the priest offered to ioturn. On the contrary,
1k' revile; j victim.

"Know you, Pio amigo, that you just now reminded
nie of our Saviour's visit to this world?"

" How so ?" growled Pico.

"Listen," said the priest:

" ' Cristo vino al mundo & redimir el pecado;
Vino por lana y so fue trasquiladol ' "

Which is to say:

Christ camo to ransom man of woman bom;
Ue aought hia sheep, iiimself departed shorn. '

193

GOLDEN AGE OF CALIFORNIA.

The mission of Santa Inds, thirteen leagues north
of Santa Bdrbara, held less land than any of the oth-
ers, but it possessed beautiful horses, and vast herds
of other stock. In 1823, the property of this mission
was valued at $800,000.

The natives called the place Alajulapu. It was on
the I7th of September, 1804, that it was formally taken
from them by Father Est<5van Tapis, president of the
missions, associated with three other missionaries. Its
first ministers were fathers Jose Antonio Calzada and
Jose Romualdo Gutierrez. Among others buried
here were the missionaries, Jose Antonio Calzada,
December 24, 1814, whose remains were transferred
on July 4, 1817, to the new church this day dedicated
to divine service; July 26, 1836, Mdrcos Antonio
Saizardo Vitoria y Odriozola; September 20, 1840,
Felipe Arroyo de la Cuesta; May 24, 1842, Ramon
Abella; December 28, 1845, Juan Moreno. An ec-
clesiastical seminary was established here on the 4t]i
of May, 1844.

In 1836, when Colonel Mariano Chico, the ncwjefe
politico and comandante general, was in Santa Biirbaia,
on his way to Monterey to take formal possession of lii-s
offices, Father Antonio Jimeno, then chief missionary ( f
Santa Ines, provided a meal for him and suite at the
Tecolote, where lived the ijeophyte Cristobal Manojo,
an Indian sixty years old, but lively and witty, and with
Si)anish speech peculiarly quaint. The savage was di-
rected by the fax her to be present, and attend on tlie
great man, who was apprised of the Indian's pecuhar
wit and ways. But tlie fellow failed to present himself,
and only turned up after Chico had departed. Bt ing
asked to account for his failure to come and present
his respects to the jefe politico, he answered :

"O, father, it did not suit me to be in company Avith
a bad man. He is a rascal. Don't you see he is a
boy, and wears spectacles? I saw him when he Mas
coming, and noticed his eyes looking from under his
spectacles. I am afraid of him."

PURISIMA AND SAN LUIS.

fW>

es north
the otli-
tst herds
3 mission

[t was on
illy taken
3nt of tlic
aries. Its
ilzada and
•rs buried
) Calzada,
ransferrcd
' dedicated
3 Antonio
20, 1840,
42, Kamon
0. An et-
on the 4tli

he new jefe

ta Barbara,

ssion of liii^

lisslonaryet

julte at the
)al Manojo,
ty, and with
^e was di-
tend on the
m's pecuhar
jent hiniselt,
ted. Being
and present

red :

)mpany with
see he i^ ^^
vhen he was
ni under liis

"Nay, not so," said the other, "he is a good gentle-
man ; he is our general."

"Wait a while, and you will see," said the savage.
"A ver quicn gana, tii 6 yo" — ^tell me by and by if he
be good or bad.

It is a laatter of history that this jefe politico waa
one of the most despotic rulers who ever came to the
Californias.

Then there was Purisima, and the regal San Luis
Obispo, and fourteen leagues away San Miguel, whose
lands, sixty leagues in circumference, contained many
farming tracts of remarkable fertility.

La Purisima was first founded on the valley of the
Santa Rosa river, in the place called by the natives
Algsacupi, on the 8th of December, 1787, by Father
Ferinin Francisco de Lasuen, president of the mis-
sions. Its first ministers were fathers Vicente Fuster
and Joseph Arroita. The mission was tranfiferred,
on April 23, 1813, to the Canada de los Berros, and
the site called Amiiu by the Indians. Its ministers
then were Mariano Pay eras and Antonio Rijjoll. The
former, while prefect of the missions, died, and was
buried in this mission on the 29th of April, 1823. On
the 1st of January, 1836, there were in this cstab-
hslinicnt 192 men and 130 women.

The mission named Gloriosisimo Prfncipe Arcdngel
Senor San Miguel was placed on the site known by
tlie natives as Raticii, or Vatica. The date of foun-
dation was the 25th of July, 1797, and the founder,
President Lasuen Its first ministers were friars
Buenaventura Sitjar and Antonio de la Concepcion.

The mission of San Luis Obispo, one of the wealthi-
est in California, was situated three miles from the
eoast, and about eighteen leagues north from La
Purisima. Luis Martinez, under whose charge the
agriculture and industry of this mission assumed the
I^randest proportions, was a man of no common energy
and ability. Every mountain stream was made tribu-
tary to his rich lands, which covered a wide area along

200

GOLDEN AGE OF CALIFORNIA.

the ocean. He planted cotton, grew olives, taught
his Indians to catch otter, and navigate a launch to
Santa Bdrbara. At Santa Margarita was a well-filled
granary 1 90 feet long. Upon his table were always
found the choicest delicacies, rich wines, and game ;
and his guests were welcomed and entertained in a
princely manner. When obliged to abandon his
work, upon its secularization in 1834, it is said that
he returned to Spain with piety and industry well
rewarded in the shape of money to the amount of
$100,000. This the good father no doubt thought
better than taking his chances on everything in the
next world.

San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, this mission is called,
and it dates from the 1st of September, 1772, when
it was formed by Junipero Serra on the Canada do
los Osos, called by the natives Tixlini. The first
ministers who took charge of the spiritual and tem-
poral affairs of its neopliytes were Domingo Juncosa
and Joseph Cavalier. The records of this mission are
incomplete. The number of baptisms therein from
the date of foundation to September 21, 1821, was
2,549. The original book of marriages was burnt
on November 29, 1776, at which time there had
been 5G, and to the end of 1784, 163. The num-
ber of deaths to the 7th of November, 1838, includ-
ing a few not neophytes, were 2,441.

Jose de Jesiis Pico, speaking of gold found near
the mission early in the century, says : " To several
of us Father Luis A. Martinez, in 1829, gave gold;
to myself, Raimundo, and Gabriel de la Torre, and
Francisco Soto, he made a present of about twenty
ounces of gold, not coined, but in little balls of one
ounce each ; because he had much affection for us,
who had been his pupils and acol3rtes here in the mis-
sion where we learned to chant church music. The
two brothers Raimundo and Gabriel and I had been
with the padre over a year before we enlisted as
soldiers. This gold must have been found at the

SOLEDAD.

201

taught
unch to
ell-filled
) always
d game;
ned in a
idon his
ja'id that
jtry veil
mount of

thouglit
ig in the

is called,
72, when
lafiada do
The first
and tem-
D Juncosa
aission arc
irein from
1821, was
vas burnt
there had
.'he nuiii-
8, includ-

place called San Josd, near the mission. There were
then — we being little boys — about twelve Spaniards
within the site proper of the mission, who, as I be-
lieve, were engaged in cleaning silver and gold; and
I ground my belief on this, that the father had many
flasks of quicksilver, together with tools and materials
for cleaning these metals. I know this, that we often
desired to go in and see what these men were doing,
and never were permitted. It was only some Indian
alcalde that was allowed to enter the quarters under
menace of severe punishment if he divulged any
st'cret.". . ."When Jose Mariano Bonilla took charge
(»f the mission he still found a room full of flasks of
([uicksilver and cotton, and it was he who sold the
({uicksllver to a vessel."

This Martinez once travelled from San Luis Obispo
to San Cdrlos in a fine coach, with coachman and pos-
tillion. The two savages who served in the latter
capacity were gorgeously attired, silver and gold trap-
pings shining resplendent. Now when this came to
t!ie ears of the father-prefect, Sarria, who was humil-
ity itself, he was wroth, and Marthiez was severel}-
reprimanded for his violation of the rules of the
Franciscans, as in this carriage ride, however nmch
Lo may have enjoyed it, there was about it little pov-
erty or humility.

It was customary for the prelate and the mission-
aries to assemble from time to time at the San Cilrlos
mission for the purpose of consultation. On such
occasions the missionaries proceeded to Monterey in
carriages, while others rode on horseback. From
^lonterey to the Carmelo, some four or five miles, all
walked, proceeding in double file, the Indian servants
ill charge of the carriages and animals bringing up
the roar.

In the plain called Llano del Rey, fifteen leagues
south-west from Monterey, stood Soledad, the inde-
fatigable father of which mission, in order to obtain a
plentiful supply of water, constructed with Indian

GOLDEN AGE OP CALIFORNIA.

labor an aqueduct fifteen miles in length, by means
of which 20,000 acres of fertile land was every year
redeemed for the summer drought. So rapidly did
horses breed at this mission that they were giviii
away at times in order to preserve pasturage for
cattle.

Nuostra Scnora de la Soledad was placed on the
site named by the natives Chuttusgelis, the 9tli of
October, 1791, by the father president. Lasuen, wlio
made Friars Diego Garcia, and Mariano Rubf its fiist
ministers. The records s^^ow that there were 2,21»0
baptisms to 1841, 738 marriages, and 1887 deaths in
the same period. This mission holds the remahis of
Colonel tfos^ Joaquin de Arrillaga, governor and
commander of the forces of California, who died there
on the 24th of July 1814, and was buried the 2Gtli;
also those of the missionary Florencio Ibanez, wlio
was buried on November 18, 1818.

Mrs Ord states that the mission San Miguel was
visited by her in 1833, when it still retahied its
■wealth. Father Cabot showing her the warchousis
full of produce and goods; there was also a consider-
able amount of money. When she was there again
in 1835, she did not see even a tumbler to drink out
of, and had to use a small ji'cara that she had with
her. All the effects of the mission, the cattle inclu-
sive, had disappeared.

The mission San Antonio de Padua was besjun (Mi
the 14th of July 1771. It is situated in the sierra <»f
Santa Lucia aiid Canada de los Osos. Its fouiwhr
was Serra, and its first ministers were Friars Miguel
Pieras and Buenaventura Sitjar. The nund^er of
baptisms effected in it to the 14th of June 1850 was
4,571; of marriages to June 18, 1846, 1,282; of
deaths to April 22, 1849, 4,063. Interred in this
church were: March 15, 1801, Francisco Puyol, min-
ister of San Cdrlos, and September 3, 1808, Buena-
ventura Sitjar, both of whose remains were on tho
14th of June, 1813, placed in one grave in the pros-

• MISSION SAN ANTONIO.

)y means
/cry yt'iir
piiUy tVul
oro given
urage for

;d on the
le 9th of
,suen, who
ibl its first
rore 2,21*0

deaths hi
remauis of
eruor and
, died there

the 26th;
baiiez, who

Miguel was
■etaiiied its
warehouses
a consider-
there again
drink out
le had with
cattle inclu-

LS begun on
he sierra ot
Its fouuihr
i-iars Migurl

number of
1850 was
., 1,282; of
rred in this

puy*)l, 1'-^'"^'
L808" Buiua-
were on tho

in the vros-

hj'ieiy; February 8, 1830, Juan Bautlata Sanclio,
Avlio with Father Pedro Cabot left Spahi in company
and lived together for a period of twenty-six years in
tills mission; May 24, 1835, Vicente Francisco do
8ania, minister of La Soledad, and who had siTved as
])iefe(t of the missions two terms of six years each.
On tlie death of the president, Father Senan, wlio
named Sarrfa his successor in August 1823, the latter
assumed the duties, calling himself vice-president of
the missions. Through his mediation the Indian
revolt at Santa Inds, La Purisima, and Santa Barbara
in 1824, was terminated. When the mission San
Antonio was in charge of fathers Juan Cabot and
Juan B. Sancho, the latter directed agricultural oper-
ations, and also attended to the music, the mission
having a good orchestra. He always kept near his
jHTson a handsome Indian boy named Josafat, who
was charged to give timely warning of the venomous
ants abounding in that region. Nevertheless tlie
padre was often bitten, and then Josafat received a
Avliipphig at the hands of the mestizo, Antonio Kosas.
Later Josafat became a good cook, wliereupon the
jtious Sancho gormandized, and in consequence often
had tlie stomachache, for which Josafat was blame<l,
and given six or eight lashes, which caused the latter
to rumhiato on the mysterious ways of providence.
These facts were obtaini;d from Josafat himself in
1R47, when he was still livhig in San Antonio at an
advanced age.

A redeemed red man, named Jacinto, was once de-
tected by Father Andiris, the parish j)riest, carrying
ott' some fruit from the mission orchard at San An-
tonio hidden in a corner of his blanket. On lu Ing
calk'd a thief and a shameless fellow, he answered,
'Xo Senor, I am no thief; those trees were sprinkled
hy my father and myself with the blood of our loins
and buttocks. They did not cost youanytlung; and
you claim them as your own simply because you say
to us 'Dominus Vobiscum.'" Wliereupon he turned

204

GOLDEN AGE OP CALIFOENIA-

away, imitating the padre's lame walk and laughing
at him. Oh, the beast, tlie backslider 1 But wan
there not here in this benighted brain more of mani-
fest tliought and originality of ideas than are found
in twenty scores of pulpits?

Early in 1835 there was an Indian uprising; about
300 armed savages coming to the mission and threat-
ening to kill the administrator, Mariano Soberani s,
and his family, who had to shut themselves up in tlio
mansion and barricade its doors. But through tlie
eloquent pleadings of Captain Juan de D. Padilla, an
old veteran of the Mexican war of independence, and
the clerk and schoolmaster Florcncio Serrano, and
their good offices with Father Vazquez del Mercado,
who seemed to be the instigator of the insurrectionary
movement, the Indians retired without connnitting
any violence. A few days later Administrator Sobera-
nes was recalled by Governor Figueroa.

San Antonio was on a stream sixteen leagues north
of San Miguel. Its lands embraced a circuit of forty-
eight leagues, and the waters of San Antonio were
conducted for twenty miles in paved trenches and dis-
pensed, over rich tracts.

La Purisima was seven leagues northward from
Santa Ines, in the Coast Range, with about 1,S00
square miles of land. This mission was likewise cele-
brated for the beauty and speed of its horses. At one
time cattle increased to such an extent that permits
were granted by the presiding priest for free slaugli-
tcr in order to re uce the number. Thousands were
killed under these permissions for the hides and tallow.

In the valley ' Carmelo, which opens upon tlio
little bay four mil south of Monterey, and througli
which winds a be itiful stream, stood the imposing
mission of San Cil os, founded in 1770, and secular-
ized with the rest by 1835. It was an undulating,
grassy country, over which were scattered oak, pine,
and birch trees, the whole carpeted and perfunwd
with flowers in the spring. The mission buildings

MISSION SAN cXrL09.

stood on an elevation near the sea, and enclosed a
siuiiii' of about half an acre. On the nortli side of
tilt) stiuaro was the churcli and tlie apartments of the
jt:uhvs, wliile the adobe houses of the natives occu-
pied the otlicr sides. Tho dining-hall adjoining the
(Iiurcli was about twenty by forty feet, with gr.itcMl
^\•illd()^vs and wooden inside sliutters. On one .side
wan an ai)erture through wlilcli food from the kitclien
was passed, while from the other sides doors oj>ened
into tiie four cells of tlio friars. An outside stairway
1"(1 to tlie churcli tower, whore hung six bells, one of
wliich rang for meals, work, and rest, and the otliers
for cimrcli services; and by means of which the daily
routine of the mission was conducted with such regu-
1 irity that even the laboring animals understood and
obeyed. Ten years before its fall a piratical cruiser
Avas reported on the coast, when tlie worthy frairs
( ounted up their specie to bury it, and found on hand
840,000. The place was deserted in 1840, overgrown
w\':]\ grass and brush, with scattering Indian huts in
1 lie vicinity, a family of half-breeds keeping tho keys
of tho church.

Till) mission Sin Cdrlos Borromco was originally
fiunded on June 3, 1770, on a site a gunshot from the
lioach of ^Monterey, and three times as far from the
Y >rt on an inlet communicating with tho bay at high
water. It was transferred in 1771 to Carmelo bay
niid river; hence it has often been called mission del
Canaclo, but San Cilrlos was always its proper name.
Tilt! ff)undation was made by Serra, at royal exj)ense,
like that of the other missions, and its first ministers
Were tho father president and Father Juan Crespf.
Among those buried in its church were : Auijust 29,
17R4, prefect and president, Junfpcro Scrra, doctor of
]i'iilo.st)phy, by Father Francisco Palou, in the j)res-
tiK'o among others of the reverend Cdrlos Diaz, cap.
tain of the royal vessel SanCdrlos, and friars Buena-
ventura Sitjar, minister of San Antonio, Mathias de
Sauta Catharina of San Cdrlos, and Antonio Patcrna

206

GOLDEN AGE OF CALIFORNIA.

I 5? ■

if- .

V:l

of San Luis Obispo. June 27, 1803, was interred
Fermin Francisco de Lasuen, president of the mis-
sions, vicar-forain for the bishop of Sonora, commis-
sary of the Inquisition. He was buried by Father
Baltasdr Carnicer, Lieutenant-Colonel Josd Antonio
Ronieu, governor and commander of the forces, who
died at Monterey on April 9, 1792, was buried at
San Cdrlos on the following day. Lieutenant-colonel
Pedro de Alberni, captain of the Catalan infantry
company, and military commandant of Alta Califor-
nia, who died at Monterey, March 11, 1802, was like-
wise buried here.

The edifice had a single aisle. In the south was a
small chapel, being the first church founded by Father
Juuipero S* rra, and was named Capillade los Dolores.
In the centre of the altar in this chapel was a large
statue of Christ, later placed in the catholic parish
church at Monterey. In the same parochial church
were placed a St John the Evangelist and a Dolorosa,
formerly belonging to that chapel. Above the sanc-
tuary of the large church was the chief or high altar.
St Charles, the patron saint, occupied a niche oppo-
site the centre of the altar, St Joseph on one side,
and St Anthony with the child Jesus on the other.
There were other niches with statues of the arch-
angels, and other altars with saints and devices of the
catholic worship. The church had two towers, one
of them arched with four large bells which were
heard at the presidio; the other tower had two bells.
Among the statues and pictures were those of St
Benedict of Palermo, a Dolorosa with Christ dead in
her arms, and a small statue of Christ of the size of
an average child of two years. Of pictures there
was a St Rose, one of Glory, another of Hell, ex-
hibiting the condeumed in their tortures. There were
fourteen paintings of the passion of Christ, which
were placed in the parish church of Monterey. Tlure
was one remarkable painting representing a beautiful,
vain woman with a ^nake coiled around her arm, and

AN AMOROUS POET.

207

interred
lie niis-
comniis-
j Father
Antonio
■ces, who
)uried at
it-coloncl

infantry
1 Califor-

was liWe-

itli was a
by Father
)S Dolores,
as a largo
olic parish
lial church
i Dolorosa,
^ the sane-
high altar,
liche oppo-
n one side,
the other.
, the arch-
vices of the
towers, one
^rhich were
. two bells.
hose of St
rist dead iu
the size of
tures there
,f Hell, ex-
There were
[rist, which
rey. Tlu'vo
a beautiful,
jr arm. aud

in the act of biting her under one of her breasts, the
(unaments in her ears and on her arms were toads,
serpents, and other unclean animals.

Paulino Serra, an Indian who was baptized at the
San Ciirlos mission by the father president, was till
the day of the priest's death his body servant. Pau-
liiu) was manied, but not satisfied for he became
enamoured of the caporal's wife. He was a knowing
chap ; and though his Spanish was imperfect, he was
none the less thereby prevcLted from perpetrating
])()ctry. On day while sitting at the house of Toribio
Martinez, an old soldier and founder of the presidio,
situated in the Huerta Vieja, just out of the presidio's
walls, he broke out in the following quatrain

Aqui me siento, me canto^
Rimailo con el Pader
A ver si puedo me saco
Del caporal su mujer.

Which transformed into correct Spanish would be

Aqui me siento & cantar
Arrimado &. esta pared
For ver si puedo sacar
Del cnporal la mujer.

which signifies that he was there singing, seated by
the wall, to see if he could not draw out the idol of
his heart, the caporal's wife.

On St John's day in 1842 Rafael Gonzalez of Mon-
terey invited several friends to dine with him. He
had an Indian cook named Principis, an ex-neophyte
(jf the San Cdrlos mission, of whom he was pai-ticularly
proud.

" I will show you this day, seiiores, specimens of
the culinary art such as you do not often encounter."

The viands were thereupon ordered served. The
guests waited, but nothing was brought in. Gonzalez
grew impatient, and asked of his servants if dinner
was not yet ready.

"No, nor will it be, I fear, senor."

"What!" demanded the master.

"There is no dinner."

"No dinner! Send hither the cook."

208

GOLDEN AGE OF CALIFORNIA.

]

*' Now, fellow, tell me, why dost thou not serve tlie
dinner ? "

"Seller, it has all been eaten," coolly answered tlio

savage.

"All eaten; what do you mean?"

"Dost not thou eat every day, Seftor? Months
pass, sometimes, wherein my parientes may not onoo
fairly fill themselves. I cannot see my kindred suffer 1 "

Within an amphitheatre of mountains benched by
scalloped hills and broad flats sinks a basin, rimmed
even on the seaward side ; and in this basin sits the
town of Santa Cruz; while on the rim, at the end
of the bench, where the river San Lorenzo breaks
through, and amidst hundreds of beautiful homes,
stands the mission, the old church — which the last
time I saw it was in use as a stable — cornering on the
bluff, with an irregular square in front of it. Patches
of fresco still adhered to the walls of the chapel.

On the left, looking toward the ocean down a steep
embankment, is the broad river-bottom of the San
Lorenzo, covered with waving foliage of every hue of
green. Beyond, the bank rises into a bluff again,
back of it the plain or bench, and back of that tlie
mountains. From this point the western sun sinks,
not into the sea, but behind the hills. Just above the
liglithouse is a stony beach, the strata upturned edge-
wise, and upon this unyielding barrier, full of holes
and abrasions, the waves break eternally, wave after
wave, every moment one. Thus at Santa Cruz to-
day is seen a city with its shops, churches, and
temples of sensuality; its street-cars, telegraphs, and
diverging lines of railways; its bummers and boot-
blacks; its lawyers, doctors, and merchants ; its milli-
ners and milliner-made women.

The mission was founded on the 25th of September,
1791, its first ministers being friars Alonso Salazar
and Baldomero Lopez. On the 10th of May, I7!i4,
Friar Thomas de la Peila, associated with other priests,
dedicated, with the usual pomp, the new churtli.

SANTA CRUZ.

209

jrve tlie
;red the

Months
not oBCo
1 suffer 1"
ichcd by
,, rimmed
i sits the

the end
zo breaks
ill homes,
a the last
•ing on the
patches

hapeh
,wn a steep
f)f the Sau^
^ery hue ot
)luff again,
,f that thc!
sun suiks,
. above the
irned edge-
,11 of holes
[wave after
,a Cruz to-
„rchcs, and
traphs, and
and buot-
; its milli-

ISeptember,
Vso Sahazur

[ay, l7'-'-l'
[her priests,

lew chureli.

Garcia Diego, bishop of tlie Califomias, on the IGth
of June, 1844, declared its main altar privileged, in
tliat all priests, whether secular or regular, officiating
thereat, might free from the sufferings of purgatory
the S(^ul of the person in whose behalf the holy sacri-
fice of the mass should be applied, this privilege to be
good only for one hundred years, reckoned from said
year. The bishop ordered the minister of Santa Cruz
to give due publicity to his decree. This mission was
plundered by Indians and others in 1818, during the
removal of valuables, because of the invasion and
bombardment of Monterey by two armed insurgent.
vessels from Buenos Aires under Bouchard. A gen-
eral inventory and valuation of the mission and its
property, made on December 1, 1835, showed the
total of assets to be $84,335, and of liabilities, $4,979.
The mission had 3,700 head of neat cattle, 110 tame
horses, 400 mares, and 2,900 head of sheep, 28 hogs,
besides 30 yoke of oxen, 41 mules, 7 jacks, 4 pregnant
jennies, and a drove of yeguas aburradad.

A monster of cruelty ruled here from 1818 to 1821
— Father Ramon Olbes, though he kept the neophytes
well clothed and fed. He would attend in person to
the distribution of rations, first to the men and then
to tlie women. Once he noticed two neophyte women
with scratched faces, for they had been fighting. One
of them was childless. Olbes inquired into the cause
of the quarrel, and demanded the reason of the woman
having no children, why it was so. Neither decency
nor humanity restrained the priest. He would not
accept the woman's explanation, and undertook to ex-
aniiuo her person, but she resisted so violently that he
was obliged to call to his aid the alcalde and the in-
terpreter. Thereupon the brutes stripped the woman,
and had her severely flogged, after which she was
placed in irons, and confined in the monferio, or single
Women's quarters. The next step taken by this nine-
toon Ui century missionary of Christ was to have a
wooden doll made, resembling a new-bom child, and

CAL. I'AST. 14

»0

GOLDEN AGE OP CALIFORNIA.

compelled the woman to carry it about as if it were
lier infant, thus wreaking his revenge, and bringing
the poor creature into deep debasement by reason of
her infirmity. For nine days she was compelled to
present herself at the church door with this insult in
her arms. All the sterile women became greatly
alarmed lest they should be so treated. The woman's
husband must likewise be brought into ridicule. A
pair of ox-horns were fastened with thongs to liis
head, in which guise, being also in irons, the man was
brought from his prison to attend mass" every clay.
As he passed along, the other Indians mocked him,
playing with him as with a bull.

Upon the authority of Lorenzo Asisara, a neophyte
born at this mission, this, same Father Olbds often
had the Indians flogged on their bellies. Even cliil-
dicn of eight or ten years were given twenty-five
lashes by the hand of a strong man, either on the back
or belly, according to the padre's whim. He ne\cr
ordered less than fifty lashes to a grown man or wo-
man. Once there was a riot, because he wanted to
flog on the belly a man named Ddmaso, who had not
been at work that afternoon, and was somewhat late
in reporting himself after working hours.

Tho mission of Su,n Juan Bautista, situated thirty
miles northeasterly from Monterey, was founded in
1794, and secularized in 1834. In 1820, it owned
$75,000 in merchandise, $20,000 in specie, 44,000 cat-
tle, 69,000 sheep, and 6,000 horses.

The aboriginal nameof the place was Popeloutachom,
The father-president, Lasuen, officiated at the found-
ing, on the 21st of June, 1797, and the first ministers
appointed thereto were Joseph Manuel de Martiareiia
and Pedro Adriano Martinez. The number of cliris-
tenings effected from the foundation to the 9th of
December, 1849, was 4,896, including the gente de
razon ; that of marriages to November 29, 1849, 1,313;
and that of burials to November 23, 1849, 4,C17.
There are burials recorded in the mission books : Scjv

SAN JUAN AND SANTA CLARA.

211

if it were
[ bringing
reason of
npelled to
is insult in
ne greatly
le woman's
idicule. A
)ng8 to his
lie man was
• every day.
aocked hiui,

t, a neophyte
Olb4s often
Even oiiil-
i twenty-iive
r on the back
^, He never
n man or wo-
le wanted to
who had not
amewhat late

ituoted thirty
as founded m
B20, it owned
;le, 44,000 cat-

tember 14, 1808, Father Andres Dulanto; November
25, 1821, Sebastian Arrista, "Intendente honoraris de
provincia, comendado de la real 6rden americana de
Isabel la catdlica," a native of and refugee from Perii,
who died on the 24th; November 4, 1825, Father
Estevan Tapis, minister of the mission, and ex-presi-
dont of the missions. He had been minister of other
missions. A poor fellow, buried October 28, 1819,
lost his life " because he ate tobacco mixed with burnt
sliells, which is customary among the Indians." On
the 13th of June, 1803, was laid the comer-stone for
a new church, which was finished and dedicated to
the service of God on the 23d of June, 1812.

Six miles from the embarcadero, at the southern
extremity of the bay of San Francisco, in one of the
richest valleys of the state, is situated the mission of
Santa Clara, which in 1823 branded as one year's in-
crease 22,400 calves. Besides a most magnificent
cl lurch edifice, garnished with massive silver, the mis-
sion owned merchandise to the amount of $120,000,
75,000 head of cattle, 6,000 horses, and 82,000 sheep.

This mission was established on the 12th of Janu-
ary, 1777, by Junipero Serra, on the site called by the
natives Thamien, and dedicated to ** Santa Clara de
Assis, vfrgen, abadesa, y matriarcha de su celebdrrima
religion." Its first ministers were friars Joseph An-
tonio de Murgufa and Thomas de la Pena. On the
I'Jth of November, 1781, was laid by Serra, the cor-
ner-stone of a new church for the mission, which being
finished on the fifth Sunday after easter, was on that
(lay solemnly dedicated to divine service by Father
Serra, in the presence of fathers Francisco Palon and
Pefia. Governor Pedro Fages, who acted as secular
sponsor, and Joseph Joachim Moraga, commandant of
tfio presidio of San Francisco, were also present. On
tlie 6th of March, 1833, the mission was transferred
l)y the Fernandino friars to those of the college of
Guadalupe de Zacatecas, and several ministers have
been buried in the church of this mission: May 12,

212

GOLDEN AGE OF CALIFORNIA.

■;;i

1784. Joseph Antonio dc J( dus Maria Murgufa, and
on the 22d of November, 1830, Magin Catala, to
whom was popularly attributed certain miraculous
powers, on the strength of which, it is presumed, tlio
church took, in 1884, preliminary steps toward lii.s
beatification. Eusebio Galindo says: "Very many
years before the Americans took this country, he told
us we were to be witnesses of extraordinary events,
including atmospheric changes, droughts, and other
calamities, predicting at the same time the discovery
of great riches toward the north, the coming of im-
mense numbers of strangers from all parts of the
world, and the establishment of many religious sects.
He likewise announced that the missionaries would be
expelled from California, but he would remain till
death overtook him, which came to pass.

According to Kotzebue, the monjerio of Santa
Clara in 1824 was entitled to the name of dungeon.
He says the dungeons were opened two or three times
a day to allow the inmates to attend church ; that lie
saw the girls rush eagerly to breathe the fresh air,
and were driven into the church by an old white man
with a stick. After church service, they were driven
back to their prisons. Some had their feet ironed, as
a consequence of detected transgression.

In a rich valley east of the southern end of San
Francisco bay, and fifteen miles north of the town
which bears its name, was situated the mission of San
Jose. This establishment for many years supplieil
the Russian settlements with grain. The arclu^es
now before me affirm that from 80 bushels of wheat
sown was gathered the same year 8,600 bushels, and
the year following, from .the scatterings of the first
harvest, 5,200 bushels. Besides a fine vineyard and
fruit-trees, in 1825 it owned 62,000 cattle, besides
horses, sheep, and mules, and watched over 3,000
Indians.

Mission San Jose boasted a ijood stone church,
which was preserved beyond the days of secularization.

MISSION SAN JOS&

213

ula, and
itala, to
iraculous
med, tlio
ward \n^
;ry many
y, he told
ry events,
and other
discovery
\i\cf of hu-
rts' of the
rious sects,
'g would l>e
reinaui till

3 of Santa
of dungeon.
. three thncs
•ch; that he
^e fresh air,
Id white nuiu
were driven
jet ironed, as

end of San
Lf the to^^•ll
lission of San
jars supi'liea
^\^Q archives
[els of wheat
bushels, and
of the first
rineyard and
lattle, besides
over 3,000

ktone chnrch.
aecularizatiou-

Tlic place where was founded this mission was
callt'd by the natives Oroysom. On the 11th of June,
1797, the father-president, Lasuen, performed the
ceremony, its first ministers being padres Isidro Bar-
ccnilla and Agustin Menno; but the first baptism
took place only on the 2d of September of that year.
The number of baptisms at this church from that date
to May 8, 1859, was 8,945; that of marriages from
September 24, 1797, to May 17, 1859, 2,587; and of
deaths to April 25, 1859, 6,945. There is no entry
in the book of interments for the period from May 1,
1849, to May 18, 1850. There is an entry by Father
Duran on May 7, 1832, which says, "estoy aburrido
con tanto enfermo, y morirse estos indios mas frdgiles
que el vidrio"; adding that he had five boys whose
only f)Ccupation was to keep him advised of Indians
taken sick, that no one should die without the sacra-
ments. Father Rafael de Jesus Moreno, minister of
Santa Clara, one of the college of Guadalupe Zacate-
cas, was buried here on June 9, 1839. Jose Maria
Amador assures us that the Indians of mission San
Jnse were dealt with most rigorously. Violations of
duty were seldom overlooked, a slight punishnient be-
ing fifteen lashes, and a more serious one twenty -five.
Any Indian failing to attend his work for two weeks,
without leave or without good excuse, received fifty
lasliLS. Fighting in the rancherfas, accompanied with
Itloodshed, was punished with one hundred lashes, and
the offenders were also kept in irons at the guard-
house during the hours of rest for a week or two.
Iiidiaiis wlio failed to present themselves for prayers
at tlie church were recorded in a list. No Indian was
ever sent for, but when he made his appearance, the
father at San Jose would say, "dente el socorro espi-
ritual " — let him have the spiritual relief, according to
the fault; if the absence had been of one day, six
lashes; if from two days to a week, fifteen to twenty-
five lashes. Sometimes the grim inquisitor would
wax facetious over his painful duty.

GOLDEN AGE OP CALIFORNIA.

"Ah, Lugo, is that you ? Which way sits the wind,
my son?"

" From the southwest, Senor.

"Yes, yes," Duran would say, striking a meditative
attitude. "Well, let it rain."

Then, as the "spiritual relief" fell on the shoulders
of the culprit, the good father would stand by and
emphasize the blows by ridicule or cutting irony, or
if in the humor, he might remit a portion of the pun-
ishment.

Every day there were a number of Indians flogged
— some days as many as ten. The Indians did not
seem greatly to mind short flogghigs, for after receiv-
ing them, they would rise up cheerfully and go to
their work.

Josd Maria Amador, who relates to me the above,
says that he never saw at the missions of Santa Clara,
San Josd, San Francisco de Asfs, San Rafael, or San
Francisco Solano, the cruel punishments inflicted of
which he heard as occurring at Santa Cruz, San An-
tonio, and other places. He looks upon the punish-
ments he witnessed in the light more of reprimands
than cruelty.

He relates an occurrence at Santa Clara, while
Padre Jose Viader had charge of the mission. Three
Indians had failed to appear at roll-calling. There
was a large hole in the ground near tha ayunte, into
which the three Indians, by the advice of a soldier,
went, and covered themselves with dry grass, which
the soldier set fire to. The Indians rushed out, greatly
frightened, which set the padre roaring with laughter.
They came and knelt before him, kissing his hand,
and he forgave them.

The Indians had converts to their beliefs as well as
the Christians. For instance : the owl could paralyze
the forefeet of horses on dark nights so that they
could not travel. Then there were miracles in the
form of sleight-of-hand. Amador says that when he
was majordomo of the mission San Jose, an Indian of

MISSION SAN FRANCISCO.

215

,he wind,

•editative

shoulders
id by and
; irony, or
f the puu-

ias flogged
ns did ivot
Fter receiv-
and go to

the above,
;anta Clara,
fael, or San

inflicted of
iz, San An-

the punisli-

reprimauds

lara, while
ion. Three
ing. There
ayunte, into
of a soldier,
grass, which
out, greatly
ith laughter,
ig his hand,

efs as well as
)uld paralyze
so that they
racles in the
,hat when lie
an Indian ot

Santa Clara, named Firmo, often came there to pro-
mote dances and practise devilish tricks. On such
visits, the San Jos^ Indians failed to report for work.
Father Gonzalez ordered Amador to ascertain the
cause of such absences. He disguised himself and
went to the woods where the dance was going on.
The Indians recognized him, but said nothing to tlie
s<jrcerer. This man swallowed a piece of pita, or agave
fibre, saying beforehand that a viper would come out
of one of his big toes, and it so happened. He did it
twice, with the utmost neatness, and Amador was
i^reatly surprised. However, he had the fellow seized,
bound, and carried to the mission, where he was put
in irons, and awarded a novenary of twenty-five laslies,
that is to say, this number of lashes every day during
nine days, to teach him that he should not practise
deviltry, and that it might serve as a warning to
others.

The Santa Clara mission buildings were once of
broad extent, and the seat of much wealth. The
padre president sought to forestall the inroads of civ-
ihzation by leaving the surrounding lands to immi-
ijjrants ; but the inevitable was thus but for a short
time warded off.

^tission San Francisco was founded on the 1st of
August, 1776, and its first ministers were fathers
Francisco Palou and Pedro Benito Cambon. The
corner-stone of a new church was laid April 25, 1782.
The record says that under the stone were placed
some relics — bones of Saint Pius, and other saints,
five medals, and a considerable quantity of silver coin.
The mission was visited by an epidemic of measles in
1806, causing the death of 236 children between the
24th of April and the 27th of June. The following
entry appears in the book of interments, under date
of July 22,1814, and signed by Father Ramon Abclla :
" Buried to-day Biridiana, the last adult that saw the
first ministers who founded the mission ; at that time
slio was about 25 years of age; "y de seis leguas al

216

aOLDEX AOE OF CALIFORNIA.

contomo totlos se lian inuerto de los quo vieron li los
prinieros padres ; y de los que haii uacido despurs
raros son los que viven." This resulted in 38 years; and
it must be borne in mind that to the 20th of Jaimary.
1810, 3,896 Indians had been baptized, besides 11)7
children de razon. It is therefore not to be wondorod
at that a project was entertained since 1822 to trans-
fer the mission to the northeastern contra casta, on the
gentile frontier. In March 1823, Father Jose Alti-
mira, then a minister of San Francisco, in a menu trial
to Gt)venior ArgUello, recommended the transfer, and
an exploration was authorized and effe-ted, the symbol
of Christianity being planted by the missionary in tlicf
Sonoma valley on the 4th of July, 1823. San Fran-
cisco was rejjresented to be on its last legs, and S*in
Rafael, a branch of said mission, could not subsist
alone. Altirnira, by the governor's authority, went
over to San Rafael, and took possession of the pro})-
erty. On the 23d, he departed for Sonoma, with an
escort and laborers, and at once commenced to erect
necessary buildings. However, the father-i)rc'ft'ct
opposing the scheme, and complaining of such usui'ini-
tion of his prerogative, much correspondence ensuid.
until finally a comi)romise was arrived at. New San
Francisco was to remain as a mission of regular stand-
ing, with Altimira as its first minister, but he was to
retain his connection as an associate with old San
Francisco. Neither this mission nor San Rafael was
suppressed. It was agreed, however, that neopliytrs
of old San Francisco could, if they wished, be trans-
ferred to San Rafael, and return within a year.

A soured sailor of the Dutch-English persuasion,
just prior to the middle of the century, saw in the
sheltered plain of Dolores about twenty scattered
houses, the only sign of activity being the bringing in
of a bullock. "The road to the mission was fatiguintj
and monotonous," he says, "and led through thicla ts
of low trees and deep sand. The surrounding coun-
try was far from being picturesque ; we saw it, muic-

SITE OP THE FUTURE METROPOUS.

ears; and
January,
tides U>7
yoiidored
to trans-
;Ui, on tlu'
rose Alti-
moniorial
,nsfor, and
liLi syndu)!
ary in tin"
San Fran-
\, and S«in
lot subsist
.)rity, wtiit
F the proi'-
la, with an
^.d to erect
,lior-l>ret'e('t
icli usuqia-
[ice ensui'd.
]^c\v San
ular stand-
lie was to
[th old San
Kafael was
neophytes
|d, be trans-
year,
persuasion,

saw in tho

■,y scatterrd

brin«j;in'j^ ii»

as fatiojuuig

tgli thicUets

,nding ceun-

AV it, moro-

over, under sad auspices, ruinous, dirty, and about to
beeouio the abode of the Mornionites. The eliurch
of the mission, a slovenly, ill-built edifice, decorated
in a tawdry, unpleasant style, common in the poorer
cliurchea in Spain and Italy, was still in repair.
The houses intended for the Indians were of tlie
meanest description, mere mud hovels, with only one
apartment, but disposed regularly in ranges and
streets. These were for the married cou})les ; those
Indians who remained single were locked up in a
quadrangle, formed by the houses of the superior,
the priests, and officers of the establisliment. The
eliurch, the factories or workshops, and tlie i)rison —
everything, was carried on within itself; carpenter-
ing, weaving, blacksmiths' work, were all pursued
with success under the auspices of the industrious,
painstaking padres. However, the confinenu^nt in
which tlie Indians were kept, and a solitary life, were
usually found so irksome that few of them contin-
ued long under lock and key ; they soon acquiesced
in til at state of passive obedience which it was
the aim of the institution to establish. That the
fathers did not go beyond appears to have been their
great fault, the rock on which their system struck.
We found the house of the superior in the posses-
sion of some Mormons, who had arrived in great
force; they are a peculiar sect with sensual maxims,
hut apparently as long as they can exist in plenty,
disposed to be harmless." Here are our blessed peo-
ple brought down to the level of swine, and Latter-
day Saints placed on a par with rattlesnakes which will
nt)t l)ite unless unduly stirred up 1

III San Francisco Bay, and all along the coast, seals
and sea-otter were very numerous. Senor Amador,
of Mission San Josd, affirms that in 1830 with three
or four natives he lassoed thirty out of a hundred sea-
otter which he found at Point Quintin. The last of
the race within the Golden Gate were at the mouth
of Sonoma Creek, a small but happy family, under

218

GOLDEN AGE OF CALIFORNIA.

the protection of Vallejo. There they enjoycfl un-
disturbed their ancient home until 1846, when certain
hunters crept in from Santa Bdrbara in light canots
and shot every one of them, securing forty-two skins
valued at sixty dollars each.

In 1825 the property of the mission of San Fran-
cisco consisted of lands forty leagues in circuniferenco,
$35,000 in merchandise and $25,000 in specie, 76,000
head of cattle, 3,000 horses, 79,000 sheep, 2,000 hogs,
and 18,000 bushels of whv. .t and barley.

The record books of the mission San Rafael have
been nearly all lost. I found at Saint Vincent's
Orphan Asylum one book of marriages, and at the
parish church of Dolores one of baptisms, marriages,
and deaths; the former beginning in August 1840, af-
forded no information worth relating here. The latter
shows that San Kafael Arcdngel, called an asistenda
was founded at the placed called by the natives
Nanaguanui, by the father prefect Sarria on the 14th
of December, 1817, in the presence of fathers Abella,
Gil, and Duran. Father Luis Gil was placed in
charge, but it was declared that San Rafael being a
part of San Francisco, the ministers could act at
either place. The saintly missionary Juan Amor(')s
who had been serving in California since September
1804, the first fifteen years in San Cdrlos, and tlie
remainder of the time in San Rafael, died July 14,

1832, and was buried here.

Mission San Francises? Solano, situated in the
Sonoma Valley, began its v. oik on the 26th of De-
cember, 1823, with the burial of an Indian wonuiii
from San Francisco; on tiie 4th of April 1824 oc-
curred the first baptism. The number of baptisms
from that date to the end of 1839 was 1,494; that of
interments to the end of 1839 was 875. The record
shows that the mission was visited by a pestilence in

1833, and that about sixty natives died of it between
August 13th and November 28th. The smallpox
raged badly from July to December 1838.

FATHUR JOSlfe SORENIZO QUIJAS.

210

id un-
•ertaiu

CaiKH'H

3 skins

Fran-
ereiice,
76,000

hogs,

01 have
inceut's

at the
irriages,
L840, af-
he latter
asisteiicia

natives

the Uth

S Ahella,

ilaced in

being a
d act at

Auior«')s
cptembcr

and the

July 14,

I in the
li of De-
woniau
1824 oc-
baptisms
4 ; that of
he record
tilence in
it between
. smallpox

The last minister of San Francisco Solano was Padre
Jest) Lorenzo Quijas. In person he was large and
of great strength ; in character he was resolute and
ftarless. Alvarado says that he excelled in oratorical
powers and, being no hyprocrite, he did not hesitate to
inveigh from the pulpit against what seemed to him
inunoral, whether the offender was grandee or churl.
Kind-hearted as well as strong-minded, he was often
found on the side of the weak. Feeling it his duty
to champion the cause of certain prisoners in confine-
ment, in 1838, at Sonoma, the bold friar found him-
si'lf in collision with tlie feudal lord of the north.
Aijfain in 1843, when Vallejo resisted the collection of
tithes for the purpose of founding a seminary at
Santa Bdrbara, Quijas was unsparing in upbraiding
the recusant son of the church.

At the same time his own moral character was by
no means above reproach. He preached well, and
fought well for the right; but he could not help lov-
hig wine and women, for he was human; besides,
could ne not sell himself whatever indulgence he re-
quired, being one of the Lord's anointed ? In taking
tlie habit of his order, there clung to him some of
the old Adam of his early life, for in his youth,
Father Quijas had earned his living as a muleteer.
He had five trains of pack -mules, and used to carry
goods to Santa ¥6, bringing back to Mexico beeves
and sheep. He fell in love with a fair Santaferiana
who jilted him, and in despair he became a friar.
Salvador Vallejo says that during the first few years
of his residence at Sonoma he was considered a model
of virtue, but by reason of frequent visits to the
trading vessels his morals were corrupted, and he
took to strong drink, which ultimately made a wreck
of him. He frequently went, without a pass, to
lioss, and always returned full of liquor, and bring-
inu; plenty with him. The Russians themselves, no
triticrs with the bottle, swore that Father Quijas
Could hold his own with any Kadiak at Ross, while

220

GOLDEN AGE OF CVLIFORNIA.

Alvarado, who was well qualified to form an opinion
in the matter, held that the friar could lay any man
in California under the table.

In his cups he was, up to a certain stage, good-
humored and agreeable, but when he exceeded that
limit, which was almost always the case, he became
quarelsome, and even dangerous.

Arnaz relates that when the governor of Ross
visited San Francisco, a ball was given on board the
Kussian vessel. This ball Father Quijas attended,
and was so carried away by his enthusiasm that he
hastened to borrow Arnaz' coat in order to take part
in the dance.

The estimated wealth of th-e twenty-one missions
at the time of their opulence, in stock and grain, was
$435,000, San Gabriel heading the list with $110,000,
while San Rafael had but $5,000 worth of property.

All the missions of Upper California were under
the control of a father president, who was responsible
for his actions only to his superiors of the college of
San Fernando in the city of Mexico. Each mission
was directly managed by a resident priest, whosr
power over his flock was absolute, but who was sub-
ject to removal from one mission to another by the
father president. It was the duty of the resident
father to keep books of accounts and to make annual
returns to the father president, which sliould be a
faithful exhibit of the state of his charge, both in
sacred and secular things; it should state the numbi r
of baptisms and conversions, births, marriages, and
deaths ; and should set forth the amount of stock and
grain produced during the year, and the quantity it -
maining on hand. Tiiis statement was forwarded to
the father president witli a request for such ai-ticles
as were needed by the mission for use during the
ensuing year.

Thus we observe as a rule the missionaries and tlie
soldiers coming, a little baud of each together, to

1^'
I ■■■

FOUNDING OF MISSIONS AND PRESIDIOS.

221

)pinion

y man

, good-
id that
became

»t' Ross
ard tlie
ttended,
that he
ake part

missions
rani, was
1110,000,
property.
3 re under
jsponsible
college of
h mission
st, whose
was sul)-
by the
resident
ie annual
uld be a
e, both in
he number
ages, and
stock and
uantity it -
warded to
ch ai^ioh's
during the

nocupy the country for God and the king, taking up
their quarters near enough to be of aid to each other,
but not so near that the soldiers should interfere with
the work of the saints. The presidio, or soldiers'
(juarters, was usually at the port,, or near the landing,
as I have said, while the mission buildings would be
])laced some two leagues away. And when settlement
l)rgan, the incomers at first always located them-
selves having an eye to proximity to the presidio, the
towns indeed springing up usually immediately around
tlicni. But soon, owing to the mild character of the
people and the country, immigrants settled themselves
anywhere and everywhere throughout the entire

region.

ies and the
ogether, to

When a mission was to be founded, the first build-
ing erected was the presidio, whose forts and walls
were of adobe, the latter eighteen feet hiijli in some
places, and in other less xposed points twelve or four-
teen feet. On each side of the presidio was a clear
space of about 300 feet. The walls were six feet
thick, and had iron or bronze guns at each comer.
Tlie guns were generally useless, except to inspire
terror. The San Diego Indians called them creators
of thunder. Church, warehouses, and dwellings were
all inside the walls. The gates were of heavy timber.
Besides the central establishment there were on an
I'xtent of from thirty to forty square leagues, a num-
l)er of accessory farms, and a few branch chapels at
which religious services were held on stated days.

In the neighborhood of < acli presidio, and generally
at a distance of four or live leaij^ues, ranchos tie real
hacienda, or ranchos nacionales, were set apart for the
usi' of the soldiers. These, at first, were also intended
for depositaries of tithes, to be collected in cattle and
i> rain by the government ; but as the missions were
never liaVi to tithes, and the other settlements were
of small value, this branch of revenue was never of
nineli consequence, and the ranchos only contained a
few cattle belonging to the presidios. The} were uu-

GOLDEN AGE OF CALIFORNIA.

der the direction of the commandants of the respect-
ive presidios.

The lands of each mission joined those of other
missions on either side, so that all v.ere connected, or,
in other words, the missionaries occupied all the land
along the coast, except the presidios, the three pueblos
and their lands, and a few ranchos which were held by
virtue of grants from the king of Spain.

I have said elsewhere that the missionaries objected
to any settlements in the country but the missions ;
the presidios they regarded as a necessary evil. They
would like to have all the lands to themselves. Josd
Marfa Amador related to Commandant-general Vic-
toria the following case, which occurred in his pres-
He and another soldier had gone to the missioji

ence.

San Luis Obispo escorting Father Tapis, who was
then president and vicar- forain. It was on a quiet
night, with the moon shining brightly. Amador and
an old man from Spain were sitting on one side. Tlio
priests bejjan a discussion on the nature of the moon,
and the old Spaniard was asked by one of them for
his opinion. He coolly remarked as follows: "Land
it cannot be, nor water; frost, still less. Were it
land, there would be sheep of the missions up there.
For when your reverences hear of ^ome poor fellow
asking for a piece of land to place his live-stock on,
and earn a living for himself and family, you say to
the government that he must not have it, because the
mission needs it for its flock of sheep."

At a later date, many of these ranchos, by viituc
of the colonization law, were given to private individ-
uals ; but while they pertained to the missions, each
rancho was managed by a mayordomo, either de razon
or an Indian. Each rancho was, as a rule, dedicated
to one particular branch of industry — as homed cattk\
sheep, agriculture, and the like; but where two or
more branches were attended to on the same raneho,
each of these was under the care of a capataz. Tlio
neophytes who labored on these ranchos dwelt there,

MISSION BUILDINGS.

223

aiicl were subject to the same general discipline as
tliose at the mission proper. Early in the present
century, there were about 50,000 Indians connected
with the missions. ]N one but the alcaldes, carporales,
and vaqueros were allowed to ride on horseback.

During the epidemic of measles, about 1825, which
carried off so many natives, the mortality seemed to
be greater on Sundays and Mondays ; this was attrib-
uted to the free use of beef, as the slaughter of cattle
and distribution of the meat took place on Saturday.
The neophytes at the San Cdrlos mission were reduced
from 1,000 to 300 souls. During the small-pox of
1834, which ravaged the northern part of the state,
particularly Sonoma, the southern section almost en-
tholy escaping, the natives suffered severely from bc-
iig loft to themselves. It was a scurvy trick for civ-
ilization to bring its pestilence and foul diseases to
scatter among these simple savages, and then abandon
tliem to their fate, not to mention rum, syphilis, and
other virulent refinements, causing fearful havoc.

The ranchos de ganado mayor of the presidio com-
panies were formed at their cost, and well tended by
a corporal and four privates, who acted as herders.
Ill a certain month, once a year, the free soldiers gath-
ered there to brand the cattle, the comandante gener-
ally attending. This was concluded with a ball. The
ejidiers «lso had large fields of grain on the river
near ]Mo!it;erey. In later times, Comisario Herrera
ittotiipto^I vO interfere in the management of the pre-
sivliv ranch! ts, o** ranchos nacionales, intending to make
perst.nal [ rofi' s out (>'! them. Yet he knew they were
the propevu^v of the troops. This gave rise to disputes
between the comandante at Monterey and the comi-
sario, whereupon the governor despoiled the owners
of the property.

Tlie mission buildings, besides the church, which
was always the grand and prominent figure, consisted
of i 3 dwellings of the padres and their attendants,
biitT /;^':j for the escolta, storehouses, outhouses, and

224

GOLDEN AGE OF CALIFORNIA.

corral sheds. Then there were huts and houses of all
grades, built chiefly of adobe, however, for the tamed
Indians, married and single, the former living in
houses of their own, and the latter divided, the boys
in one house and the girls in another, each watched
over by proper superiors. Often the buildings at a
mission were disposed around a large hollow s(iuar(',
the different edifices being accessible from the interior.
One or two large doorways, called portones, gave in-
gress to the court-yard. The house of the padre niin-
istro, which was next the church, and like it fronted
outward, was "J so in the square. Opening into the

i were the workshops of the car-
saddlera, weavers, hatters, tan-

interior of the
penters, blacksn-

ners, soap-boilers, as well as the warehouse when;
were deposited the agricultural products and manu-
factured articles of the missions, and the effects which
the padres bouglit from vessels or traders. Within
the square were the kilns for burning bi Ick and tile.
Outside the square were the pits where adobes wt>re
made. Sometimes the buildings were partly of adobe
and partly of adobe stone and cement, with roofs <if
timber and tile, all being of very solid construction.
The missions purchased from importers all such articks
as were required for their Indians, and -.s a rule tin;
missionaries were faithful and honest in their transac-
tions.

The house of Virmond was the only one in Mexico
at one time that did business with the padres, receiving'
in payment the stipends, or orders on the pious fund,
payable on presentation. Other business of missions,
hi 1840, was done through the administrators. "Al-
though appointed to enrich themselves, the adminis-
trators kept good faith with us traders," says Arnaz.

On planting a mission, the first object of the fathers
was to induce wild Indians to come in from the su'-
rounding country and settle near them, to bee an e do-
mesticated, to accept the faith as it was held out to
them, and to assist in cultivating the soil.

TRAINING OF NIlOrHTTES.

223

isofall

ang "^

he bovf^

kVatclied

Yfa at a
s(iuart\

interiov.

^avc lu-

Lilro mill-
et fronted
into the

[ the car-

bters, tau-

isc where

,nd nianu-

Bcts which

,. Within

•k and tile.

jobes were

iy of adohc

[th roofs »tt'

instruction.
Lch artich '^^
a rale tlu"
iir transac-

in Mexico
Is, receivii»:j;
Vious fund,

)f niission!^,

tors. "^V'
iie adniinis-
tays Avnaz.

the fathers
Im the 8UV-
Ibeonie cl<i-

icld out t.)

JN.t the several missions, tlie native dialect was
goiurally different, and this liod to bo learned by the
priests, the Indians being taught at tlie same time to
speak Si)anish, the latter language coming more and
more into use. The children were early taught Span-
ish, and encouraged as much as possible to drop their
inotlier tongue.

In a few of the missions, bovs of musical tastes
were taught, besides their prayers, even in their own
tongue, vocal and instrumental nmsic, and their ser-
vices were in times utilized to add solemnity to the
iiigh mass. I have in my library a curious relic from
1813 of the San Jose ui'«s*ion, a large folio of sheep-
skin leaves, bound in wood, the first few pages of
wliicli give lessons on ganmt; the rest behig chants for
masses. The Indians were also utilized as acolytes,
and hi other capacities about the churches. I have
likewise another specimen of mission nmsic, a hynm
for a (juartette choir written on parchment that had
previously contained writing which had been, not very
carefully, erased. The notes pertaining to each part
are in a color distinct from that of the others. The
nmsic is simple and adapted to the comprehension of
the iicopli} te choristers, nor is it inharmonious. The
Words written in the church Latin which ignore
cli[)tliongs, etc., are those of a hynm of the catholic
cliureli, which may have possibly been the composi-
tion of the pious padre who wrote the music, and
[Kiliaps composed it. In my library is also a copy
of a trisagion supposed to have been composed by the
native Californian Juan Jose Higuera.

The tem[)oral as well as the spiritual welfare of
tlieir charge was in the hands of the priests, who
tau'j;]it the Indians, with somethhig of civilization's
pohtles and moralities, agrriculture and mechanics,
taknig care that the practice incident to these teach-
in>rs sliould redound to the public weal. Thus was
cleared tlie land round the missions, and houses built,
mid water for general use and irrigation brought in.

e.\L. I'A,fT. 15

GOLDEN AGE OF CAUFORinA.

V!*?

While some looked after the stock, others planted
corn, potatoes, fruit-trees, and vines, and still others
learned to be carpenters, masons, weavers, smiths,
quarrymen, and the like. Whenever strangers who
knew anything of mechanics, arrived at the missions,
says Robinson, the padres availed themselves of their
services to teach the Indians. The centenarian
Eulalia Perez, who lived many years in the missiotis,
stated that a neophyte was taught the work for which
he manifested a liking. The more intelligent were
likewise taught to reatl and write. It was so, at least,
at San Gabriel, when Father Zalvidea was in charge.
And while these thus near the drippings of the sanc-
tuary were proceeding so gloriously along the highway
to heaven, the surrounding pagans, living some ilis-
tance back, would come over the hills, and down to
where the sweets of earth and heaven were bciiit^
hived by the busy swarm of industry, waiting aiul
watching for what they could get of the crumbs of
civilization without working for them.

The natives were quick to learn the mechanic arts
and willing to work ; but left to themselves tlicy
would do nothing. They were but children, and
needed the presence of the father. And so it was
that lands were not assigned to individuals or faniilirs,
but to communities having an overseer. In that
way they would work and eat together, cultivating
the land in common.

Likewise the padres were physicians for the body
as well as for the soul. If they were so great and
good as they claimed, they and their god and their
king, then they must do great and good thin'jjs, as
they claimed their master did of old, feed, clothe,
heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out devils.
The climate being salubrious and food plenty, the
priests were usually equal to the emergency ; though
the whitewashed savages could not fail to notice that
howsoever prevailed for a time the legerdemain of the
priests, Satan was sure in the end to get the best of

DIVERS CUSTOMS AND REGULATIONS.

planted
U others
, smiths,
gers who
missions,
;9 of their
sntenariau

missioi^*'*
for which
igent were
io, at least,
, in chari^e.
f the sauc-
tie highway
T some clis-
'nd down to
were bciiii?
^vaiting and
3 crumbs of

them ; for under the white dispensation as under the
red, all men sooner or later came to grief, were
ol)Hged to die, and be buried in the ground — where-
upon the priests would then say it was all for their
<H)(k\, and that they might in this way alone reach
licaven, tlie poor savages perforce accepting it all as
true, not having power to contradict or question.

At each mission there was an infirmary, consisting
of a galeron, or gallery, and some mats on which the
sick neophjiics lay; sometimes the padres acted as
physicians, but generally the Indians preferred being
treated by their hechiceros, or medicine-men, who by
study or tradition had acquired a certain knowledge
of the virtues of plants. The missionaries had direc-
tions to perform the Cassarean operation on women
Avho died enceinte. I notice that one was performed
at San Francisco on November 12, 1805, and another
at San Jose December 21, 1825. In both cases the
dead children were baptized mh cond'dione. There is
iKt tvidcnceof any such operation being ever performed
at the missions on a liviuij woman.

The charitable and conscientious'priest could not do
all he desired on his stipend of $400 a year. For him
who served the maker and ruler of the universe this
was rather a small allowance, even in this lotos-land.
Half of his money he must spend on his own dress, for
his livery must be in some degree in accordance with
his pretensions; then he must have his chocolate and
his wine, and good tobacco and other articles. His
rations had to be paid for out of the stipend, and a
f< \v jxisos had to go in relieving the necessitous, etc.
AVhon adult prisoners were brought into a mission by
a converting expedition, they were first taught to say
tiieir pater noster and one or two other prayers, and
then were christened. Men and women were soon
aftf-r ranged in separate lines in presence of the mis-
sion people, and haranged by the padre, with the aid
of an interpreter, on the merits and responsibilities of
marriage. Each person was asked whether he or

228

.■ GOLDEN AGE OP CALIFORNIA.

she wished to be married, and every one saying aye,
was ranged in a separate line of liis or her sex. Any
man or woman who admitted liavini> had sexual con-
nection, was placed apart to be married to her or him
with whom that connection hatl been, to be married
whether they were willing or not. The rest of the
men were then asked, one by one, which of the
women opposite they chose to marry. If the selected
woman showed unwillingness to accept the man, h<'
had to choose again. If any could not be matched
among the gentiles, christianized men and women were
called up to choose or be chosen. If several women
chose one man, and he did not manifest a preference
for any of them, their names were thrown together
into a box, and the man drew out one, whose owner
was forthwith through a messenger, advised of tlie
result, and required to set forth her objections, if any
she had. The marriages of the several couples took
place on different days, for each one, or for such
group of old and new Christians.

There was an Indian herder named Cashuco, who
was chosen by ten women at the same time. Tlioy
cast lots, and the one that drew the prize was made
supremely happy.

Care was taken early to instill into the hearts aiul
minds of the native children the power of religion
and the dogmas of the church; infants who lived witli
their parents at or near the mission were brought
almost every day to the priests, who would see t(»
their food and general comfort, until they were four
or five years of age, after which the child remained at
the mission. Thus these little California shock-heads
became, indeed, children of the church. The mission-
aries were very attentive to their spiritual duties,
exerting themselves to increase the number of Chris-
tians, and in keeping the latter well instructed in tlu;
tenets of the faith; often using to that end th(.'
Indian language. They were at all hours of the day
or night prompt in administering the sacraments, or

GOOD AND BAD MEN.

ing aye,
:. Anv
ual cou-
r or \nw

marric*!
(t of the
I of the
3 selecte<l
I man, b"

matched
men were
al women
preference
I together
losc owner
Bed of the
ions, if any
luples took
r for such

shuco, who

me. They

was made

attending to the needs of tlie sick, for they often
acted as physicians and furnislied medicines to their
neopliytes, and even to the gentiles who came to beg
f( )!• such assistance. The gentiles were never refused
food when they asked for it. This was an induce-
ment to many gentiles to embrace mission life.

Down to the period preceding Echeandia's rule,
wliieh was from 1825 to 1831, the mission Indians
regarded the missionaries with tlie awe and submis-
sion of children, but this governor imbued them with
the idea that they were citizens and had political
rights, thereupon discipline became relaxed, and the
mnilsters were not obeyed as formerly. The old
8[)anish friars or Fernandinos, were mostly moral
men. A few of their number caused scandal. Much
cannot be said in favor of the Guadalupanos, who
succeeded the former in later years in the management
of the northern missions. The good men among
them were few, the scandalous ones many. Among
the few who deserve especial mention were (rarcia
])iego, the first bishop of the Californias and prede-
cessor of Bishop and later Archbishop Alemany ; Gon-
zalez, who after the death of the first bishop, was for
a lonij time ijuardian of the diocese, and Bernardino
Perez, who went home to become the guardian of his
college. It is quite possible that the founders at first
purposed not merely to convert the natives to Chris-
tianity, but to teach them also the arts of civilized
life. But be it as it may, they were taught what was
barely necessary to utilize their labor. Neither the
•government nor the missionaries took any pains to
make them in any way caj)able of relying on them-
selves after the secularization of the missions, which
had to ])e the case pursuant to the royal orders under
which the system of missions was established. The
neophytes never became anything else than large
oh ill Iron, with many vices, incapable as a rule of rea-
soning or of self-control, or of earning independently
their own living. This was clearly shown at the

GOLDEN AGE OF CALIFORNIA.

secularization of the San Cilrlos. The coinmiss'ionor
was instructed to make three partitions of the prop-
erty, one for the Indiana, one for the government,
and one for the church. The Indians accordinjjfly
took their portion of horses, sheep, neat cattle, goats,
grain, etc., besides one piece of land for each single
one, and two pieces for such as had families. It was
forbidden to buy any of the property from them. But
this precaution amounted to nothing. In about one
year the Indians had either sold or gambled away
what they had not eaten or drunk. After a wliilo
some died, and the rest dispersed, abandoning tlulr
lands, which eventually fell into the hands of ranchems,
under grants by the government. The administrators
after the secularization, never took care of the Indians
as the friars had done. The recently catechised mostly
rejoined their gentile tribes, and often led the bands
that raided the ranches t(j plunder and drive off stock.
Before the secularization of the missions, but the
missionaries were aware of its coming on, the latter
resolved to turn to money as much of the cattl*,' as
they could dispose of Immense numbers of cattle
were slaughtered, contracts with private persons
being entered into to accomplish the object in view,
the contractors receivinix one-half of the hides. The
slauixhtcr was so lartje that the jjovemment became
alarmed at the thou";ht that the country would be
left without any cattle, if such destruction were not
checked. It accordingly adopted measures to put a
stop to it. Pio Pico was one of those who entered
into such contract with the mission San Gabrial, ac-
cording to his own statement. Mrs Ord, who had the
best opportunity to know the facts, denies that there was
any such wholesale slaughter of cattle. Nevertheless
she acknowledged having heard that the mission
San Gabriel did have about 30,000 heads killed, ho-
cause it had not land enough for its enormouF> stock,
said to have been about 100,000. And possibly Sau
Luis Key did the saoie.

MISSION RULE AND ROUTINE.

2»1

nissionor
,bc prop-
erninent,

Ac, gi>ats,
ch. single
It was
lieiu. But
about one
jled away
!r a wliiW'
ning tluir
'ranchcros,
liuistratois
•he lutliaus
ised mostly
I the bands
ve off stock.
,ns, but tlie
L the latter
he cattle as
rs of cattle
te persons
ect in vit'Nv,
liitlcs. The
\cnt becanK'
•y would l>e
jn were not
ires to put a
who entered
Gabrial, ac-
who had the
hat there was
Nevertheless
the mission
ids killed, I'O-
3rmouF> stock,
possibly Sail

The bachelors lived in a separate edifice, and were
locked in at night, the key being given to the padre.
The young women lived in another edifice, called the
nionjerio, under a matron who guarded them night
and day. They were locked in at night and the key
given to the padre. The alcaldes dv order of the
inayordomo gave the Indians their task, and released
tilt! I ocked-up bachelors, as did the matron the spinsters.
TIk! unmarried were fed daily. The married received
every Saturday one ration for the week of maize,
wlioat, frljoles, and meat, fresh or dried. Breakfast
was eaten at daybreak, of atole or pozole. At 1 1 :30
A. M., laborers returned from work to the pozolera, if
the work was near enough, and went back to work at
1 \\ M., stopping at sunset, when the third meal was
given, of atole as before. They were well fed.

Once a year the mission Indians were allowed to
go to the woods to gather fruits. It was generally
the old men and women wl.o went, escorted by some
«)tlH rs. Every Indian received one blanket a year,
and if he tore it, or wore it out, before the year was
over, lie received another. Every man received a
taparabo, or loin cloth, and a coton de jerga, or sergo
blouse. Every woman got serge for a petticoat. In
later times a variety of cloth was given for clothing.
Indians working at remote ranches generally lived
there, and had their pozolera.

Tlie missions had various mayordomos, who were
cliarged with different branches or with a rancho.
Tliey were gente de razon. Capataccs, who were also
iiitrri)reters, were chosen from the most intelligent;
(»iu> (jf their duties was to transmit orders tt) those
^vh() did not understand Spanisli. They also aided
the alcaldes and mayordomos in keeping order.

The mission herders were chiefly Indians, and
tended stock under the care of mayordomos, many
receiving saddles and boots. Women were seldom em-
ployed ill field work, because there were generally
nil II enough. They attended rather to weaving, sew-

pi!

232

COLDEN AP.E OF CALIFORNIA.

ing, and keeping the houses clean. In eacli workshop
was a teacher ue razon. Indians coukl not quit the
preuiises without k'ave, which was seklom granted.
Many were sent under contract to work at presidios
and ranches, the pay going to the conununity, it was
said — the \mire receiving it, however. A few Indijin
boys were taught to read, and other acconiplislinients,
besides trades. They acted as the pages of tlie
padre, and were better dressed and ttd than tlie
others. None but va<juero8 might ride. Nearly all
the missions had musicians

Each mission had an escolta of generally one cabo
and four men, to keep order and protect the padres.
San Gabriel had a larger force. Ordinary pmiisli-
ments were administered by the padres, aided if
necessary by the escoltas.

In graver cases the person in charge at the mission
had to secure the guilty perst)n, investigate the
charge, and report to the comandante of the presidio.

Eulalia Perez, for many years llavera, or Intuse-
keeper, at San Gabriel, says that the married neophytes
lived in their rancherias, and with them their children
while small. At from 7 to 9 years girls were brought
to the monjerio, where they were reared until the
time of marriage. A married Indian woman, known
as the madre abadesa, had charge of the monjerio.
Every night this was locked, and the key given to the
llavera, who took it to the padre ministro.

At the door of the monjerio stood an Indian who
called the roll of names as the girls went in at niglit;
she who was missing was the next tlay brought to the
monjerio, and shut up for a certain time; her mother,
if she had one, was also brought and punished for hav-
ing detained the child. In the morning the girls went
first to mass, and then to the pozolera, where tluy
broke their fast, sometimes with champurrado — choc-
olate with atole of maize — with dulce and bread, or
on feast days, pozole and meat. After this, each
monja literally nun, went about her daily task.

MISSION RULE AND ROUTINE.

orksliop
^uit tlu'.
iTranted.

^', it was

V Iiulian
slmicnts,
i of i\\v
:han the
iearlv all

one cabo
\e padres.

V pun'isb-
aidcd it'

[ic mission
i;j;at(^ the
c presidio.

or housc-

no()\>liytos
ir cliildren
ro l)rou;j;lit
until the

an, known
monjerio.

veil to the

Liidian who
n at ui;j;ht;

laht to the
lor mother,
[cd for hav-
^irls wint
Ivlierc thty
lado— <"liec-
}l bread, or
this, each

I task.

From the earliest days the inissious were allotted
by two ministers each. As a rule, the one most oom-
piitent to attend to temporal affairs was placed in
charge of them, while the other looked after the spir-
itual. The former also assisted in baptizing, burying,
and teaching. Prior to 182H, the i)a(.lrcs had no stew-
ards; they would select from the neophytes the most
suitable for such work, and i»lacc them in charge, each
of some one part of the farm work. The padre took
jHisona] care of the warehouses, and superintended
till' cutting of garments for the natives, and the dis-
tril)ution of rati«ms. They labored nmch harder than
after 1828. Very few nnssions had servants d(! rjizon,
unless it was sometimes the llavero. Occasionally
tliiy wouhl emph)y the corporal of the guard, or some
old soldier, who understood how to till the soil, but
this was usually discountenanced by the coniandantes
of presidios, on the plea that after a soldier gahied the
L'ood will of the padres and became accustomed to
the luxuries and comforts of the mission, he neglected
military duties.

The Indians rose early. After dawn the bell rang
for mass, which the padre said while the Indians rc-
eitiHJ the prayers. After the first mass another padre
said a second mass, after the Indians had gone to work,
hnakfast being over. All Indians in the ranchcn'as
eanie to the pozolera before dawn, to take breakfast of
atole, made of barley roasted and ground, and sifted.

The bachelors and spinsters breakfasted after mass,
wliieh, as residents at the mission, they had to attend
daily. The neoph}i;es had three meals each day, the
desayuno before going to work, the comida at 1 2 m.,
and the cena after work was done. Their food con-
sisted, besides the pinole, of beans and maize or wheat
cooked together. Sometimes in the morning they
Were given meat and atole, which was maize boiled
witli lime, and after a thorough cleansing, ground by
the Women into a paste, after which it was ma<Je into
a gruel. To the married there was served out every

234

GOLDEN AGE OF CALIFORNIA.

week a ration of grain, maize, wheat, or beans, and
daily one of mefet, generally fresh, but sometimes
dried.

Then again three further times each day the mission
bells would ring, when, whatever was bemg done, off
went the hat and a prayer was said. At such times
the montc-dealcr paused in his excitmg game; no
matter how nefarious the pursuit which at the time
occupied the devotee, these bells brought him at once
into communion with his maker — at least in form.

At mass there was a sermon on some point of doc-
trine, some portions thereof being delivered in the
Indian tongue, as was done by Padre Zalvidea and
otheis. When the padre ministro was unable to do
this, he had recourse to an interpreter. Generally,
however, the neophytes had learned sufficient Spanish
to be able to understand what was said. Regidorcs
led the recitations, and they also taught pagans to
pray; the office was generally held by some blind
person. None were so poor or unfortunate that they
could not serve God.

The mass was generally sung, the musicians and
singers being neophytes, several of whom understood
music well and had excellent voices. There was at
Santa Bdrbara an Indian named Antero, who died
about 184o, whose excellent tenor voice filled the
church, and was admired by foreigners as well as
Californians. He also played the bass-viol.

The same religious exercises which were held in tl)e
morning were repeated in the afternoon. Sometinios
the morning labor lasted from sunrise till 11:30 or 12,
when a second meal was eaten, after which work ro-
coninienced at 1 or 1:30, and lasted till sundown in
the season of short days; but during the time of hm^
daj's, work ceased about an hour or so before nightfall.

On Sunday, which was a day of rest, the Indian nu ii
presented themselves at mass, each dressed in a clran
blanket, shirt, and breech-clout.

Coronel says that at the sound of the morning boll

MISSION ROUTINE.

235

all the neophytes arose, went to the church, and of-
fered a short prayer. At the second ringing of the
\iv]\ they went to breakfast, desayuno, the single men
and women to the pozolera, or place where the pozole
was prepared, and the married to their own houses.
All these operations took place before sunrise. At
tlie third summons of the bell, just at sunrise, the
cuadrillas of neophytes went about their labors. The
ox-drivers, gananes, goad and yoke in hand, presented
themselves at the corral. The caporal, or mayor-
donio's assistant, whose duty it was to look after the
oxen, indicated to each the animals which he should
take. The ox-drivers yoked each his oxen, and when
all were ready went in groups to the localities assigned
them. •

At 11 A. M, one or two carts laden with a refresco,
made of water and vinegar and sugar, or lemon and
suu^ar, were sent by the padres to the Indian laborers
in the field as a preventive of illness.

It was a curious spectacle, that of a priest, aided
only by four or five Californians, called soldiers —
though such tliey were not — managing a lar-ge num-
ber of neophytes, with such perfect order, and without
tlie least want of respect on the part of the Indians.
It is true that these Indians worked for thfnr mainte-
nance, and a blanket and shirt, which was what the
nun generally received, although to the women were
given rebozos, and stuff of which to make enaguas, or
petticoats, nor did they reeeive other instruction than
that contained in the doctrina of the church; yet
they respected all gente de razon. These Indians hod
learned the origan ization of the familv; this alone was
jiiogress. It is true that at some missions whore the
paches still had charge in ? 884, disci])line had become
lax, for the Indians were full of the idea of the liberty
viiirli secularization would bring them.

The neophytes were divided into gangs, cuadrillas,
some being laborers afield, others herdsmen, others
artisans, others hunters. Each cuadrilla had its re*

236

GOLDEN AGE OF CALIFORNIA.

spcctivc ovorsocr, who managed his men according to
the instructions given to him by the padre ministn).

Each euadrilla of neopliytes, when working in a
place apart from the others, was directed in its labors
by an alcalde, or capataz (foreman), who in the after-
noon, after work was done, gave an account thereof
to the principal overseer, and iie to the padre, at the
same time receiving his orders for the next day.

The neopliyte men were taught all the trades —
carpentering, blacksuiithing, how to weave, make
blankets, car{)ets, and many other things. The wo-
men learned to spin, sew, and all the various domestic
duties. At every mission, day after day, the girls
could be seen out in the square at the spinning-
wheels, and the men at their various occupations.
"The missions were like a large prison at the east in
this respect," says Robinson, "where they carry on
work, with workshops of all kinds."

Tlie neophyte women were also employed in har-
vesting and cleaning the grain, in cutting the grapes,
in cleaning the wool and weavini; it, and sometimes in
bringing clay for the manufacture of tiles, especially
the single women, who were constantly employed.

Mission padres used to ofler Indian girls of eight
and ten years to serve in the lu»uses of tlio wealthy,
exacting in return that tliey sliould be taught to sew .
Wlien they reached fifteen, the padre would UJi^v
neophytes to seek them in marriage, and get tluiii
V)ack to the mission. There were accordingly many
good sewing-girls and dancers among the Indians.

The worksho[)s were under the supervision of a di
rector, or master workman de razon, or that of an
Indian who understood the work. The mission <'t
San Fernando luul one mavordomo for field-work ami
one for tlie house. As to manufactures at the mis-
sions, although they fell far short of perfection, tiuy
sufficed for the wants of that epocli. With regard to
ajjriculture, it may be said that, while the implenuiits
ot modern husbandry were of course unknown, it was

MISSION MANUFACTURES.

237

d\w^ to
iiistro.
ng in a
;s Uibt)rs
iG ai'ter-
thcreot'
), at the

B, make
The wo-
(loiDcstic
tho ghls
spmuiiijj;-
'upations.
lie cast in
carry on

3cl in har-

lie grapes,
letinies in
especially

)yc(l.
of eight
wealthy,
it to !^e\v.
luld U'jif
get thein
itrly many
iclians.
_>n of a (li
lat of an
iiission «'t
-work and
.t the ini>*-
'tiou, they
regard t<»
lupieunnts
,wu, it ^vii8

novortheless in a sufficiently advanced state. The
|)riiuij)al cereals cultivated gave abundant harvests,
iunply ^sufficient for the missions' use, and wherewith
to .-^ull to and aid the people de razon and the presidial
troops,

"From my own observation," says Coronel, *'and
from what I learned from frequent conversation with
Padre Zalvidea of San Juan Capistrano, the system
of agriculture, nmnufactures, and instruction in opera-
tion at the missions was ba-;ed on a work entitled,
('(iMi de Cu)npo y IhiMoril, a treatise which contained
full information regarding the proper management of
the pro})crty and the laborers."

At the missions he who passed judgment on the
,.lh nces of the neophytes was the padre ministro. He
lieard the comj)laints of the alcaldes, mayordomos, or
foremen, and ordered the a}>plication of the punish-
nit lit — stripes (azotes), or the stocks (el cepo), irons
^^lillos), or the corma (a sort of portable ambulatory
stocks). Besides this, there was always a calaboose in
wliitli to secure culprits. When the punishment con- •
>isted of azotes, the culprit was either triced up to a
post or stretched face downward on the ground, his
liitvch-clout was removed, the flap of his shirt raised,
iihd the alcalde or capataz delivered on his buttocks,
or the back below the shoulders, the immber of blows
oiil( ii'd by the padre. Generally punishment was
ii(liiiiiiistered at the guard-house, which was next to
the calaboose.

Xcophytes were sometimes punislunl by confinement
.111(1 the stocks. When the offence was grave the
otfciuler was tr.ken to the guard-house, there bound
to ii post or cannon, and given 25 stripi'S, or more ac-
(ordiiig to the case. Sometimes the head was put in
the stocks; at others a gun was tied to the legs just
liehind the knees, and the hands were brought dow n
and tied to the gun. This was a severe punishment,
and was called the ley de l^avona. Padres Zalvidea
and Sanchez always showed great kindness to the
Indians.

' w '1

238

GOLDEN AGE OF CAUFORNIA.

■CI

The system of corporoal punishment established by
the padres was adopted by the administrators of mis-
sions, the alcaldes, and commissioners, and even by
individuals who had Indians in their service. Evtjry
one arrogated to himself the right to chastise at his
own pleasure the Indians in his service.

The mission Indians fancying themselves abused
at their missions had a right to prefer complaints before
the comandante of the presidio to whose jurisdiction
the mission belonged; and it was his duty to redress
their wrongs, but obviously for several reasons there
were few such complaints made.

While Padre Duran was at San Jose several Co-
suranes presented themselves for baptism, whieii rites
they received, together with a blanket and a shirt, as
usual. Misdemeanors were punished every Sunday
after mass with a dozen or more lashes at the church
door, after which the culprit went to kiss the padre's
hand in sign of submission. One of these Cosutniios
who had been thus punished became enraged, and nn
reaching the padre took off the shirt, and tlirew it with
his blanket at the feet of the holy man, saying : " Piuho,
take back thy Christianity; I want none of it; I will
return a pagan to my country "

In early times the padres were wont to go to distant
rancherfas unaccompanied by any military escort, thus
imperilling their lives. After the assassination of
Padre Quintana, the government adopted se\('ro
measures prohibitory of the padres' running like risks.
Therefore, the escoltas received strict orders, the
corporal and soldiers being individually respoiisiMo
for a ctunpliance therewith, never to allow the padro
to leave the mission without the escolta, whether he
liked it or not.

One Salvador Espinosa, soldier of an escolta, was
obliged, on a certain occasion, to use force in order to
prevent the padre, who was better mounted than
he, from going on in advance. Espinosa was put i;; Hie
stocks, and the padre complaining of him was obliytd

PRESIDIO SOLDIERS.

to appear before Governor Sola, who, on learning the
circuuistances, approved of what Espinosa had done,
and praised the fidelity with which he had obeyed
orders. It is to be noted that in those times, "cuando
todavfa se amarraban los perros con longanizas" (when
dogs were still fastened with sausages) — or in other
words, before the people of California had their eyos
opened — laying violent hands on a padre ininistro was
a most heinous offence, which was punished with the
greatest severity. The individual so offending lost
his position in society, being excommunicated and
ostracized.

The corporal of the escolta had criminal jurisdiction,
and in cases of weightier import which did not come
witliin the cognizance of the padre, he it v/as who
ordered punishment, consisting of lashes and the stocks,
to be administered. In still graver cases he made the
preliminary examination, and then sent the culprit to
the presidio for judgment. The corporal was charg( d
with tlie defence of the missions in case of a sudden
attack by either internal or external foes, and possessttl
oven the power of life and death, but this only on an
cuiergency when it was impossible to communicate
with the comandante of the presidio.

Ill early times double escoltas were stationed occa-
sionally at the missions, such an escolta being com-
iiianded by a sergeant. In those days the corporal of
an escolta was appointed by the governor, who alone
conld remove him. In an uvgent case, however, he
inioht be suspended by the comandante of the presidio
to the jurisdiction of which the mission belonged.
Ordinarily the escolta consisted of a corporal and five
men.

A soldier of the escolta kept watch by day, and at
nig] it a sentinel was placed, who by means of a btll
announced the four watches. Of course the cor[)()ial
had to be present at each relief; and when there was
a less number than four enlisted men in the escolta,
was liimself obliged to keep a watch, which was eitluj

240

GOLDEN AGE OF CALIFORNIA.

the first or the last. Tlie mission furnished rations
of meat am} grain to the esoolta, afterward sending in
the account to the liabiHtacion.

The married corporals and soldiers of an escolta
had their families with them at the mission, and there
was a little group of houses for the use of the troops
Tlie wives of the married men prepared the meals of
tlie bachelors, who made over to these women their
rations free of charge. On extraordinary occasions,
such as feasts of the church, the padres made presents
of fruit and wine to the escolta and their families.
When the corporal acted as mayordomo, he received
from the missions additional ])ay as such, say $10 a
montli.

In the mission escolta it was so arranged that one
soldier acted as sentinel from G ^. m. till 12, anotlier
till 6 p. M., another from G to D p. m., the rest all taking
their turn for three hours during the night. When
the padre wanted an escort, the soldier was sent who
had been sentinel el cuarto de alba, or the next one.
The day sentinel walked with sabre or sword, the one
by night witli nmskct constantly in hand. Cabo and
men had all to sleep in the guard-house, whether mar-
ried or single. When the cabo did not watch tluin,
tiie soldiers would seek the Indian girls at the raneli-
erfa.

On October 7, 1827, Jefe Politico Echeandia issued
a bando to the effect that no person should leave his
place of residence without apprising tlie local au-
tliority, or spend the night away from it without a
pass; persons found without sudi passes must be de-
tained, and no person should tarry at any other place
than that specified, or beyond the specified time, unless
sickness or otiier sufficient cause rendered it necessarv.
In no case should any one settle in any place with* "tit
permission.

Each mission was not only self-supporting wlun
once established, but was an instrument for the rajid
accumulation of wealth. They possessed within tliem-

NATIVES AND PRIESTS.

241

rations
ding "i

escolta
id there
i trtM)p^
nieals of
en tlicir
[•casions,
presents
families,
received
xy $10 a

that one
;, another
all takini,'
;. When
sent \vht»
next one.
1, the one
Cabo and
ithcr mar-
ch them,
,lio ranc'h-

Idia issued
h>ave his
h>eal an-
Iwithout a
List be dc-
Ither l)lat'o
ine, unless
inecessary.
;o without

tnig wbt;n

the r:\l'i«l

Ithui them-

selves all the elements of success. They guaranteed
to their converts the most possible of both worlds.
Tlity acquired titles to broad and fertile lands, and
paid their laborers in spiritual wares. Their costly
edifices, workshops, and storehouses were erected and
filled upon a credit which was to run throughout time;
all tlieir work was done by laborers, who at the close
off very day found themselves more and more indebted
to tlicir employers — obligated to such an extent that
iiiijdiiit and blind obedience and faithful services
tliiouLjhout time and eternity would be all too short
ill wliicJi to make their acknowledgments.

It would a|)pear that if it were possible under any
cinuinstances for Christianity and civilization to bene-
fit the Indians of America, such fruits could not fail
t<i aj»iiear among the missions of California. That the
jiurot motives sometimes actuated the missionaries in
(Jcvotiiig their lives to this work, there is no question;
that their treatment of the natives was upon the
whnle kind and judicious, all travellers bear testimony,
and their success outwardly was great. Thousands
wvie brought into the fold, taught morality, industry,
and the arts of ])eace. Their conditi<m w^as greatly
Ih iiefited; and with the exception of the wilder si)irits,
within wjjose breasts the lonjjinffs for their ancient
liberty still burned, they were contented and happy.
But it was all the same to the doomed red man, as if
Satan with his angels was let in upon the country to
l>uin and destroy. To the savage, civilization is
Satan.

After secularization, mingled with the Californians,
as servants, and partly by marriag(3, were many abo-
riiiin. s fro?u the plains and missions. The mission,
lirukeii up and despoiled, no longer afforded shelter to
Its cliildren, save a few of more solid character, who
liad managed to secure a portion of the community
land and efifects, and retain them. The rest had been
di>pers. (I to seek refuge among settlers or in the wil-
derness, leaving the establishments which had been

Cal. Past., Sol. I. 16

942

GOLDEN ACE OF CALTFORNTA.

built lip with so much labor and ticvotion to be carried
away by plunderers, or to decay under the unavailing
eflbrts of half a dozen remaining friars. These, jur-
force, nmst now turn their attention to the spiritual
wants of the settlers, whose fitful ears heard the jtcal
of bells only on sabbath mornings, rolling faintly
through the distance, and to be drowned perhaps l»y
more alluring calls, unless revived by promjjtings of
gallantry and display. The natives who deserted to
the woods relapsed into barbarism among the wild
Indians, living in rancherfas of sheds or brush arlxnN,
depending on tlio hook or trap for food, with roots and
fruit, and occasionally some maize from a petty fit Id
tended by the women. The practice obtained in the
forties, though forbidden by law, for families to pur-
chase Indian boys and girls from New Mt^xico. It
was winked at because of the benefit accruing to the
Indians so purchased, for they were educated and
treated as members of the family whom they ser\ cd.

Adhering to the traditionary usage of missioiiaiies,
the settlers would still descend upon these waifs in
armed force, and after killing a number of wairiois.
capture the women and children, or even men, for
compulsory service in tillage and toil, for wliieli no
compensati(m was accorded beyond food and seanty
covering. Such outrages aiforded just cause for le-
taliation under the guidance of mission fugitives; and
although generally confined to stock-stealing, their
raids at last caused great anxiety, especially in the
south, with constant calls for garrisons or Vfdunteer
expeditions. In the north the scantiness of jxyjtula-
tion had led to a more general employment of natives
at fair wages, which were squandered during frequent
intervals of idleness in tawdry finery and needless
articles of consumption. But of social and domestic
characteristics we sihall have fuller facts anon.

Before the revolution a salary of $400 per annum
was allowed to each of the priests connected with tho
missionij. This salary was discontinued by the repub-

PATE OF TITE NATIVES.

243

)C carried

tnava\l\n;4

hose, IHT-

! spiritual

[I tho l>t'al

\ir faintlv

crhap l»y

iiptiu;.?!^ of

^csertcil to

r the wiUl

usli armors.

h roots and
petty tirltl

inetl in the

lies to pur-

Vlexico. It

uinj:? to the

lucated and

they ser\ed.

missionay'ies.

ose waits in
of \varrit>rs.
en inciK tor
jr whieU no
and scanty
■ause for le-
iiyitivos; and
^alini?, their
Icially in the
or vcdunteer
iS of popula-
;nt of ni^tives
|rin*l freqii*'"^
land noedlesi^
md domestic

,non.

per annum
J^tedwitiith^^
|by the repub-

lic, fjrcatly to the disgust of the clergy, wlio wore also
roijuired to renounce allegiance to the king of Spain
and acknowledge the authority of the republic. An
order was executed liberating from the jurisdiction of
the missions all christianized Indians of good character,
wlio were to have lands assigned them for cultivation.
The work of the missions was still to contiime; they
wore to appoint parish curates over the liberated In-
dians, and prosecute their efforts to reclaim untamed
jrciitiles. All this gave rise to much dissatisfaction,
and many of the missionaries abandoned their labors.

The new order of things, instigated no doubt by the
most philanthropic and economic motives, operated
against the interests of the church in Califi>rnia.

The Indians thus emancipated were essentially the
support of the missions, under the strict surveillance
of the priests; they performed their labors faithfully,
lit Id in check the vicious, and were an example to
all; but with their new liberty, unacciistomod to the
exorcise of forethought or self-command, they soon
foil into dissolute habits, and rapidly melted away.

The care and discipline of the fathers being with-
diawn, as a matter of course the spirituality of their
eliildron was soon dissipated. Abandoning themselves
to spirituous liquor when they could obtain it, and
<;iviiig way to laziness and vice, tlie converts fell; and
as their own original means of support had been
witlidrawn from tliem, the depth t»f their degradatitm
was greater than during their primitive state. St)me
of them pursued the shadow of their former progress,
and cleared the weeds from spots sufficient to sustain
tin inselves; others abandoned all attempt to maintain
tluir former state of comparative ease and happiness,
and made acquisitions only in the new vices which
wci'o taught them by the settlers who were now
rapidly closing in around them.

The administrators placed in charge of the missions
after their secularization were mostof tliem incompetent
or unprincipled men. The few who were honest tried

244

GOLDEN AGE OP CALIFORNIA.

to save tlio property, but their efforts were unavailiiij:
airainst the orders they eonstaiitlv received to di ll\i r
it to others. It is well known that several adiniiii^-
trators fjjrew rich by despoiling the establish nicnts
they had control of. Stealing was carried on to sudi
an extent, that plates, pots, and pans, doors, tiles, and
every other movable thing was made away witii t'lnm
several missions. The departmental govcrnim-nt tol-
erated these thuigs to secure the support of a certain
cli<|ue.

After secularization the administrators slaughtercti
large bands of cattle under the pretext of covering r\-
penses. One of the occasions of great slaughter was
to meet the cost of the schooner California for goveiii-
ment uses. It was said the schooner cost 7,000 hidt s.
Nothing was utilized but the hides. The slaugiiti i-
ings were let to contractors who frequently kilKd
largely in excess of the number required, carrying otf
the surplus for their own benefit.

Soon after Alvarado became governor, in 1830, ho
began to lend cattle to his friends and favorites, ft \v,
if an}', of which were ever repaid. None of the
loans were of less than 100 head, some even exceedtd
1.000. Add to that the orders of the governni« iit
for cattle to meet debts, and the draft was ruinous.
The loans were made on the following terms: to
return the same number of animals and of the smio
quality in five years; otherwise, to pay the |>iioo
stipulated if demanded by the government or any
ecclesiastical authority, a way of dying business so
criminally loose as to invite rascality. In SoKiiiul
1,000 head were sold at $1.50 each, })ayable in giKtiU.
when the current price was $4 to $5 per head in sil-
ver. The same man gave 800 cows of from one viar
to three years old for fifty horses. The same fellow ck-
livered fifty cows belonging to the Soledad mission
for fifty bottles of common brandy. A general iK-
bauch followed. This accordiug to the testimony ot
Estevau de la Torre.

IXDIAX LANDS.

slinu'iits
t to sucli
tiles, and
ni\\ tVoui
i\u'nt l"'l-
a certain

lUg

htori'd
veriu|4 ^•>^-
.rliter was
i)r «i"uvi'ru-
,000 likK'S,
slauji^itrr-

ntly W^'''\
;arry'ni;- ftl

11 IB'.iC, la'
orites, tcW,
:me of tlio
II excer<.l>'l
[rovermiK nt

[as ruiiu'vi^.

teruis: to

,f the suae

the 1>«"h-^'

[eut or auy

busineft*^ so

,loiu j4<H»iU.
lieael in ^i^'
^ui one yrar
lie felU)NV lU-
iatl ini>>i*»^'
general *-lo-
^estiluouy ^^

After the missions hatl been stripped of their live-
stock, the administrators and otlicrs petitioned for
lands, which they stocked with neat cattle, sheep, and
horses from the missions. Some of them would take
just enoue h to pay themselves for arrears of salary; oth-
ers were less scrupulous. The government was well
aware of the rascality, but accustomed to such dealings.

When Alvarado, Jose Castro, and their forces, re-
turning fnnn the south in IHJ^fi, arrived at Tecolote,
tilt' place where the eccentric Indian Cristobal ^[ano-
jo lived, he greeted them "Viva California libre,
iiu'ti! la mano onde quierel" Keing asked what he
meant by saying "poke in the hand where you
plrase," he coolly answered, "jmes, ttxlo se la roban,"
which means, "well you steal everything," All
laughed, and he was let alone. After the missions
wc\v. fully secularized, Manojo'a remark fully ex-
pressed the situation.

All governments are erected upon the supposition
that a hirge pn)portion of their servants must he ras-
cals, who shall give bonds for their good behavior.
The chief difference in this rcijard between the jMexi-
tan government, including the California branch of it,
and some others in Europe and America, was this,
that while in the latter it was expected that some of-
ticials would prove hcmest, no such state of things
was lo(»ked for among the Mexlcan.s, If any were
al)ovi! peculation or other rascality, they were the ex-
ception, and their honesty was often the result of a
lack of avarice, or the absence of any disposition to ap-
propriate to their own use the public funds.

The colonial laws of 8i»aln gave the Indians a right
to as much land as they needed and would use for
cultivation and pasturage, S«'ttled communities were
to ho provided with land for this ])urpose, and the
scattered families of the wilderness were ordered
I'lought to the villagss, tamed, and chriscianized. It
was for this, primarily, that the missions liad l)een
tstahlished. Indian lands in actual use and occupa-

'!'■ ;f;

246

GOLDEN AGE OP CALIFORNIA.

tion could not be granted to Spaniards. Mission lancl.s
were the property of, or held for the benefit of, t],f
Indians. This was the theory: when a grant was
made of land upon which was a rancheria, or Indian
settlement, such grant was made subject to the rlglits
of the Indian, and the grantee did not acquire title (ir
possession until the village, of its own free will, re-
moved fronv the grant. So nmch better were tljo
laws of man than the deeds of these men of God !

The system of despoliation which began with the
conquerors was continued around the circle of mis-
sionary enterprise, until the cause was left where it
was commenced, with the difference only of a fiw
millions of Indians having disapjx^ared in the mean
time. The Jesuits, by their influence and address, had
obtained from individuals the means with which to
found the missions of the Califoniian peninsula, and tlic
natives were then called upon to contribute to tlicir
support. Fortune rolled in upon their efforts, and \\ lu u
in the heiglit of their prosperity ; 'le orders reaclad
them from Cdrlos III. to turn over all their property
to the Franciscans and depart from the country Avitli-
out the spoils, was created the Pious Fund of Cali-
fornia; and the Franciscans, with splendid resourcis,
immediately set out fi)r their new field in the north,
where, after drawing upon the natives for thirty tliou-
sand laborers for half a century, they acquired innuciisc
wealth, only to be themselves deprived of power, and
their neophytes robbed, through the secularization of
their missions, in 1833-5, by agents of the government.
But the end was not yet; for as the government was
robbed by the administrators, so were the Californians
robbed by the incoming Yankees. What power shall
next appear to wrest these lands from us we cannot
tell; but whatever it may be, as good and civilized
Christians, we must hail it as sent of God, in his in-
finite mercy and wisdom, and for the glorious pur[
of progress.

poses

WILL THERE BE ANOTHER?

247

Decay and death, however, are not our present
theme, but life, and light, and joy. All through the
^M)l(k'ii age lay this blissful land in slumber breathing,
dreaming like the unblown blosuom of its future glo-
ries, its soft wind sighing the longings of ambitious
youth; meanwhile onward marching the constrained
impatient world through time from eternity to eter-
nity, never ceasing, never resting, the same force that
l)iit»gs men into life hurrying them hence, the same
.summer sun that warms into being, that forces from
tlio buried seed the wide-spread tree and sweetens the
rii)ening fruit, bringing rottenness and death. Woods
♦lecay, forests fall, rivers die, mountains melt, nations
come and go, mind only remains, and with the ages
iiatljers strength and volume.

(fone are those hajpy hours when plenty bloomed,
and care and wealth alike were unknown ; gone are
the light labors and healthful sports, without which
Eden would be no paradise; and in their place we
liave the screeching of steam, the bustle of trade, the
^ ui ibrous activities of opulence, and hearts heavily
^vr .rlited with care.

Will California ever have another golden age ? I
trust so ; but not in the near future. When it comes
it will be neither an age of savagism, nor an age of
pastoral sensuousness, nor yet an age of city-building,
of soil-subduing, of mad money -gathering; but it will
be tlie day when mind and morality shall reign supe-
rior to avarice and passion, when genius is worshipped
in place of gold, and when studious leisure and taste-
ful simplicit}' shall take the place of absorbing lust and
gaudy splendor.

CHAPTER VII.

COLONIZATION, PUEBLO SYSTEM, AND LAND GRANTS.

But still there is unto a patriot nation,

Which loves so well its country and its king,
A subject of sublimest exultation.

— Don Juan.

The thrifty padres from the start insisted that the
missions would hardly support the neophytes, let alone
providing; for the presidios ; wherefore the ^^overnincnt
contemplated, as early as 1776, establishing puthlos
or towns in fertile regions. This plan had a double
object, namely, supplying the new presidios at reduced
cost, and settling the land with gente de razon.

Governor Felipe de Neve recommended two si)()ts
as eminently fitted for this purpose, one on tlio river
Porciiincula in the south, and another on the Guada-
lupe in the north. Without waiting for the sanction
of his superior, he proceeded at once to found the
northern town, with nine soldiers from Monterey and
San i^'rancisco, and nineteen other persons, with tin ir
families, making a total of 66 colonists. The pu('l)lo
was founded near the eastern bank of the Guadalupe.
and about three fourths of a league southeast of the
Santa Clara mission. This foundation took place on
the 2Utb of November, and the town was named San
Josd de Guadalupe, though an eftbrt was occasionally
made to attach to it tbo name of Galvez, the visitador-
general of New Sruin, to whose enerjjjetic measures
was due the CAl.Monce of the new establishments. Ti
each settler were given a tract of irrigable land suffi-
cient to sow thereon three bushels of Indian coin, a
house-lot, ten dollars a month, and a soldier's rut urn,

(248)

FOXJNDING OF SAN JOSfi.

fltf

besides a yoke of oxen, two cows, one mule, two sheep,
twt) goats, and the requisite seed and implements.
Such was tlie origin of the beautiful city of San Jos^,
on which has been bestowed in later years the well-
merited title of the garden city.

Neve's act could, until 178T, be regarded as only
experimental. From the beginning it met with oppo-
sition from the missionaries, who now were willing to
supply the presidios. Jiut the governor had another
object in view, which Nvas to people the land with
Spanish subjects.

A regulation for the militaiy govemmont of the
new settlements, duly sanctioned by 8uperi"»* author-
itv, has been credited to Governor Neve, and went
practically into effect early in 1781. It eii braced also
a i)lan of colonization. Under it was nude a formal
redistribution of the lands in the pueblo of San Jost5,
and the foundation of Los Angeles on <,he Porciilncula
Wii8 Jilso c'fected. This regulation bears the title of
IxdiJivncutc e fnstruccion para los Presidios dc la l\"nin-
ifiila de California, Ereccion de Nuevas Misioves, y fo-
'iiirnto del pueblo y extension de los Esfahlerimientos de
M' 01 ferry. Its 14th section deals witii the subject of
pueblos and colonization. Under this section, settlers
were to bo brought from the older provinces. Each
et tliem was to receive a house-lot, and a tract of land
for cultivation, being four fields of 200 varas square
each, some live-stock, implements, and seed, to be by
them gratlually repaid in five years from the products
of tlieir lands. Adults leaving their country to settle
ill California were, furthermore, to be allowed in cloth-
in«j; and other necessary efltects, at cost price, $110.50
a year during the first two years, and $00 yearly for
the next three years. The settlers were also exempt
from taxes and tithes during the entire period of five
years. As communities they were, besides, entitled
to the use of government lands for pasturage, and to
all Mee(l(>d wood and water. Other colonists, such as
huuoiably discharged soldiers, were to have the same

250 COLONIZATION, PUEBLO SYSTEM, AND LAND GRANTS.

privileges in respect of lands. In return for these
favors, the colonists were to sell to the presidios ex-
clusively the surplus products of their lands at fair
prices, to be from time to tune fixed by the govern-
ment, taking as a basis the market prices for sucli
pn)ducts in the southern province?. In the absence
of other purchasers, this condition was a benefit ratJicr
than a burden. Each settler was to hold himself in
readiness with his horses and arms for military duty.
Other conditions were to the benefit of the colonist,
rather tlian to the government. The settlors were to
have their farms within the pueblo limits of four square
leagues; they could neither sell nor encumber tlicir
lands; they were to build houses, construct ditclas
for irrigation, cultivate their lands, and keep tlieir
implements in serviceable order; they were forbidden
to kill or dispose of their live-stock except under cer-
tain conditions, nor was any one to have over 50 ani-
mals of any kind, so that none should monopolize the
wealth of the puebhj. Each conununity was bound
to construct dams and irrigating sluices, provide mads
and streets, erect a church and the necessary town
buildings, and keep the pro})ios!, or pueblo lands, tilled,
as f.<)m their products had to be defrayed the muniii-
pal expenditures.

Tlie colonization system thus established nmst be
held to hive been a wise tine, well suited to the re-
quirements of the country. And yet, it failed to
yield the desired results, owing to the character of
the settlers, i».ost of whom were half-breeds. Some-
thing may be due, likewise, to the mildness of tho
climate, and to tho influtnitial opposition of tiie mis-
sionary college of San Fernando in Mexico, whose
faiars were opposed to any other establishments in
the land but their missions. They felt obliged to
endure tho presidios, but they wanted the government
to nrovido for them

Captain Rivera y Moncada, former commandant of

FOUNDma OF LOS ANGELBS.

251

tlie new establishments, and now lieutenant-governor
of the two Californias, was directed to procure pettlers
for the soutliern town on the Porcidncula. The or-
ganized expeditions, consisting of soldiers and priests,
started for California, to found several missions in the
Santa Bilrbara channel, as well as of colonists for the
now pueblo. They arrived at difterent times, without
mishap, at San Gabriel, and the pueblo of Nuestra
Seiior V \e los Angeles, otherwise called Reina de los
An;j;cles, was founded on the 4th of September, 1781,
with twelve settlers and their families, 46 persons in
all, whose blood was a mixture of Indian and negro,
with a few traces of Spanish. Lands were given to
thorn, and the possession was formally confirmed at
tlio expiration of the first five years, in September
1780, by Alfdrez Josd Dario ArgUello, commissioned
therefor by Governor Fages, Neve's successor. Nine
of the settlers then remained, each ^f whom was sum-
moned, and in the presence of his neighbors, and of
the legal witnesses, who acted in lieu of a notary pub-
lic, the commissioner granted him first the house-lot,
then the four fields, and finally the iron for branding
his live-stock. A form of measurement of town lots
and lands was gone through, and a separate title-deed
was drawn up for each of the grants, and signed by
the commissi(mer and his leijal witnesses. None of
the grantees knowing how to read or write, each ap-
pended a cross to the documents, after he had l)een
duly informed of its contents. At San Josd, the same
formalities had been effected, in May 1783, by Lieu-
tenant Joseph Moraga under similar powers from the
ji:ovi'rnor. At this place education was not utterly
ahseiit, one of the settlers, the ancestor of the after-
ward famous bandit, Jose Tibureio Vay.<|uez, being
ahle to sign his name, while the r'-alde, Archuleta,
was not so fortunate. The boun<lary between the
puehlo and the mission Santo Clara was defined In
IHOI, making the Guadalujie river the lino, with a
reservation of mountain woodland. In July of that

252 COLOXTZATION, PUEBLO SYSTEM, AND LAND GRANTS.

year the limits were surveyed, and landmarks fixo<l,
th'^ missionaries having gained a point. The place
\,'&s given the name of San Jose de Alvarado in 1 KV.),
in honor of Governor Juan B. Alvarado, who tlieu
ruled California.

The municipal officers were at first appointed l)y
the governor, and afterward chosen by the people.
The governor was, however, represented at each jmo
blo by a comisionado, usually a corporal or sergeant,
whose duty it was to see to the maintenance of order,
to the furnishing of supplies for passing troops, and to
the compliance with the fundamental regulation. Tlie
municipal officials were under his supervision, thouijrli
he was not allowed to hinder them in their legitimate
functions.

Nothing further was done toward forwarding colo-
nization in California, except to allow a few discliarged
sailors at ports to become colonists. Thus it was that
down to 1790 no new pueblos were founded ; no other
imuiigration of 'pnhladores occurred. A few chan'^es
took place, it is true, some settlers leaving, and some
discharged soldiers and a few sailors being enrolled as
colonists; a few boys grown to manhood had taken
to farming in preference to becoming soldiers. Tlie
population of both pueblos had varied from 18") to
220, of both sexes and all ages. The settlers had
shown some inclination to disorder, but on the whole,
nmst hav^ gi'^en due attention to their tillage. Los
Angeles, in 1791, was transferred from its former site,
whicli iu heavy rains was exposed to freshets, to a
higher one. The aoricultural products exceeded tlie
average of the missions. Los Angeles, in 171)0,
yielded more grain than any mission, San Gabriel
only excepted.

The necessity of an increase of the Spanish popu-
lation being fully recognized it was contemplated to
establish more pueblos of gcnte de razon. In Novem-
ber 1795, orders came to select a proper site to found
a villa to bear the name of Branciforte, in honor of

BRAKCIFORTE OR SANTA CRUZ.

the Marquds de Brancifortc, viceroy of Mexico. It
was intended to be a military town, thoroughly forti-
fied, and peopled by soldiers ; though in the matter of
laud grants the existing pueblo regulation, and the
laws of the Indies were to be enforced. Every officer
and soldier was to have his town-lot, ai:d Ixtweea
the lots of the officers were others to be assigned to
t'liiofs of Indian rancherias who might wish to live
aiiiong the Spaniards. The site finally chosen was
Santa Cruz, because it afforded facilities for exporting
merchandise, with abundance of fish and good buihling
materials. It was concluded that the settlers should
be from cold or temperate climes. Houses ami gran-
ary were to be built and made ready, bo that they
could immediately after their coming devote them-
selves to the cultivation of the soil. The scheme of
having Indian chiefs among the settlers was given up
as impracticable, as there were no suitable chiefs at
liantl ; but mission Indians might be advantageously
admitted in the colony to work with and Icain from
the gente de razon. Governor Diego de Borica, who
was a man of practical views, called for four classes of
settlers, to wit : robust tillers of the soil, mechanics,
artisans, and a few sailors to develop whale-fishing,
as whales abounded on the coast. The college of San
Fiiiiando objected to the site selected so near a
mission, but no heed was i)aid to it, and Borica was
directed in January 17'J7 to pr<K?eed at once with the
foundation, which he did, receiving as settlers a num-
lur from San Jos<5 and Los Anijeles who had no
lands. He was promised new settlers and artisans
fidm Mexico; but the people sent out were not tho
best suited to lay the foundation of a moral, law-abid-
iii;_' eonnnunity; perhaps it was hardly consisttnt with
the ete!-nal fitness of things that a colony bearing the
name of one of the worst men that ever disgraced a
cttimtry should succeed. To this day Santa Cruz
feels the effects of the bad beginning made there by
Braiieiforte. Most of the new settlers were vagrants

254 COLONIZATION, PUEBLO SYSTEM, AND LAND GRANTS.

•ill

and minor criminals. The ship CoTicepcion arrived at
Monterey on the 12th of May 1797, with a party of
such colonists in a most pitiable condition from ill-
health and destitution. Grabriel Moraga ascomisioiiado
carried out the foundation. His instructions wore to
see that the townsmen lived peaceably ; to tolerate no
prostitution, gambling, drunkenness, or neglect of
work. Such offences were to be severely punished.
The observance of religious duties was to be enforced ;
each settler had to produce from time to time a cer-
tificate to the effect that he had attended to the
church service, the confessional, and communion, as
prescribed by the ecclesiastical authority. The colo-
nists were to maintain the best relations with the
friars, to have no intercourse whatever with tlio
natives of the neighboring mission. A number of
other useful recommendations need not be detailed.
Among them was one to see that the settlers pre})aiv(l
shelters for men and animals before the arrival tluro
of C6rdoba, the government engineer. C6rdoba ar-
rived in Au^st, surveyed the lands, did somethiii;j;
toward erectmg temporary houses, began a canal for
irrigation, and made search for suitable materials for
the permanent buildings. He f'^rnished the governor
with an estimate of the cost, $23,405, which was
duly forwarded to the viceroy. In 0ctober the
works were suspended for want of funds, and thus was
the gr(^atness of the villa de Branciforte indefinitely
put off. Nevertheless, the place did not remain
empty. There were some temporary huts, nine set-
tlers, the comisionado, and the military guard. Those
settlers were not convicts, thtmgh of a class that
Guadalajara, whence they came, could well afford to
part with. They were provided with means to i^et
along, after a fashion, for the first five years, hut
never showed a disposition for hard work. In 17'.'8
Governor Borica requested Moraga to stir them up
against their natural laziness. Indeed, they were not
only lazy, but vicious, and the governor pronounced

POPULATION AND RESOURCES.

256

them a curse to the country for their dishonesty aud
immorality. Down to 1800 there was no change in
the number, though a few discharged soldiers were
added to the settlement. Moraga was in charge till
17D9, and was succeeded by Ignacio Vallejo, a just
man. The crop of 1800 was 1,100 bushels of wheat,
maize, and beans, and the live-stock had reached 500
luad of horses, and neat cattle. The settlement of
Branciforte was the last one attempted during the
Spanish or Mexican domination.

The united population of San Josd, Los Angeles,
and Branciforte in 1800 was about 550, in a little over
100 families, including twelve or fifteen men raising
cattle in the vicinity, whose families mostly dwelt in
the towns. About thirty of these families had been
imix)rted from Mexico, and the increase resulted from
children grown to manhood, and discharged soldiers,
some of whom were pensioners. Agriculture and
stock-raising were the only industries of the towns-
men. In 1800, they had 10,500 head of cattle and
horses, about 1,000 sheep, and raised some 9,000
Sushels of grain, the surplus of which found a ready
sale at the presidios. Each settler cultivated his
fields, and delivered yearly to the common fund a cer-
tain quantity of grain, which served to defray the
town's expenses. At each pueblo was a guard of sol-
diers, who were practically settlers. The alcahle and
re;jjidores had charge of the municipal affairs, and the
comisionado a general supervision. Most of the labor
was done by natives not attached to the missions.
Father Salazar reported that the settlers were idlers,
ami cared more for gambling and guitar-playing than
fnr tilling their lands or educating their offspring.
Los Angeles was the most populous as well as pros-
IK rous. Branciforte was still in debt to the govern-
ment at the end of 1800.

Tiie governor of California had endeavored, in
17'.t7, to obtain from New Spain superior approval to
& scheme intended to force retired soldiers to dwell in

256 CJOLONIZ^VTION, PUEBLO SYSTEM, AND LAND GRANTS.

pueblos. He wanted, also, a reiiiiforcemeiit of mar-
riageable women. His efforts failed. But anotlu r
class of colonists, obtainable with greater ease, was
sent out, thus making of California a penal colony,
which, to some extent, Fages was the author of. In
I7i)l, tliree convicts were brought to Monterey.
That same year a convict blacksmith was instructing
tlie Indians at San Francisco. la 1798, twenty-two
convicts, of various grades of criminality, were brouglit
by the Coucrpclon, all of whom were put to learn and
teach trades. Such arrivals were afterward quiti-
frequent. In 1800, a number of foundlings were sent
from jSIexico, and hero distributed among the familirs
in the presidios. The practice of sending convicts to
California was continued by the Mexican republic as
late as 1834.

After the occupation of California by Spain, in
17G9, the absolute title of land vested in the crown.
There was no individual ownc r ship of land. Usufruc-
tuary titles only existed during the Spanish rule. Tho
king held actual possession of the ground occupie<l by
the presidios and a few adjoinhig lands. The abori-
gines were recognized as the owners, under the crown,
of all the lands needed for their support. This ar-
rangement limited the area, thus leaving a portion
open to colonization. So it was that under tlie gen-
eral laws of the Indies four square leagues, or tluir
equivalent, of land could be assigned to each puel)lo.
Neither missions, church, nor religious orders owned
any land. The missionaries had only the use of tlie
land needed for mission purposes, namely, to prepare
the Indians that they might in time take possession
as individuals of the land they were then holding in
commonalty. This purpose once accomplished, tlie
missions were to be secularized, and iiiade puelilos,
the houses of worship naturally going under the con-
trol of the church, and the missionaries going to sec k
other fields of usefulness. It was planned from the

PUEBLO LANDS.

beginning that each mission and presidio should even-
tually become a pueblo, and tliat other pueblos should
likewise be founded, each having four square leagues
of laud assigned thereto. The settlement of boun-
daries was left for the future, when called for by the
increase of the number of towns. The missions, in
their temporary occupation, were not restricted as to
area. The conversion of most of the presidios and
missions into towns was finally effected under a law of
1834. This law, according to the spirit of the Span-
ish laws, involved the distribution of the mission lands
to the ex-neophytes.

The granting of lands to natives or Spaniards in
California was permitted as early as 1773. Thus we
see that a grant was made to Manuel Buitron in 1775.
In the same way, informal grants were made to the
inhabitants of San Josd in 1777. Neve's regulaticm
established the mode of granting land, as we have
seen, providing, likewise, for the gradual extension of
towns by the grant of new lots and fields. All grants,
however, were forfeited by abandonment, failure to
( ultivate, or non-compliance with the requirements of
the law. Such lands could not be alienated at all
until full possession had been given.

It is known that in 1784 Governor Pages allowed
several men to temporarily occupy certain lands. In
17H0, he was authorized to grant tracts not exceeding
time leagues in extent, nor encroaching on the area
of any pueblo, nor causing detriment to any mission
or Indian rancheria. The grantees had to build a
store house on each rancho, and to keep at least
2,000 head of live «tock. Governor Borica, in 1795,
for substantial reast.as, opposed the granting of ran-
chos, though recommending that settlers of good
character should be allowed to occupy lands near
missions, to be granted them at a later day if deemed
exjX'dient. Several ranches existed at the time under
such temporary permits. Preference was given by
tlic government to this arrangement, possibly because

Cal. Past. 17

2S8 COLONIZATION, PUEBLO SYSTEM AND LAND GRANTS.

the settlers were not willing or able to comply with
the terms demanded in the case of full jjranta. S<»iii(>
ranchos ()ccuj)ied by sjjecial pennits were subsequently
taken from the holders because needed by the urn-
sions.

At the end of the eighteenth century, there were
in California eitrlitccn missions and four pres'uiius
without settlers, but each was intended to beeonir in
due time a pueblo ; three towns of Spanlanls, so calKd,
with alK)ut 100 heads of families; and finally, twenty
or thirty men occupyhig ranchos under provisional
pennits, which involved no legal title to the lands.
Tlie Spanish c6rtes, in 1813, passed a decree to reduce

f>ublic lands to privates ownership; but this drdvc.
ike another of the same year f(f>r the seculari/ation of
missions, was unknown in California before 18*J0, and
was then^fore ino|»t!rative. Colonization rules wnv
decreed by the ^[exican government on Novenii»r
21,1 828, to give effect to an act of ctmgress of AiiLrust
18, 1824; but they did not authorize the distribution
of mission lands. The mode of granting lands to in-
dividuals prescribed by the law was the one ratlirr
car«>lessly practised till 1846. A law of April fi, I s:!(),
somewhat modified those of 1824 and 1828, autlioriz-
h»g the national goveniment to seize all lands re()uiiv(l
for national defences, and forbade frontier colouiwitioii
by f(»reigner8 who were citizens of an adjoining nation.
In 1822, after the Spanish sovereignty had Ci-asnl.
th(^ provincial diputa<Mon passed an act establisliinj;
avuntamientos for towns, but the chan«je fr«»m tin- old
syst*!)! was only in name, and in the addition ot a
treasurer and secretary to the former list of officials.
After the government of Mexico bccanie centralized.
and the new rd«rime took effect in California, avunta-
mientos were suppressed, being replaced by justices ot
the peace and prefects.

Monterey, a presidio since 1770, was made a town
in 1820. In 1828, the ayuntamiento adopted an (trdi-
nance for the preservation of good order. In 1^30,

ORGANIZATION OF PUEBLOS.

ilio territorial diputacion fixed the extent and bouii-
<l;uuH ot'tlio town lands. I find that Monterey was,
ill 1S40, raist'tl l)y tliediputaeion to the rank i)f aeity,
jiiul ilcc'lared to he the capital of the then department
of California. Los Anjjtelea had been, hv a decree of
the Mi'xiean conj^ress of May 23, 1835, made not only
a city, hut the capital of the territory, which naturally
caused nmch disj>K'asure among the |)eoplc in tl
north, with conesjwnding elation in the south ; but as
the people of Los Angeles maik' no provision of build-
iii'^s for public uses, the matter dropped out of sight
for some tune. An attempt was subsecjuently made
to make that decree eflective, which failed, and it was
oiilv in 1845 that Los Auijeles actually became the
scat of government, renjaining so until the country
ctascd to be an appendage of the Mexican republic.
As a result of the seiularization of the missions,
lu w pueblos were organized, namely, San Juan de
AiL,'iu'llo, Las Flores, San Diegulto, and San Pascual
ill the south, San Juan de Castro, San Francisco, and
Siiiionia in the north. Santa Biirbara, the former
inesidio, also became a tt)wn.

CHAPTER VIII.

LOTOS-LAND SOCIETY.
Qnanto maa que oada uno m hi jo <le mut obraa. — Cervantei.

The theory of the mission system was to make tlie
savages work out their own salvation, and that of tin-
priests also. In fact, whatever work was to be doiio,
it was foreordained that the natives should do it.
Work was a necessity of civilization. Souls to saw.
was a necessity of the church. Servants to raise
rattle and till the laud was ever an indisponsaMo
factor in missionary economy. Here were all tlio
t'lemeiits for a new church mihtant, a new heaven
and a new earth.

Since that beauteous mischief, unreflective Pandora,
opened her box, evils have been abroad; the "ods
concealed our food, h«d from us fire, and then decreed
tliat we must work to find them if we would not go
hungry and cold.

l*ity the poor Spanish man who does not like to
woikl The motto of the Zacatecas padres, as indeed
of many more modem churchmeri, was, " Divert irse
hoy que ya mafiana es otro dia." This California
<'ountry, about as well any could, suited the Moxieaii
settler, with his inherent indolence, relieved onlv bv
slow, spasmodic eneivy. With the iichest of soil
around him, which to the scratching of the wooden
plough would yield sixty and a hundred to one, lie
disdained tillage, partly because this labor had lietii
turned over to Indian serfs, partly because there was
no market for cereals. The plodding tasks and nar-

(260)

OPPOSED TO WORK.

961

row confines of the farm were not for him. Alore
suited to the ehivalric instincts of the Mexican, com-
ing to him honestly in his Spanish blood, wac general
(iuiniiiation over animals, with lordly command of
imn and horses to aid him in controlling vast herds
and docks. It pleased him to have at his bidding
11 suite of dusky retainers, drawn from wandering
trilft's; for the settlers served one another only as
I'rionds and brethren, connected as they often were
by (''»nsanguinity in greater or smaller decree.

With few iniiabitants, and a vast extent of country,
land was of little value, and could be occupied as fancy
dictatt^d, the stock-raiser extending his range beyond
origliml limits whenever the communal tract round
till' |)ueblo became too narrow for a rising ambition.
Cattle, indeed, roamed in a half- wild state upon
the plains, and wiry-limbed, swift horses, of larger
>izc and 1» nger neck than the Mexican prototype,
wtre subordinated at times by nomadic rt^nclleros.
Cattle formed a ready recourse with which to obtain
from flitting trading vessels such ccmiforts and luxuries
as i^rowing taste suggested. The annual rodeo con-
stituted the stock-taking period, when additions to the
litrds were counted and branded, old marks inspected,
and stragglers from adjoining ranges restored to
claimants. The occasion became a rural festival,
t'n»m the necessary congregation of neighbors for mu-
tual aid and 8U})ervision of interests. Wives and sis-
tors lent their charms to the meeting, and animation
to the scene, by inspiring the horsemen to more dash-
ing feats, either in rounding up the herds, or dur-
in<f the sports that formed the appropriate finale to
the event.

Tliese were the equestrian days of California. The
saddle was the second and life-long cradle of the race.
Tlie men in walking grew awkward, as indicated by
the uneven gait, attended by the jingling of the im-
mense spurs at the heels. Hiding began in early
childhood. The boy, mounted by a friendly hand,

LOTOS-LAND SOnETY.

sj)o(J away in exhilarating race, whirling the lariat at
whatsoever attracted his fancy, and speedily acquiring
skill for veritable game. The saddle hecauie an object
of dearest pride, elaborate with stamped leather and
glittering adornments, which extended from the higli
p(»niniel to the clumsy wooden stirrup, partly hidden
by the leather cover that shielded the foot. Tlio
bridle was of braided rawhide, with a large and crud
bit. Little was thought of long horseback journeys,
and camping under the open sky, with the saddle fctr
a pilh)w and blankets for a cover. The horse might
be exchanged from among the bands roaming in all
directions. Even the women preferred riding to driv-
ing in the clumsy, springless carretas, with frames df
rawhide, and sections of logs for wheels. Wagon-
roads did not exist. When women rode, they would
•icnerally be seated in front of their cavalier, shacUd
by his huge sombrero.

The Californian ever aspired to gallantry; with a
graceful figure, when mounted, he was well favorccl.
Latin peoples are more demonstrative in their ma li-
ners than Anglo-SaxonsJ more picturesque in their
politeness. The common jjeople are more cordial,
and the better bred young men more gallant. To
French politeness Spaniards add chivalrous courtesy.
With only a lasso for a weapon, he ranked not as a
soklier, but was not the less venturesome and dashini;
in facing wild herds, in bearding the grizzly, in moiiiit-
inu: and taming the wild horse. Frank and <j[«»i'd-
natured, polite and ever punctilious, he proved a yeod
friend and admirable host, until checked somewhat in
certain directions by the rebuff and deception on the
part of blunt and grasping foreigners. Spoiled pai tly
l)y bountiful nature, he yielded his best efforts to
j)rofitless pursuits, heedless of the morrow. Moved
by impulses which soon evaporated, his energy wan
both unsustained and misdirected, and he fell a leady
prey to unscrupuh)us schemers. He lived for the
enjoyment of the hour, in reverie or sfxirt, rejnii iiig

RELIGION AND LAZINESS.

2G3

(>•( 1(1(1

vliut ill

on till'

|)jirtly

:)rts to

Moved

y was

iviuly

lor the
.j,. icing

in bull-fighting and bear-baiting, eager fur the chase
as for the fandango, and sustaining the Hagging ex-
citement with ganibhng, winning or losing with an
iiui)eiturbability little in accord with his othi'iwiso
movable nature; yet he gambled for excitement, while
tlie foreigner, who freely gave vent to his feelings in
round oaths or ejaculations, was impelled mainly by
avarice,

Sunday ni(-rning was spent, where possible, in de-
votion, with senses quickened to loftier feelings i>y
tlie solemnity of the place, the illuniinat'. u splendor
(»f the altar, the beauty of the chant, the awe-imposing
ritual. This duty was quite irksome, however, in-
volving as it did so great a restraint. After service,
amends were made, the remainder of the day being
passed in active games or social entertainments. The
load of sins renu)ved by penance or confession, the
soul was ready to take on a fresh load of iniquity, to be
as easily removed another day. And when in winter
time the sun hurried the day along, and night slack-
I'licd its pace, then lovers met. The old fashioned
rule in Spain was that a kiss was equivalent to be-
trothal; but there were here many kisses for (ivery
httrothal, and many betrothals for every marriage,
and sometimes a marriage without a priest. The
i,MiiUir and violin were in constant use, the players
Ixiiig always ready for dance and song, the simple
music being usually mrrli^t) by a plaintive strain. The
sillying was frequently improvised, especially in honor
of ^Micsts, or in sa.< astie j»lay upon men and events.

Lazy some of them might be, and were; day after
day, at morning and at night, lazily they told their
rosary, lazily attended mass, and lazily ate and slept.
TIk y were as sleepy, and indcdent, and amorous, as if
tilt y ft'd exclusively on mandrakes. But the languor
ortiiimi was not common with them. They could do
iiotliing easily and not tire of it. Theirs was that
abiHumity wherein rest was the natural condition.

Sujiremest happiness was theirs; the happiness that

S64

LOTOS-LAND SOCIETY,

knows no wan i;, that harbors no unattainable longing,
no lU'siros that might not be gratified, tiie hai)pine^a
of i«j;M()ranro, of absence of pain. Nor might it trutli-
fully be «aid of them that theirs was only a ncgativi;
happiru'ss. Was it not happinensto breathe the intoxi-
cating air, to revel in health and plenty, to bask in
the Hunshine and fatten on luscious fruits, to enjoy
all of (lod's best gifts uncursed, in their Eden to pos-
sess their souls in peace? And of the doings of tlie
outer world, of past ages, of t)rogress- —these are not
happiness; does not knowleclge bring with it vastly
more of pain than pleasure? Yet sadness they were
not wlu>lly free from; a shade of ntelanchoiy is ehar-
acteristie of tlieir features. But what of that { 1 )()<•«
not the serenest joy often spring from quiet hiarts,
and sad thoughts find expression in sweetest song?

There were not lacking verse-makers among tht in,
though in poetry no attempt was made to achieve the
upper regions of Parnussus, their half-Hedged muse
bring apparently content to flutter round the moun-
tains bare.

Like their language, the Spanish are a pontic,
rytiimic people; yet stern, majestic, and with a nnl.in-
eholy tone. In their softer moods they are toiuii-
ingly sweet and tender, but when roused their tongut;
is ttrrible.

The empirical law of human nature, which asserts
that youth is impetuous and old age cautious, finds in
the nispano-('alifornians an exception; the yoiing
men were impetuous, tiiul the old men scanrly 1< s.s
so. A life-long expeii« nee failed to generate circum-
spection.

Though bursting with conditions favorable to wealth,
tlnrc was c(»n>paratively little wealth in the land.
(Jold lay Kcatteri'd in tlie streams and imbeddid in
the crevices of t!»e Sierra foothills, and the vall< vs
W«'re fat with grain-producing soil. Yet there la« kid
the applied labor that should turn thest^ resoun-es into
tangible riches. Some, nevertheles.s, actpiired what

POVERTY AND PLEASURE.

26ft

mijjfht be called wealth in those days, though not by
voluntarily saving j>art of their earnings, but bocaUKe
tin y could not spend their accumulations. They did
not love money. Any time they would fwmr out a
•gallon of it for a pint of pleasure; but the trouble was
too often that there was nothing to buy.

Lifo then was uidike any of the n)<»dificationH of
feudal Europe; it was unlike the fixtrl features of
Oriental 8(»cit'ty, the nomadic communities of Arabia,
the aristocrtitic tribes of America, or any of tin; great
tyi>es of human society, aboriginal or cohmial, that
liad ever before existed. Idleness there (li<l not seem
to visit tiie people with its usual curse. Firmly
enough they held that pleasure, up to a certain point,
must be classed among the utilities, as well as ph>ugli-
iii.; <»r siieep-raising, for witlnjut enj«>yment tiie race
would speedily tlegentsrate.

The products of these engendering conditions were
<i ( le most material and practical kind, such as werts
\\raith and wealth producing. As the\' w«'re not
liti'^eiy exciianged for mone}', silk, foreign wine, and
toliacco. not sunk or squandercil in these things, thry
\vt re left to increa.s»% which they did rapidly. All
were productive consumers as well as productive
ialiorers. Ijittle was lost or sijuandered in luxuries
11 |»leasures. Luxury and pleasure then; v»'ere an
al»ini(laneo of, but thi>y were of such a character as
not to be (l«>pen«li'nt U]>on money or wealth.

N tars passed by with never a broken siesta of priest
(tr <'oMiandante, with never a n(»on dav <listurl>aiM'e,
iiii'Mav and midnight were alike saen-d to slumber.

Though farming was limited, their wants being not
oxtensiv*' in this direction, und the «'are of horses and
cjittie claiming the most attentiiui, yet seed-time uiul
li.irvest were epochs in their (juiet lives, and sonie-
tiiih-» pruning and vintage, for in due time the padres
liiitl Well Hlh'd wine-cellars, in the disposition of which
tiny themselves wei'e not their worst custuners. In
tilt if farming operations, as in everything else, they

LOTOS LAND SOCIETY.

lu'ld, with Hesiod, to their lucky and unhieky days.
The old men saw visions, the young men dreanud
dreams. Nor were women old or younj.? without tiieir
schemes — innocent and childlike littU- [dots they wvrv ;
not hloodless, indeed, for tiie blood of young men and
maidens is rich and warm; but there was little uf
blood-spilling in these dreams and sehemes other than
the blood of bullocks fat for feasting.

Living thus surrounded by such scenes of natural
beauty, amidst olive orchards and vineyards, evtr
looking forth from sunny slopes on the iuiglit waters
of bay and sea, living so nmch in the oj)en air witli
higli exhilaration and healthful exercise, many a yoimg
woman jjlowcd in her lustrous boautv, and many a
young man unfolded as perfect as A|)ollo. Even the
old were cheerful, strong, and young in spirit.

Gatiiered at theii festivals, it might be said of the
as8end)lv as some one said of the lonians Ljathercd it
DvV>s. so fresh and blooming were they, as if blessed
with endless youth. And indeed, life here was ahn.'st
like a returning «)f the world to its infancy; a r<tui i~
ing of mankind to artless, thoughtless boyh.od, whrn
science held little sway, and men lived sim[)le lives,
and excess of piety and excess of culture had ni»t
sobered the mind and made serious tiie art <»f living.
It was almost as in the early days of (jireec(.\ \vh<n
religion was i»ut a \'.\c of tlie beautiful; when every
star was tenanted by a god, and every stieain was
made to move and sing by some laugliter-loving
nvmpli; when Jove himself hurled tlie thunder ami
Hashed the lightning, an',1 made tlie < louds to nid'e,
such things as laws of nature being yet uid/card ef.
And of the young women at work, one miglit alnmst
iinaLane them the princess Nausiiaa and her maidens,
washing in the streaui the hous<'hold linen, stani|'inLj
it clean with their )>retiy l>are feet, and ending tiieir
labors with ball-ganie and Uincjuet. l^y tht'ir l»ehi!\ii>r
one would think they were Imrn in tht; silver age <t
Hesiod, wlu'ii childliood lusted for a hundred Mars,

DECLINE OF SAVA(;ISM.

2C7

[lays.

tlifir
\\vi\' ;
i\ and
tie of
' than

atural

, t'VtT

watfis
r witli
young
luny a
on tli»!

of the
iTcd it
bleSM'd
« ahu''>t

r-'tui i~

I, Wli-'U
u\ II' 't,

>, wlu'U
n evt ry
mi Nv;'^
i-lovin;4
(1. r am!

eavd <>t.
t ahii"»t
iiaidfiis,
i,uiH>iii:^

11.4 thrir

K'lli!vi"r

,,. ajfr . f
d years,

fur none of these were one hundred, and tliey all acted
like children.

As nature grows, so grows man's uitelligencc ; as
nature speaks, so speaks the lieart of man. The hinl
sinijfs, and man prays; human lift;, like leaves, ennics
and "^otis, and no one kni>w.s whence orwJiither. 1'liat
which built mountains builds churches; seas and for-
ests, like nations, are born and die; that wliieh unfolds
the hidden seed unfolds the germ of intellect; nature
antl man--wild man or tam«'d -arc one, and all alike
are but blind chance or the developtnent of infinite
thttugiit.

In America, wherever tlie European plants himself,
tli«' native is overshadowed. And tlu; lower in the
sciile of l)umanit.y he is, the quicker lie dies. No )>(•!>-
}'K' have longer endured the intimate contact of Kuro-
jicans than the Nahuas of the Mexican tabh-huid.
T!ie Tasmanians Iiave gone, and the Australians, the
\t w ZralaiukTs, and the llawalians are fast going.
Our fond, our <lrink, our <lolheH, our shelter, (»iir
I'iitv. our crucltv, our diseases - all tetid to wa.stc
ih. in away. Being intellectually vnak and inferittr,
tin y sink into the earth beside; their neighbor of ranker
iii(!i\ !<luality.

Tiikf from the mountains or prairies hardy wild
c.ittir; c(»ntine, \'vct\, and fatt«n them, and they aic
tlic first to fall before somi- riiiderpest. Wild in-asts
iit'Vtrean be made to \v oik beside domesticated iini-
ni.ijs. \ civilized horse would kill a do/i-n of the
um.inied kind at ploughing, whereas, fret.', the wilil
liuis,,. Would soon run the tanie one to death on the
l>r;iiri('s. (.)ur })resent civilization te!i<ls to toughen
nun; it does not enervate antl degrade, like that <if
aii'icnt (jireoce and Kome. In Spain, in Sieily, and
ill < Jual, the barbarian with the Jloman endured, 'fhe
ti'iitfu t was i)enefieial rather than prejutjieial t(» both
I'Mihaii.oi ami IJoman. Jhit then, tliese barbariaiis
vv' ic nttt exactly .ravages, nor wen^ the Romans then
t'l' hardy, warliki^ pettple tliey once were.

LOTOS-LAND SOCIETY.

'f'i

The savage is not so far removed from us as we
may at first suppose. All are childron of one eojiinmn
futlier; and weighed in the great balance of life and
immortality, the primitive man will if anything turn
tiio scale. Every one of the great blessings upon
which civilization so prides itself carries with it to
some extent a counteracting curse. Man, in emerging
from a savage state, has nmch to give up. The rv-
strainfy of civilized life to the savage are like prison
walls. He caimot jump at once from unbounded lib-
erty, from perfect fn-edoni in tlioughtand action, from
health and the full enjr*yment of nature, into the
F trait-jacket (»f forms and refinements, without un-
derj^.Mng a severe struggle. Tbe growth must bo
gra<luai. The seed cannot at once be transformed into
a tree, rjor tlie child into the man. fJvery attcnii't
that has ever yet been made to abruptly cluiugo
the life and condition of the Indian has proved a fail-
ure. Even the catholic fathers in California, actuated
by th«> kindest motives, devoting their lives to the
amelioration of one of the most abject races of the
World, raising tlieni from a condition of nakidness,
hun;.r' '•, want, and exj>osure, and comfortably clothing,
Iioijoiiig, and fei'ding them, were doomed to see them
gradually i\u\e away. They can no more endure
kindi«KH than cru«lty.

Their sonjjs of native rdadness were changed to
minor moods, as they were made to sit in sackcloth,
and cry peccavi !

The savages are great itnitators; and once tlie
missionaries succeeded in gaining their good-will, they
soon were full of some kind of enthusiasm, they hardly
knew what. These strange white men they felt to
be their superior, hence to do as they did soon became
the fashion among them, even to falling down and wt>r-
shipping a snint-figure with crucifix and skull, glaring
down upon them from the church wall —eertyjiinly no
small tax upon the credulity of the wavaj^e or civiii;<kd
mind.

LATIN AND AMERICAN RACES.

969

19 we

imn»ii
e and

turn

upon

it. to
jrginjr
lie w-
prison
A lU)-
I, from
to tlio

lit Ull-

ast 1)0
ed into
.ttcnipt
chanjj^e
I a lail-
ctuatvd
to the
of the
I'dness,
othin*,',
e them
endure

ured to
'kcloth,

hoe the
lilhthry
lianlly
felt to
l)(H^ftiue

|,nd wor-
gh\rinjr

iiinly no
civih^* d

So far as the natives were concerned, between tho
fathers spiritual and the soldiers temporal it was an
absolute despotism they were under, with no inter-
mediate class between the rulers and the ruled; and
if they avoided Scylla the g«»vernment, they were
sure to fall on Charybdis the church.

The natives were of necessity forced to obey their
Kf)intual advisers, and indeed, soldiers of the presidio,
and citizens of the pueblo, rancheros, vatjueroa, and
loinijrrre, were all subject to a mild clerical espionage.
]irt\v(.'en the intellectual caliber of the missionaries
and that of tho natives there was a great difference,
with no intermediate cla.ss. It was the cunniitg of
livilization, the cunning of Christianity, the ('unning
of zealous, st'lf-dt.'voted fanaticism, in close and deadly
fontaxt with savage simplicity. Had there been any
to stand between them, any to question thi; one as
to thi- validity of his pn.'tensitms and encourage the
other to disobedience, the missionaries never would
have succetjded.

Natural advantages eXv-rcise a powerful inHuenco
upon a people, particularly where they are indige-
nous. }iut those countrii'S possessing the greatest
ad\antages of sttil and climate do nt)t always produce
till- greatest people. Of en«'rgy there was enough
among the Spanish colonists, but it was of that
.-pasmodic kind which aroused by passion subsides
iM-tbre beneficial results are secured. It was the \ery
opposite of tha+. tenacious and stubborn piinelplc
wiiirli governed the A)iglo-Saxons in Anieriea, whose
p;(ti» nt and self-denviny: industrv laid the roundutit)ns
of" >iij»erior political institutions.

Roth Indian and S[>aniiud wvm alike in natural
iiie! deuce, love of luxury, fondness for anmsement, and
hatred of menial oeeupations. Both would undergo
l!>e greatt^st hardships without a murnuir; 1 ut when
til'- j>as.sion had cooled, or when the exigency which
tailed forth these spasms of energy luvd passed, there
came a reaction in which indulgence was in as great

270

LOraS-LAND SOCIETY.

excess as the discipline had been severe. For i\u'
C(»iitiiiU()us a[>plicati<m of those faculties of body and
niiml which alone achieve permanent ffreatness, the;
Latin races were children beside the Anglo-Saxon.

For a time few forei<4;ru'rH were liere, the population
lu'inLf chieHy Indian and Mexican, with presently in
tenninablo uitermixtures. All othors were rt'}j;ai«l«(l
with more or less sua[)icion, and wtTe plainly made to
understand that their presence was not desired, unl< ss
they would become catholics, and marry a woman of
the country, which indeed many did.

Across the mountains came the uncouth sons of
the Saxons. At one time in all the mi.ssion churcjies
te deum was sung for divine Interposition to save tl it-
country from the Americans. And when the sttjiii
gers came, all along this line of mis.sions the past was
there; these buildings mi;j:ht be a thousand yenrs old,
howsoever virgin the country. Innnigration brought
imiovation, st«>amboats and stage-coaches W(!re tlic
curse convtn'ing to silent ranchos and sleep}' pii('l»|<N
vagabonds and sharpers. As a rule, there was im
public house in these towns ; such things were uii-
lu'eded where hospitidity only placed the di.stril)Utiir
under obligations.

A bitter feeling sprang uji early between the Cali-
fornians and the Mexican govermnent, resulting f'n>iii
the policy of the latter to turn their country into a
H-nal colonv for Mexican convicts. This disi)leasun)
)eeame further increased wiieii the governm<'nt iv-
8olve<l to fill all the otheial po.sUions with Mexicans,
to the exclusion of Californians. This feeling sonii
grew to oi»e of hostility towanl the p«'oplo of MexiiM,
or, as they were called,j"los de la otra ban<la." *'Thi'
be.st of the Mexicans among us," saya Alvirailo,
**Wi'r(! insulting and otfeiisise and W(>re far more cd-
dially hated than any foreigmrs." Alvarado had
onc<* inflicted chastisement witli his own hands, on a
Mexican schoolmate named Kouiero, for making in-

CAUFORNIANS VERSUS MEXICANS.

suiting remarks on tho dress of the administration of
wliic'li lie was a meiiiher. A (juarrel hctwotn Alva-
railo and Alfurez Pliejj^o was another event }j[r«»winj^
out of the sectional liatred. The character and con-
duct of the battalion of cholos, brought by (Jcneral
^fiilu'ltorena in 1842, capped the climax, cxaspcrnt-
liii,^ the Californians to open rebellion, for the
sdlcUers were not only vicious and a disgrace to
tlie service, but altogether useless, and a burdefi
which the slightly developed country ct)uld ill sup-
port.

Said JostS do Jesus Vallejo to Cerruti: "CJeneral
Mieheltorena sent to Mexico, by Coronel Telle/, a
1> ison in whom he placed full confidence, st^veral otfi-
( iai notes addressed to the minister of war of the
Mexican republic, demanding of him assistance to
fi^^Iit the Californians, whom he repri'sented as un-
w.iithy of his confidence, because they were unit<'d i»y
iiiasduie bonds and all conspired against him. I be-
lieve tluit Oeiu'ral Michelhnvna would have done a
>rre!it deal better if he had franklv c()nfessed that tho
siiltliers under his orders were tliieves and not militiiry
men. and such a pack of cowar<ls that our raneheros,
iiiHimted on their horses, carrying in t]i«'ir arms their
_\niiMg chlMren, fought one against three, and van-
Muislied them." Tlu' foUowinix ^vill ijive some id<.a of
what tiie (juarr«>l was eom|)osed of:

(Jeiieral Micheltorena's «)tlieers, wiili a few lioiiora-
hle exceptions, were corrupt and altogether l)a(l.
Colonel (hirfias, an old veteran, who had beeu a[>-
poiiited < onnnander of the battalion, refused the com-
iiiaiid, and told the general: "^fost of your officers
are a miserable set. If you send tliem to buy six
jLiKe \\(»rth of cigarettes, they will lose the coin."
Among them was a Lieutinmnt Aguado, whoso
Sf-rvant was a choU> soldier. The latter was i'oming
Hem tli(! direction of the orchards — in Los Angeles, — •
\vni|ipr(l in a striped woolen bl.mket, and meeting
the lieutenant, oitened his wraj) a Utth! to show the

LOTOS-LAND SOCIETY.

head of a largo turkey, and said, "My lieutenant, see
what a fine viohn (base viol) I have with me." " That
is ri«;fht, my son, take it to my (juarters," aiiHWcrtd
Aguado, who well knew he would have for his dinner
a good share of the stolen turkey.

Manuel Requena, a citizen of Los Angeles, notified
Alcalde Coronel in 1842 that his poultry yard liad
been robbed of a number of turkeys, and that he had
reason to believe the thieves were some of Michrl-
torena's lambs. An Indian woman identified om-
of them at the barracks. On being asked what
had become of the turkey, he answered witli u
question and a reply thereto. Didn't you rect-ive a
nice little stew from my woman? And you ate it?
So did I and my companions. He alleged not havin.;
stoK'n the turkey, and explained the pnK'ess by wliidi
he came to have it, drawmg out of his ix)cket a line; at
th(5 end of wliich were several pieces of criKiked ncedl* s
securing a number of grains t)f com. He added tint
it was a way he had of anmsing himself, and in passin ,'
liequena's house, he threw those little gniins on tlu'
other side of the fence to see if he could catch somo
crows or other birds. Presently he felt a pulling ;»t
the line, whereupon he slowly and carefully dnw it
to himself, fearing that the line might jwirt; finally Ik-
discovered that the violincito had entangled its. If.
He then wrapped it up in his serajx), judging tliat it
was his by rij'ht of conquest. Being told by lis
coK>nel that this was theft, he answered that he had
always understood theft to be takhig things wltlxiut
tlieir owner's consent; but in the present case tin-
little animal had come to him of its own accord. Tlii^
ingenious pleadhi^ did not, however, save him fr 'in
tlie punishment, m the form of blowe with witln s.
that his commander ordered applied to his bare Imrk.

The first foreigners wlio established theins.l\rs
among the Californians wcsre regarded by those wlif
came later from Mexico as renegades and apostat»\s
or even traitors to their countrymen. They ac( u^ccl

CUAILVCTER OF THE CAUFORXIAXS.

flit

tlitin of secrotly plottiu«^ for their expulsion, foarlii<^
that their aseeiMleiiey over tlu; MexicauH was in <lan-
ifrv nt'ljein}^ sliarutl or ilestroyetl l>y the poor i)Ut liolj
ami entcrprisinyf settlers who were beginning to reach
tin country. The majority of tliesc older eniiijfranta
hail (••tntornieti to the catholic rclijifion, anil were ac-
customed to «)ut-Mexican the Mexicans in <lrinkin<^,
;^aiiil>liii|L;, and fandan;^oin<;, that they might ohtain
t'iiNof of the Californians, and l)ecome traitors in the
eycH of the minnows of Mexico — the female minnows
e8jMcially.

The character of the Californians was what in
tilt' main would be called ufo<xl — mild, well-meaning
iiiough, though not very pronounced. They hail re-
it ivcd l)ut little training, scarcely any education, yet
tin V jMtssessed virtues worthy of record. They were
kiiitl-hcarted and liberal; a person c«>uld travel from
Sail Diego to Sonoma without a coin in his pocket, and
IKV( !• want for a roof to cover him, a bed to sleep on,
loud to eat, and even tobacco to smoke. Serrano says
in Iraxclling he once came to the house of some juior
|ico|i|<' who had but one bed; this they wished to give
liim and sleep themselves on hides s|>read on the
j,nnun(l. The guest resisted, until they considered
tiicmstlves slighted, and he was forced to yield. This
liii>|»itality was not only extended to acijuaintances,
hut to strangers; and if any one attempted to pay for
St ivices rendered, the poorest Californian would never
actt pt any reward, but would say, "Senor, we are
not ill the habit of selling food."

" ( )ii arriving at a ranclio," savs Arnaz, " the traveller
was received with joy, and the best things were |»re-
jian (I for him, with horses and servants on leaving.
K\( II their beds were given up. When the missions
tinuiished a man could travel from one end of Califor-
nia to the other, obtaining horses, servants, food, etc.,
without cost to him, and this hospitality was kept up,
or iicaily so, by rancheros after the decline of the mis-

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WEBSTER N.Y. 14580

I 716) 872-4503

274

LOTOS-LAND SOCIETY.

sions.' Some of Belden's party reached Aguirro's
ranoho unable to speak Spanish, and hardly knowing
how to get along. He made signs for food. The
Californians lassoed a bullock, killing it, and UAd
them to leave the hide and take as much meat as
they wanted, and refused to accept pay.

Every man travelling carried his scrape, whicli
served him well in rainy or cold weather; at night
it was a covering to sleep under. He could always
count upon a hide to lie on in the common house;?,
and a simple bed in those of the better class.

At the missions the same. The traveller being fed
was lodged in the guest's apartment; his horse was
taken care of, and when he departed he was given
provisions for the remainder of his journey. If liis
horse was tired out, he was given another, until such
time as he returned to exchange it for his own. " And
so," says Robinson, "any stranger travelling throut,']!
the country could stop at any one of the missions as
long as he pleased — for months, if he chose; his plate
would always bo laid at table, and every possible at-
tention paid to him. When ready to leave, all he liad
to do was to tell the padres, and his horses would he
ready, with a guide, and provisions for the road, which
were generally a chicken or two, a boiled tongue, a loaf
of bread, boiled eggs, a bottle of wine, and a bottle of
brandy, and the traveller was at no expense whatever."
A gentleman bummer, as the slang of to-day would
have it, could thus spend a lifetime going round from
mission to mission, and be always well received, and
all free of charge. He must have a constitution that
could endure some religion, however. The padres
were always glad to have strangers come.

"It is a proverb here," Bidwell remarks in 1841,
"and I find a pretty true one, that a Spaniard will
not do anything which he cannot do on horseback.
He does not work, perhaps, on an average one month
in tlie year. He labors about a week when he sows
his wheat, and another week when he harvests it; the
rest of the time is spent in riding about."

PHYSIQUE.

275

' knowing

,od. The

and told

\ meat as

,pe, which
, at ni<iht
ild always
on houses,

IS.

r being fed

, horse was

was given

ey. 11' l»i^
•, until such

)wn. "A»<^
ing through
missions as
ic; his ])latc
possible at-
|e, all he had
^es wouhl he
road, which
ongue, ali>af
Id a bottle of
[e whatever.
io-day would
round from
.'cceivcd, and
ftitution that
The padies

Both the men and women were quite fine-looking,
tall, robust, well-made, handsome in feature, and
lualthy in appearance. There was here a greater
pnrity of race than in Mexico. Many of the women
were as fair as those of New York, and had rosy
cliccks, contrasting with their jet-black hair, eye
hrows, and eyelashes. Their beauty was by no means
of an inferior order. Both the men and women had
small feet.

Vischer saw in San Diego and Santa Barbara the
('i'ii(lles of California society, the classic type, Greek
or Koman, running through whole families, with a fre-
quent occurrence of the oriental and Gothic. Their
cKnieanor was one of quiet dignity, all affectation be-

nio- absent

A.S I have said, the people were all indolent; only
Ik re and there was one who showed any inclination
to better his condition. They were not vicious, and
<lrunkenness was a rare thing in the country. They
lived comfortably, and were happy. Their wants
originally were few and simple. They knew nothing
heyond their own country, and had no desire for any-
thing but what their own land afforded them, until
other things brought by the incoming vessels attracted
tlieir attention. They passed away their time with-
out care, had their amusements when n()t occupied in
their necessary labors, and never gave a thought to
tlie future. In a moral point of view, they com-
pared favorably with the people of other countries.

The Californians, generally. Mere the liappiest and
most contented of communities, more free from care,
anxiety, and trouble than any others in the world.
They were simple-minded, and not at all sanguinary;
shedding blood was abhorrent to their nature. They
were different from many of their countrymen of other
l)arts of Mexico in this regard. "Their fine physique
was due," says Torres, "probably to the quantity of
roast meat eaten, without vegetables."

One who left New Mexico in consequence of the

270

LOTOS-LAND SOCIETY.

I ^' !:

:l :!

I 1

insecurity of life and property of foreigners there, and
came to California not with any intention of remaining,
savs: "Rcceivinjj so much kindness from the native
Californians, I arrived at the conclusion that there Mas
no place in the world where I could enjoy more tiue
happiness and true friendship than among them. Then'
were no courts, no juries, no lawyers, nor any need of
tliem. The people were honest and hospitable, and
their word was as good as their bond; indeed, bonds
and notes of hand were entirely unknown among the
natives,"

All over this great west, for that matter, travellers,
trappers, wanderers, were treated with a kindness and
hospitality that they felt to be beyond thanks or recom-
pense. Those who quietly remain at home in the enjoy-
ment of indulgent ease can hardly comprehend tho joy of
houseless missionaries and pioneers in meeting friends,
and friendly receptions now and then in the course of
tlieir weary journeyings. But the settler in a strange
land could, Knd he always was kind to strangers. He
knew t<io well that solitude could have no charm, sa\'c,
perhaps, infrequency. He had felt that faintnoss and
sickness which come to the rudest heart with loii:;-
separations from friendship and sympathy. The soH-
tary are generally the most hospitable. From the
lonely and wandering Tartars, the little band of AraI)S
that huddle round a well, or the half-dozen huts tliat
constitute a western settlement, the stranger is never
turned empty away. The having suffered like tilings
is at the root of this, as of most other virtues of deed
or expression. Wiio can pity the poor like the pom:'
Who can sing of blindness like !Milton, or of love like
Sappho, or depict an exile like Hugo?

Particularly is the hijo del pais well formed, graeeful
in his movements, and athletic. Spending his life in
manl}'^ pursuits, roaming his native hills, breathing tlie
pure air of the Pacific, the horse his conqxmion, tho
lasso his weapon, he carries about him and into all lii* 's
commonplaces the chivalrous bearing of the cavaliers

MIND AND MORALS.

877

lerc, and
auaiiung,
be native
there was
Liore true
;u. There
ly need of
table, and
jed, bonds
.mong the

travellers,
nduess and
9 or rcconi-
itheenjoy-
id the joy of
hig friends,
le course ot
in a stran;4'e
kigers. 11'-"
harm, save,
bintness and
i with Ion--
The soli-
Froni the
nd of Arabs
!n huts that
^er is never
like thin:is
,ues of deed
:e the |>oor(
of love like

led, graei>fal
his life ui
'eathing the
kHXinion, tjie
[into all life's
the cavaliers

of old Spain. His courage no one will question who
lias seen him face a herd of wild cattle, 'or lasso a
grizzly, or mount an unbroken horse, or fix his un-
thnching gaze upon the muzzle of a pistol pointed
at his breast. He is by nature kind and frank.
The treatment he received at the hand of hard-
featured, ill-mannered, grasping, and unprincipled
strangers taught him to be suspicious; but his confi-
dence once gained, he is yours wholly and forever. In
]i is ardent nature there is no half-way course : either
ho loves or hates; in his eyes every one he meets is
either for or against him, every one is either friend or
foe.

Absolutely unconfined, socially and politically, or as
nearly free as it were possible for poor erring humanity
to be who cannot escape a master of some sort, or who
make any pretensions to government, religion, or social
ethics — masters of all their eyes surveyed, the beauti-
ful earth and its fruits as free as the sweet air and
sunshine, lands unlimited, cattle on a thousand lulls,
with ready-made servants to terid them, born here,
basking here, with none to molest or make afraid,
with woman to love, and oiFspring to rear, and priest
to shrive, with heart full and stomach full, yet relieved
from skull-crackinof brains withal — how should thev
be else than happy, than lovers of home and country ?

Life at San Diego in 1825, what was it? Life,
not death, for nine tenths of life is death or a dream-
ing. "Ah, what times we used to have!" exclaims
what a little later was a wrinkled old woman of refiect-
ivo memory. "Every week to La Playa, aboard the
.shij)s— silks ! oflftcers ! rebozos! music ! dancing I frolic I "
Such was the impression a ship at La Playa every
\veek for one or two weeks created on the female mind
in the year 1825.

"Days of primitive simplicity, its traces not yet all
gone from among the descendants of the founders,"
eoiitinues the sighing one. "The summer labors and
harvest and their cattle filled most of their wants.

1 . . ■ 1' ■ ,i ■

278

LOTOS-LAND SOCIETY,

The missionaries drew a heavy commerce from ahroad
that supplied many luxuries in excliange for tlie pro-
duets of individual industry. The arrival of a ship was
more than a sensation; its date served the memoiy
to reckon ordinary events thereafter. And cold the
heart not to relish the gayety and enjoyment that
followed the dropping of the anchor at La Playa. .
Liberality on one side, unbounded hospitality on tlie
other, contributed to gild and prolong the festive
hours."

In the south society was most refined at Angeks
and Santa Bilrbara, these settlements bein}; larsjfor
and the people more wealthy than elsewhere on tliu
coast. Moreover, at these points larger military forces
were in garrison, and the officers were men of a culture
far superior to that of the rough ranclieros, wherefore
an improvement in manners was felt. In this vicinity,
too, were to be found choice lands, together with tlie
most inviting climate ; and these lands were secured by
the most influential of such as came to the country'.

Sail Diego would, undoubtedly, have been the
metropolis of early Alta California had the country
immediately surrounding the harbor been as fertile as
the valleys of Santa Bdrbara and Los Angeles, which
latter place bore off the palm — although in point of
respectability, Santa Bdrbara was not far behind.

The blood of Spain, already somewhat mixed with
that of the people of Montezuma, was still further
reduced by the occasional union of the Mexican and
Indian. When in 1835 the government began to make
grants of land, and the missions were secularized and
sold and the troops disbanded, many of the connuoii
soldiers wived with Indians. Hence came the baser
stock of Hispano-Californians, such as, in the time of
gold discoveries, were yclept greasers.

Thus there were two distinct classes — that which
sprang from the admixture of jVIexican and Indian,
and that of Mexican blood alone.

Whiteness was the badge of respectability, and the

POPULATION.

279

m\ abroad
)r the i>i<»-
a sliip was
le mcuKtvy
1 cold the
ment that
La Playa. .
lity oil the
the festive

at Angehs
eiiig hargcr
lere on the
litary forces
of a culture
s, wherefore
his vicinity,
ler with the
•e secured hy
e country,
e been the
the country
as fertile as
igeles, which
in point of
behind,
mixed with
still further
^exican and
jgan to nuike
!ularized and
the conuucni
le the baser
the time of

-that which
and Indian,

lilitv, and llic

white Anglo- American mated with her he cliose from
among the rich dusky daughters of Mexican descent.
TJiisclaim is to this dayrathcr a sensitive point, not only
with tlie Mexico-Californians themselves, but with
tlie Americans and Englishmen who married here.
A too close scrutiny of the blood with which thoy
alUed themselves is not always palatable to the fathers
(f dark-complexioned children, especially if the fathers
\)c rieh and respectable and the sons and daughters
(■(hieated and accomplished.

]\[orinoau's observations in 1834 are not wide of the
mark. "Since the time of La Perouse," he says, "the
Creole population of California has increased rapidly.
The immber of births is triple that of deaths. There
are often nine or ten children in a family. This is
owing to the wod climate, and tlie exercise which the
youths take— lassoing, riding, etc. Their violent ex-
ercise and lack of education make the Californians
rough and almost brutal. They liave little regard for
their women, are of a jealous disposition, and are strict
witli their families. Although brusque, they are kind
to strangers. Their wives are dunces, attached to
their children, and hospitable. Being almost all rc-
lited to each other, thoy live In great intimacy.
1 !u re is no difference of rank among them. One who
h;!s become rich by his Industry is neither admired
nor envied by any one. Theft is extremely rare.
!Murder Is without example. They do not like work,
l)ut are all day in the saddle, looking after their herds,
or huntinjr. The women manage the householiL In
the evenings they sometimes go to pass the time with
a neighbor, and play cards for money. Without prid-
ing thenisolves on their politeness, they sometimes
^i;iM! balls, and dance to the guitar and violin. Besides
the jota and jarabe, which they dance In pairs, they
have a favorite dance executed by a single woman.
From the crowd of admirers are thrown pieces of
nioiuy at the feet of tlic dancer, while the tallest cava-
lier places his hat on her head and his cloak on her

280

LOTOS-LAND SOCIETY

F:IH 'I

l.!^i

1(1

shoulder; a gage which he may not take back with-
out making an offering to tlie beauty. The Creoles
served no drink at their festivals but brandy ; lately
they have used French wines. The \v(mien preflr
Frontignac and the men Bordeaux. If the men are
fond of violent exercise, the women like spectacles of
a similar kind, such as bear and bull fights und horse-
races." Which is as this man saw it.

Laplace avers that "whatever good qualities the
native Californians may have inherited with their
Castilian blood are more than counterbalanced by
their laziness, pride, vindictiveness, and jealousy of
foreigners. For the most part they are very igno-
rant, and pass their time smoking and sleeping when
not gambling. They are indifferent husbands, faith-
less and exacting, and very hard masters. The women
are pretty, but vain, frivolous, bad managers, and ex-
travagant. They prefer to take their husbands from
among the foreigners. The houses of the lower class
were scarcely better than Indian huts. An air of
squalor and slovenliness was over things and persons.
Kjome of them when mounted and equi[)ped had a fine,
brave appearance, not in their case always a proof of
braverj^ Their daughters and wives were gracious
and attractive."

*' The state of society here," says Wilkes, " is ex-
ceedingly loose ; envy, hatred, and malice predominate
in almost every breast, and the people are wrctcluJ
under their pi'esent rulers. Female virtue, I regret
to say, is also at a low ebb ; and the coarse and lasci-
vious dances which meet the plaudits of the lookers-
on show the dcsfraded tone of manners that exists."
AYilkes found the men with no trades, and dependent
for everything upon the Indians at the missions. The y
were so indolent, and withal had so much pride, tliat
they regard all manual labor as degrading. "An an-
ecdote was related to me," he says, " of one who had
been known to dispense with his dinner, althcugh the
food was but a few yards off, because the Inoian was

III i

PATRIARCHAL CUSTOMS.

281

not at hand to bring it to him. . . . Priest and layman
ai e ahko given up to idleness and debauchery." They
delay paying their debts, but always pay in the end if
tiny can. Had Wilkes seen more, perhaps he would
not have been quite so dogmatical.

The constant horse-riding made them slovenly in
ap]»oarance and manner. They were so little used to
walking that they waddled from one side to the other.
They were roused from idleness only by the necessity
of lookini; after the herds.

Arrillaga and many other governors were continu-
ally complaining to the viceroy of the need to repair
this or that fort or house, the want of artillerymen at
ct'itain forts, and the need of padres at presidios, all of
wliich, by a little thought and energy, could have been
accomplished by the soldiers at no expense; artillery-
men could have been sent from a central presidio to
train soldiers in gunnery at other points, and i)ious
readings might have been held by sergeants.

Little wonder is it, therefore, that in looking back
the old inhabitants, sorrowing, maintain that Cali-
fornia was a perfect paradise before the foreign im-
ini<,aation set in to corrupt patriarchal customs ; then
robbery and assassination were unheard of, blasphemy
rare, and fraudulent creditor not known. Captains
would sell goods along the coast, and return in
twelve or eighteen months after to receive payment
in ])roduce. " I never heard of a complaint against
Californian rancheros," says Fernandez, "from Argue-
llo's to Figueroa's time."

^richeltorena relates that Santa Anna, on sending
hiui to this country, said that the Californians were
lambs which he commended to his care. "I wish,"
retorted the governor later during the revolts, "that
Santa Anna would come to pasture them now.

"The Californians vent their grief too reservedly,"
says Hayes, in 185G. " It is only to their friends they
unbosom themselves, and always very quietly. As

i«:t

Ill J

282

LOTOS-LAND SOCIETY.

.'I 1

f-'i

yet they have not come universally to appreciate their
position as a part of the people."

"Nature gave the Californians high talents," says
Bantlini, "frankness, and simple manners. They weru
hospitable, and were capable of making great sacrifices
to aid the afflicted. I do not believe there is one of
tlie many white men who professes a trade; their oc-
cu[)atioii is tending stock, some small cultivation, and
idling."

Speaking of the characteristics of the families wlio
came to pastoral California, Sepulveda says: "Settled
in a remote part from the centre of government,
isolated from and almost unaided by the rest of tlic
Mexican states, and with very rare chances of com-
munication with the rest of the world, they in time
formed a society whose habits, customs, and manners
ditfered in many essential particulars from the otlier
people of Mexico. The character of the new settlers
assumed, I think, a milder form, more independence,
and less of the restless spirit which their brothers in
old Mexico possessed. To this the virtuous and in-
telligent missionaries doubtless contributed greatly."

In January 1845 Larkin at Monterey writes to
Parrott at Mazatlan: "The people here do not know
what Mexican family to associate with, it being im-
possible to decide whether the officer and his woman
are man and wife or not. This has held so too often
in Monterey, from the generals to the ensigns. Ur
Mora was sent out here when I came up, with his
wife, as he said — opened house, purchased furniture,
received company, and paid visits. In a few weeks
came an order from the government in Mexico to
retain part of his pay for his wife in Mexico, In
twenty-four hours this man and wife had not a Cali-
fornian house open to them, to my knowledge. This
is not a single case. This couple have now gone, with
three or four more officers, and 50 to 75 soldiers have
run away. If General Micheltorena would despatch
the whole of them, and depend on the Californians,

COLOR AND CASTE.

283

ite their

ts," says
ley wen;
sacrifices
is one of
their i>o-
,tion, and

lilies who
•'Settled
^'ernnient,
;st of the
s of coni-
.y in time
1 manners
the other
3\v settlers
ependence,
jrothers iu
us and in-
greatly.'
writes to
not know-
being im-
Ihis woman
|o too often
;ns. I>r
J, with his
furniture,
few weeks
[Mexico to
fexico. Ii^
[not a Cali-
Idge. This
gone, with
hdiers have
Id despatch
talifornians,

liG w^ould do well. At present soldiers use knives and
otfiecrs swords too much for good order." Perhaps
the consul was a little more particular and prudish
than he would be were he living in Monterey to-day.

In 1796 I find the governor referring to a tailor in
very courteous words. Coupled with this conventional
pohteness of the governor were some fiery doings on
the part of the females. In the San Diego archives
it is recorded in 1843 that a man was fined fifty
dollars in a conciliation suit, because his wife had
severely beaten an Indian servant, a niece of the
alcalde of a town. Thus it seems that gende woman
had her race prejudices. When a negro was taken
from the Bouchard party, a strong-minded female,
^vho proposed to burn him alive, tried to find out if he
had a tail, as the holy fathers had taught them to
believe that all heretics had a tail. This upon the
authority of Governor Alvarado in his manuscript
Hixtoria de California.

The Creoles had no servants as a rule, and they
rarely were able to get Indians from the missions to
tend the cattle. Neighbors regarded the property of
one another to some extent as commcn, and none
cared whether the other slaughtered one o'" his bulh^cks
or t(jok one of his horses. They called one another
cousins though no relationship existed. When fami-
lies met at a house, every woman went about the
household duties as if she lived there. On returning
from church, they often remained at the first rancho
belonging to one of the party for the night. The men
went to kill a fat calf, and the women set about different
duties as if they were at home. After eating there
was .singing, music, and dancing.

The Californians were not accustomed to see negroes
except in menial positions, and of these there were
only two in 1831, a female slave brought from Peru,
and the negro captured from Bouchard's party. This
was the reason the women of California, especially,
were very adverse to associating at balls and parties

LOTOS -LAND SOCIETY.

I ' i'' i>

with the gobcmador negro Victoria, r.s they callfd
him. All this, however, was somewhat u|)()n the
principle of the so-called respectable women of our
day waging war on prostitutes. They find it neces-
sary to do so in order to keep their own virtue up to
the social and commercial standard. Now, the women
of California were dark, while each, above all tilings,
aspired to be of lighter skin than her neighbor; so
she daubed on the cosmetics and powder, and held up
to holy horror a negro.

One governor did not like to see the Spanisn peo-
ple decline in social dignity, and in 1799 he wrote to
the viceroy, referring to rather indecorous means re-
.sortcd to by the poor subalterns to subsist; such as
letting their wives and daughters wash their own
clothes, and make bread and sew for others, and at
the same time fail to procure shoes and stockings for
the children.

The lower classes of the community, which were
composed chiefly of a mixture of Spanish with aborigi-
nal blood, presented a cadaverous appearance. Tlity
were bushy-headed, black-eyed, and sinewy. Exci'pt
when roused by some excitement, they were drowsy
and listless. A society of these beings presented the
appearance of having been recently emptied out of a
dilapidated graveyard before the sounding of the final
trump, and sleepih, resting until called somewhere

agam.

The following tale savors more of the manners of
unfledffed fiends than of the nature human. On tlic
r2th of January, 1822, in a thicket near the Mission
Dolores of San Francisco, the body, partially eaten by
wild beasts, of an Indian boy and a bit of rope of raw-
hide were found. By order of Captain Argiiello, the
matter was investigated by Lieutenant Martinez. It
was ascertained that the remains were those of Juan,
a pajarero, a boy employed to frighten birds from the
growing grain. The other pajareros were summoned,
and Braulio, to whom, because of his slight knowl-

Bii

GOSSIP AND S.VLUTATI()N.

285

odijfo (»f religion, no oath was adniinisteretl, stated tliat
uliout the 5tli or (>th of the month, he, as ])ajarero,
was in cliarge of* the phmted field close hy the mission.
Miucelo, aged eleven years, invited deceased to go for
wood, which, however, the latter declined to do. Mar-
celo, continuing to urge him, Juan i] rew a small
stone at him, which struck Ventura, aged nine yt-ars,
on tlie head. Marcelo and Juan then grapjded, the
lutti-r heing brought to the ground, ^[arcelo then
called Vicente, aged ten years, who cried, "Kill him!
kill him!" Vicente then tied the raw-hide rojte,
which Marcelo had for fetching wood, round tlie neck
of the ])rostrate boy. Meanwhile Marcelo was fasten-
ing Juan's hands, and called out to Ventura and llde-
foiiso, nine years old, to come and as.^i. ' The four
tarried Juan to a piece of rising grountl and thn-w
him down. A'icente tig]it(>ned the rope about Juan's
neck, at the same time tilling his '^outh witli <virtli;
Marcelo had charge of the hands while he kicke<l
J ', in the stomach; Ventura, with a, iarge stone,
heat Juan upon the breast. Thus the little nmrderers
choked and pounded their poor ct)mrade to deatli,
Juan being despatched, the four boys scratched a shal-
low grave in the sandy soil and buried the body;
which done, they went away, taking with them the
dead boy's blanket and cotton breech-clout. After
tluy had gone away, the deponent ran oft' to the mis-
sion. The four boys made a full confession, declaring
that they knew it was wrong to kill any one^ and that
their hearts ached for what they had done to Juan.

They were great gossips and newsmongers. Having
lived so long upon the little events of their spell-lxmnd
days, they were filled with inijuisitive awe, and ear-
nestly questioned one another as they met, and what-
ever the occasion, a long questioning conversation
followed. They had their rendezvous in every town,
where, before siesta, they assembled to talk — a sort
of social and business exchange. Their place of meet-

' V

m.i I

286

LOTOS-LAND SOCTETY

irig was usually the open street, and if the sun became
oppressi'-e, or the rain troublesome, they either
wrapped their capacious cloaks more closely around
them, or withdrew to the shelter of some shed or shop.

Before 1825 the military chiefs and the padres
were regarded as demi-gods, and woe to the unhap})y
person who passing within a hundred varas of them
did not take off his hat. Friends then termed one
another valedor. Bandini and Pico addressed each
other as estimado or amado compadre; and wives as
comadres.

Indians saluted thus:

"Ave Marfa Purisimal"

"Sin pecado original concebida!"

"Mar h, DiosI" (for amar h. Dios.)

"Marh-Dios!"

The second and fourth lines were the answers.

Father Junipero taught the Indians of San Carlos
to salute all with "Amar h, Dios," a fashion which
spread all over the country, and was used even by
pagans.

Persons of the same christian name, in writing or
speaking of or to one another, used the word tocayo —
namesake, as in other Spanish countries.

It was the custom for any of the pueblo, white as
well as Indian, meeting a padre to kiss his hand.

The population being limited, it was impossible to
have any social gathering without inviting all classes,
and impossible to pay the usual attentions to social
distinctions between different grades of civil and mili-
tary employes, when these dift'erent grades were held
by different members of the same family.

Says Sir Simpson: "A son, though himself the
head of a family, never presumes to sit, or smoke, or
remain covered in presence of his father; nor docs
the daughter, whether married or unmarried, cnt< r
into too great familiarity with the mother." \\ ith
this exception, Californians knew little of the restraints
of etiquette ; generally, all classes associated equally,

OBEDIENCE OF CHILDREN.

287

writinjx or

and on particular occasions, such as one's saint's day,
or the day of one's marriage, those who could afford
it rjave a ball to the whole community. Singing and
dancing was as common as eating and sleeping. For
days beforehand sweetmeats and delicacies were pre-
pared in great variety, and the festivities were often
continued for several nights.

" All are musicians, and in every house may be heard
the guitar or singing. They play nothing but national
nmsic, fandangos, boleros, etc. In a word, the Cali-
fornians are a happy people, possessing the means of
physical pleasure to the full, and knowing no higher
kind of enjoyment."

"Until I was twenty-six years of age," says Pio
Pico, "I was in complete subjection to my mother,
my father being dead. When younger I could repeat
the whole catechism from beginning to end, and she
would send for me to do so for the edification of
strangers."

It was considered improper for a young man to
smoke in presence of an older person, even though
the latter was but five or six years older.

A Frenchman says that the Californian is hospita-
ble, but vain and shy. " The father expects great sub-
mission from the children, even after their marriage.
A cliild seldom sits at table with the father, who
oinorally eats alone, served by his wife and cliildren.
Smoking is almost innate with them, and a man is
seldom seen without hit, cigar; still a son will not
smoke before his parents." What would this French-
man say of the French?

"I saw," says Arnaz. "more than once in the north
and south an old man lashing his son, who was mar-»
ried and had children, the son humbly knec^ling to
receive the blows. The same respect was shown to
the mother, and nearly the same to all <jld people."

They were strict observers of the habits of good
society. In IS'M^, we find Figueroa, the governor,
sending to the president of the ayuntamiento the

4 if

288

LOTOS-LAND SOCIETY.

pamphlet which Joaquin Gomez de la Cortina pub-
lished about the rights and duties of society.

The cards of most of the Mexican governors of
California had the arms of their ancestors, and a
family motto, either of a religious cast or of a warlike
noture, or still oftener referring to some act of gal-
lantry. Governor Figueroa's card bore the words
Honor y Lealtad.

Friendly reunions were held at times without danc-
ing. Fresh meat was hung up under a tree, and a
huge fire kept burning to enable any one to cook a
steak when hungry.

Social rank was settled by the amount of Spanish
blood each could lay claim to. Dana affirmed there
were but few^ of pure Spanish blood. These kept up
an exclusive system, and were ambitious to speak pure
Castilian. From the extreme upper class they de-
scended by regular shades. Each person's caste was
decided by the quality of the blood, and the least drop
was sufficient to raise one from the position of serf
and entitling him to full dress, long knife, etc. An
altogether too higli estimate, during the past lialC-
century, has been put upon this su[)erficial glance at
the early Californians by this sailor boy.

On the ranches, after supper, every one went to bed ;
or they amused themselves in some way, [)layiii!4
cards, or playing the vihuela, a kind of guitar, singing
and dancing in a family reunion.

People generally arose at G or 7, according to tlic
season. The civilian had no other occupation than
stock-raising or agriculture. After the desayuno, lie
took his yokes of oxen and wont to work; or attended
to cattle and the stock kept for service. The men as
a rule, tliougli not alwa3's, looked after all the out-di or
work; the women attended to the in-door labor, and
the bringing up of the children, the care of their lius-
bands and brothers.

" In Monterey," it has been said, " there are a num-
ber of English and Americans, who are called IngUsts,

v;i

TRAFFIC AND HORSEMANSHIP.

289

na pub-

jrnors of
s, and a
i warlike
t of gal-
le words

out danc-
ee, and a
,o cook a

,f Spanish
ined there
3e kept up
speak pure
3 they de-
i caste was
! least drop
ion of serf
, etc. Au
past huU-
1 glance at

ent to bed ;
IV, playiii'^
|tar, singing

ling to the
jation than
3sayuno, he
lor attended
The men as
the out-door
labor, ami
|>f their hus-

arc a num-
bed IngU'i'i^'^i

from tlicir speaking the English language. These
have niarrietl Californians, have joined the catholic
church, and have acquired considerable property, owing
to tlieir possessing more industry, frugality, and enter-,
prise than the natives, and these qualities soon bring
the whole trade of the town into their hands. They
usually keep shops, in which they retail to advantage
the goods purchased in large quantities from vessels
arriving in the port. They also send merchandise into
the interior, receiving hides in payment; these they
again barter with the vessels for goods. In every
town on the coast foreigners are to be found engaged
ill this lucrative traffic. In Monterey, but two shops
are kc^pt l)y natives. The people are naturally sus-
piciniis of foreigners, and would not have allowed them
to remain in their towns if they had not become good
oatliolics; but by marrying natives of the country,
and bringing up their children as catholics and Span-
iards, taking care not to teach them the English lan-
guage, they managed to allay suspicion, and even
become popular; so much so that the chief alcaldes,
both at ^lonterey and Santa Bdrbara, are Americans
by I'irth.

"Tlu! men are always on horseback; horses being
as plentiful in the country as dogs and chickens are in
Juan Fernandez. These animals arc never stabled, but
are allowed to run wild and seek for pasture where
they i>loase; they are however branded, and attached
to their neck is a long green-hide rope, called a lasso,
whidi trails Ijehind them, and renders them easy to
catch when wanted. One is generally caught in the
morning, a saddle and a bridle is thrown over him,
and lie is used for the day; at night he is turned loose,
and another takes his place the next day. When they
S'o long journeys, they ride one horse till he breaks
down; another is then caught, saddled, and bridled,
and rklden till his strength also fails him, when a third
undergoes the same process; and so on until the jour-
ney is accomplished. There are not better riders iu

Cal. I'ast. 1»

200

LOTCS-LAND SOCIETY.

•!■■

the world than the Californians, perhaps from their
being so early accustomed to equestrian exercises ; as
they mount on horseback even so young as four or
five years old, their little legs not being long enough
to come half-way down the horse's ribs, and from
thenceforth they are so continually on horseback tliat
they may almost be said to have grown there. The
stirrups are covered or boxed up in front, to prevent
the feet catching when riding through the woods; the
saddles are large and heavy, strappi^d very tight upon
the horse, and having large, high pommels, round
which the lasso is coiled when not in use. They can
hardly go from one house to another except on horse-
back, there being always several of these animals stand-
ing tied to the door-posts of the little cottages. When
a cavalier wishes to show his activity, he makes no
use of the stirrups in mounting, but striking his horse
sharply he springs into the saddle as the animal starts;
then, with a prick from his long spurs, he dashes off
at full gallop. Their spurs are most cruel instruments ;
they have four or five rowels, each about an inch long,
and dull and rusty. The flanks of the horses are often
in a terrible state from their use.

"^.lonterey is also a great place for cock-fighting, as
well as gambling of every kind, to which may be added
fandangos, dances, and every sort of amusement and
knavery. Trappers and hunters who occasionally come
down here from the Rocky Mountains, bringing with
them valuable skins and furs, are greeted with every
sort of pleasure and dissipation whilst their money
lasts ; when, however, their time and their money have
been completely wasted, they are quickly sent away
stripped."

The cainameros called the English and Americans
'greasers' because they bought fat and tallow, and the
latter returned t]i9 compliment because the Californians
sold the stuff. Abrego says that many supercargoes
knew no Spanish, and on entering a house would say:
"Seilor, mi quicre grease," hence the name greaser

AT MISSION SAN JOSfi.

201

heir
; as
IT or
)Ugh
from
til at
The
Bvcnt
,; the
upon
rouiul
:;y can
horse-
stand-
When
kes no
s horse
starts;
shcs off
imcnts ;
h long,
re often

iting, as
le added
snt and
lly come
[ng with
:h every
money

Ley hi^^'6
it away

lericans

and the

lifornians

Ircargoos

Uldsay;

greaser

was applied to supercargoes or captains who traded in
grease, while it was also applied by them to the Cali-
fornians who sold it.

When Joa6 de Jesus Vallejo took command of the
mission San Josd, there were 5,000 Indians there, men,
women, and children. To keep this body in order but
eight men were required, five soldiers and three offi-
cers. An outbreak was not feared, for two reasons:
the savages were of a mild and friendly disposition,
and being not all of one tribe, but of different and oppug-
nan' peoples, if one should entertain evil, or endeavor
to hatch conspiracy, the others would be sure to report
it.

To feed this horde, fields of wheat were cultivated,
the Indians cutting it with sickles, and carrying it on
their backs to the thrashing corral, where the horses
tramped it out, the wind winnowing it. It was then
sacked in bags made of sail-cloth, and some of it stored
and some sold to the Russians. In summer on Sat-
urdays a hundred cattle were killed, and the meat
given in rations to the Indians, great quantities being
dried in the sun for winter use. To those who would
not work, or who absented themselves from morning
and evening prayers, the whip was applied, the culprit
having the choice of a raw-hide or hazel twigs. The
mother who through neglect allowed her child to
die must carry a wooden block of equal size, and for
the same length of time she would have carried the
child had it lived.

"The Indian girls and widows," says the daughter,
Guadalupe, "were separated from the others; a whole
sijuarc of houses was assigned to their use, where they
Avere kept seclude,^, and busy, spinning, etc. A large

nd of water was in the court-yard for their use in
washing and bathing. They were visited by their par-
outs, but were never allowed to leave except to walk for
exercise or to go to prayers, always well guarded by al-
caldes. They left this nunnery or cloister only to be
married. Ten or twelve of them would gather to-

•'ii

h '

I! (.

LOTOS-LAND SOCIETY.

gether to go and demand a husband of the padre, nam-
ing whom they had selected, and it is said that it was
never known that one of these elected husbands refused.

"Widows lamented as much for this imprisonment,
which was sure to follow, as for the dear departed.

"Wheat, barley, and hides were the chief articles
of trade with the Russians. In the winter when the
roads could not be travelled by wagons, about a thou-
sand Indians were loaded each with a hide, and thus
carried them to the embarcadero.

"Among the whites, one of their customs in balls
was to stop in the middle of the dance at the wonl
' bomba,' called by the musicians, and the gentleman
who occupied the floor had to say something in com-
pliment to his partner. This was commonly said in
verse, and often improvised for the occasion.

"Girls who persisted in marrying against the con-
sent of their parents were made to take the whole
responsibility of housekeeping."

In conclusion, we may sum up our Lotos-land
society in this wise: ignorant, lazy, religious, the
religion being more for women, children, and Indians
than for European men — though Coronel speaks of
pausing in the midst of a fandango or rodeo to pray ;
and all went to church, though they gambled freely
afterwards. It was common for heads of families and
all circumspect persons to wear sanctimonious faces in
the presence of the young, refraining from the men-
tion of wickedness lest they should be contaminated.
Morals at first were quite pure ; later they became
very bad, syphilis being quite common among all
classes and both sexes.

They were a frank, amiable, social, hospitable peo-
ple, and honest enough where it did not require too
great an exertion to pay their debts. No obligations
of any kind weighed very heavily upon them. They
were an emotional race ; their qualities of mind and
heart floated on the surface ; they not only possessed
feeling buH they showed it.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS.

293

ed.
;ut,

clos
the

lOU-

tlius

balls
word
3inau
coiu-
.id in

3 coii-
whole

s-laud
3, the
iid'uins

iks of

prav ;

freely
|es and

ices in
luen-

iuated.

)ecanie

bug all

They were not a strong community in any sense,
either morally, physically, or politically ; hence it was
that as the savages faded be tore the superior Mexi-
cans, so faded the Mexicans before the superior
Americans. Great was their opportunity, exceedingly
o[rcat at first if they had chosen to build up a large
and prosperous commonwealth ; and later no less mar-
velous, had they possessed the ability to make avail
o:' the progress and performance of others. Many
were defrauded of their stock and lands ; many quickly
s([uandered the money realized from a sudden increase
in values. They were foolish, improvident, incapable;
at the same time they were grossly sinned against by
the people of the United States. There was a class
of lawyers, the vilest of human kind, whose lives
were devoted to a study of the cunning and duplicity
necessary to defraud these simple-minded patriarchs.
Nevertheless, as I have said, it would be difficult to
find in any age or place, a community that got more
out of life, and with less trouble, with less wear and
•wickedness, than the people of Pastoral California.

le peo-
lire t«^(^
Rations

They

id a>^^^

Lssessed

CHAPTER IX.

MILITARY SYSTEM.

So Jove's bold bird, high balanced in the air,
Stoops from the cloudii to truss the quivering hare.

— Homer.

California from its first settlement, and almost to
the end of the Spanish domination, was under a
strictly military rule. A provisional arrangonicnt
existed until the beginning of 1781, when Governor
Felipe de Neve's Reglamento e Instruccmi para las
Presidios de la Penlimda de California, went into
effect. Under this regulation the governor had au-
thority over the two Californias, with the seat of
government at Monterey, and the commandant of
the presidio of Loreto, in Lower California, was ix-
officio lieutenant-governor. Upper California was
divided into four military districts, with a presiilio at
each, whose commandant was clothed with civil ami
criminal jurisdiction within its limits, ^t that time
there were three presidios, namely, at San Dies^o,
Monterey, and San Francisco; the fourth one was
established, in 1782, at Santa Bdrbara. The military
force then consisted of four lieutenants, four suli-
lieutenants or alfereces, one surgeon, six sergeants,
sixteen corporals, and 172 privates, from whicli num-
ber the missions and pueblos of San Jose were fui-
nishcd with guards. The rest of the force garrisomd
the forts, cared for the horses and cattle, and canidl
the mails, this last-named service being the hankst
in time of peace. There were also a few meclianios
and native servants. During the Spanish doniina
tion only men of good character were admitteil iu

(284)

PRESIDLVL COMPANIES.

290

tlic service of tlie presidial companies. Each soldier
luul a broadsword, lance, shield, musket, and pistols;
six horses, a colt, and mule. One horse was kopt
constantly saddled and ready day and night. Each
company had also an extra supply of anus, and an
armorer to keep arms in repair. The governor was
provincial inspector of the presidios, in the dis-
ci large of which separate duties he was assisted by
an uj/mlmife inspector of the rank of captain, and with
tho })ay of $2,000 a year.

In the presidial companies were a few cadets and
Hohlados ditithiguidos. The former received their ap-
pointments from the viceroy, and though doing duty
in the ranks, did not live with the soldiers, but asso-
ciated with the officers. As they received only a
soldier's pay, they were required to have an income
to enable them to live and dress genteelly. Their
promotion was direct to alferez. The soldado distin-
guido was umstered into the service like any other
soldiirs; but on producing evidence of gentle birth
was enrolled as a distinguido, with the prefix Don to
liis Cliristian name. Any commissoned officer's son
wituld have the privilege. He lived in the barracks,
ant! did militarv duty as the other soldiers, but was
exempt from all menial work. He had to go through
the grades of corporal and sergeant before obtaining
a eommission of alferez. Another peculiarity of the
ser\iec was the granting to old veterans who had ren-
dered honorable service from 30 to 40 years as pri-
vates or corporals, on their retirement, the honorary
rank of officers-alferez for 30, and lieutenant for 40,
years — besides their pensions. They could wear the
uniform of such rank.

To ])rovide a system of regular defence against for-
eign invasion was found to be surrounded with insup-
erable difficulties. Forts would be of little use in a
distant province having no resources of its own. It
was then decided to have batteries of eight r2-pound-
crs for eacli port, with a sufficient number of gunners

296

MnJTARY SYSTEM.

as a protection against mere corsairs, and vessels for
coasting service. During a period of war with
France a company of Catalan volunteers, rallt^d tlio
Compailfa Franca de Voluntarios de Cataluna, or
Conipanfa de Fusileros de Montana, 75 uum in all,
was sent out as reiinforcements, and distributed at
San Diego, Monterey, and San Francisco; its oaj)-
tain, Brevet, lieutenant-colonel Pedro de Alheriii,
being stationed at the last-named place as command-
ant of the presidio. A small detachment of artillury-
men under Sergeant Roca was also provided. An
inspection qf the fortifications at the three presidios —
Santa Btlrbara had none — by an engineer oliicer in
17'J7, established the fact that they were cxcectliiigly
defective, indee*'!, almost useless. In Monterey tlioro
was a barbette battery consisting mostly of a few 1< )gs
of wood, irregularly placed, behind which stood about
eleven pieces of artillery. In San Diego, according
to the records, the priests blessed in November 17\H],
the esplanade, powder magazine, and flag. Early
in 1795 Point Guijarros had been chosen for a foit of
ten guns. This work was not finished until after
1800. In San Francisco the presidio buildings were
more or less damaged. The San Joaquin fort, in
form of a horse-shoe, was completed in 17'J4, and its
eight guns mounted on the spot now known as Foit
Point. Its main walls were of adobe faced hi tlic
embrasures with bricks; the cost was $6,000. The
elements soon began their work of destruction, and
repairs had to be almost constantly going on. An-
other battery was planted in 1797 on Point Medauos,
since known as Point San Jose and Black Point, re-
named Mason. At that time it was called Bateria
de la Yerba Buena. It was a less elaborate work
than the San Joaquin, mostly constructed of brusli-
wood fascines, with eight embrasures, and five 8-pouud
guns. No garrison was kept here, but the work was
daily visited, and to some extent kept in order. In
1816 the San Joaquin was repaired, and in 1820 it

SUrrLIES AND PAY.

had twoTity j^uns, of wliich three were 24-pounder8.
Tilt' presidio was newly built in 1816.

Sujiplios for the presidios came at stated periods
from Mexico and San Bias on the royal ships from
the latt(!r place. They were purcliased then^ in ac-
cordance with the memoria.% or memoranda, of articles
ntieded, forwarded a year in advance, in March or
A])ril, by tlic governor to the viceroy of Mexico, and
(Iclivercd to the presidial officers and men for their
pay. There was an hnportant change made under
tlie new system. Formerly the men were chargc^d a
profit of 150 per centum on the effects delivered them.
This extra charge was now done away with, the sup-
plies being furnished at cost and free of freight from
Sail Bias. But to offset this the pay of the men was
ri'duced 40 per centum; thus a sergeant's pay was re-
duced to $262, the corporal's to $225, the private's to
8-17.50, and the mechanic's to $180. The pay of
the lieutenant was made $550, that of the alferez
.S400, and the surgeon's $450. The men had likewise
to su1)niit to losses and damages incurred at sea, and
to the payment of a commission of two per cent to
ail JtdhiliUidn, elected by all the company, who under
the inspection of his commanding officer received and
distributed the pay and rations, and kept the com-
])aiiy accounts. This hahilitado could purchase Cali-
fornia productions when offered for sale. There was
an hahilHadn-general in the city of Mexico to attend
exclusively to the affairs of both Californias, who was
chosen by the votes of the companies' officers. This
position was in after years often filled by an officer from
California. The accounts for each presidial company
wure k(!pt separate. No articles of luxury could be
included in the memorias sent to Mexico for supplies.
Some coin came with each invoice, enough to cover
the pay of the governor, and one or two other officers,
with a small amount for the soldiers.

At the beginning of 1799 the expense of the mili-
tary t tablishment was nearly $74,000, which included

MIUTARY SYSTEM.

$4,000 for the governor's salary. From each private
soldier of the presidial companies was retained a
certain portion to form the foiido de retencimi, which
did not go into the royal treasury. The total of such
retention, at first of $50, and later of $100, was reim-
bursed to the man on his being mustered out of the
service at the end of his term. There were other
funds, to wit : fmido de fp-atificacion, made up from an
extra allowance to each company yearly of 8 1 jxr
private soldier, and intended to meet contingent ex-
penses. The liability of the presidial company was
well defined. Horses, mules, and all effects assigned
thereto, were duly charged. If any annual dicti, or
any of the effects were lost, whatever the cause, even
by defalcation of its habilitado, the company Iiad to
pay for the same, unless for some powerful reason the
government in Mexico exempted it from the respon-
sibility. The fondo de invalidos proceeded from tlie
discount of eight maravedfs on each dollar, from offi-
cers and men, and was applicable to the payment of
pensions on their retiring after service of at least
eighteen years; and the fondo de mwitepio was an-
other deduction from officers' pay for pensions to thdr
widows and orphans. It must be borne in mind that
officers could not marry without first obtaining the
king's consent. Such consent was not given to any
one below the rank of captain, unless he pro(hicecI
evidence of having an income of his own, separate
from his pay ; even then his widow would not be en-
titled to montepfo, though she would prolmbly gtt a
pension if he had died in battle. The widow of an
officer who married her when he was of the age of
m\t} years or upwards, was not paid any montepfo.

In --^he decade, 1801-10, the Catalan infantry com-
pany 7as withdrawn from Califoniia, and the cavahy
comp. lies were increased by about 90 men. In 1810
the tt il force of the presidios was 412 men, to wit,
two c ptains, one more absent in Mexico acting as
habilivddo-general, one surgeon, four lieutenants,

DUTIES OP OFFICERS AND SOLDIERS

299

four alforoces, nine sergeants, 31 corporals, 4 cadets,
'J42 privates, throe nu'clianics, one phlebotomist,
nuiking 301, besides 95 invillidos, and 15 artillerymen.

Officers and soldiers, at such hours as thev were
not attending to their military duties, would cut
Wdod, and procure other things for the'r families.
Some were shoemakers, otliers tailors, etc. The
mission escorts, usually consisting of a corporal and
fivt' privates, beside their strictly military duties of
standing guard, and looking after their arms and
anmmnition, were required to protect the jwrsons of
the priests in and out of the missions. The corporal
liiul charge of the criminal justice; in certain cases
wliich were beyond the priest's authority, he could
order flogghig and stocks. In very serious cases it
was his duty to instli-ate proceedings of investigation
in writ!:ig, and to forward them, together with the
witnesses and accused to the presidio for trial. He
could at times, in defending the mission from assaults,
exercise extraordinary powers, even to the \xnnt of
taking life. However, he could do this oidy when
there was no time to apprise the commandant of the
jirosidio, and await his action. In the early years
there were occasicms, when double escorts, some of
them under sergeants, were stationed at missions. In
those times the corporal or sergeants were ap})ointed
l)y the governor himself, and he alone could remove
tlunn ; though in urgent cases the respective com-
mandants might suspend them.

Early in the present century, most of the men in
California were soldiers, beginning their career on
entering their sixteenth year. The rule was to leave
to parents, having two or more sons, one chosen by
tliemselves. The rest were nmstcred into the cavalry,
or artillery, the choice being left to the recruit.
Later in the third decade, when the government
called on the alcaldes for recruits, usually the va-
grants, lazy, or vicious, were summoned. Governor
Figueroa called them "mataperros, enslUadores de

300

MILITARY SYSTEM.

caballos agenos, quitadores de algun cuero." Of
course, the industrious and well-behaved were often
mustered in from necessity, and occasionally out of
spite on the part of the alcaldes to them or their
families.

Discipline was very rigid. Among the punishments
inflicted on soldiers for serious offences, besides loss
of pay, were death, hard labor in the chain-gang, im-
prisonment, increase of service, etc., carreras de ha-
qiicta, the culprit having to run between two lines of
men, each man armed with a ramrod and striking him
as he pleased. The old Spanish articles of war pre-
scribed the death penalty for even what would appear
a trivial offence in a civilian. It was really astonisli-
ing how any man could escape the death penalty.
Grumbling was a serious matter. Once a number of
men at Santa Bdrbara made known through their
;- rgeant to Captain de la Guerra, that they wanted
to know how their account stood. After forming tlio
company in line, the captain walked up and down,
and asked who were the grumblers. He then related
how once some men for saying, "must we eat bread
like this ? " were shot. He told one or two more st( »ries
of a like nature, and awed the men so that a dead
silence prevailed. Finally, they all begged pardon,
which he granted, and no more was said about tlio
accounts.

The decade 1811-20 was in New Spain, as well as
in South America, one of strife. Revolution raged,
and the Spanish authorities were often at their wit s
ends to procure the means for carrying on the war
against the insurgents. This state of affairs was ])ur-
posely kept secret in California. The archives, l)()th
secular and ecclesiastic are silent. Nevertheless,
mails being pretty regular all the time, the officers
and friars must have known what was taking place in
the viceroyalty. There were no signs of disaffc^etien
to Spain among the troops, and all awaited patiently
the result of the struggle, though the viceroy -vas

A SWINDLING GOVERNMENT.

constantly abused in every one's mind for his apparent
i»'j*j;lect to send supplies. The troops suffered severely
for want of clothing, shoes, and other articles that
the missions could not furnish. Owing to the in-
fluence of Father Payeras, prefect of the missions, the
soldiers did not want for food. The missionaries,
though with an occasional grumble, furnished grain
and other things on credit, as the provincial govern-
ment had no funds to pay for them. Rations were
distributed, which occasionally might be traded to
Sjtanish ships, or illegally to the Russians or Ameri-
cans. The friars were also without their stipends,
but they carried on a surreptitious trade with for-
eigners; whereas the soldiers were in a sorry l)light,
havino' nothing to sell.

With the change of sovereignty the soldiers lost all
arrmrs of pay due them, including what they had in
till! fn)ido de retencion, and the old invdlidos did not
get their pensions. Amador says that for over eigii-
teen vcars' service he received nothing; — aside from
his rations — from the government, Spanish or Mexi-
can. Or, as he expresses it, " el ^nico prest que
recibi fuoron los 14 agugeros de flecha que tengo en
ml cucrpo." The hapless soldier underwent hard-
si dps, had to stand guard, pass sleepless nights, march
and countermarch at all hours and in all seasons when
reiiuircd, carry mails, care for horses, etc. Further-
more he had to be humble and submissive to his su-
periors, or in other words, an abject slave.

Shortly before the oath to support Mexican inde-
j)endeiice was finally administered, one Pedro Cha-
bolhi appeared before Governor Sola, who was a
martinet, and usually, when in public, wore his
colonel's uniform an<l had in his hand his baton of
C(>niinand. Chabolla, took off his hat, saluted, and
put it oil again. Sola eyed him in astonishment, and
demanded what he meant by wearing his hat in the
govirnnr's presence. Chabolla answered, "Liberty
has given me the right to wear this hat." He had

902

MILTTARY SYSTEM.

:ilh

I i

t' 1

been reading the Acta Constitutiva, adopted by the
Sovereign Provisional Junta of Mexico in 1822,
which had surreptitiously entered California in pam-
phlet form, and the soldiers had read it. Sola was
furious; with his cane he struck Chabolla several
times, and sent him to the calaboose. Chabolla in an
irate manner said before retiring : *' Senor Gobernador:
Your senoria in punishing me unlawfully makes use of
the legislative, executive, and judicial powers." The
acta enjoined that the three powers should not be
vested in the same person.

Another instance is given of Sola's military despo-
tism. Rafael Galindo, who had been a soldier, asked
him in Monterey permission to buy some cigarettes
from the habilitado of the presidial company. Sola
came close to Galindo, and brusquely said :

"Who are you?"

"The alcalde of San Jose," was the answer.

" Then attend to your duties at San Jose," said the
governor.

The presidial companies could do but little service
in the coast defence, as was evident when Monterey
and other parts were assailed by the Buenos Aires
insurgents with two ships, under Bouchard, in 1818.
This occurrence made a stir at court in Mexico, and a
cavalry company from the escuadron de Mazatlaii,
composed of good, orderly men, and an infantry one
from San Bias, mostly made up of jail-birds, togetlier
with a small detachment of artiller}mien, and a few
poor arms and ammunition, were sent out the next
year.

The same military system continued under Mexican
rule. Guards were not kept at the secularized niis-
The force in 1835 consisted of 307 men, iii-

sions.

eluding 22 officers of all ranks, among whom were the
governor and commander-in-chief, who was a brigadier-
general, and two naval lieutenants. The organizations
were one artillery companv, 38 men, four presidial
companies, 138 men, Mazatlan company, reduced to

GARRISONS AND ARMS.

303

■the
822,
paiii-
, was
veral
in an
lador:
use of
The
ot be

despo-

askcd

irettcs

Sola

aid the

service
interey

Aires

11 1818.

, and a

,zatlan,

itry one

logether

d a few

Lie TH'Xt

Viexican
sed niis-
iien, iu-

rcrc the
rigadicr-

izatlons

reaidii^ii
ucod to

37 men, and a small detachment of infantry, 36.
Later, a militia was organized in battalions, called
auxiliares dcfensores de la patria. The presidial and
other companies declined to mere skeletons. The
last record about the San Diego company is Alfdrez
Salazar's report of November 1842, to the effect that
he had 14 men without arms or ammunition. Earlier
in the same year, Mofras saw a few soldiers and an
officer at the pueblo, and a few cannon half buried
amid the ruins of the presidio and fort. When Com-
modore Jones seized Monterey in 1842, Phelps, mas-
ter of the American ship Alert, spiked the guns, and
threw every movable article into the bay. After
1842, an occasional wail is heard that San Diego has
neither soldiers nor means of defence.

FrcMii 1842 to 1845 the batallon fijo, brought by
General Micheltorena, garrisoned the department, caus-
ing a very heavy expenditure. This battalion was
withdrawn on the general's departure. In 1845, the
!Monterey company still existed, with 20 or 30 men,
though the presidio had disappeared. In the previous
year, an auxiliary company of cavalry had assumed
the role of defenders of the country from internal and
external foes. The so-called fort had about twelve
mm, and three or four serviceable guns. At San
Francisco were, in 1845, an alferez and ten men from
tlie old San Francisco company, which during several
years had been stationed at Sonoma. Forty or fifty
dcfensores held themselves ready to fight. The com-
pany at Sonoma — 40 or 50 men — was disbanded about
1844. For a time there had been an Indian infantry
company, which was also nmatered out. There were
some sixty militiamen in the district. Down to 184.*^,
the ]>lace was entirely under military control. Ac-
cording to a report of the minister of war of Mexico,
there were in California in 1840 three 24-pounders of
iron, mounted, eight 8-pounders, eight 6-pounders,
ten 4-])ounders, one 2-poundcr, some of iron, others of
brass ; a number were dismounted.

804

MILITARY SYSTEM.

I !«'Vf

Tn the latter part of 1845, the monthly pay-roll of
officers, a few retired soldiers, and one widow, amounted
to $2,959. There were officers enough for a force of
3,000 men, all drawing pay with more or less reo'u-
larity. A number of thoso officers were useless, and
many of them rendered no service. The rank and ])ay
were given them as a reward of partisanship. When
the Americans invaded California, most of those fel-
lows proved themselves utterly incapable. In July
1846, the Californian forces, 400 or 500 strong, and
all mounted, concentrated at Los Angeles. They Jmd
neither food nor clothing for several days. Tlion
some old oxen were provided for their use. Thero
was a comjiania de honor, made up of officers. The
first old ox slaughtered for this company was nick-
named the " buey fundador de la mision de San Ga-
briel." The men of the company of honor preferred
to it the pears and apples they used to steal from the
private orchards. When the forces were on their
march south, even the officers, their commander, Joso
Castro, excepted, went hungry. In the Solcdad val-
lej', he received from the Guadalupe rancho a Iju^e
supply for himself of cooked provisions, poultry and
pastry. He supped alone, under a tree, with his hack
turned to his hungry companions. When he had sat-
isfied hia appetite, he wrapped up the things, and left
the bundle on the ground, covered by his saddle.
About midnight, Lieutenant Josd Antonio Chaviz
crawled to the spot, and brought away the eatables, and
with his friends demolished them; after doing whidi.
he went back with the bones, and placed them, together
with dry horse-dung, under the saddle. Then findinij;
a bottle with brandy, he of course confiscated it. Next
morning Castro, on discovering the trick, loolied
around with a fierce scowl, using the vilest of lan-
guage, and threatening dire vengeance, but no ow
paid him the slightest attention. Ever after, on re-
ceiving new supplies, he would hold his orderly, Felipe
Espinosa Barajas, responsible for them.

. of
ited
e of

and
pav
lien
; M-
Jul\-
, and
r }iad
Then
[liero

The

nick-

n Ga-

ferrcd

iiii the

their
r, Jose
id val-
i hu!j;t'
ry and
s hack

d sat-

d h'ft

addh'.
havez

OS, and
whiih.
hjrothor
finduv^
Next
look'xl
of h^i>-
no one
on rt'-
1, IV'lip'^

CHAPTER X.

WOMAN AND HER SPHERE.

Kennst du das Land wo die Citroneu blilhn,
Im duukeln Laub die (lold-Oraiigen glulin,
Elin sanfter Wind vom blauen Hiiinnul wuht.
Die Myrte still und lioch der Lorbuur stuht,
Kennst du es wohl ?

Dabin ! Dabin
Mocht ich mit dir, o, mein Gcliubter, ziclm.

-Ooethe.

"Women were not treated with the greatest rospoct :
in Latin and in savage countries tlicy seldom are;
liencc, as these were half Latin and half savage, we
are not surprised to Jearn that the men too often idled
away their time, leaving the women to do all the work
and rear the family. True, while the women, besides
attLiiding to their domestic duties, cut the wood, cul-
tivated the garden, went washing to the water, wliere
they erected an arbor, the men were on horseback
lassoing wild cattle, and if they brought home some
nuat the wife was thankful and content.

Tliere was strong affection, and never a ha|ipier
family than when the ranchero, dwelling in pastoral
siinitlicity, saw his sons and his f^on's sons bringing to
tilt' i)aternal roof their wives a'.d seating them at the
ovir-lcuijfthenininr table. Additions were sometimes
made to that most comfortable of buildings, the family
adoho, and if here was not the highest intelligence
and refinement, happiness was present.

Oil the other hand, as Sanchez says, the women
Were not without their champions. Chico and Pico

Cal. Pa8T., Vol. I. 20 ( 806 )

lil

306

WOMAN AND HER SPHERE.

!• '

did the most for them, and for their education, accord-
ing to tradition, refusing them nothing. During all
their wars, he affirms, the Califomians never neglected
their wives and daughters. True, there were times
when the women v. ere exposed to hardships, and sounj
men did not treat them with due consideration. This,
however, changed gradually; and with Pico's rise the
difl'crence became so radical that even the gentlest
women seized their husbands by the beard.

Fermina Espinosa, owner of Santa Rita ranclio,
now Sotoville, was very masculine, and did all the
rancho work, breaking colts, lassoing cattle, while lu r
husband did nothing but eat, sleep, smoke, and in-
crease an already numerous family. She was much
respected. V. Avila of Sal-si-puedes rancho had four
daughters, fair and blue-eyed, who worked like iiu n,
roamed the mountains in men's attire, guarding stoi k
and felling timber. They also made blankets and
clicese, and drove the old wooden-wheeled ox-eait
here and there as duty demanded. One girl married ;
the rest remain single to care for the old father.

The days of legal discipline were not yet over, and
woman here came in for her share. I will quote a
few cases in actual life taken from the archives.

In 1840, at Los Angeles, Prefect Arguello directs
the 2d justice of the peace to conduct by force a
woman who refuses accompa.iying her husband. At
San Jose, Juan Lisaldo complained to the alcalde
that he believed his wife Maria de las Nieves was
about to abscond. A summons was issued on the
27th of April, 1847, and the case tried the same day.
The alcalde directed that the parties be united ai,^ain,
or be imprisoned until they consented to live together.
On the 1st of May a letter was sent to the pri( :^t ef
Santa Clara, who ordained that they should be cnni-
pelled to live together. After three days given fer
reflection, Maria refused to comply, whereupon she was
put in prison, there to learn obedience.

Said Sub-prefect Sunol to Alcalde Guillen: "If Juana

FELICITIES AND INFEUCITIES.

307

accord -
.ring all
eglectrd
re tiiiK'S
lid some
1. _ This,
; rise the

gentlest

Giilinclo still manifests repugnance toward lierliusband
and refuses going back to him, the alcalde shall have
her taken from her house, and putting handcutis on her,
^.liall deliver her to her husband, charging him with
liLi' care and responsibility. Dios y Libertad."

Writing to Ortega the 25th of March, 1783, Fagcs
declares that he has learned what has passed between
C'urro and his girl-wife, and thinks it is her love for
Ik r })arents which makes her object to the duty imp()sed
hy nature. Let her go and live with Curro in some
otlur place, suggests the governor, and then she will
virld to his desire.

Vet plainer is the complaint of Jose !Madariaga to
till- justice of the peace at Monterey in 1845 — too plain
for printing forty years later. Repelling all of his
advances, he finally asked her if she had made a v(»w
of chastity, and was answered no. He proposed that
tlay sliould confess to the priest, who should suggest
a it'inedy, but she refused to confess, or have anything
tn do W'ith the priest. That night she ran away.

Soiuotimes the wife even dared to coni{)lain of the
husliaiid. At Monterey, in 1846, Mariano Silva, cap-
tain of artillery, petitions in the name of Senora ]:}rionts
tiiat her husband Miranda beexiled at leasttifty leagues
finiu his family at Yeiba Buena, because of drunken-
m ss, immorality, and cruelty. He had already been
t \iled from Sonoma for immoral conduct.

"If Juana

"It was considered very im]>roper for any giil to
receive a proposal of marriage," writes the charming
(iuadalupe Vallejo, "before her j)arents had b«?eii
consulted by the lover or his parents. Old maids
wuie scarce, and very much thought of. A lady wlio
did not marry in those times was not for lack of suitors,
fir, indeed, white women were very much in demand,
hut from choice; and therefore slie was very much
admired and venerated.

" L have an aunt (a sister of my mother), wdiose
parents having died, and being dissatistied with her

«»

WOMAN AND HER SPHERE.

life at her uncle's, formed the determination of accept-
in<^»' the first offer that should bo made to her. Slie
was then fourteen years of age, and they lived at a
ranch a few miles from Santa Barbara.

" Very soon a letter came to her uncle, with proposals
of marriage for his niece, from Don Ignacio Peralta, a
young gentleman from San Jose. She was told of it;
and (I think) that much to the surprise of all, she ac-
cepted, although she had never laid eyes on the suitor.
The answer was accordingly sent, and arrangements
proceeded for the wedding. The accepted lover soon
arrived, accompanied by his brother; and mdeed, it
required all her moral courage and strength to sustain
herself in her determination ; for such uncouth person
she had never seen before ; she was totally unprepai-cd
to meet her fate with such a face. However, slic
kept her word, and rode on horseback, accompanied
by her friends, to Santa Bdrbara to be married. She
says that she wept bitterly all the way ; her face, all
tear-stained, was more like that of one proceeding to
a funeral than that of a happy bride. He died last
year, after having been married fifty-nine years. She
was at last liberated from her cruel fate, at the ai>e of
seventy- three ! "

It was common to betroth children at a young age,
an arrangement effected by the fathers, the children
being seldom consulted. About two years before the
marriage, the girl's father would ask the other father
for his son, who was sent to live in the house of the
former. This act made them ni^vios, or affianced, and
the young man treated the girl's father as his own,
working for him, and being regarded as a son, not
even opposing the infliction of corporal punishment
for faults. When the young man had learned to work,
the marriage was consummated.

Girls married at from thirteen to fifteen, the parents
selecting the husband. A man wishing to marry sent
his father to ask the father of the girl; he himself
never asked for her, for that was not considered proper,

COURTSHIP AND BETROTHAL.

800

though he might address a letter intmiathig his desire
ti> the girl's parents. In whatever way negotiations
liad heen opened, the applicant was obliged to wait
tight or ten days "or an answer. If during that time
hr heard nothing, he might then beg his father tt) go
tor the answer. Sometimes the answer would come
at once. The parties were usually married in the
church; sometimes there were two bridesmaids and
two iiToomsmen. There was usually no nmrriajife set-
tlcment, notwithstanding the lengtiiy deliberations of
till' senors over the event.

The marriage day fixed, the fathers spoke to the
piicst, who proceeded with the publication of the bans,
unless he was paid to omit them. The bridal party
marched silently to church, and without nmsic; i»ut
after the ceremony, friends received them at the door
with music, and bore them home in triumph. If the
jiair lived at a distance in the country, another band
of umsicians met them half-way, and all proceeded to
the rancho, where an arbor had been prejiarod for
the dance, which lasted sometimes a week or more.

The wagons of the party were adorned with colored
mverlets, and silk kerchiefs, branches, and flowers.
The men were all on horseback, and some f)f the
women, who, at times, had a man on the croup of their
horse. A special table was generally set for [tromi-
iieiit guests ; the others feasted beneath the trees, by
the creek or spring, cooking their own steaks. Most
of the men played instruments, so that the nmsicians
could always be relieved.

Often the happy pair were dressed in their ordinary
apparel, the bride adding only ia crown of artificial
flowers, sometimes white, but usually variegated.
Often the fathers would not allow the pair to meet
till after the feast. The padre attended, but was not
detained more than a day. The padrinos of the pair
Avcre selected by the parents of both. The pair con-
sidered it a duty to visit the padre after mass the
Sunday following the marriage, accompanied by their

,11

\v ■

fllO

WOMAN AND HER SPHERE.

fatliors and padrinos, to give thanks. Tlic padre pro-
sciitod tlie party some fruit. The fee was paid in money
or pnxUiee. This accordinj^ to Hijar.

Another relates that when the marriage contract is
agreed on by the parties, the fir.st care of tlie bride-
groom is to get, by buying, begging, or stealing, tlie
best horse possible, and also a saddle and a silver
mounted bridle; the overleathers of tlie saddle mu.^t
likewise be embroidered. These articles were deemed
mdispensable to a wedding, no matter how poor tlie
parties might be. The bridegroom must furnish the
l»ri«le with not less than six articles of each kind ot'
woman's clothing, and provide everything necessary
to f(>ast his friends for one, two, or three da vs.

The wedding day being come, the fine horse is sad-
dled, and the bridegroom takes up before him on lii.s
horse his future godmotlier, and the future god-
father takes the bride before him on another fiiu?
hor.se, and so they gallop to church. The ceremony
over, the newly married couple mount one horse, and
the godfather and godmother mount the other, and
so they gallop back to the house of the bride's parents,
where they are received with squibs and firing of mus-
kets. Before the bridegroom has time to dismount,
two per.sons who are in readiness seize him and re-
niove his spurs, Avhich the}- keep until he redeems
them with a bottle of brandy, or money to buy one.
The married couple then enter the house, where the
near relatives are waiting in tears to receive tluin
alone. They kneel down before the parents and ask
a blessing, which is bestowed. Then the bridegroom
signs to some one near him, whereupon the guitar
and violin strike up, and dancing and drinking begin.

Shortly after Micheltorena's arrival in 184J at
Angeles, he and his officers and the prominent people
were invited to a wedding there, to be held in a hu(Mta.
Branches of willows were laid thickly upon a trellis-
work to afford shade. At the further end tiiereof an
apartment was formed of yellow doth, open toward

WEDDING FORMALITIES.

311

tlio troll is-covor, in which were placed half a dozen
cliair.s for the general, liis wife, and officers, and be-
hind which were rude bondies in rows. In tlie centre
of the room was a large table covered with clean
clotlis, china plates, and cut-glass decanters. At one
side was a row of barrels of drink — wines, brandy,
and otlier liquors.

A calf hung ready for roasting in the huge glowing
fire, and otJicr fires were read}' for vari(>us prepara-
tions, while delicacies of all kinds aboundtd.

Between eleven and twelve a. m. the marriage party
loft the church for the fjrove, attended by all the
guests, godfathers, and parents — all marching in pro-
cession, j^receded l)y music of violins and guitars ]>lay-
iiig [)opular airs. The general arrived an hour later,
was conducted to the grove by the bridal party, and
seated by the side of the bride, at the head of the
tabic, while the general's wife sat next to the gioom,
then the Ljodfathers, and next the officers accordinij to
lank, and after them the people of the country. Toasts
were given, and four hours after the general's arrival
they rose from table and proceeded to the house,
wliore the ball took place. The soldiers were invited
to tlie second table. The party did not break up till
dawn of day.

]\[en have a trick or two in love, as well as women ;
hotli sometimes deviate from innnaculate cleanliness in
their tricks. A woman will sav of a man wiiom she
tries in \a\n to marry, that she has refused him once,
twice, several tin»es. iVfale wooers — I cannot call
tluun men -are sometimes l)lack in heart enough when
defeated to rail against the sex with Draconian sever-
ity. So it was with the baser sort of early adveri-
tuiers among the Californi.ans; and so it was that
many credulous fools were caught by these lagos, and
many worthy and chaste dames guiltless met re[)roach.
It is not probable that the women of the time were
cold as the curded snow that hangs on Diana's temple;
but is that a reason why they should be cursed on

312

WOMAN AND HER SPHERE.

every convenient occasion, bitterly as was Meroz, in
ricliest pioneer idiom?

It was a happy day for the CaHfornian bride wlioso
husband was American ; and happier still for the C'ali-
fornian husband whose bride was Yankee. In 1847
there lived at the raneho of San Lorenzo two bacliolor
brothers who once entertained Mr Bryant for tin.'
niglit. They were men of intelligence and politeness,
and their hearts yearned for somethmg to relieve tlic
desolation of their loneliness. They prayed with sim-
ple earnestness that Mr Bryant should send them two
American women, that they might marry, live happy,
and die lamented.

Girls were L«,ught to sew, embroider, and weave.
Some could knit (tejer) fine garters, chiefly silken, for
tiie botas of the vaqueros, with silk or gold thread tufts,
or knots of gold and silk and silver, bearing figures <.f
men, hearts, etc., forming quite a bunch on the side
of the calf The rich strove to place all possible
ornaments there.

A prudent calculation gives each California fomily
an averaoe of ten children; if some had none, others
had twenty or twenty -five.

The occupations of the women were in every way
su|ierior to those of the men, as well as more arduous
and continuous. They had charge of the kitchen and
of the sewing, which was by no means a light task,
for tJiere was a great deal of embroidery about the
clotliing of both men and women, as well as bed-linen ;
and all of this was the work of their hands. In iron-
ing the hand was used instead of a flat-iron, by many
women. They also combed and braided every day the
liair of their fatijc rs, husbands, and brothers. Many
of them made tiie aead, candles, and soap consumed
by the family, nivl many took charge of sowing and
harvesting the crops.

Notwithstanding the fact that women were sedu-
lously taught that for them to be able to write was
prejudicial, and at most they might learn to read, they

MARRIACIE AND DIVORCE.

.tlS

were of good morals, says Coroiicl, industrious, and
iitat. Dedicated to tiieir domestic duties, many of them
were {d)le to assume, and did assume, such as le«^iti-
iiiiiti'ly pertain to men. Tliey were both eliaritahlc
and li()si>ital>k', the housewife holdin<if that articles of
food .sliould not he sold to nci;jfhl)ors, and <;ave to others
such as to them were lackini?, and of which she her-
silf possessed a superahundance. Mothers carefully
nuarded their dauj^hters, and often the traveller wctit
away without havinj^ even seen other than the male
nK-mhers of the family.

( )n the rancho were hij; vessels in which the women
hathed m winter. In summer all women resorted to
the rivers or seashore. They were, with few excep-
tions, excellent swinnners, surpassinj^ the women per-
haps of any other country in this art. The poor
women entered the water with merely a cloth tied
round the neck to cover the breast. The rich women
W'.re attended by Indian servants, who carried the
fiuiasfo {corm, baskets) with avwic (soap-plant), a mate
(calabash cup) for ])ouring water, and a broad-rim nied
straw hat. Besides the hat, they used, at times, a
l>Iue bathing-dress and sandals.

"I never saw a mother in California," says Torres,
"<nve her infant to a stranger to be suckled. Califor-
Ilia mothers were tender, and as wives, atfectionate.
The few unfaithful wives were Mexicans."

Divorce was not easy in those days, unfortunately,
]^y Mexico law, marriage by the church rite was a
sacrament, and could not be dissolved by civil tribu-
nals. But the marriage of the unfaithful without the
church was but a simple contract. There were few
marriages in pastoral times not hallowed by the per-
formances of the priest. A wife might through the
ecclesiastical court obtain a separation from a drunken
husband, provided she had money or influence enough.
On the 18th of !May, 1842, the bishop writes the
prefect at Angeles with reference to his decision of

314

WOMAN AND HER SPHERE.

May 9tli, in the divorce suit of Sepiilveda, that the
civil judj^es must not interfere in the case, but rein't
it to liis ecclesiastical court. The prefect accord in jrly,
on June 7th, urges the judges of Angeles to tell the
wife to appear at Santa Barbara, and state her case
in person or through the curador.

On the 18th of December, 1835, a prominent citizen
of San Diego sued his wife for gambling away $1,000,
and asked for a separation. The wife confessed tliu
fault, but begged pardon, and promised better behavior.
A temporary separation was granted by the alcalde.

Governor Mason, on the 8th of December, 1847,
assures Mrs Hetty C. Brown that neither he nor the
alcaldes can grant her a divorce. "If your husbaiul
has abandoned you," he says, "and left the county. I
think he should be viewed as though he were dead."'
That is all very well, but may the p(Jor widow many

agam

The juez eclesidstico of the northern missions, on
the 31st of August, 18;?5, asks the aid of the civil
authority to oblige the consorts Angel Bojorges and
Maria Oabriela Altamirano to resume at once tlicir
conjugal relations, there being no ecclesiastical l;i\v
which permits their living apart.

Petra, wife of Hilario Ponciano, living at San Dirgo
in 1838, was accused of infidelity by her husband, wlm
asked for a separation before the alcalde, who turned
the matter over to Padre Oliva as ecclesiastical judge
Several papers, summons for witnesses, etc., are on
record. The woman was once sent back from tlie
mission to the alcalde for want of proper proofs and
a proper place to confine her.

For the dissolution of the civil contract of marriagi'
proceedings were after the following fashion: The
amounts granted as alimony, it will be noticed, were
not excessive. On the 18th of March, 1842, appealed
before Judge Fernandez, of Monterey, Marfa Ouada-
lupe Castillo, with her hombre bueno, Gabriel de la
Torre, and also her husband, Edward Watson, w itli

■•'■ H

THE EVER-MEDDLESOME PRIEST.

81S

Lis hombro buono, Manuel Castro, Mari'a a«ked a
st'paiatiou on the ground of frequent ill treatnu-nt.
Tlio husband, at first reluctant, finally agreed to a
divorce. The judge ordered that the wife should live
at la Torre's house, the husband to pay .$12 monthly
for the support of her and her child.

"Tell Casilda Sepi'ilvi'da," writes the prefect to the
juez do 1* instancia of Angeles, "that the bishop is
ready to let any objections regarding the dissolution
of her matrimony with Teodoro Trujillo be brought
hcfore the ecclesiastical tribunal," Tlie bishop had
written the prefect on May 3d a sliarp letter on cer-
tain preliminary cognizance taken by the juez do 1"
instancia, in this case, and declared any steps taken b}'
liiui to be void; and in accordance with that letter the
prefect ^^rote the juez as above. On the Kith l*adre
l^stenega of San Gabriel writes the prefect that the
girl Casilda who seeks a divorce from T. Trujillo re-
fuses to enter the private house he desires to consign
lier to till she shall i)e ready to ajtpear before the ecele-
siastical court at Santa l^arbara. He desires tlie pic-
f( ct to compel her to a])pear before that court. The
preteet replies to the judge of vVngeles that there need
l)c no restriction of liberty ; the girl might api)eal in
wiiting to Santa IMrbara. Again the ])adre writes,
Mav 1 7th, that he merelv asks her to restrict herself
to an honorable hous(,' f )r a time, and then appear in
person at Santa J^arbara.

On the IDth of February, 1842, suit was begun
111 fore Jose Z. Fernandez, justice of tlie peace at
^loiiterey, by Mari.'i Ana ( ironzalez, to ol)tain a divorce
IVoni her husband, Jose ^^, (^astanares.^ She presented
lu'i'self with hei ho'nhre bueno, Jose Abrego, and Cas-
tafiares with his, Florencio Serrano. The })arti(\s being
agreed to separation a!>solute, and for nuitual trancjuil-
lity. it appeared best to the hombres buenos, and tiie
judge determined to grant the usual certificate. The
]>laiiitifi' havinjjf askeil for alimonv, the husband assii-ned
-50 a year for the present, to be increased if liis cir-

li
m I

rl!

! <i

[ )

-.:

316

WOMAN AND HER SPHERK

cumstances should become better, he being free to live
where he pleased. Upon this hearing, the arrange-
ment not seeming entirely good to the judge, he or-
dered that Ana should reside at the house of her
father, Rafael Gonzalez, to "hich measure all agreed.
On the 7th of December following, the parties in tiiis
suit came together with their hombres buenos, and
agreed to withdraw the causes of complaint, remaining
from date united in the bonds of matrimony, the pro-
ceedings of the 19th of February to be null. Happy
conclusion! In 1811 the president of missions wrntc;
to the missionary at San Rafael, transcribing author-
ization by the bishop of Sonora on March 1, 1811, to
the missionaries of California to ratify, in foro concien-
tire, after imposing a salutary penalty, marriages con-
tracted unlawfully in face of the church with unknown
im}>ediment of affinity when illicit copulation had t < -
curred, provided one of the contracting parties was in
good faith and was ignorant of the relationship — the
impediment not to be made known to the innocent
party; otherwise, if the impediment had been pub-
lished before court this privilege was not to ap[)ly to
either of the parties.

In 1821 the governor asked the padre prefectoto
order the hysterical padre Gil de Taboada not to
interfere in marriages. He had broken several iii-
gagements, among them that of Valle and Catalina
!Mamaneli. The latter had her father's consent, and
was willing, when this jtadre ordered her to retire into
seclusion for a few days and repent of the engagement.

In 1825, at Santa Barbara, J. A. Yorba wantid to
marry a first cousin of his first wife, who was fond of
his children. The request was not granted by the
padre president.

One Carpo, a neophyte, had when a gentile married
a woman, also a gentile, after the gentile manner, wlio
died. He had become a Christian before marryiiiL;'
another woman, also a Christian. It was discoveit d
that the women were daughterc of two gentile sons

MORALITY MANUFACTURERS.

317

to live

hc or-
of lu-r
ly-reed.

in this
t)S, ai)(l
uainiug
he pro-
Hapi-y
s %vr«>t(!
autlior-
1811, t.)
coiieien-
ges cou-
nknown

had '-
s was 111
lip — tho
innocent

!on l>id>-
apply to

focto to
not til

eral cii-
Catalina
iont, aiul

tire into

Monu'Ht.

anted to
H fond ot
hy the

married
nier, who
niarryiii'j,'
isroverea
itile !5onrf

of the same father, but of different mothers. Padre
Arroyo separated Carpo and his wife, and reported
the ease to Padre Prefecto Sarri'a, who decided that
a dispensation should be given, and the couple re-
married, the first marriage being null, as the women
Were within the prohibited degrees of affinity. At
San Diego, in i825, one Yaldez asked permission to
iiiarrv a relative in the second defrree, with whom he
liad had intercourse. He desired this also on tlie
score "of God's service and the salvation of his soul."
Tlie ] (resident remarked that he could serve God ami
save his soul with any woman, and denied the ])etition.
In a letter to a padre the i)resident said that if the
ini])ediment to the marriage were unknown to the
jiul'He, the dispensation would have been easier to
uhtain.

The neopliyte Felipe, lieing a widower, had been
lirtrothed or desired to marry a neophyte woman, but
tliev were w'ithin the second desjfree of affinitv, for
tlie woman had had intercourse with Felipe's cousin,
wliieli she confessed to Padre Arroyo, otherwise tlie
matter was a secret. Padre Ai'royo reported to the
J'adre Prefecto Sarria, who decidi'd that they should
he married, since they were betrothed, and in onh'r
to avttid scandal; and moreover Felipe was innocent,
and niio'lit not be able easilv to find another woman to
lii~ liking. That the woman might recognize; the
t'lMir done by h<»ly church, she must hear mass on
li 1'" tiays, but without telling her husband or any
Oil' t.'lse whv.

hi IHl\5 ^r. C. ^Nfontero, enceinte by the soldier
S> 10, had agreed to marry Garcia, an own nephew
5 ' S(v I.., to e.scape dishonor, and Garcia took steps to
o'liain a dispeit.satioii, owing to the relatioiisliip.
Mmiterosoon chanu'ed her mind and wanted to mariv
liiules. claiming that the ndationship between Soto
and (Jarcia was interdicting. (Jarcia, who had re-
mained constant, then demandt'd reimbursement of
exjunses for dispensation. The padre president at

318

WOMAN AND HEIl SPHERE.

first declared the palabra de esponsales between ^loii-
tero and Garcia to be null; bit other padres repiv-
sentcd that dispensations between second cousins had
oiten been granted, and that this marriage had been
ratified, and the [)resident accordingly declared tlio
mairiage valid, unless Montero could present beUer
objections.

Maria Josefa Castro was brought to the juzgado hy
Antonio (ialindo, with the request to be married.
The parish priest was present and ordered her to
be depositada till her disability as to age should ho
reino\ed by proper authority. Thereupon the suh-
pri Toct referred her to the prefect, that this might Ijo
doi " rcordance with the petition of herself and of
the [.. priest.

On ti. . '2i\d of June, 1847, Padre Gonzalez, goverimr
of the diocese, declared the marriage of F. de l*aul;i
Johnson and Juana Silva valid; but as they confessed
in marrying to have broken the laws of their parents
and of the church, they sIh uld be subject to tlio
j)enalty of the santo coiicilio, except excommunication.
In view of time and persons iie reduced the $1.^0
fine to §70 for each witness of the act, and t(»()k otf
$l()0 from the fine imposed upon the contracting'
parties, so that they need pay but $200 before coiiah-
iting, wliich should be exacted frcmi them by the
judge if need be, the fines to go toward the cult of the
parish. During the tliree festive days on which this
edict shoukl be published, and during mass, the twn
should kneel wliere the novios watched. The ratiti-
cation and blessing sliould not be given until the tliiid
festive day. (Jonzalez re(|uests the judge to eiifoivc
these fines from the seven witnesses and the priiui-
pals.

On the 3d of September, 1844, a threat of excdni-
niunication was addressed by the bishop, Garcia
.Diego, to the diocesans of San Jose^ which stated
that the bishop had seen with great grief that Filipf
Patron and Maria Natividad Hij-uera had contracted

MORE ABOUT MARRYING.

319

matrimony with the impediment of the third deixree
ot' aliinity, without previous dispensation.

He called this a most horrible crinu^ such union
b(ini>' illegitimate, detestable, and condennied by the
cliurch, and that such commerce should be held as
ti iiiiinal and incestuous. He ordered this declaration
ti» he read from the ])ulpit on three feast days, and
i(M|uired the juez of the town to se[)arate Felipe
i\itr()ii and Maria Natividad without ho[)es of ever
olitaining dispensation. If the parties refused t(» obey,
aiul to sej)arate, he ordered the padre to immediately
iiilbrm him, that he nii»dit fulminate against them the
tciiiblc sentence of oxcomnmnieation, to be read from
tlic pulpits of his diocese as an example and horrible
wan ling to perjurers, and to all those who dared
(Itccive the Cj.'irch — with further pious whoops to
tViu'liten the faithful.

Among his universal powers and prerogatives the
pntcntate of New Helvetia assumed the solenmization
of nianiages. But in due time the disaffected of his
juopli! began to question the genuineness of his minis-
trations, and to pronounce the article he vended
Ixt^us. Wives ran away, and would not return at his
iiiandate, and men began to question the rights of
liciis so l;;»rn to inherit. Sutter turned this way and
that, and found no relief. ^leanwhile humanity were
linin and died, the world went round, and the waters
"t" tlie Sacramento rolled to the ocean, despite the
iiioiiieiitous question of the quality of marriages on
its lianks.'

The men made the laws in and for California: the
Wdiiieii were expected to obey. Hence it was ordained
that the woman an officer married must have ."?'5,000.
All mothers were forbidden from leaving as heir to
till' otate any child who has contracted a marriage
ill npposition to the father's will. From the various
1';h hones it was ascertained that a great proportion
"f the married women were from 15 to 20 years of

320

WOMAN AND HER SPHERE.

acfo. Yet high above nature was law in tlioso parts:
if too young to marry, tlic law might declare the duu.
sel old enough. The prefect of Santa Clara in 11^41
decreed that liamona Prudenciana Buelna should l>o
considered of a<jre, in order that she might manv
Manuel Cantua.

]^y ^[exican law, the wife, during the continuance
of the marriage, had a revocable and feigned dominion
in, and possession of, one half the property jointly
.icquiied by her and hor hushand, ga}ia)icialcx; but tlie
husband was the real and veritable owner, and hud
the irrevocai)le dominion in all the gananeiales, and
migiit sell and dispose of them at pleasure.

After the death of the wife the husband mav di>;-
pose of the gananeiales, without being ol)liged tu
reserve for the children of the marriage eitlur the
])ro|>erty in or proceeds of the gananeiaK'S. If tlie
heirs of a deceased wife be the children of the mar-
riage, they had the right of succession on the death
of the fother to the w'hole estate — tjananciales — with
the right in the father to dispose of one fifth; but \>y
the estate in law was understood the residue after all
debts had been paid. A father during his lifetime,
and after the death of his wife, might, although tlure
had been children of the marriage, dispose of the
gananeiales for any honest purpose, when tliere was
no intention to defraud the children, and might hy
will direct the sale of them for the payment of his
debts.

A royal order of December 10, 1803, declared that
minors — men under 25 anil women under 'J:!-(nulil
not marry unless with the consent of parents; and tin-
])arents were not required to give their reasons !> r
any opposition they might offer. If there wert^ H'l
j)arents, grandparents, or guardians, the jueces might
object without giving their reasons, and license niu>t
be asked of the king through the governor, and by
consent of officers, if they belonged to the military.

A law of the 23d of June, 1813, gave to jcfes poll-

LOCAL MORALS

321

ticos autlioritv to pjruit or ivfuso license for coiitract-
iii'j: marriage to hijos de familia, wliose fathers should
have ri'fused it to them.

A wife once sununoned her husband hef )re an al-
calde for liavin*^ serenaded another woman.

•Britiij; forth the culprit," said the judge, "and K't
liiui i>lav to us as he played before the woman he
wi.slu'd to captivate."

When this was done, the judge asked:

"Is that the tune you played .'"'

"Si, Senor."

"Is that the best you can play it?"

"Si, Senor."

"Then I fine you two dollars for disturbing the
])ul»lie peace."

DiH' .Jose Maria Perez, sentenced by the viceroy to
six years' service at the San Francisco presidio, desired
to marry the maiden Maria Margarita Rodriguez.
Argiiello, as the man was under sentence, did not take
u|H)ii hiiiKself the decision of the case, but referred iJb
ti> Arrillaga, who decreed that if Perez was •J.') years
of age the petition should be granted. Thereu[)on
Argiiello concedes the license.

During the last years of Mexican rule, morals de-
dined in Santa Barbara, as shown by the many ille-
gitimate children there. Yet even after the coniimj:
of tlie Americans, it was difficult to find there a i)ub-
lic Woman native to the place.

There was at times and places a looseness in the
Wduieii as to chastity. The young girls were mostly
particular, and closely guarded withal; but among
tlu' married women of the common class, there was
looseness — not remarkably so, but they were less
strict than American women in this respect. The
Women occupied themselves with the care of tluir fam-
ilies, and ill sewing. They were domestic, but spent
much time in visiting, going to dances, picnics, and en-
joying themselves. They were clean in habits, and about

c;al. J'a.st. 21

322

WOMAN AND HER SPHERE.

5-Ui

• till

VS;

their houses, however poor these miofht be. Thoy
washed out of doors, generally going to some spring
or ^creek in the vicinity.

Abrego remarks in 1874 on the alarming decli?ie of
morality since the conquest. Formerly each couple
would raise ten or twelve children on the average, and
sometimes twenty-four; at this time two were a lair
estiinate.

"I hear from the most unexceptionable authority,"
writes Sir James Douglas, of the Hudson's Bay Coni-
])any, in his private journal, "that the ladies in Cali-
fornia arc not in general very refined or delicate in
their conversation, using gross expressions, and indulg-
ing in broad remarks which would make modest woiiuu
blush. It is also said that many, even of the respect-
able classes, prostitute their wives for hire ; tliat is,
they wink at the familiarity of a wealthy neighbor wiio
pays handsomely for his entertainment. This infa-
mous practice was introduced from Mexico, where it
is almost general. This is done with some respect to
insulted virtue. If openly asked to do so, they would
feel insulted; they merely play the part of complaisant
husbands. There seems indeed to be a total oxer-
throw of public morals among this degenerate people,
even from the priest downward."

While the men, says one who pictures in ratlior
high colors, are " thriftless, proud, and extravagant,
and much given to gaming, the women liavo but little
education and a great deal of beauty, the natural con-
sequence being that tlieir morality is none of the
f)urest; the instances of infidelity, however, are nuich
ess frequent than might be anticipated, for one vice
is set aufainst another, and a certain balance is ob-
tained; thus, though the women have but little virtue,
their husbands are jealous in the extreme, and tlioir
revenge is deadly and almost certain. A few inches
of cold steel have becm received by many an unwary
man, who has perhaps been guilty of nothing more
than mere indiscretion of manner. Thus, with the

FEMALE FORM DIVINE.

323

;. Thoy
\G spring

lecUiie «if
3h couple
jrage. and
•ero a tair

uthority,"
Bay C<»ni-
;s ill Cali-
;lericat<3 in
Liid inclulg-
cst wonuni
lie n's\>t'ct-
e; that is,
ighlK)r who
'This inta-
;o, where it

respect to
they would
complainant

total ovrr-
ratc peol'lo,

s in rather
xtravajj;ant,
vc but little
natural eon-
.one of the
r, arc nuich
for one vice
lance is f^-
llittlc virtue,
|c, and their
few inches
an unwary
)tbinp; uu.re
Ls, with the

married women, the difficulties that surround any
attrnipt at indiscretion are numerous, whilst the con-
s((juence.s of discovery are fatal. With the unmarried,
too much watchfulness is used to allow of any liais(^n;
t!u; main object of the parent bein^ to marry his
(lauijfhter well, the slightest slip must necessarily dis-
atrange such a scheme. The sharp eyes of a dueha,
and the poniard of a father or brother, are therefore a
uiiat protection, lendered absolutely requisite from
tlin characters of both nien and women; as the ftuid
father or affectionate brother, who would lay down his
life to avenge the honor of his daughter or sister,
would be eipially ready to risk that life to complete the
dishonor of another. Of the })oor Indians little care is
talun. The prie.sts, indeed, at the missions are said to
ktHp them very strictly, and rules were usually made
hy tlie alcaldes to punish their misconduct; but it all
amounts to little. If any of the girls should chance to be
discovered foil* >wing evil courses, the alcalde orders tiiem
to \)v whip[)ed, and keeps them at work for a certain
period sweeping the square of the presidio, or carry-
luif mortar and bricks for building; yet at any time a
few reales will buy them off. Intemperance is a com-
mon vice amongst the Indians, but the Spanish inhabi-
tants are, on the contrary, extremely abstemious." So
says this one: another says the reverse; but men and
Women are not everywhere exactly the same.

There are dances, says this same observer, which
aie "particularly liked by the females — who more than
any other women in the world seek to draw forth
admiration — as it enables them to show the handsome
roun( lings of their naked arms, and their small and
eleountly turned feet, as also to develop to full advan-
tivH' the graceful vivacity of tlieir motions, as they
wind through the mazes of their national dance, which
is of itself Hufficiently attractive. The females gener-
ally are exceedingly well shaped, and have a slight tint
f l)row'n in the skin; but a pair of black and sparkling
eyes, and teeth of the whitest color, give to their

3!M

WOMAN AND HER SPHERE.

! ■:

countenances an appearance of the greatest aiiiinatinii.
They wear neither caps nor bonnets, hut have tlit ir
hair turnetl upon the crown of the liead, where it is
lield hy a tortoise-shell coinh, very hi^h in the hack;
the tuft thus formed is jiierct'd hy a thick and lony pin
of ^old, silver, or copper, whicli has at one of its
extremities a ball or i^lohe of the same nu'tal. Wlun
they are going out they wear basqniitas, more or less
ornamented, and a inatitilla which covers their heads;
the ends of these being gathered up and crossetl oni r
the breast draws the mantel tight round the hip^, aiid
shows the graceful shape of the wearer to givat ad-
vantage. In these descriptions, allusion is oidy made
to the Creoles of a pure Spanish or Atexican origin, \'or
the greater portion of the inhabitants of California aic
of mixed origin, which gives to their color a tint ct'
reddish brown, and to their countenances a rather hard
and wild appearance."

Many of them were clear-skinned, dark brunette,
with lustrous eyes, long black glossy hair, and cany-
ing themselves with indescribable grace and ease, with
fine manners and personal appearance charactiM-istic nf
the Latin race. Jewelry and gorgeous dress slionc
beneath the blue wreathings of the cigarritos, enough
to fill the measure of delight in indulgent fathii- and
hopeful lover.

The beauty of women is of shorter duration in
Spanish countries than in the United States; liut
the monster Time behaves dift'erently in the two
places. In the states, the sere and yellow leaf ef
beautv shrivels into scrain^j^iiiess in the extremes ef
the type; but in Spanish-speaking countries it is m it
the withering of the gourd of beauty that those liave
to deplore who sit beneath its shadow with so givat
deliijht, but it is the broadening of that sliadciw.
Without altogether indorsing sylph-like forms, it is
yet safe to affirm that degrees of beauty in wonuii
are not in direct ratio to the degrees of the latitude
of their circumference.

IDIOSYNCRASIKS AND CHARACTEUISTICS.

3Jo

At night the dwolliiio-jilace of woman was as tlls-
tiiict as by day, only darker; Itlonde had become
liiinietto — that was all. The orange leaves glittered
ill the niooidight with a glaucous sheen, and the air
was moist with the subtile perfume that betrayed the
hidden bloss«mi. And women passed to and fro on
tlio arms of their caballeros, as fair as those of any
a^e or country, with eyes like the soul of night, and
soft forms fit for light and love, and lips juirted in the
ruddy strife of head and heart.

Settlers north of the bav were in constant danuer
linth from Indians and the bears. Even tlie women
writ' accustomed to carry guns or pistols, when tlicy
\\( nt out to make calls. Mrs Vallejo has a sm.dl riHe
which she used to carry for this purpose; and slie says
that in the earlier years she had fired tlie riHe at
hears to keep them out of the court-yard of her house.
Stock had to be carefully guarded, and could not be
allowed to run at large at night, as in the south,
wlui'e bears were nearlv extinct before this time.

The field labors of a ranchero, whether they con-
sisted in rodeos and herraderos or were agricultural,
wrvc concluded about 1 1 o'clock, at which time the
laltorers went to dinner and to rest till 2 o'clock. In
a jiottr family, the W'onien attended to all the menial
stixit'c; in those families able to aflbrd it, this was
piit'ormed by Indian servants of both sexe.s. At 2
1'. M. rich and poor alike returned to their field labors,
which lasted till nightfall. Of course rich rancheros
employed field-hands.

Mr l^ryant, while on a journey from Los Angeles
to San Francisco in 1840, sto})pcd for the night at a
small adobe country house, where he was comfortably
lU'ovided for. The good woman of the house was
(Kliglited above measure by an incidental remark of
the questioned traveller, to the eflect that clothiiKf
and tiuery of all sorts would become immensely ;
(luccd in price under the new regime. Wittingly <»r
unwittingly, he had struck a chord tender in the uni-

WOMAN AND HER SPHERE.

versal female licart, and her Vivaii los Americanos 1
was so genuine that in the morning she could hardly
be j)orsuadcd to accept remuneration for her trouMc;
and only, at last, on the condition of lier guest t;)'
Avith him a good supply of her cookery for future ,o.

"California women are an interesting race in many
respi'cts," writes Hayes in his Emigrant Notes — *\a
kind-hearted, amiable, industrious set. I like thcin
better than the men. These have their virtues too,
as well as their faults. They liave all the politcntss
of manner of the Spanish stock whence they spruncj,
l)etraying often a spice of tlie Indian character with
wliich they have been familiarized. Especially I love
the children, so sprightly and quick to learn."

"Formerly," says Salvador Vallejo, "our cattlo
roamed by thousands, yet not one was stolen, for tlie
unwritteii law of tlie land granted to tlie weary travil-
lor the privilege of killing cattle whenever he wanted
beef. Since tlie transfer of California .... many na-
tive Californians have been hanged for stealin<' cattle;
and I firmly believe that some of the victims did not
know th^t under the new government it was a ciinie
to kill a steer of which he had not a bill of sa^o,"

Robinson says that "the men are generally 'olcnt
and addicted to many vices, caring little fo? wrl-

fare of their children. Yet the women do not appiar
to have felt this bad influence, and in few plac( s of
the world, in proportion to inhabitants, can be found
more chastity, industrious habits, and correct deport-
ment, than among the w^omen. It is not unusual to
see the most perfect familiarity between the two
classes. This often leads strangers to form incoriict
opinions. They are firm to the observances of tlicir
churcli, and the most trifling deviation therefrom is
looked upon Avith abhorrence."

The women were passionately fond of fine, showy
dresses; they generally exhibited good taste, as far as
they had the means. They were rather pleasing in
their dress, with not a great deal of jewelry, tliongli

PURTHER PECULIARITIES. 827

fond of it. Olio almost univtirsal urticlo of tlross was
tho nhozo to cover tlio head and shoulders. Some of
the rebozos were very tu\c aiitl costlv, made of sill;,
others were of cotton, or liiieii, according to tho purse
of tho wt arer.

Previous to 1830, or thereabout, tho men of Cali-
fornia were of good morals. Of course tlure were the
(lisitputable, drunkards, gamblers, men who abandoned
their families to want; but such cases were rare. "The
women of California," says Amador, "were always
noteworthy for their excellent conduct as daughters,
slsttTS, wives, and mothers. They were virtuous and
industrious, aii<l devoted to their family duties."

Subsequent to 18.30 the moral tone of society was
lowered. This was owing to the more extended inter-
c*>ursc with foreigners, who were nt)t all of good
cliarjicter; to the greater facility of acquiring means,
and to political disturbances — these latter in particular
opening tho door to evil customs which were dissemi-
nated amongst the men. Gambling, drunkenness,
lewdness, and vagrancy became coiinnon, and these
\ lees brought in their train theft, ^\ iiicli was necessary
to sustain them.

There were hundreds of little peculiarities and
strangt; ways, most of which dropjied out of use, ntner
liavlng been recorded. The month of May they used
to call ^laria, A boy must not take his lirst shave
without permission from his father, who seldom givi'S
It before the age of twenty-two, when the time has
eouie for him to marry.

The women, at intervals, had a general wash-up, on
wlileh occasions, their own clothes being done, they
would ask their neighbors for theirs, and di'manded
110 recompense for the work, "^fy clothes were thus
often washed without charge," says Hijar. When
tilth- washing was concluded, after six or more days,
tilt y returned home and feasted. A calf was killed,
and songs and joy followed. While the women re-

.i'a,.i

328

WOMAN AND HER SPHERK

mi;ined at the creek, under the arbor, sleeping in the
open air, the males of the family regarded this cauip
as their home.

The aguadores who brought watei from the Carmelo
were Indian boys; they carried a forked stick, servinj^
to hold up one cask while the other was being tilled ;
and also to climb up behind the casks where they rode
on the ass' rump. " It was very amusing," says Al-
varado, "to see them running races, and often decked
in bright-colored flowers."

Formerly the veleros, or manufacturers of tallow
candles, used to carry them for sale in two large bas-
kets on the back of a burro; but after the coming of
the cholos the candles were carried on the shoulder
fastened round the circumference of two hoops which
hung from the ends of a stick four feet long, some-
thing in the Chinese style.

A woman from Chile thought her California cousins
preferred the floor to a chair to sit on, as they rest
better so.

While Robinson wis at San Diego, in 1829, Ban-
diri's house was bendecida, or blessed. The general,
his officers, and a number of friends were present.
The ceremony took place about noon; the chaplain
went through the different apartments and sprinkled
holy-water on the walls, uttering verses in Latin. The
party then sat down to an excellent dinner, after which
was nmsic and a dance, followed in the evening by a
fand'iuijo. It was better than insurance, and not so
expensive.

Sepiilveda, speaking of Pastoral California, says:
"There was one link m the chain of societv of those
days which contributed to keep in a strong and afll'c-
tionate unison the social relations between men. It
was the relation of compadre. Whotver stood god-
father or godmother to a child was the compadre
or >?omadre of the father and mother of the infant.
Alwaj's treating each other with respect and affection,
and having the child as a living token of their esteem,

LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS.

329

it was rare to see these pleasant relations disturbed.
It no doubt added much to the harmony of society."

.Vt the death of a father it was customary for the
vounirer brothers to resoect the elder, who stood in
the position of father to the family. Nothing could
]iavc a better effect, that of mutual assistance and
trust on the entire family, than the observance of this
beautiful custom.

Wlien two men were so intimate as to be consta.ntly
toiretlicr in order to indicate a feeling deeper than
that merely of a friend, they designated each other as
valcilor. The word was also applied by the raiicheros
to any one whom they especially appreciated and
trusted.

The extent of kinship was incalculable; for to such
an extent had the different families of California
intermarried, that all were akin by usage, if not by
blodc).

When a man found 'his wife enceinte, he invited the
persons whom it was agreed to make padrinos or <?od-
[lareiits, and they at once began preparations, accord-
[w'f to their means, although it wanted five or more
inoutlis till the event. Fifteen or twenty days after
delivery, the new creature was taken to the i)arish
church to be baptized. On going to the house to take
the infant to church, the pudrinos marched through
the streets playing instruments, to testify their joy.
The i'amily came to the door to receive them, and
then all marched to church, playing on the way.

After the ceremony, the party was received outside
by some who waited for them, with rockets, bell-toll-
iiiuf, and music, and all joined to accompany them to
the house of the parents, to which the [»adre was
invited. AH comers were regaled with panecit(3,
hread made for the occasion, and slices of watermelon,
ond other refreshment, called by the general name
vi»],t. To the padre and his assistants some mtMiey
\Viis nrivcn, and presents distributed by the godiiarents.
Til. n began a ball, lasting one or two days. The

330

WOMAN AND HER SPHERK

nearest relatives were expected to attend the baptism
without invitation ; others were invited. The baptism
took place at night. Those who lived far from the
mission had it done on Sundays after mass.

From Jos^ de Jesus Vallejo I have the language of
flowers, as rendered by Governor Chico In 1836, and
accepted throughout California in the interpretatiijii
of a gift of flowers : Yerba buena, I wish to be useful ;
white Indian cress (nasturtium), I wish to be a nun;
red Indian cress (tropoeolum majus), my heart is dri})-
ping blood ; tuberose, I wait for thee ; red rose, tliou
art the queen of thy sex ; white rose, th<ju art tlie
queen of purity; passion flower, hatred and rancor;
hundred leaves, I am dying for thee ; turnsol, I can-
not bear the sight of thee ; dahlia, I love only t\\vv in
this world ; jasmine, thou art a coquette ; red pink, I
am justified in feeling jealous; hortensia, I want to
marry thee ; violet, modesty ; geranium, I will always
love thee; evergreen, my love will be eternal; the
winter gillyflower, I sigh for thee.

Captain H. S. Burton fell in love with the charm-
ing Californian, Maria del Amparo Ruiz, born at Lo-
reto, and aged sixteen. She promised to marry liim.
The servants reported this to a certain ranchero who
had been unsuccessfully paying his addresses to her,
and he informed Padre Gonzalez, saying that a cath-
olic should not marry a protcstant. The pa<lre
thanked the man in a letter, which the latter hawked
about offensively, out of spite, because his suit hail
been rejected. But for all this, the Loret<» ;:;irl
married the Yankee captain. Although a hcrctiea!
marriage, Rubio, guardian of the see, deemed it
discreet not to declare it null, but to remove the
imixjdimonts. He accordingly allowed the marriage
before the padre at Santa Bilrbara, before t\vi>
witnesses, omitting proclamas conciliares, nuiitial
benediction, and other solemnities, but with tlu'
condition that the wife should not be seduced from
the church, that the children should be educated

A LOVE STORY.

331

09 catholics, and that the wife should pray God to
convoit the captain to the church.

Meanwhile the guardian of the diocese learned with
great satisfaction of the pains the alcalde was at to
prevent the protestant clergyman at Monterey from
authorizing the marriage of Captain Burton and
]\[arfa del Amparo Ruiz — she being a catholic — and
on the 23d of August, 1847, Governor Mason ordered
all the authorities of California not to authorize any
marriage where either of the parties was a catholic.
Padre Gonzalez understood that this order was bind-
ing, and therefore to be observed until rescinded by
cc)iii[)ctent authority. As this order was necessary
ill order that catholics might not contract marriages
wluch would be null, Gonzalez wrote to the governor,
requesting him to ratify his predecessor's order, and
if moessary call tlie attention of all the authorities
thereto. Padre Gonzalez again thanked the alcalde
for his zeal in preventing the infringement of the laws
of Catholicism b}' any catholic attempting to marry
according to the protestant rite, and hoped for his
aid in seeing that no innovation be made, but that
the i>-overnment ratified Mason's order.

CoDoepcion Maria Argiiello, daughter of Jvse Dario
Arui^uello, who had been governor of Cainoniia in
1814-15, and sister of Luis Argiiello, who was ap-
[lointed governor in 18*22, was a beautiful girl of good
education and refined manners. She was residing in
tin; fort of San Francisco in 1807 at the time of the
arrival in California of tlie Russian frigate Jimo, hav-
ing on board as passenger Count Rezanof, grand
cliiunberlain of the Russian einp(>ror, who fell in love
Mitli the young Californian, and with her consent
re(ju sted lier parents to allow him to marry her. To
this proposal they agreed, deeming it highly advan-
tiiuv«»us to be related by marriage to the young diplo-
inate. Count Rezanof took his departure from Cali-
f'Miiii, intending to go to Russia, and tliere makj
tlie necessary arrangement for his intended marriage,

WOMAN AND HER SPHERE.

but unfortunately, while crossing a deseit, he fell from
his horse and was killed.

On receipt of the terrible news, the fair Concepcion,
arrayed as a beata, that is to say, one who wears a r(}-
ligious habit, and is engaged in works of charity, luft
San Francisco and went to Santa Bilrbara, where she
spent her time in the small church of the Franciscan
friars, and at night retired to the room allotted to Iut
in the house of Captain De la Guerra. During the
many years she thus lived, the young men of Santa
Bilrbara tried their utmost to induce her to take part
in their festivities, and some went so far as to insist
that she should marry, but all to no purpose. Had
she not narrowly missed being a countess? So slie
continued her works of charity and humiliation, going
into the miserable dwellings of the neophytes, where
she spent hour after hour attending to the wants of
some dying Indian, or teaching young children tlie
Christian doctrine. Finally, when the good sisters < if
Saint Dominic, in 1850, opened in the town of Benicia
the academy of Saint Catherine, she repaired to tlicir
convent, and resided there until 18fiO, when she died, at
the advanced age of seventy-six years. This incident
is given as an example to be followed by all good Cali-
fornia girls who so narrowly miss becoming countesses I

About the year 1837, the wild Indians of Lower
California fell upon the rancho of Pio Pico, killed some
people, and carried off the daughters, Tomasa and
Ramona, of Ley va, the majordomo.

The wife of Licentiate Cosnie Pefta, ex-asesor of
California, eloped with a musicia!i named Arias. On
their journey, they were captured by Indians of the
Colorado river; he was killed, and she kept as a wife
of one of the chiefs. She was later captured frv in
them by the Indians Castucho, Martin, and otliers,
who held Tomasa and Ramona.

The occupations of the women were not only nnich
superior, but more laborious and continual, than tliose
of the men. The kitchen was, of course, in their en-

MANNERS AND MORALITY.

S33

tire charge, or at least under their supervision. Many
of them made bread, candles, soap, and even worked
in the field. Needlework was in constant demand,
nnd in every form. Thev made their own garments,
as Well as those of their fathers, husbands, and broth-
ers, all calling for embellishments in the way of em-
broidery, fine stitchuig, etc. The utmost care and
tiiste were displayed in the beds and bedding, the
linen being embroidered, or otherwise adorned.
Clothhig being expensive, economy demanded that
tliey should be kept well mended, and made, when
jxissible, to look almost new. Pressing was done
witli the hand until the piece became perfectly smooth.

The well-to-do of both sexes used the best material
they could procure, silk, wool, velvet, etc. The poorer
classes, while dressing in the same style, had to be
content with inferior goods.

The women daily braided the hair of their male
relatives till late times, as long as queues were in
fashion. The hair was usually parted in the middle,
and thrown over the back and tied ; one braid of three
tresses was then made, a la Chinois. Most men tied
a hlack silk kerchief round the head, with the knot
heliintl or above the forehead. The women let the
hair cover their ears, parted in the middle, and braided,
as with the men. Lugo has it that men shaved all
the beard, except that from the temple to the border
of the jaw. The shaving was usually done every
third day, and certainly on Saturday afternoon or
Sunday morning.

Living in concubinage by the common people was
considered, during the Spanish domination, a heinous
otl'enee, and was severely punished. The man would
': condemned to hard labor in irons, and exile for a
number of years. The woman had her hair clipped
short, and was forced to stand with a puppet-babe at
lier breast at the church door every Sunday at the

our

of mass, during a month or so, that she might

Serve as a warnmg.

SS4

WOMAN ANT) HER SPHERE.

About 1829 or 1830, during Governor EcheanHi'a's
term, it was judicially proved that a soldier of tlio
Monterey company was holding illicit relations witli
a woman and her daughter at the same time, and tliat
the latter was pre^ant by him. These facts havin*;
become known to Father llamon Abella, he reported
them to the authorities. The result of the trial was
that the soldier was made fo marry the pregnant
woman. The man and woman, from the day of tlic
first publication of the bans, were compelled to kneel
near the presbytery, in full sight of the public, bound
together by the neck with a thick hempen rope, and
having before them a washtub filled with green grass,
representing the manger of a stable, to signify tliat
the man and woman had been living like beasts. At
each publication of the bans. Father Abella delivereil
remarks from the pulpit relevant to the subject, to
remind his flock that the penalties of hell would cer-
tainly befall those who indulged in incestuous prac-
tices. The couple afterward lived happily togetlier,
and had a numerous family. Their descendants live
in California, and flourish to this day.

CHAPTER XI.

PASTURES AND FIELDS.

There Jove accords a lengthened spring.
And winter wanting winter's sting,
And sunny Aulon's broad inuliue
Such mettle puts into the vine,
Its clusters need not envy those
Which fiery Faleruum grows.

Horace.

For many years cattle-raising was the chief if not
the sole occupation of the Hispano-Californians. It
was a mode of life well suited to their temper and
habits. There was little work about it, little of the
drudgery of labor such as attended agriculture and
manufactures ; and if in the pursuit there was little of
the sweet power that displays itself in the domination
of men, the ranchero might at least rule cattle.

Then, too, stock-raising brought men up to a level ;
for in wealth and occupation there was here in those
days a low level and a high level. Upon the low
level rested contented those who had nothing; upon
the high level were those who had something. Be-
tween something and a hundred times more, there was
little difference. Land in itself was valueless, so that
it made little difference whether one's possessions were
CDUuted by acres or square leagues. So with live-
stock. Four thousand of any kind was as satisfying
as f(trty thousand, or four hundred thousand, as a
moilerate number was more than a man could sell, and
as many as he cared to attend to. Hence as the
horses and cattle brought from Mexico increased,
until the proper care of them involved more exertion

(MS)

336

PASTURES AND FIELDS.

tlian the owner cared to put forth, they were allowod
to relapse into barbarism, grow wild, and range at will
over the San Joaquin and Sa«;rauiento plains.

Such was the state of things that for a time any
one might kill cattle at pleasure for food, so lony as
the hide was placed witiiin easy reach of the owner.
But later, when immigration set in, values began to Kc
set on cattle. A large amount of stock fell into the
possession of tlio officers of Micheltorena, who, seoiiiif
that tlie revolution was about to come, sold thtso
anhnals to Spence, Fitch, and other foreigners.

In the early days it was common for Californians to
go in companies to catch wild horses on the Marii)()sa
plains and elsewhere at certain seasons of the ytar,
carrying brandy, tobacco, and other articles for festi\ e
enjoyment. Sutter says there were vast droves of
wild horses in the San Joaquin and Tulare valleys,
bred from those stolen by the Indians from the mis-
sions. They rapidly increased into immense droviis.
They were not claimed by the Indians, to whom it
came easier to steal horses when they wanted tlioni
than to tame them. Later, Americans and Califor-
nians went there and lassoed them, catching all they
wanted. There were few wild horses in the Sacra-
mento Valley when Sutter went there.

Bidwell affirms that in 1842 there were many slieep
in some places. On the rancho of Livermore were
0,000, and Sutter had 1,000. They were small and
the wool rather coarse. There were a few fine hogs;
one weighing 200 pounds was worth $4 or $5. The
cattle were very large, and were in great nuniheis,
There was no regular price for them, but it stood at
about $4 per head. Hides were worth $2 ; tallow 3'' I'^'i'
100 pounds. Horses were very numerous, and woitli
from $S to $30. Mares were never worked or ridden,
and were worth from $3 to $5. The mules were lai^e
and fine, and worth $10 unbroken, and $15 broken
Jacks were worth from $100 to $200 each. Broken
oxen fetched $25.

AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY.

The missionaries generally had a manual on agri-
culture, which they followed in the cultivation of the
soil. In planting wheat they would soak the seed in
]\v. This was the practice in Spanish times, and
wiis continued after the country became separated
from Spanish domination. Cultivation of produce in
the district of Monterey was limited to the space
lying between the Tucho and the Pilarcitos, in small
portions, apart from the plantations at Alisal, the
Sauzal, Natividad, San Cayetano, Bolsa del Piljaro,
Coiralitos, Salsipuedes, Las Aromas, a portion of the
Sail Juan valley, San Felipe, San Isidro, the Carnea-
doro. and La Brea, besides El Carmelo.

Special droves of mares were provided at the mis-
sions and on ranches, with jackasses to raise mules.
And in order to arouse the passions of the former to
tlu' point of allowing themselves to be approached by
tlu! latter, there were caballos volteados, which with-
out heing capable of procreating, brought about the de-
sired eti'ect.

Severe droughts were often experienced. In 1809-
10 the missions and presidios suffered greatly for
pasturage and crops, especially the horses for the use
of the troops and mission vaqueros. In 1820-21
there was another visitation of the same kind, and
tlu' live-stock of the missions, now increased to 400,-
000, had nmch difficulty in finding grass enough to
keep them in condition fit for food. It was;^ more
severely felt than that of 1809-10. Governor Sola
caused a large number of mares to be sold. Past ex-
poricnre had taught the missionaries the necessity of
laying up grain, dried meat, fat, etc., for two years.
Tliey also had trained fishermen to furnish food from
the sea, not only in keeping lent, and weekly one
day's abstinence from meat, but hi order that nmssels
and (isJi, so abundant on the coast, should help to
oconoinize the laid up stores. In 1823 a special dis-
pensation was issued by Senan, the father-president,
to use meat, eggs, etc., on forbidden days, owing to

t'AL. I'AST. 22

.138

PASTURES AND FIELDS.

tlic scarcity of maize and beans, from want of rains.
esjKJcially in the soutli, which was furth«'r intcnsitiod
l)y a plague of locu.sts and caterpillars. In the season
of 1824-25, the best known in California from 1770
to 1864, sufficient water fell to keep, t<\<;etlu'r with
the ordinary winter rains, the pastures and s(iwiii.rs
i?i excellent conditicm until the great drought of JJ
months between the rains of 1828 and 18.'}0, uiniiitj
which the wells and springs of Monterey gav»> out.
and water for the use of families had to be i>r()Ui;ht
from the Carmelo river, three miles distant. Hardly
any crops were obtained, and it was estimated tliat
fully 40,000 head of horses and neat cattle perisIuMl
throughout the province. Hundreds of man's were
killed, and many were sold by the missions at 2.) aii<l
r)0 cents each. At Purisima several large drovts.
as reported, were driven over the cliff into the sea to
speedily kill them, so as to save pasture for the eattlf
and sheep. To the north of San Juan Bautlsta the
grass was in better condition than to the south. At
this time Governor Echeandfa was secularizing the
missions, and the padres took a great dislike to the
raising of sheep ; and indeed the native Californiaiis
generally had the same feeling, sheep being by them
considered beneath tlie attention of ranchoros and
vaqueros. The season of 1840-41, some years after
the secularizati(m of tlie missions, in which no rain
worth mentioninjx fell for fourteen consecutive month.*,
was severely felt, particularly south of Soledad; hut
not nearly so many animals perished as in the dioujiht
of 1828-30. In fact they were now scatteriMl. and
better cared far. Large quantities having died (hir-
ing that visitation, or been destroyed by wolves,

coyotes, and bears, added to the disllKe of tlio ranel
eros to herd them, their number had been reduetil to
less than 20,000 from about 153,000 in 1831. Suh-
sequent droughts do not come within the scope of this
book, having occurred after the period embraied in
the pastoral period of California.

CUSTOMS OF THE CATTLE-RAISERS.

339

STATISTICS OF 1834.

MlNnion.

Date of
FoiinUation.

Indians.

Sin Diego

Siin I..iiia Rey

San .1 uiui Capistrann

San I iiibriel

SiiTi Fernaiulo

Sau liuenaventura. .

Sant.i Biirbara

Saiit'v Int'8

I'liriKinia

Sail Luis Obispo.. . .

S.in M ignel

San Aiitouio

S„lo.liul

<.'arniflo

.Sail .1 iiiiii liuutiHtiu .

Santa Cniz

Santa Clara.

San .lose

San FraiU'isco

San llat'ael

Sdlano

.luHo 1(5, 17(>i).
June 1.3, 1708.
Nov. 1, 177t>.
Sept. 8, 1771.
Sept. 8, 1797.
Mar. 31, 1782.
Dec. 4, 1780. .
Sept. 17, 1804.
Dec. 8, 1787 .
Sept. 1, 1771 .
.Tuly2.\ 1707.
July 14, 1771.
Oct. !», 1701..
.Tune 3, 1770, .
June 24, 1700.
Aug. 28, 1701.
Jan. 18, 1777.
Juno 18, 1707.
Oct. 9, 1770..
Dec. 18, 1817.
Aug. 25, 1823.

2,500
3,500
1,700
2,700
L.WO
1,100
1,200

i,:ioo

900
1,2.50
2,000
1,400

700

.500
1,450

GOO
1,800
2, .'UK)

.500
1,2.50
1,:«X)

Horned
I'attle.

IIorscH.

12,000

80,000

70,000

105,000

14,000

4,000

5,000

14,000

15.000

9,000

4,000

12,000

COOO

3,000

9,000

8,000

13,000

2,400

5,000

.3,000

1,800
10,000
1,IH)0
20,000
5,000
1,000
1,200
1,200
2,000
4,000
2,500
2,000
1,200

700
1,200

8(K)
1,200
1,100
1,*'>00

500

700

Sliorp,

UiiaU,

and

Pigs.

17,000

100, (KM)

10, (NX*

40,000

7,0(H»

6,(HH)

5,000

12,000

14,(M)0

7,(HH)

10,000

14,000

7,0<M)

7.000

9,»K»0

10, (KH)

15.000

19,000

4,0(H)

4,.50(>

4,000

Harvest.

I
I

i bush.

1.3,000

14,000

IO,(N)0

20,000

8,0(X)

3,(HX)

.3,000

3. .500

0,000

4,000

2,500

3,000

2, .500

1,500

3,500

2,500

(5.000

10,000

2..")(H)

1,.500

.3,000

Totil 31,450 396,400 61,600 '.321,.500 123,000

STATISTICS OF 1842.

Mission.

Indians.

Cattle.

Horses.

Siicop, (loats,
and I'l^s.

San I hego

500

G.")0

100

500

400

.300

400

250

.30

150

.300

400

2,800

500

700

l.-HK)

200

1,800

10,(KH)

800

300

800

8,000
(iO

100
400
150
500
400
40
180
.500

aoo

200
50

500

'256

200

■San l.uis Roy

4,000

Sail •) nan Capistrano

San (iahriel

200
.3, .500

San Fernando

2,000
400
400

San Buenaventura

Santa liarbara

Santa lues

4,000

Purisiina

3, .500
800

San 1,111.1 Obispo

Sm .Mijjue)

400

San Antunio

2,000

S,,l,.,lail

(.'arineld

Sin .luan Bautiata

Santa Cruz

Santa Clara

3,000
7,000

.*<aii .liKstj

San Kraneisco

200

San Rafael

Solaini

ToUl

4,4.50

29,020

3,820

31,600

340

PASTURES AND FIELDS,

When an haceiidado wished to nuqucar or slauo^litor
his cattle, he sent six men on horseback, who rotlc at
full speed over the fields, armed with knives. Passing;
near an animal, one gave it a blow with the knit'r in
the nerve of the nape of the neck, and it fell dead.
These nuqueadores passed on, and were followed as Ky
a flock of hun«^ry vultures, by dozens of pelade )i(s,
who took off the hides. Next came the tasajeros, who
cut up the meat into tasajo and pulpa; and the fuiMial
procession was closed by a swarm of Indian women,
who gathered the tallow and lard in leather liani}Hrs.
The fat was afterward tried out in large iron or cop-
per kettles, and after cooling somewhat was put up in
skin botas, containing on an average 20 arrobas. or
500 j)ounds. It was sold in 1840 at $2 per arn>l»a.
half in money and half in goods. A field after tlio
nuqueo looked like Waterloo after the charge of tin
old guard.

ISIarsh says that in Mexican times one man had aOO
saddle-horses for the use of his rancho. One mission
had 100,000 horses and nmles. Cattle were kiild off
on the mission lands after the seculariziition in 18.U;
it commenced in 1832, and continued until checked l>v
the ijovernor. Thev w re on the decrease until l."^ 10,
"Sheep are small," remarks Clymer, "and proclun^ a
small quantity of coarse wt)ol along the back, the \)v\l
being entirely bare. Their cattle are of good size, and
handsomely built. Some farms or ranchos have from
five to twenty thousand head of such stock on them,
with large stocks of horses and sheep." The way the
padres estimated their stock was to count those they
branded. If these were 5,000, they estimated lo,UOO
for the year.

A great number of vaqueros, or mounted herdsinoii,
were necessary to look after the stock, which was ludf
wild at best. At San Jose, at a rodeo, or gathi linir
of stock for the j)urpose of counting it, Visitador Hart-
nell says that Administrator Castro was assisted hy a
mayordomo and fifty vaqueros.

.,;

THE LASSO.

Tli<^ Vt^'ai'ly rodeo was not only for brandinjjf and
(li\ i(lin«; stock, but for niakini^ the cattle accustomed
to a certain place, and prevent their going JioiJclessly
wild.

The nii.ssions had a weekly rodeo, and killed twenty
(ir thirty or more cattle tor provisions. The Indians
killed them before a niayordomo de campo, who dis-
till mtetl the moat for the week. The razon people
canie to cut for themselves. The bones were left in
the corral till the followini.; Friday, when they were
jiilcd uj» outside of the rodeo. Each mi.ssion had
tliice corrals, one for cattle, the others for sheep and
liitfses.

On Friday morning some neophytes were sent to
i»ring in stock for the Saturday slaui»hter. On Satur-
(lay morning some mounted Indians lassoed and
hrought out the stock from the corral, for other In-
dians. Tliese lassoed the beast by peal, threw it,
killed, flayed, and cut it up. Head, spine, and intes-
tiiKS were rejected. The fat was dragged to the
mission in the hide. Thus twenty or thirty heads
wtrc killed weeklv for food.

When the year was l)ad and pastures meagre the
padres ordered a desviejar, that is, the killing of old
j^tcK'k. On such occasions, Indians and white men
were armed with lances, and entered the corrals
mounted. They were also hunted up in the fields.
The hides were tiiken off, and the flesh left for beasts
and birds, or for the Indians.

Markofl' tells of a novel way of catching wild oxen
in California. \ trained ox was taken out with the
hunter. The wild ox was then lassoed and bound,
after which his horns were tietl to those of the trained
ex. which dragged him home to be slaughtered. This
was to avoid carrvinof the meat a long distance.
>\ il(l horses were caught at the watering-places by
lasso, or by false corrals. When several had been
eauL,dit they were tied in pairs and driven home, or to
the next catching-place.

PASTURES AND nELDS.

The dexterity of the CaHfornians with the lasso was
surprising. As for their horsemanship they were not
surpassed by the Cossacks of Tartary. "It is com-
mon/' says Bidweil, "for them to take up things from
tlie ground going ujK^n a full run with their horses.
They will pick up a dollar in this way. They fre-
quently engage the bear on the plain with their las-
soes, and two holding him in opposite directions witli
ropes fastened to the pommels of their saddles. I was
informed that two young boys encountered a lari^f
buck elk in the plains, and having no saddles, fastentd
the ropes round the horses' necks, and actually dragged
the huge animal into the settlements alive."

Morineau writes: "Dans la vue de menager Ics
pacages pour les boeufs, un arrete de gouvjrnenuiit
defend a chaque j)articulier d'avoir plus de 20 juniciito
poulinieres. C'est aussi par le memo motif (|ue Ynn
fait tuer tous les ans, plusieurs milliers de chcvaiix
sauvagcs, bien que Ton ne tire aucun parti de Icurs
depouilles." Mules were employed on hard labor.
and asses were kept for their reproduction. Each
mission possessed 10,000 or 12,000 sheep. The
Creoles raised few sheep. The wool was good, but
that used in the country was made only into coarse
stuffs. Pigs were not raised at the missions, as the
Creoles did not care for the Hesh, and the Indians have
always had a horror of it.

Writes the governor, July 7, 1844, to the alcalde of
San Francisco: "Thv. French fragata and other ves-
sels may l)uy stock in San Francisco, but none must
sell a heifer at less than six dollars, or abuse will
spring up and injure the countr. . '

In the session of assembly of July 24, 18.']4. the
coinision de gobernaci»»n presented a dictdmen on the
[•etition of Chabolla to cat«'h (correr) mesteno stoik
for urgent want. Permission was thereupon granhd
to any one under the same plea, on condition of gi\iii.;
one fifth to the nation. The sindico was to aeeouiit
f^r the one fifth, leaving it in care of the grantee. The

STOCK REGULATIONS.

343

grantee was to destroy (tuinbar) the corrals erected
for tlio purpose. This license was valid tor once only,
at the judgment of the ayuntaniiento, which would
(Icttiniine the time when each one should perform the
corrida.

One Villavioencio, May 17, 1830, was given a pt^r-
niit to go after runaway cattle between the IMnal del
Tt niascal and the Sierra de la Panocha. He was to
rcjiort the events which might take place, names of
those who accompanied him, and the marks on the
oars, in order that he might be paid immediately ac-
coiding to cus*iX)m.

N'iotoria, writing to the minister of relations on the
7tli of June, IHol, says: "As regtirds caballar, the wiM
kind called mesteilo i.iundate tl e fields. Formerly
tlitie were large slaughters; this he has restrained,
tliiiiking that this slaughter should be made useful if
only in the hides."

On the 21st of June, Figueroa wrote to the alcalde
of S;in Jose that the asssembly had ordered tliat every
« wiur of .stock and honses ai' j ids [laid servants siiould
jH'tt to give personal aid at the customary rodeos,
wit'iout excepting his sons, if he should liave any old
cimugli. No persons might excuse themselves or
others fntm helping without some good reason. I*er-
Niiis exempted from these services were mechanics,
iioii owners of stock, those physically impeded, sexa-
}rt nariuns, except their sons and paid servants, in case
tiif exempt parties owned stijck.

In tiie San Diego archives I find a decree of Feb-
ruary IS35, in which the assembly declares that 150
hi'.id (tf cattle are needed to entitle the owner to a
hraiid. The alcalde must determine who shall have
a hniiid and who a mark.

A person desiring to make use of a particular iron
to) marking cattle petitioned the juez de paz to that
ctK ct; fac-.similes of the fierro and venta acconipanied
the petition. Tiie juez decreed in accordance with tlie
petition, and registered the marks in the libro de regis-

■

344

PASTURf:S ANT) HELDS.

tros. The n)uni(i()al rot^ulations of San Jose, of Jan-
uary U'», 1835, say that none mij^ht mark, brand, or
kill stock except on days desij^nated by the ayuntanii-
ento, and never witliout perniit of the juez de canijH),
wJKj .s)i<»uld inform the alcalde of such. Penalty for first
oti'ence twenty reales; whoever lassoed or saddled a
beast not beloni;in<; to him should pay '^d, and as nuK h
more as the owner claimed in justice.

California was infested by Mexican convicts, wlio,
knowinjj; that they could make no use of stolen cattle it'
not bearing the mark of the seller, were accustonud to
forj^e the brands of well-known sellers, thus causiii!,'
j,'reat confusion. A few were arrested; but the IcK-al
auth(.rities did not understand the maj^nitude of the
crime, and simply exiled the prisoners to other pueblos,
where tiiey went on with the trattic.

" In I 843," savs Bias Pena, "I slauij^htered with m)v
men l,:i(>0 heads of cattle in Captain Fitch's rancho.
I*art of the meat 1 made into tasajo, that is to say, it
was jerkeil and dried; the rest was pickled. The tal-
low was sent to the IT nited States in j^uts, or l>laddrts.
or hides. The <jreen hides were stretched on tlic
j^rountl until thev became sufficiently aired, when tluv
were folded and sewed with an awl, an ojvnin*^ beiiiLf
left n«ar tlu; neck, throu<;h which the tallow was
poured. These hides filled witii fat were called Imtas,
and wlirn ship-masters siji^ned bills of lading; they ac-
knowledged havinj4 received so many botas of fat."

As far back as 1770, every owner of horses, cattle,
asses, mules, and sheep was by law compelled to brand
liis stock. Each ranchero had two private brands, one
called *el fierro para herrar los franados,' and the other
'fien'o jiara ventear.' No one could adopt or change
his brandiiiL'-irons without permission of the ^jfovenmr
of California. Hefore me is a decree of (Governor
Fiij;ueroa of May 17, 1834. grantin*]^ to ensi^ii M. (i.
Vallejo permission to use a new brand injjf- iron lor
the cattN' and other animals on his estate.

In onlor to mark cattle, sometiuies tiieir ears were

ORIGINAL STOCK.

345

lan-
l, or
ivini-

tit>t
ed a
nuch

ttlf if

c\'.t ill a certain way. A |x>tition to bo allowed to
us. such marks was made to the juez do paz, a fae-
si'uile of the mark accompany ini^ the same. The
jiiez (granted the permission, and registered the same
ill a book kept f<»r the purpose.

On the IHli (»t' April, 1844, at Los An«,nK's, Ban-
(iiiii made a lonjjf sj)eech betore the a^'uiitamiento,
ciiticisiiiji;; the Laws relatin*; to hides, and urt^ini^
JK-tter measures to protect stock-owners, H(! t'nded
l»y pi(»i>osini>; that no hides should be sold which had
not the owner's mark. Stock-raisers, who according
to tin' law of 1827 should have brands, should send in
tlic notice of the registro thereof, in one month; others
should register their brands. Marks were also to be
sent in.

The ayujitamicnto of Angeles, on the 1 4th of
August, 1847, declared that mestcno (wild) horses
might be chased on Lugo's rancho, after due notice, so
iis to allow the neighbors to attend. All branded ore-
jano beasts that were mestcnos, and fell, belongi-d to the
one who formed the corri(H. Fallen beasts belonging
t.» partit-ijtants in the corrida were giveii up to theui.
Tli(»si' I'alling wliich belonged to non-partici|)ants, for
tluni tlu' owners sluudd pay ^1 per head, 5i52 for
iiuilcs, four reales for wild nuires (bronca or potra),
wliich sums went to the former of tin; corrida,
lit asts with unknown brands wen; divided, one going
to the former of the cori'itla, ami tlu; other t«» the
miuiiripal fund. A juez <le campo should attend the
cnnida, and watch over these rules, and S(^e that
Ittasts were given to their rightful owners. A gratu-
ity was to bo given him from the part going to the
iiiuiiieipal fund.

The horses of California w*'re understood to be
generally of Andalusian stcx-k, introduced from
Nhxico, and originally from Sj)ain. Among the
animals broke for use were tine saddle-horses, n«;ver
Used for harness. Hors( - were <'XcelK'nt for their
^voI•k, and capable of great endurance, even on poor

346

PASTURES AND HELDS.

treatment. They were rarely stabled or groomed.
The rancheros generally had large numbers, out of
which they would choose two or three or more for
use, and keep them tied to posts about the house;
and when the horses began to. be a little thin from
hard riding and want of feed, they would turn them
loose in the pasture, and bring in others. NothiiiiL,^
was done toward improving Ir.he breed. When a very
fine colt was obtained, instead of keeping it for a stal-
lion, they would castrate it and use it as a saddle-horse.

By 1821-4 the wild horses became very numerous,
so that approaching the towns they would eat up the
grass and spoil the pasture for the tame horses, and
when they went away take the latter along witli
them. The government accordingly resolved to hold
a general slaughter. Corrals were formed near the
pueblos, and the horses, wild and tame, were driven
into them, and the entrance closed. Animals were
then taken out by their owners. A small gate wa.s
then opened to allow only one beast to pass out at a
time. Two or three lancers were then placed at the
gate, who stabbed the wild horses as they passed out,
and thousands were thus killed.

The Californian genius for lying is shown by the
statement of Pio Pico that when, on the arrival of
the Hijar colony, Figueroa convoked the diputaoioii,
he, Pico, rode from his rancho to Los Angeles, a dis-
tance, by his own account, of almost sixty leagues, in
one day. He also states that f()r the j)urposc of being
present at bull-baits he frequently rode in one day
from San Diego to Los Anueles.

The California cavalier held it a disgrace to ride a
horse with the hair clii>ped from the tail. On one
occasion a fandango was going on, and surroundiiiLf
the houst' were the horses of the })articipants, with
elaborately trinnned saddles, and the long hairof tluir
tails combed out so as to look their best. One of the
dancers, Jose Antonio Yorba, a famous jmictical joker,
slipped out of the house unobserved, and cut oil' the

HORSES FOR MEN AND WOMEN.

347

tails of all the horses, his own among the number,
that suspicion might be averted from himself, and
returned quietly to the dance. Great was the con-
sternation and chagrin of the dancers when, after the
revelry was over, they led out their fair partners to
place them on their saddles before mounting beliind
tliem, as was the custom. It was as if a great calam-
ity, attended with shame or disgrace, had come upon
them.

Horses de sobrepaso, or as they were called de
geiiero 6 generosos, were destined for women and
friars.

Some of the rancheros lived in feudal style, each
having his band of Indian retainers subject to his
autliority. Warner's mayordomo said he could raise
for liis master 300 fighting men in a few hours.

The rancheros had large bands of breeding mares.
"The jiorses multiplied to such an extent," says Belden,
"tl)at in seasons of drought they would destroy large
iiuinlicrs of mares, and perhaps some of the horses,
(hiving them over a precipice to get rid of them, and
tlius save feed for the cattle, which were more valuable
than horses, on account of the hides and tallow. The
rancheros hardly ever cut grass, had no barns, and
ill a dry time had nothing to rely upon. Occasionally
a fanner might have a little hay, but very rarely, and
.'^o far as they fed their horses about the house, they
used barley."

Few cows were kept near the house for milking ;
the milch cows generally were not gentle, and to milk
them their hind legs were tied together, and the head
tie<l to a post. Scarcely any cheese or butter was
made.

Mission San Gabriel was the mother of agriculture
ill California. She early raised wheat and soki it to
thi' Russians; she planted the vine, and l)y and by
the orange.

Companies were sometimes formed for agricultural

348

PASTURES AND FIELDS.

■; r

pursuits. Before me is a contract, although very
h)<)sely worded, and in every way crude, in which nine
individuals agree to cooperate, without dispute or dis-
tinction, in the work and labor of the Palo Colorado
rancho. They agree to their compact, and whenever
any one of the copartners shall withdraw, he loses all
rijjjht to participation in profits. Profits are to bt>
divided proportionately between the nine who sign,
and f(L)ur women who also take part in the labors.

Private estates, if devoted to stock, were calltd
ranclios; if chiefiy for plantation, haciendas. The
establishments of Buriburi, San Antonio, Pinole, Sau
Pablo, Na|)a, Santa Teresa, and Petaluma were not
ranchos, but haciendas. In these the buildings wore
large and sumptuous, had a house for servants, and a
room for implements, and another for milk and chocsi'.
another for tallow and lard put up for exportati(»n in
skins. Each establishment had thousands of cattle
and droves of mares. Some had over a hundred
Indian retainers under white mayordomos. Each
hacienda had rooms for guests, and travellers weii'
entertained without charge. A Californian never
used to speak of his farm by acres, but by leagues.
One of four or five leagues was considered quite s;nall.
A thrifty farmer should have 2,000 horses, lo.omj
head of cattle, and 20,000 sheep, as his productive
stock, on which he should not encroach, except in an
emere^encv."

Vallejo had really land without limit; nominally,
he held thirty-three leagues, equal to 140,000 acres.
with 400 or 500 acres under cultivation, the rest l>eiiiL,'
used for pasturage. Of stock he had from 12,000 to
15,000 head of neat cattle, 7,000 or 8,000 head ..f
horses, and 2,000 or 3,000 sheep. He had also ;5(iO
working men, with their usual [)roportion of fenialt s
and children, all kept in a nearly naked state, poorly
fed, and never paid. Where there was any fenei'. it
was made of small willows, placed in the ground and
woven into wicker-work, the fiimsy atiair requiring to
be renewed every season.

, i.

DWELLINGS AND PRODUCTS.

349

Tlio people devoted themselves to raise only the
(|uantity needed for their wants. They did not look
lo making a fortune for themselves or their posterity.
It' tlity had, and had raised 1,000 bushels of wheat
nr corn, where would they sell it?

A'ictoria declared to the mi ni.ster of relations on the
7th of June, 1831, that vhiieulture promised to de-
velop largely, and in time to become the most valuable
(if exports. The progress of agriculture was due to
till' friars and their Indians, who were the oidy in-
dustrious hands in the country.

Castaiiares says that the olive-oil (aceite do comer)
made at San Luis Obispo was as good as or better
than the Spanish, and the olives of San Diego were
as good as those of Seville.

i'revious to 1842, according to Vallejo, the Califor-
iiian rancheros were celebrated ft)r their hii^h souse of
lionor and good fiiith. They used to select as a site
for their houses and corrals hills of small elevation,
with springs near by. They generally avoidi'ii the
plains, fearing floods, although the rains were never
so litavy as they have on several occasions been since
the American occupation.

The colonists about San Jose first selected a raised
sjMit near running water, and placed four large logs in
till' ground ; on them other smaller ones were laitl, and
oil these a roof of tule-leaves tied together and made
water-proof. Then they placed a line of large stones
ell the ground from post to post, and with mortar and
smaller stones built the walls uj) to the roof Then
the house was divided into two or three rooms, and
tiiially the tapanco or attic was built. The furniture
ceiisisted of a cot covered with skins, a few connnon
hlanki'ts, half a dozen trays (troughs), a littlo com-
imtn crockery, three or four small chairs of wood
covered with skins, half a dozen stools, and a table.
Thiit't}' people put in painted wooden doors and white-
washed the walls outside and in; but the lazy poor
used hides for doors. Near the house tliey made a
corral on a level spot, and in front of it they put two

PASTURES AND nELDS. "

or three large posts, nailing a fresh hull's hide to carli,
and anointing the posts with hull's blood. The cattlt-
were at intervals of a few days forced into this corml
until they were used to it, and hundreds could easily
be driven in by two vaqueros. Each ranchero rais( tl
com and vegetables enough for his own family, be-
sides raisinjj cattle.

Taking the fanega at 2^ English bushels, the har-
vest in 18.31 would be as follows :

Quarters.

, Wheat 7,sr.7.|i

Maize 3,414J|

Frijoles 514

Barley 2,314

Beana, garvauzas, aud pease 338

Tofcil 14,438

Reckoning the average price of grain at the same
period to be, wheat and barley ^2 a fanega, and inaizo
$1.50, the following would be the value of the pn)duoc':

Wheat $49,114.25

Maize 2I,340.()0

Barley 11,570.(K)

Pease and lioans (reckoned as barley) 4,2(!().0U

Totol j««,284.25

In 1834 the several missions harvested in wheat,
maize, beans, e. c. :

FanoKftf.

San Diego 13,«M)t)

San Luis Rey 14,(K)0

San Juan Capiatrano lO.CKX)

San Oahriel 2().(KX)

San Fernando 8,000

San Buenaventura 25, (MK)

Santa Mrbara 3,000

Santa luea 3, 500

Purlaima 0.000

San Luis Obispo 4.000

San Miguel 2,500

San Antonio 3,000

S..ledad 2,500

Carniclo 1 ,500

San Juan liautista 8,.')00

Santa Cruz 2,500

Santa Clara 0,000

San Jose 10.000

San Francisco 2,500

San Rafael. 1.500

Solano 3,000

Total 145,000

AORICULTURAL PRODUCTS.

351

In 1841 so little wheat had been sown in Upper
California, and the harvest was so bad on account of
drought, that two schooners were sent to San Bias
and Guaymas for flour.

The various inventories of missions from 1834 to
1846 show a I'radual abandonment of field-work —
broken down fences, useless ploughs, etc., fill the
iccord — here and there is an announcement of a small
]tatch of grain. Orchards and vineyards are also half
if not wholly ruined.

Some of the Californians have tried to raise tobacco
on tlieir farms. It grew luxuriantly, but in quality
would not compare with tliat of the eastern coast of
tlie continent. Cotton was planted in 1846, and
grow well. The cotton of California was pronounced
suj^urior to that of Acapulco, and received the atten-
tion of the Tepic manufacturers. Flax and hemp
AViTo produced to meet all necessities for textures and
ropes.

Wheat was sometimes separated by the Indians
rubbing the heads of the graui in their hands, and
Itlowing the chaff" away, and was ground between two
stones by hand.

On being harvested the grain was put into a stack,
and a corral was made, like the thrashing floor of an-
cient times, an enclosure, generally of a circular form.
The grain was then spread over the ground and a band
of liorses was turned in, and driven round over it to
tran»[) it out. The grain, after being thrashed out was
winnowed from the straw, which was done, throwing
it up in the air when there was a wind, to have the
cliaH' i)lown away. They generally washed it before
the grinding, and made their flour m a mule mill with
two stones, one upon another, a bolt being attached
to the upper stone, which made one revolution only
as often as the mule went round. The operation was
ni'ci r«arily a slow and tedious one.

On the 6th of September, 1845, Pio Pico, senior
nicuibor of the most excellent junta departamental

352

PASTURES Am) FIELDS.

and actinjjf cfovornorof tlio ('lopartincnt, isRUo«l the fol-
lowiii}^ (Ictrco intended to protect vhu^yards and tlicii-
owners fioni depredators : I st. Every owner of a vine-
yard who sells j^rapes in any quantity exreedinj^ 1.)
pounds must furnish a voucher to the purchaser, wlio
will keep it for his protection. If such owner «4ive.s
to his servants over two pounds, he must als< ^^ivc
them a paper statin^f the fact. 2d. It is forbidden to
purchase jj;rapes from Indians and servants of the oi--
chards, without they produce the voucher spoken <•['
in the preceding article. 3d. Any jierson. not tlie
owner of a vineyard, desiring to estahlish a place for
fermenting grape juice, nmst obtain a permit from the
first alcalde, and submit himself to the police visits
that nmst be made to examine his })remises, tubs, etc.,
and produce, whenever it is demanded, tlio vouchers
mentioned in article first. 4th. The alcaldes will visit
all premises rei)orted to them where fermentation is
carried on, and everv citii:en is bound to renik-r everv
possible assistance, for the fulfilment of each one of
the articles of this decree. 5th. The alcaldes per-
8(mally, or through trusty |iersons, but still uiuUt tlieir
own responsibility, will make a daily examination in
the huts of the Indian ranchen'as that may be in the
environs of this city, to ascertain if there are in thnn
any grapes, or fermentation thereof, which have not
been lawfully acquired. 6th. Those officials in the
same maimer will visit and examine all taverns, at Ica^t
twice every week; also the houses of persons havinii;
the license mentioned in article third.

Any owner of a vineyard infringing the proviso of
article first, incurred the fine of $50, or had to un-
dergo the penalty of forty days in the public works.
In a tavern or house having permission to ferment
grape- juice, if any of this fruit was found without the
proper voucher, as per article first, the grape and juice
were confiscated, and the tavern-keeper or owner \vas
subjected to a fine of $50, or two months in th»^ public
works. Any person caught stealing hi a vineyard,

FREE TO\VNS.

fol-
lu-iv
u\t -

r i:,

who

ell to
le ov-
en of
>t tlu'
CO i'ov

visitH

luohci!^
iU visit
Ltion in
r every

one of
les per-
lor tlu'ir
[itiou in
|e in tlic

in thnii

^avc not
in tho

I, atlt-a-^t
liavin;^

mviso of
t\ to un-
\c worUs.

fi'nn«'»it
Ihout the
\iw\ juico

/nor ^v!^'^
|]^,. yniitlic

iue} aid,

upon being convicted, was to suffer the punishment of
four months at puhhc work, with sliackh-.s to his legs
it' a eiviliaii; if of the mihtary, he wouhl, within the
time prescribed by law, be turned over to mihtary au-
tlutrity, with the proofs of guilt, to be punished aceord-
iii •■ to the mai^nitude of the oft'ence.

Among my original documents is one without date
or signature, but which may be placed in the year
181.J. It is a calculation of what a plantation in
IVtuluma could yield in one year. It states that 15
yokes of oxen are needed. Price of their transporta-
tion tliere unknown. Xo price given for the land to
Ix' iist'd, sucli a thing being unknown in !ie country.

KxiH'nse:

2IN» (|iimt(ils Itarlcy, for sowing, nt Sfi 81,2()0

4(1 iniiiit:ils potutocs, for sowing, at .?4 100

]') Mitii lu'i'ileil say 100 days for sowing, etc., cost of supporting them

at S4 pir (lay 400

1') nii'M iifcclcil same time for gathering crops, etc 400

Iiitei'ust on money at ti i>er cent per month, H months, from Dec. to

July 844

Kxiuitoil to yield:
Rifli\. ;{.'( (niintals fur each one sown — 7,0<1() i)uintals, sold at S.'^.
I'ot.itiKis, 'J.'xpiiiitaU for each one sown— 1,000 ()uiutul.s, sold at ^'J.

lii;{,004
,..*•_'!. 0(M»

Alliiw iiiii to the laborers one third for their work 7,0()0

For the hacienda S!l").:*:H

I'lihii't the expenses above H,(X)t

Net proceeds S'l-.*i!<0

111 1835 tliere were only three free towns, with
clijiittis, independent of the missions and presidios, in
all L'[)per California. These towns were to a gieat
txtciit peopled by the old Spanisli or croole soldiers,
who aftiT a certain term of service at the missions
liiul )>i rinission to return to their native land or settle
ill tilt' country. Alosc of them were married and had
families; and when the retirement to the puebhts was
preferred, grants of land with some necessary articles
wtic i;iven them to commence their now occupation of
liusibaiidry, which, with the aid of the natives, they

Cal. Past. 2S

Mi Ta.'.TUUE:; axd fiklds.

generally prosecuted suc'ce>>8fully. The most fntll'
spots were generally clH»seii for the pueblos, and tlu-
produce of these not only supported the inhahitniits
of the plac(% but supplied the neighboring inissic.ii
and piesidio. The principal pueblo at this time was
Los Angeles, whose population was about 1,500. It
had an alcalde, three regidores, and a sfndico, com-
posing the ayuntamicnto, or town council, lictoiv
this, Los Angeles had been proposed fo** tiie ca[iit;.l
of tiie country; and as the Spaniards in their colollit^s
always used to have an inland site for the capita],
this scheme might have been adopted if the couiiti v
had remained in their hands; but at this time it was
thought that Monterey would be the capital until a
population should arise on the bay of San Francisco,
when it would no doubt be fixed there. The scccmd
free town was San Jose, whose population in I S;;.^
was GOO. It was governed in the same way as Los
Angeles. The inhabitants raised wheat and cattle,
and traded in the skins and tallow of deer, which wnv
abundant in this district. The third free town was
Brancifortc, whose population was not more than IJU.
This place hod also its alcalde, but was dependent (Hi
the military conimandant of Monterey.

The little progress made by free settlers in populat-
ing California arose not only from the inaptitiitlc of
the Spaniards for colonizing such a country, but rnmi
the jealousy of the missionaries who clainied aliiit
all the land. By this means only a few settlers were
admitted, and those had to be firm adherents of llio
missionaries, and blindly obey their mandati's. The
total of the free settlers at this time did not < x-
ceed 5,000. In this nup.ber were included all w liite
and mixed castes who lived in the country, in the five
pueblos, and at the missions and presidios. Of such,
many lived at the missions and on their lands, ami
could scarcely be said to bo independent of tluin.

The constant revolutions in the south causetl j^rcat
discontent among the working classes, and luaiiy

IRRIOATION.

faiii'ilit's who ]\m\ n)iiu> fnmi Sonorn niul San Blur to
stttli' ulmut Lo8 Aiiij;t'l«'S chaiiLjcd tlu'ir iniiuls and
wt lit nortli to tliu it'gion of San Jose and Santa
( lara.

A jirowl was srnt tlown from Sonoma to the <:t»v-
trw>r ill IH44, m'ttiii<jf fortli tlie oj>|>ri'HHion frit \>\ t\,r
Ial»i»riii«: class lu'causn of tlie titlit'S and tlif tarilK
and wliert'liy the rancluTo was^ made; a vassal of
tlif trader. F<»rt'i«j;n hunters luul destroyed otttr
liiiiitinjjj, and were (U*stroyin«5 heaver tra|))»iii«4, and
the su|»erear<jjoes were destroyini( cattUvraisiiiii" — the
(iiilv three hranelies of industrv in C^difornla. Asjrri-
culture did not flourish, for traders would reeei\e only
1 itjes an«l tal!.»w — and the hid(!s ami tallow »>f all the
stock in California would not sutHee to pay what was
owinir to tratliui^ vessels. The remedy suuiiested
was to <(rant U> whallni^ vessels full permission to
come into California ports for repairs and suj)iilies.
Tills Would foment ai^rieulture, and take awav from
the tra«lin;^ vessels their ruinous monoi>oly.

It is interesting; to see how irri'»;atin<j; ditelu^s wwv

~ or?

niaiiaj;;ed in the olden time. Here is a [)ro('lama-
ti«>ii made hy the alcaldes of Los Anjjieles on the 7th
of March, 1S41. The time is at hand when the irri-
j^atiii;; ditch should he repaired, and due order should
lie ol)ser»ed in the necessary W(>rk : Ist. The tlitch
will still be under tlie oharuje of a man of prohity who
shall oversee the repairs, keep a list of i)roprietors of
VMi< yards and cultivated lands which are in the city,
and employ the reijuisitc numluT of laborers. 2d. As
sonji us notice is uiveii hv the ditch conunissioner, each
ruhivator shall si-nd an Indian with the necess4irv
ini|ihinents, and whoever has three riegos must semi
two Indians — who must not he missin*' when the dav's
Wdik is needed. 3d. From amoiiijj the cultivators two
.shall he ap|Mmitcd tt) assist the conunissioner in man-
a.rinu;the Indians ; they must he mounted, and shall be
ex. ni[)t from furni-shin*; Indians. 4t]i. The commis-
si'iii' r is to see that the ditch is kept clean and the

350

PASTURES AND FIELDS.

minor ditches in j^-ood t)rd('r; also that fairness ]>() oh-
sorved la the use of thi* wattT, wliieh sliall not \>i>
wasted. 5tli. The o<»innnsHioner must see that each
eitiztn making use of the water sliall have a <jjo<td st(i|i-
oate-which does not leak — at the point wlu;re Im'
taps the main ditch, fith. Each master, on sendini,^
his pion to labor, is to furnish him with the da\ s
ration, in order that ho may have no pretext for leavin •

••^y

I'S.

the work, of which the commissioner shall fix the hou
7th. Should the main dit<'h give way at any j»oint, tlie
nearest «»wner of a vineyard or tilled land shall \vit!i
his servants hasten thither in orde'r to jneveiit wa>t('
of water. 8th. As it has hecn noticed that majiy wait
till the Work in the diteh is done l)eforc sowing, tli<y

a I

V, fon'warned that tluv al>o must aid in the n

{'<■{■>>-

sary labors. l>th. The eolKctor will

sec

Who vvasli f

■lotl

les m

le main <

litcl

1, or wiio

that ti
tl

II !>(•

ll'iiW

tilth into the same, or who all<»w swamp-land to he
formed, are amenahle to con«lign punishuK nt.

.Vs these measures are intended for* the general g-idd,
any infraction of the first ei^ht articles will l»e |iu!i-
isiied as follows: a fine of ."? I for the first oIl'eiK . , uii I
!^S for the second, wiiile a third infiaeti«)n will Hul>je( t
the culprit to he punished as disohidient. Each infiac-
tion of article ninth will be jiunished with a fine of ^'1.
Tiiat I'VeiT one be jnt'oriued of the above, and that Iim
one may allege i<^nor;inee. let tlii> deeree In- puMisli' 'I
by bando, and posted in the public phucs.

The ground was ploughed onee or twice. A yoL "f
oxen guided by an Indian draggtd a j»lougli with an ii'

ill

point ntade ly an J iidian

^niitl

\VI

len ll'iii u.iH

wanting. pltMighs of oak without the iion point \\. re
Used at the missionsiis well a> ly indl\ iduaU. I^'uitowh
Were made with the same ploiji^ii, with a wooden >haiv
fastened thereto tor ijic pnipose of making the \'\\vv

wider

eed wa> .sown i»v

hand

thn

loiir, "1'

fi\e grains of >iiai/e oi- beaii> were planti'd. Hail' v
anil wheat were sown broadcast, anil the ground wan

A CAUFOUXIA UAXCHO.

887

afterward liarrowetl, for wLicli puri)()KC brandies of
trots were used.

The harvest was uf.athered from Jaly to September,
sometimes liowever beijf'muiii},^ in Mji.y, in wliieh ease
all the «^rain was liarveste«l !)}■ August. Men, women,
jiiid ehihhen eael) carried on their back a eora, int-.
uliicli the Ljrain was tlirown, an<l which whi-n full wa;-
emptied intt> a cart. The j;jain was thrashed by men
with btielvs (j^arrotes^, and winnowed by women wIkj
tnssetl it in wotxjen l)owls called battas. The jjrrain
\\;is stoicd in bulk, in innnense jj^ranaries called trojes.
This is JMo l*ico's description.

.\lmost e\ery tuttive C'alif'rnian had his ranclio
iiiid herds of ('attle and hoi-S's. Some had several
lanche's in d'Herent parts of the <*ountrv. They \in\v
a few vci^t tables and fruit, maize and wheat. 'I'lie
women Ljiound the coin and made tortillas. From
lime ti» time the man killed a number of cattle I'm'
tlicir liides ami tallow; tliesi,*, and some f)f the bet t'
saved, w<'re sold to vessels, and in this manner the
jiiople obtaimd their wearin;^ apparel and other cum-
iiiiMlitie.s. About \Xl(] a chani;f of view, as re'4ar(le<l
tlie soil. <*am«' on ;j;radually. when .\meiieaiis u;i>t huM
el' land and bi't,nM( to ciiltivati! it. 1'liere were ii"t.
many extensive attemp s at aj^riculture till after I ^ |C>,
when the new-comers licean to scattei' around tip'
Santa Clara valley .iml cultivate there and on the
ethij" siile of the bav.

hi early tiini's, after obtaiiiin;jf an allotment of laixl
from the j^o\i.': 'lor, s«'ttlers would yo to the mission-
aries, and ol»tam th*.; loan <tf a few liuiidr«'d head <>\'
stock, whicii tlM'y w<»uld return at the expiration of a

crrtain time sav fi\e Nears. 'i'he <-ost of ohlidliili''
possession of the land was al>out SI il ; so that in tho^e
• lavs it re<|uire I no o-n-at amount of capital or ability
to lav the I'oundation of a lai'-eand lucrative business.
III order to obtain judicial jiossession of a tract of land.
apprKation was made to the alcalde of tlu' tlistrict.
who, with two wituu«fc>e« and a riata tifty feet iu

I - k

:i'8

PASTURES AXD FTSLDS.

■'

L'l S

liijxth, would |nro out Oil horsc'hack, and measure otf
tlir tract. The ceiiniuiiy was ('ominciK'etl l)y tlirow-
iii«4 up a pile of stones or earth as an initial point, aii-l
jtiantinj^ a cross thereon. This initial pointwascall* d
a niojonira. Thev cultivated only little jijrain, Imi

if t' • ~ '

had small milpitas where they raised ve<j;etal)ks in
the summer. At tiiat season families would *;(» to
tiu' milpitas, put up a hrush house, and |)lant a ft w
things — corn, heans, melons, and peppers; and tin i>'
wtic some small fields of corn, wheat and havley.
where thev raised in favt>ralile seasons enoui^h t'nr
tlieir use — corn and wluat for hreadstutf, and the
harlev for feedint; their horses.

Vehicles consi.sted of carts with a hide on th«; Imt-
tom, one on top, and hides on tiie si«|es. The wherU
wese made of one piece of wood, not vt^ry round, am!
some with iron tires. They were drawn hy <'Me "i
more y<ikes of oxen, A cushion was at times jtlari d
on the hide in t\w cart for the accommodation ot' tl >
family. The mission of San Luis Ohispo had ju
waijons of two wheels, which weii;, together with
the harness, an<l other ai>puit»Mian<'es, including flu
iioii w«»rk, madi' in it. The wagons wer<^ tirawii
l»v fttur nmleseacii, and were used for carrying tall'W.
et«-. Fraiicis<'o Hicoin lH4t stalled from the pi<si(liu
of San KraiH-isco with thiee loadtd carts diawn l'\
lean o\en, l»ountl on a revolutiouary expedition, tin
cr<aking <»f the wheels was .^ch tiiat it c<«uld I"
heard for nearly a mile away. It took them tin
wholr day to rea<h Yerha liuena- the distance is
now <4on< over hy cal»le and st.e.im caisinaltout tlii'r
(jwarters of an hour. " I know <tf only two carriagts. '
sa\s Arnaz, "an ohl cale.sa owned hy the padres ut
Santa Harhara, and another hy Jtiso di* la (Jm na
They were (dd-fashioned, very like hand chairs with
low wheels, known as literas. Martinez, the mission
ary of San Luis ( )liis|H» had a fine coach of Ifatii-r.
\arnished hhuk. Mr used harness with hells. In
lh4--.'{, they began to introduce culesas and carl>,

AORICUl.TURAT. IMPLEMENTS.

359

> ]»nt-

il, aii<l
>n(' "1-

with

.■ tlir
I'll W II
llloW.

■sidio

n I'V

, thV

1.1 1.*

n til*'

tiff is

tlirtv

la'j,'^.

ITS ut

lu. ir;i
•s will'
lissi'iii-
latli- I-.
Is. Ill
cult')

w itli spoked wlicols from the United States. On the
i>tlinius of Nicaragua a s|>ecies of conveyance ob-
tained wliich was not found on tlie rugged mule trails
<t" the isthmus of Pauaniil. This was a cart, the
wlicels of which were two cross-cuts from a h>g with
li.ilts iiored through theheait, and a |)<)U^ run through,
idiil riiich-i»imied at either end, on whicli rests a cane
tiv reed frame covered witli rawhides. Tlie veliicle
was drawn hy one or two yoke of oxen, yoked by
l.isliing tht> forelieads of two abreast to strong sti«'ks
al>-nit four feet in length. This was tlie ortliodox
V. hicle throughout all Central, and iiuleed all Span-
iel i Anniica, inclu«nng the Californias.

The California plough was a crooked limb of a tree,
witli a piece of flat iron for a point, and a sniall tree
tor tlu! pole. Ea<h plough was drawn by a yoke of
nxrii and tended by a nniiiDt. The field once broken
ami corn ploughed, was well moistened and harrowed.
I'lnrows w«re made wherein maize and lujins were
thrown. The llussian iilnugh, though ditlicult to
manage, and complicat»'<l, was not mu<ii betttr. Sut-
t» r's blacksmith improvi.sed a f»'W betti-r i)loughs. At
iieaily every mission tw(> or three <late palms were
•^Ktwn. They were planted in most of the southern
iiil.ssiuns ni liunor of St Francis, and a»s symbols of
the li(»ly land. Tliey had some cunmction in the
j»ii(-<ts' mind with Cliiist ami the trinity, and wi're
I'lanted by the padres, among other j)ur[>oses, t:)
>u|'|»ly leaves and branches for I'alm Sunday.

lit/ 1/

^-^

CHAPTER XII.

F(H)I>, KUKSS, DWELLINGS, ANI> DOMESTIC UOUTINK.
Kttii Iwiie olut, ((ui bono BOinper nlot. — Martutl.

Fkw |)ooplo of any a»i^e or cliino did more liviuLf jur
du'iii than tlic imstonil (,'alif'oniians. N(»t tluit tiny
ate and drank exct^ssivrly, or sju'nt large sums in I'cs-
tivitit's, or on tho wliolc were extravagant in tluir
dress, or l)U''t for theniseJveK palatial n^sidences; iu
all tiiese things tliey wer. «|iiite tenl|^erat(^ for one
very good reason, if no other — lack of o[H)ortuiiitv.
As lor eating, their apjietite was healthy, hut tlu n;
were tew Trench cooks in tin; country, and condiuiciit.s
and groj-ei'ies were not present in gnat vaii.ty nr
refined (piality. They could make strong drink in
unlimited quantity, and they (umid got drunk iipnn
occasion. Dress tln'y certaiidy would Ji.ivc gone iniirh
f\n-th<.r in, if they luul hiid the money, and it* tli. ic
had iieen auvthiui; at hand to huv. .\s tor hous( s.
the climate was kind and umu wer.' la/y.

And so they lived. (Opening their eyes in tlic
morning tlu^y sjiw the sun; they hreathed the tit>li
air. and listened to tlte song of hij'ds; mounting tl.< ir
stei'ds they rod'' I'orth in the i ni<'vnient of henitlit.tf
exercise; thev tended their tlocks, held int<i'c«»ui>i'
with each other, and ran up a faircnidit with htii\>ii.
How many among the statesmcMi, among the proti —
sioiial and Ims-iiness men an«l artisans v\' our prt st iit
high «'iviri/{itioas, can say as mu<'h ' It was tin ir
husiness to Ww., to do nothing hut exist,; and tii«y
did it well.

FOOD, SUPPLIES AND HAHITA'llONS.

861

Tt was with difficultv, (lurinij tlicir first years in
r.ili for Ilia, that tlic uroocl padros — tortlio early jii'usts
Avdt' really j^ood iiu'ij — wisre ahlo to secure foiul for
tliemselves and their dusky IaMd)s. Tliey hieked the
|»i)/,ol<> and atole which had proved so etticaeious in
(hawiii'j; tlu; natives of Lower California into the
Cliristian fold. Indeed, down to tlu; middle of March
177.^ Father Juni|H'ro and his associates could oiler
lli(ir converts nothin*^ hut a little milk. On the
otjuir hand, the natives had furnished nuich in the
form of seed and fish. Missionaries and soldiers had
to (lepend »)n the chase for meat. This was owinyj in
a ui'iat measure to the had <|uality and careless |)ackin;^
of provisions sent from San ]^las.

in tlu^ hei^innin^LC all were poor; the rich as a rule
(I'kI not ptMietrate tlic wilds of America; so that in
mattei's of dress, food, an<l hahitation there was little
(liil'erence. When settlement l»e*^an, the head of a
family was his own architect and huilder. (^»untry
liouses were mostly of one style, in tlu' form of a
|iaialleloo'ran>; four adohe walls were j»ut up, though
Sometimes a frame-work of timhers was erected, the
spaces and interstices Iteino; filled with ad(»l>es. Some
clitircli walls wei'e made in this wav. But o<nerallv
tl.eiv was no wood aoout tlu; structure. e\c»>pt the
(I'MW. widow -franies, and roof-ttmhers. The simplest
sty'i' of ail adohe house is a, tenement of on«' room.
The next more pretentious had a cross ]>artitioM sepa-
I'.itiii'j; the one room into two. Then a still laroer
liniise would contain several rooms, or additional
rooms Wove added to the oriijfinal struetiiiv, or out-
liiiu,es Were huilt, ]^etter cliiss houses had a portico
<i:i I'lie or Uotll sldi'S. Tiles Were the orthodox I'oof
cuMriiv^', hut freipiently tules or ro(Js were placed on
t'le rafters, over them a coatino- of mud, and then
sir.iw ftrasphaltum. lioofs of thatch were sometimes
u^i (I. Tlie old manners and usaLCes (»f tlio ('alifor-
Miaiis l»e;.^an to un<ieru;o material chaiiu'es Mitii the
<'"iiiiii.f, in IB.'l-t, of <iuite a numerous colony, most of

S62

POOD, DRESS, A^^) DWET.LIXns,

h -'

B * f

'1|

\vliosc iiicinlKrs Were fVoni the city of Mi'xieo. ^Fam-
bulics at oiu'i? juloptcd wide dresses, ('(Hiihs, dressing
tlieir linir lii<jrli, silk shawls, slioes of silk or other tiiH-
niateri.-d. Soiiu^jf tlu- luostproiniiieiit aiiu)nij; tlie jii. u
a(h>pted the |)aiitalooiis and other garments. A iiui-
joritv of th«' raueheros left oft' the slu>rt hret'ches f .r
tiie calzonera and the heeled hoot for the hota de ala.
After till' Americans became |»(»ssesse<l of tlie e<>u!i-
trv another chanuje wjis experienced, which still .-nl>-
sists. J^ut more of this hereafter. Domestic routine
from tile first was hascd on that of Spain with some
nKKJilieations. The kitchens in some liouses had
h<>r>nll(is made of atlohes, on which the ]»ans or p^ts
were placed to stew or boih In other i)arts they hail

Iv st

ones

f.)r

ovens.

The Spiuiish missionaries, as a rule, after the mass
l>i'<»ke their fa.st with chocojat*' and toast or some snit
of hiseuit. At ahout I I A.M. they would take a iilass
of hr.indy. with a piece of cake and clu'cse, "paia
]iae«r hoca." J)inner at noon consisted of vermin Hi.
rice, n)' hread souj); next i\iv olla, made with litef m-
mutton and !iam. toj^ether with lejjjumes, as heans. li n-
tils, Spa,nish peas, an<l Ljreens. The dinner einlnl
with tVesJi or dried fruit, swi-etnieats, and clieisr.
Wine was takiMi ad lihitum. Supper was ser\<(l In -
tween 7 and S, and consisted «)f a roast piiiton «>r
othei' li;4ht meat ami chtM-olate. This was ahout flif
daily fare. WIk ii the fathers had i^uests at tahjr. as
c<»mmission«"d officers, eccasionally si-ri^rants. iin i-
cliants, or other res|tretahlt> persons, extra dishes w> n
]>?'i>\ id<d. No charge was made for lodjjiiijj; or i.-
fri'shments, and the i^uests were, moreover, fuinish.d
with jtrovisions and fresh horses to contimie tluir
joui'ney, 'I'lTiH |)ractice afti'rward hecame *j;enei'at at
private ranehos, hospitality being only limited hy tin
means <if t!ie host.

The usual fare in well-to-do families was as follows:

first, the ihsil)/

HIH>

at davhreal

mixe<l w

!i a

little pinole of maizi", fin»^l\' sifted, and a small tpjaiitit}

CAIJFORNIA TABLE FARE.

363

(if su;j^ar; aoino liad, iiistoad of milk, rhomlati', or
ii<\\\'v with or without milk, ami Invad or bistuit with
liitttr: lu'xt, iK'twoeii 8 and *J a. m., was servoil the
<i,',iiiirrzo, or roiiular hreaktast, ooiisistlui' of trood fresh
In . t'nr vtal, roasti^d, (►r otherwise |)re|)are<l, well fried
Im iiiis. and a eu|) of tea or coH'ee, with milk. Some
11-. an,
an<l which was known as tortilla de maiz, todlstinii;uish
it tVoin the on*' made of wheaten flour with a little fat,
wliiiii was called tortilla (K; harina. ])iimer took
|'!;i< I' at nnon, and consistetl of i>'ood hroth, a la espa-
111 la. made usually of heef or mutton, and to thicken
till Kritth rice, jj;ail»anzos, ijood cahhajjje, etc., were
iM.iJ.d with it. After the hroth came soups a la I's-
]>aiiula, made with rice, vermicelli, tallarlnes, macca-
niii. jnmteta, or small dumplinj^s of wheaten flour,
111' ail. oi" tortilla dt^ mai'z, 'i'he next course was the
]'U. hno, which usually was the meat and vci^i-tahles
iVoiii which the hroth had hern made, with sau<'i! to
stimulate the appetite. 'I "lis sau<'e was utiiei-ally
(Miittctioued in summer with 5.jrern jieppns and ri'd

tdiiatiMS. nunced onions, ])arsley, or jjjailic In wm-
tri tlif sauce was made with «hied pcjipers. Lastiv,
til n w<re fried In'ans. With this meal the t<trtilla
«lr iiiaiz was <4ciierally eaten, and soiiietines some
(hilf-c or sweetmeat, which madti a <lriidv »»f water
aj'ii (• it (juite palatable. In the afternoon, chiefly in
-.iiiiinifr, a cup of chd, as tea was calh'd in ('alifi»rnia,
■ '1 ("tree, was taken, by the womm w itji milk, and by
ilii iiit'ii with a small i^lass of li(|Uor. At n*iL;ht then'
wa> a li;j;ht supper of meat layout, ni* roast, linishiniL,^
witli beans, These were the usual meals anionnj; tlu'
iniiiiipal classes. It is har<Ilv necessarv to sav that
ti>li ot every kind, when- it could be luui, was fr«--
'lUi iitlv used, esiieciallv on i''ri(la\s, and other davs
wli'ii tlie church inhibited the us«> of llesh.
'•u this fan- the iidiabitant.s, for the mo.st part, suf-

^i!+l

3&1

FOOD, DRRSS, AND DWELLINfiS.

furod from few diseases, kei)t robust, stron<^, ajjjilc, and
of <^ood color, liad a numerous proji^cny, and lived to
a trood old age. For the food was simple and wliolr.
somo. Then, too, the Californlans were no gourmands;
a sensitive palate was too trouMesomc. The Mexic.iii
tortilla remained tlie substitute for bread. Stuid
beans were a favorite dish »)f ricli and pt)or. Mi at,
particularly beef, was largely consumed, frtsh, jerked.
and in soups. Nearly all dishes were highly scasc turd
with peppers and garlic. Chicken and hard givm
cheese were connnon enough, but milk, thougli in a
country occupied by hundre<ls of thousiinds of cuttl. .
was not plentiful. Chocolate, i»eing high-priced, was
reserved for the few. Drunkenness, in the early tiiin s,
had little o])[)ortunity for indulgi'uce, o"(ring to salu-
tary regulations, which limited the sale of liquors and
ri'udered tliem costly. Latrr, thcTe was more of it.
At'<'ording to Pio Pico, brandy was not abundant at
th(^ northern missions in IH-Jl, and when anv wassint
thither from tlie south, it was as the smile of |ini\i-
dence. particuhirlv tlie bnmdv of San Fernando, tlitn
preferred to any native article. In 1841, there wa-;
quite a stir against the sale of spirituous li(ju(>rs. par
ticularly «Mi liolidavs and Sundavs.

Th(! [)eople at large livetl almost entirely o.i Im i f,
reddish beans, and tortillas. They used but liiil'
Houi'. Corn tl ley ate in the form of tortillas, llttf
was fre(|uently <'ut in slices or strips, and roasted he-
fore an open fii'e on an iron sjtit. Peppi'rs and lie.nis,
as W(dl as th(! corn, were raise<l, and tin; pe[i[)ers uriv
used to season ahnost evervthiny;.

l*ozol(! was a stew composed of maize, pigs' lit,
pumpkin, and peppt^rs. Pinole was Hour of masttd
maize. It was generally taken in water, witli siiuar
()!• panocha added. Atole was a thick gruel of inai/.o
Hour; an atole <le pinole, a gruel of pinole. PainMlia,
so ealle«l in flitt'erent parts of S|)anish America, i liin-
cate in Mexico, j-hancaca in Peru, panela in Cojonii'a.
was the coarsest of brown sugar in small cakes, mou!.!' <.l

MORE ON TABLE DEUCACIES.

307

ri>fita ronfiniii*]f hor hind loj^s, and battled with the
liuii.;ry calf, while tlu' third milked with our lunul,
li(tl(lint( tlu" ror(|»taok' for it in the otlur. Milk [nuU
Will' unknown, and tho ranclu/s assortnuMit of cnM k-
(fv was small, ho that, if scvoral cowh wvw nrilUcd,
all the tuniblc's, tea-cupH, and h<»wls wvw l)nm<^ht
into iiMjuisition, Ateanwliilo tho ranchero, his wife
fuul childri'ii, the unoerujued servants, and the stranger
within tho jjjates, assisted as speetators. IMilk was
sold hy the hottle. One of the missionaries of San
Kianeiseo ottered, in 1815, to supply Kotzi-hue's sliip
with fresh stores daily, including two hotth'S of milk,
iHiastiiii; that he was the oidv man ahout all San
Fiaiieisc(» hay who, after many <lifticulties, had suc-
ceeded in ohtainini; milk from cows.

Markott' speaks of a supper he partook of at Santa
Clara in 1835. "The ti'a-kettle was hrou'^Mit in, and
v.ith it the 8Ui)per. The S|)aniards had heeii sittin*^
with their hats (»n durinj.j the conversation, and when
tliey seated themselves at tlu; table they did not <lotf
tliein. Don Jose's family sat at <)ne table, wliieli was
set with various dishes. The first tourse consisted of
liaslied meat; ami followiniT his oxannile, wi' also fell
in with (»ur spoons over the dish in the centre of the
t.iltli". In this mess there was so nmch pepptr that
my mouth was burninij; aftiT eatinj^ two small pieces,
wliile tlie Spaniards were attackint>f it with the u;reat-
ist <jfusto. . .The ban<jui't was concluded with baked
;i|i|iles and |)lenty of ti-a. After supper all hands
suK.ked." ])uhaut-Cillv, hi IS.V, said that Califor-
iiiaiis dl«l not consider vi'iiisoii fit to eat. lli'jar as-
sures us that the cow was killed to obtain tlie calf,
which was held to he a succulent morsel, and that
only a small portion of the C()W was eaten, the rest
luiiiir l(>ft to Indians or beasts. I jiave it on good
iiii'lioiitv that amon<' the Ilisitano-Callfoi-riiaMS wen;
hi iii.;s in the form of men who did not scruple, M'hen
"II a journey, to lasso a vaquilla, cut out the frazada,
and let her loose again. This frazada, or fiesada as

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33 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBtTER.N.Y. M580

(716) 872-4503

368

POOD, DRESS, AND DWELLINGS.

the illiterate called it, was the meat covering the ribs.
Hispaiio-Califijrnians never took kindly to bear's meat,
pork, or even mutton. They liked beef, and woro
particutarly found of veal, to obtain which tlicy
killed tlie female calf of six months to a year. But
their favorite morsel was the frazada, which tluy
would, when in the field, throw upon the hot coals,
and turning it once or twice, would eat it half raw
with a little salt, of which article they always liad
S(Hne with them. Arnaz says that he tasted the
frazadas several times, and his palate never appre-
ciated tlieir vaunted merits, as it always found them
tasteless, and tough as sole leather.

Some of them were good cooks. Arnaz even
assured us that they could have compared with tliose
served at the celebrated bodas de Camacho so elo-
quently described by Cervantes in his Don Quixote.

But the aboriginal Californian always liked beef,
horse-flesh better, and donkey's meat still more.
Poor jack, so despised elsewhere, except when needed
for hard, unrequited work, or to breed a hybrid, was
here higlily appreciated by tlie native American for
his meat. Inocente Garcia relates the following in-
cident. About 1836 he was appointed by Governor
Alvarado administrator of San Miguel mission. Be-
fore taking possession of his trust he ascertained that
the neophytes were in the habit of going out, way-
lavinijc travellers to rob them, and stealinij horses to
eat them, not even those of the mission escaping tliiir
depredations. He saw the necessity of checking,'
these abuses, and afterward corrected them. One
day, sitting on a bench in the portico of the minister's
house, two gentiles from the Tulare region came to
see him; they spoke in a dialect which he pretended
not to understand, and he called for an interpreter,
through whom they asked for food. He gave tliiiii
some bread. The interpreter went away, but the
gentiles staj^cd. At this moment a vaqucro passed
by mounted on a fine horse. One of the gentllesj

HORSE AND MULE MEAT.

then remarked, **see how fine and fleshy that horse
is, SI) good to eat;" to which the other feUow an-
swtiod, *'Yes, very good indeed; but it could not
possibly be so good and so sweet as the youni]; donkey
which was sold us last ni^lit by the alcalde, Juan, and
we ate up at the teniascal." Garcia understood them
W(ll, an«l had the teniascal searched for the bones (;f
vouih^jack. The Indian's words proved true. This
was but one instance, among many, of Indian predi-
lection for asses' meat.

Scnora Paz Espfnola used to do washing, and besides
kci)t a wooden bench in front of her house where she
sold fried fish. For half a real, an Indian or a laborer
could buy two or three tortillas and fried fish enough
to apjicase hunger for twelve hours. On feast days,
said sefiora used to move her establishment to the
church door, and sell meat pies, well seasoned with
chile. For a real she gave two of the empanadas and
a glass of apple cider.

There was a somewhat puerile attempt at bread
laws by the Monterey ayuntamiento in 1835. The
siiidico asked for instructions as to the weight and
quality of bread. It was agreed that no rules could
be made as to the weight, except that persons should
l)e obliged to sell the weight they declared to deliver;
and when the quality was bad, they should lose the
amount of their baking. If not of bad quality, but fell
short in weight, the bread should be disposed of among
the prisoners.

"The Californians," says one, "are celebrated for
the luaimfacture of sugared pastry ; amongst these are
azuearillos, a kind of white biscuit formed from crys-
tallized sugar. It is melted in iced water, and forms
a delightful drink, being sweet, with a delicate, aro-
matie flavor. "

Tliiy were a great people to make visits to their
friends and relatives, the whole family going, and stay-
iiiif a week or a month. Of these visitors, sometimes
fifty of them would light upon a place together, when

C'AL. I'AST. 24

370

FOOD, DRESS, AND DWELLINGS.

the tortilla-makers would get no rest day or niglit.
Of a bullock butchered one morning, there would not
bo enough left for breakfast next morning.

For a long time there was a prejudice against pork,
the people refusing even to use lard in their cookinij,
confining themselves to beef fat. Pigs were only fit
to make soap of, they thought. Neither did tlioy
care to eat bear, or sheep flesh ; beef alone suited thcin,
especially vaquillas six or twelve months old; and tiny
relished roasted meat the best. When a beef was
slaughtered, the ribs were quickly bared of the hide,
and ihefrazada — the meat on the ribs — cut out. Tills
was thrown on the coals with a sprinkling of salt, and
when half cooked was eaten with relish. "1 never
cared for it," says Arnaz; "it had no taste, and seemed
like leather." Roast meat and milk was the usual
food of rancheros, with cheese, asaderas, frijoles, and
tortillas. But at feasts they could prepare many lirh
dishes. Women did not eat with the men. Poor
people had no tables ; they sat on the ground and ate
with their fingers.

All mankind will have their alcohol and opium in
some form. The California aboriginals had a drink,
the pispibata, which the padres would not allow tin in
to use, so strong was it, and so deleterious. It was
made of powdered calcined shells, wild tobacco juice,
and islais, or wild cherries, powdered, shaken, and
ground, water being added, until it assumed a consis'
tency almost solid. Sometimes maize, or fruit of easy
fermentation, was used. The pispibata was a power-
ful decoction, equal to a mixtureof rum, tobacco jnice,
and opium — if one can imagine what that would I)e.
The horrible mixture prepared, the savages would stat
themselves round it, in the hot sun, and dipping the
forefinger into the mass they would touch it to their
tongue and give a smack of satisfaction. This done
two or three times, the participant fell back dead
drunk, or dead indeed if a little too much should be

IXTOXICATmCr DRINK.

S71

ght.
not

)()rk,

ly lit
they
,ht'in,

f was
hide,
This
t, and
never
eeiucd
usual
;s, and
ly rich
Poor
ind ate

talvon. It is said that during the lethargy, the moder-
ate participant seemed to reaHze his most ardent hopes
indulged in while awake, and that though the body
was paralyzed, the soul entered the realms of superla-
tive happiness.

In 1834 Gallardo and Arzaga of Sonora petitioned
+lic jofe for permission to erect a brandy distillery near
San Felipe, and to have the ten dollars municipal tax
removed. This was in June. Before the year had
(_ xi)irod, Gamboa y Caballero was granted permission
i)y Figueroa to make mescal brandy for one year
between Monterey and San Luis Obispo, but he must
pay the municipal dues,

^lost of the missions manufactured aguardiente
from grapes, apples, and pears. The brandy of San
Fernando acquired great reputation in California.
Graham had a still on the Vergeles rancho, and used
wheat and maize. A bottle of Catalan brandy used to
cost twelve reales, or an ox-hide. Gamboa used to fill
an empty brandy-keg witii water, expose it to the sun
for half a day, then put in burnt sugar and ground
chile. This he would sell to the savages as brandy;
and when they complained that there was no happiness
in it, he would say that he had kept it so long it had
lost its strength. An alcoholic liquor was obtained
from the baked torogUi root, which was crushed, left
in earthen pots to ferment, and then heated for dis-
tillation.

At San Josd good wine and brandy were made long
before the days of the amorous Naglee. Padre Duran
was skilled in this pious industry. His aguanliente
was as clear as crystal, or when treated with burnt
sugar became of a clear yellow. It was doubly dis-
tilled, and as strong as the reverend father's faith.

The wine of pastoral days was made after this man-
ner: Suitable ground was selected, and a desvan or
jilatform placed thereon. This was covered with clean
hides, and the grapes piled upon it. Some well-
washed Indians, having on only a zapeta, the hair

372

FOOD, DRESS, AND DWELLINGS.

carefully tied up and hand covered with cloth whert'-
with to wipe away the perspiration, each havin^^ a
stick to steady himself withal, were put to treading out
the grape juice, which was caught in coras, or in leatli-
ern bags. These were emptied into a large wooden tul^,
where the liquid was kept two or three months, und( r
cover of tlie grape-skins, to ferment. Such as did not
flow ofl' was put into wooden presses, and the juicii
into copper jars, and covered with a kind of hat.
Through two or three hiserted tubes heat was con-
veyed to the mass to aid evaporation and conderihsa-
tion These jars served as a still for brandy. For
white wine the first juice only was taken and stored.

On the 28th of April, 1840, the assembly passed to
the committee the proposition of Gonzalez to prohibit
brandy distilling from wheat, maize, and barley, a>
prejudicial to health; and the introduction thereof from
abroad, for this was prejudicial to the agriculturists.
The prohibition of wheat, maize, and barley biandy
was approved.

In 1843 there were at Santa Barbara two good
stills, and two that were valueless; San Buenaventuia
had four, two being useless, with eleven barrels of
brandy in store; San Antonio had a still worth $1U0
in 1845, and two wine-presses with some jara, barrels,
and tools, worth in all $200.

On the 10th of October, 1845, the prefect writes
from Monterey to the secretary of government of the
harm done by making aguardiente from grain, as well
as the abuses and public scandal caused by its cheaj)-
ness, and the evil efl'ects to the public health by its
use ; he thinks the prefecture should not grant licenses
for its manufacture. Two years before this, the Mon-
terey prefect had ordered the sub-prefect at San Jose
not to allow the making of liquor from molasses and
grains, with an *6rden superior.'

Drunkenness was not common, says Arnaz; the men
usually took a mouthful or so of brandy, but few
drunken men were seen, although liquor was common

PASSION FOR ADORNMENT.

373

and cheap. Most took wine for dinner at Angeles,
whore it was made ; elsewhere water was used. Drink-
in^' was more prevalent in the north, thou^^h not ex-
cessive there.

good
ntura

tch of

$U)0

irrcls,

irrltes
)f t\ie
Is well
b\ica\>-
[by its
reuses
;Mou-
h Jose
iS and

Ic men
It few
liuuiou

On this outskirt of civilization, not to say creation,
we find humanity just as insane over the subject of
(hoss and ornamentation of person as in Paris or 8t
}^^tcrsburgh, and the men were as silly as the women.
There was a great variety of attire present, more among
tlie men than among the women ; and to give what
everybody says upon the subject may have the a])pear-
anee of repetition; but in this way only can this va-
riety be intelligently placed before the reader. I
arrange my notes on this subject chronologically, to
give the sketch the greater historical value. If there
are apparent contradictions herein, they must be
charged to my authorities, who wrote at different times,
and under various circumstances. It is onh' in listen-
ing to them all, however, that we can learn all.

This nmch may be said by way of preface, that
the ordinary orthodox dress of the Californian was
a hroad-brimmed hat of dark color, gilt or figured
liand round the crown, lined under the rim with silk;
sliort silk or figured calico jacket; open-necked shirt;
rif'li waiscoat, if any; pantaloons open at sides below
the knee, gilt laced, usually of velveteen or broadcloth ;
or sliort breeches and white stockings ; deer-.skin sIkjcs,
dark brown, and much ornamented; a red sash round
the waist, and poncho or scrape. The latter was al-
>vays a mark of the rank or wealth of the owner, and
was of black or dark blue broadcloth, with velvet trim-
mings down to the coarse blanket poncho of various
colors.

Women wore gowns of silks, crape, calicoes, etc.,
witli short sleeves, and loose waist without corset;
slicH^s of kid or satin, sashes or belts of brig'nt colors;
and almost always necklace and ear-rings. They had
no bonnets, the hair hanging loose or in long braids.

374

FOOD, DRESS, AND DWELLINGS.

IP I
lllll

Married women did it up on a high comb. Over tlie
head a large mantle was thrown, drawn close round
the face while out of doors. In the house they cairicil
a small scarf or neckerchief, and on top of the head a
band with star or ornament in front. This accord! iitr
to Dana in 1835.

The men of 1780, says Amador, soldiers and civil-
ians alike, used knee-breeches of cloth or velveteen—
pana; it had a flap, called a tapabalazo, sometinus
narrow, sometimes wide, and the band at the knee was
fastened by a buckle of silver or other metah Tlio
stocking was of wool or silk. The jacket was short.
The military jacket was also short; the little standing
collar — collarin — facings — vueltas — ^and braidings or
other adornments — fravjas — were red, as was the waist-
coat of cloth. The stock, or corbatin, was black and
well adjusted, so that the chin remained up.

When the soldier went on service he put on liis
cttera. This was made of seven thicknesses of ante-
lope hide, called gamiiza. It was a sort of waistcoat,
made in three pieces, and was fastened under the arms
with thongs of the same material. It fell to the kmc,
and served as a protection against arrows. He carriod
also an oval adarga, or shield, of ox-hide doubled ; on
the inside it had a loop for the arm.

The hota, or legging, was shaped like a stocking-leg,
reached from the ankle to just below the knee, where
it was confined by a garter of silk or thread, according
to the taste or means of the wearer. The shoe of her-
riichi — a term probably applied to the shape or make
of the shoe — came to above the ankle, and outside of
the bota, being fastened on the outside. The hat was
of wool, low in the crown, broad in the brim, antl fas-
tened by means of a cord passing under the chin and
called a harbiquejo. The dress of *he officer was
the same as that of the enlisted man, except that the
materials were finer. It bore devices indicative of tlie
wearer's rank. The officer in full dress, in 1780, wore
a throe-cornered hat ; and for ordinary service one like

WOMEN OP QUALITY.

375

that of the soldier. The officer wore a sword four or
five Flemish spans, cuartas tlamencas, in length, and
having a steel scabbard, which he used as a cane. On
a campaign he carried also a lance, a poignard, pistols,
and a carbine. The soldiers carried the same offens-
ive arms as the officer on a campaign.

Ill my collection of state })apers relative to early
( 'alit'ornia is a list of two and a half pages, giving the
uootis and various supplies required for the annual
consumption of San Josd and Los Angeles in 1790.
It comprises varieties of silk, woollen, and cotton
goods, thread, needles, and scissors. Among the
articles of dross are six dozen scarlet silk stockings for
women; the prevailing colors of other goods are scar-
let and blue. Various implements of agriculture are
named ; also a considerable supply of carpenters' tools.

A woman of quality, of this period, when she paid
or received visits, or on festive occasions, would appear
ill a white skirt with an embroidered hem of four
fingers in width ; over this another of a silky stuff called
8(1 n/a, and blue, green, or black in color; a low shoe
with a buckle of silver or othe*' metal, the heel being
of moderate height; silken stockings, black or red; a
Tchozo of silk or thread; a necklace of pearls — or rather
an imitation of them. In the house, occupied in
<loiiiestic duties, she wore a white skirt of a coarse
linen fabric called crea, and over it a colored skirt of an
inferior kind of sarga of color. The poor woman
(hessed in tlie same way as the rich, except that her
i^kirt was of a very coarse bay eta, or flannel, a coarse
Woollen stuff, generally red or blue.

In the San Jose archives is written that in 1804, nt
Monterey, Comandante de la Guerra, with great pain,
had noticed that the uniform, by which the grace of so
nuuiy monarchs had desired to distinguish that portion
of their loval vassals who serve under their banners,
had in this jurisdiction become not only despicable, but
evt'ii ridiculous, on account of the number of paisanaje,
or civilians, who had shamelessly adopted the same,

S76

FOOD, DRESS, AND DWELLINGS.

()

without any privilege otlier tliaii their own fanoy. Ti
correct this abuse, lie prohibited thenceforth to civil-
ians of any class the wearinj^ of any hisioiiia or adoiii-
ment of those used by the troops — especially tlie
cuffs, coUarin, or edging of the collar, and the soltipa
or lapels of a red color, which said civilians have heir-
toforc notably affected. Any one who hereafter might
be ssen with any of these ap[)endages sliould have
them taken away, and should suffer eight days' arnst
in the calabozo. A repetition of the offence would he
punished according to the condition and circumstances
of the offender. All which was published by bando,
and corporals of escoltas were charged with carrying
out the order.

In 18 1 G Amador says: " I came to wear trouseis
made of deer-skin, which, well made and having a sil-
ver braid down the side, were worth §12." This was
during the scarcity.

The dress of the women at Governor Sola's inaugu-
ration ball in 181G was the same style as had been
used by the first families nearly half a century before; —
an enagua of fine white muslin, almost transparent,
coming down half-way from knee to foot, ornamented
with spangles of gold and fioreado, all round, ])resenting
a very striking appearance in the light of lamps, torches,
and candles.

Hair in front was cut short and came down to the
middle of the forehead; this front, or as a modein
girl would say, bpng, was then called the tupe. A
lock on each side, called balcarras, hung down to the
cheek; the rest of the hair was gathered up behind in
black or colored silk net. A close-fitting jacket of silk
joined the enagua at the waist, and was buttoned <»r
hooked up to the neck. Flesh-colored silk stockings,
low shoes of white satin, pendants and dormilonas,
very long ear-drops, and strings of Lower Californita
pearls round the neck, were worn; also a wide scarlet
ribbon round the waist, whose ends fell to the bottom
of the skirt, witli a gold plate five or six inches wiile

rURIXO SOLA'S UULR.

torniinatiiiuf oadi fiid. Tlioro was also a n-liozo of
>.:lk <»t" (litK'ifiit colors. Stri'ct shoes, or zapatos do
jiiitillo, had high hcols made of light wood. This dress
Mcms to have been (liHVrout t'roni that worn in Mex-
ico; for (Governor Sola is said to have regarded it as
a novelty; and he was much gratified to find here re-
\\\rd the costume of ancient Castilian women, which
iccalK-d the scenes of his youth. What a retlection
ell damsels and dames all the time imagining they
weie (•on(juering in the latest cut and tit of their
flethesi

In i SIC) 18, when no goods came from Mexico on
account of the war for independence, the women, rich
and poor alike, made use of the jcrga, a very coarse
Woollen stuff woven at the missions, and were glad to
i( t it, holding it as the finest muslin. Those who were
ahle hought wool and sent it to he knitted into stock-
ings by the ^lexicans or Indians; the poor wore the
stockings which nature gave them. The jerga was
currentlv known as muselina de las misiones, or mis-
sioii nmslin.

The officers, who of all others were best able to
obtain clothes, had only a collar and shirt front fastened
to the inside of the waistcoat by means of a button-
hole to the flap. The back of the waistcoat was next
tlie skin, for the wearer liad no shirt. Some of the
soldiers wore a shirt made of the jerga at the missions;
others wore their old shirts patched until frayed into
mere threads. In fact, the troops were almost naked.
Almost all were shoeless. Many even mounted guard
with bare feet and the body wrapped in a blanket.
Nevertheless, they served contentedly, so great was
their affecti(m for their officers!

The same condition of things existed throughout
California. The women dressed in garments of jerga;
occasionally one had a chemise of manta, or cotton
i;iio(ls, but fihe nagua or skirt was always of jerga.
The wives of officers made out to do with indiana, as
tile p'.inted cotton stuff was called, and sarga. For

378

POOD, DRESS, AND DWEIXINOS.

8lij)pcrs tlicy used coletilla, a coarse unhleacliod lieiupi n
stuff', or pafio — ^clotli — when obtainable.

Before Echeandia's arrival, observes Maeliado, tlie
dress was a shirt of cotton or other fabric, vest with-
out facings (ciialeco sin voltear) reaching to the waist
of different color, the troops using blue. Over tho
chaleeo went the chupin, which was a levita with lap-
pets, and bright red braiding, also round the neck.
This was the soldiers' fashion; but the rest wore nearly
the same, the color varying according to taste.

Short pants of cloth, coleta, drill, or other stuff, the
troops using pano. They reached to the knee, whcn'
they opened to the outside, with lapels to both si«l( s,
and with six buttons on each side. The fine hats
from Spain were kept with care. The common pjihii
liats were made by Indians.

Speaking of 1824, Torre says that the wonun
dressed nearly all alike, whatever their position, ex-
cept that those who were better ofl' used finer tex-
tures. The customary dress was blue indianas or colttii
for work-days; on festival days nmslins and othtr
finer material. Petticoats were trimmed with blue
silk and black bodice, the sleeves coming to half-way
between the elbow and forearm. They had a })uipli'
or scarlet belt around the waist, and a black or other
colored kerc'nef around the neck fastened witli ]miis
across the b: .ast. The hair was neatly combed into
a single plait which hung down the back, the |»lait
set off with various colored ribbons according to tasti'.
Women of superior pretensions dressed the hair likr
ordinary women until the fashions came, and aristo-
cratic distinctions became more marked. Their shoes
were of calf-skin, blue coleta, or satin, with silk or
cotton stockiiiijs. A silk or cotton rebozo coverall
the head and i>art of the face when they went out iiit(»
the street. When mounted on horseback it was car-
ried tied to the left side.

Lugo places upon women of this period short skirts
fastened about the waist. Their upper garment was

ANGELES COSTUMES.

370

n sliort-slceved clieinise, which came to a httlo below
tilt' waist. I^eneath this skirt they wore another of
Itiiyeta — a coarse, heavy riamiel — and under this an-
other of material coarse or tine, according to their
iiuans. This latter skirt very poor women did not
wear. On feast days the well-to-do women wore jackets
i>t" vi'lvet, cloth, or satin. About 18;}0 women beijan
to use combs of tortoise-sliell, or other less costly nuite-
rial. They wore low shoes, with or without heels,
tlie latter called de resbalon, and were used at balls.
Women wore hats only when they rode to some dis-
tant place.

Soldiers dressed like civilians, except that on their
jacki'ts were their insignia, and when they went on
an exj)edition they wore the cifra, which was a
kind t)f waistcoat of many thirkMesses of antelope-
skin, and in the exterior sea. is liftd a w»'lo of green
cloth. This cuera was useu by the cavalry de cuera
oiih*.

He who could buy them wore stockings, but many
liad neither shoes nor socks, because unable to j)ur-
cliaso them. Men's neckerchiefs were frequently
enihroidered at the ends like lace.

Wlien mounted, the men often wore two pieces of
well-tanned deer-skin, very soft, stitched to a narrow
belt of the same skin, which was tied round the
waist; each of these fell over the thigh below the
knee, and was fastened underneath with small thongs.
These were called armitas, and were used when they
entered the corrals to lasso cattle, the armitas pro-
tecting the breeches from the chafing of the rope.
Others somewhat similar Mere worn, called armas,
made of goat-skin, tanned with the hair on. At the
narrowest part they were fastened to a belt of skin to
tie round the waist, and hung down to the tapadera of
tlie stirrups. The armas afforded shelter from the
rain, and from the brambles and chamise; they were
also useful for sleeping in when obliged to camp out.
At Los Angeles, ]^uhaut-Cilly remarks that the

Mi*':

FOOD, DRESS, AND DWELLMGS.

men alone wear a dress that can be termed national,
and adai)ted to their life on horseback. Short
breeches of dark cloth or velvet, terminating at tlie
knee with gold or silver galloon, but not buttoned.
The open breeches permit a view of the edge of the
wide white drawers descending half-way down the log.
covering partly white stockings, which are loose, for
tight and drawn-up stockings would be ridiculed.
The doublet worn as a sobretodo, or surtout, is
usually of the same material as the breeches, without
collar, but adorned with a red flounce and facing. Its
man}'' metal buttons are not for use, nor are the laps
big enough to cover the chest.

As they use no braces, the white shirt peeps out
between trousers and vest. To avoid this, a red faju
or sash is wound round the waist. Their shoes or
short boots are laced over the foot. The upper-leather
is divided lengthwise in two parts, one yellow, the
other brown — rather tasteful. At the heel of the shots
a fringed piece of leather projects, serving to support
the big spurs.

When on horseback they wear the leg enveloped
in leggings called gamuzas; of this they are most
proud, and the manner of enveloping the calf is an
esteemed art. Woe to him who allows tlic form of
the leg to be seen ! The shoe is besides tightly fixed
around the leg by a cord of silk and gold worked Ity
his lady-love. Hats are usually of felt, flat and broad-
brimmed. A mantle is worn in cold weather, and
consists of a piece of cl>n,h with an opening for the
head, called a poncho, or mangas, in different parts of
Spanish America. This dress wants neither giaee
nor dignity, but the chief advantage is the freedom of
limbs it allows.

The dress of the women is more ridiculous, beimLj <i
strange mixture of California and foreign styles.
When seeking to imitate the Mexican fashion tliev
go to the extreme of extravagance, so as to make
gravity diflScult to observe. Few are content with

AT THE DANCE.

381

6im})le home fashions. A certain set who had intro-
duced about 1826 an extreme in Parisian bonnets,
like small baskets or melons, were dubbed cabezas
inelones. The women of good families, remarks Ser-
rano, speaking of the next decade, dressed with nm(;h
])l;unness and modesty, the chief characteristics being
the exceedin*^ cleanliness of their linen at all great
gatherings, whether at church or at the frequent pic-
nics. At the dances so frequently given at private
ln)U8es, and to wliich indiscriminate entrance was not
allowed, the females appeared not only well dressed,
hut with good display. Some days before a large
party, the women used to put their heads together
and agree upon what dress they would wear, what
kind of stuff, its color, and trimmings, and color of the
shoes ; this was that they might appear very charming
from the harmony t)f their dress and ornaments. The
material on these occasions was sometimes silk, or
very fine lawn or linen, the stockings being usually
silk, and shoes of the very finest satin. It was a low
shoe of a single sole; some were white, others dark
hlue or coffee-color; and there were the very whitest
and finest lace kerchiefs over the shoulders, covering
the upper part of the breast. Necklaces, ear-rings,
and rings of gold were abundant; the hair was dressed
according to the fashion of the period, with fine tor-
toise-shell openwork combs and a golden band.

They wore other adornments, such as llowers, belt,
and ribbons in grtj,t variety.

The daily female foot-wear consisted of thread
stockings, and strong, black leather shoes, or of
morocco leather. Their dresses were usually of calico
or merino, with long sleeves down to the hand, and
neck close to the throat; the skirt being extremely
wide, and reaching to the instep without touching
the ground. The breast was covered with a fine and
pretty silk kerchief, flowered, in different colors;
the hair-dressing consisted in separating their beauti-
ful tre>ises in two equal parts, and forming a plait of

382

FOOD, DRESS, AND DWELLINGS.

each interlaced with ribbons of some dark shade ; these
plaits were crossed in opposite directions, and wound
round the upper part of the head, terminating on the
top, at the back part, and thereon was placed a black
or coffee-colored velvet bow. While occupied in
household duties, to protect this from dust the bead
was covered with a good-sized silk kerchief of diifer-
ent colors, arranged in graceful folds, so as to give it
the appearance of a coquettish little cap. The gen-
eral mode of dress of all classes was modest and
simple.

The women's hat when on horseback — for only then
they wore one— was of felt, very high, less than two
inches of brim, wider above than below — looked like a
sugar loaf Before putting on the hat, a handkerchief
bordered with different colored silk was laid on the
head, which covered the back, front, and part of the
cheeks, and was fastened by a pin under the chin.

This was the dress usually worn in former times;
later came in the fashion of the tunic, which was a
narrow sack without sleeves, with only loops for the
arms. This tunic was called the medio paso, for
it was so narrow the woman could scarcely walk.
Small sleeves were worn to cover the arms, with a
strap behind and in front to keep them up ; the one
in front was buttoned. Such an arrangement was
very inconvenient. This tunic was the only change
that took place in a long time. Afterward came wide
tunics, buttoned behind with wide sleeves — manias
do monjas. So successive changes were introduced,
varying until the arrival of the Mexican colony in
1834; and as intercourse with the outside world
became more frequent, there was little difference he-
tween the dress of California females and those of
other countries

The cavalry soldier's carbine was carried in the
leather cover of the saddle ; the lock was enveloped in a
piece of chamois, and was moreover enveloped in a fox-
skin bag, the whole fixed in the saddle cover, lea\ iug

SOLDIERS' UNIFORMS.

383

the tail and part of the fox's legs outside. A shield
hung at one side of the saddle bow. The soldier also
carried a lance and sword, a cartridge-box on the belt,
at one side of which was a little pocket for spare
Hints. The shield was of several hides, slightly con-
vex in front, with armlet inside so as to cover nearly
the whole front of the rider without preventing the
use of his fire-arm. The infantry arms were musket
and bayonet, with cross-belts, one to carry the bayo-
net, the other the cartridge-pouch. The artillery
carried a carbine and short sword.

The presidio companies wore the following: The
hat was the usual wide-brimmed one with the crown
de la panocha; instead of the parti-colored ribbons, it
had a silk cord with tassels hanging on the brim.
The hair in a plait with a piece of ribbon at the end,
green or red; a kerchief loose around the neck, fall-
ing over the breast, adorned with spangles; cotton or
linen shirt and black cloth jacket with scarlet facings.
The vest was of stuff called coleta, yellow and bor-
dered in front with black silk. One or two sashes of
different colors passed around the stomach ; some put
a wonian's cotton scarf or a sash of blue coleta of a
third of a vara wide. Short breeches of cloth with
bragueta, a fall or flap in front, fastened with a large
silver or copper button. These were open on the
outside of the leg for about a third of a vara above
the knee. In this opening were a row of buttons on
one side and holes on the other; the breeches reached
a little below the knee, having at the extremity about
an inch breadth of gold lace; pockets on each side
called bolsicos; below the breeches were wide linen
<»r cotton drawers. White cotton or woollen stock-

nigs ;

chamois ridiuir-loggings reaching down to the

nistep, sewed a little at the heel, and otherwise open
behind; they were in several folds tied with silken
garters, hand-wrought and adorned with spangles,
scales, and tassels, which hung upon the leg below the
knee; the shoe, which was called del berruchi, opened

FOOD, DRESS, AND DWELLINGS

'■Si

■fi:

I ''

on the outside, where it was fastened with a thono-;
the shoe came up to the instep, and the leggings went
inside, and over the shoe fell a flap of the same
chamois.

On service a soldier had a thick cuera de ganuiza
stitched; this was a kind of short sack which read ml
to the knees with a button to fasten it at the neck a
little below the throat; on the left shoulder was a
button whereon to hang the hat when the soldier
went to mass without arms. The officers appeared in
black })antaloons with low waistband, rather wide, de
tapabalazo ancho, a broad flap across the front, and a
pocket on each side, a short jacket or frock of black
cloth with lace appohitments and epaulets according
to rank. When in full dress they wore a three-coi-
nered hat, and also a cuera when on field duty. Citi-
zens wore a similar dress to that of the soldiers, ex-
cepting the cuera and military distinctions.

The full dress of the artillery was white, a short
buttoned-up coat called hudcaro, with blue facing; a
manijeluke of cotton or linen stuff"; a wide scarlet
sash; half-boots open in front, tied with a thong;
on the head a kind of cap with tricolor pompon the
shape of the Mexican flag; a waistcoat of white
cotton buttoned to the throat. Officers wore a red
coat with green facing, white pantaloons with wide
flap; sometimes light blue pantaloons with broad
gold lace on the outer seam; a purple velvet waist-
coat or of scarlet cloth. When dressed in white the
waistcoat was scarlet; when the coat was scarlet they
wore blue pantaloons and purple waistcoat. Infan-
try, full-dress coat, dark blue cloth, scarlet facings;
pantahH)ns, blue cloth with red piping down the seam ;
waistcoat of same cloth, tall chaco with pompon.
Officers wore the same uniform, with only the diH'er-
ence of the lace on the pantaloons, shoulder-straps
and facings, and coat and vest.

The artairs of the nati(m were insignificant rs (< ni-
pared with the in5[)ortance of the cabullero'ti trap[)ing3.

CAVALIERS ATTIRE.

385

The bit was very rude and heavy, and suspended by
narrow leather bands dyed black. The reins were
woven of very narrow strips of calf-skin, the same as
the lazo; they were very long, and to the end was at-
tached a long whip (Isitigo) plaited in a similarmanner,
and which terminated in two pointed ends; the bridle
(liead-stall) that sup]K)rted the bit was called the
cahezadas, and this as well as the reins was adorned bv
tlic poorer classes with buttons and silver buckles, and
by the rich with ornaments of the same metal engraved
or in relief (ya grabados, 6 ya calados), the same kind
of adornment was on the monturas (saddles) and spurs.
The montura, or saddle, should consist of an innnense
wooden saddle-tree, whose colossal rounded head served
to hold the lasso when a horse or bull was caught.
This saddle-tree was secured to the back of the horse
Ijy a broad band made fast to the lower j>art by strong
strips of hide passing under the belly to the other side
of tlie saddle, which had an iron ring and buckle.
There was a leather band made fast to the tree to
save tlie horse from being chafed. Under the tree
were placed one or two blankets, called sudaderos,
douI)l(jd several times; the tree was covered with a
broad sheet of leather having two openings, one fur
the head of the tree, the other for the cantle, the ends
lianging down over both sides of the horse; this cover
was called a mochilla, and upon it was set another
Somewhat larger, the coraza. This was luuulsomely
setoff with embroidery- work called talabarteria, such
as birds, flowers, or other tasty ])atterns; also through
little holes pierced in it could be seen pieces of silk or
cloth of vari 'US colors. This second cover was rather
costly, as it was also bordered with silk or gold
and silver thread, and it was not used on work-days.
^\ lien travelling, over these two covers was placed
a third, also finely adorned, and at the sides in front
weie two pockets, cubos, of leather with covers, like
liolsters, the covers secured by a strap and buckle,
bioehe, of the same material. These holsters served

Cal. Fast. 25

S86

FOOD, DRESS, AND DWELLINGS.

to carry food, or anything else too large to be carried
in the coat pocket. At the back of the saddle-tre:' to
cover the croup of the horse, and tie with thongs a
nialeta with clothes or the serape doubled, was placed
a large piece of leather in semicircular shape, or like
the tail of a bird. This was fastened to the saddle-
tree with thongs, and was called an anquera. The stir-
rups were made of coarsely wrought oak, hung from
the saddle-tree by leather straps called arzones; the
front of the stirrups were each covered with two
rounds of leather, over which was another piece of
triangular shape. These three pieces were called the
tapaderas, and were so large as almost to touch under
the horse's belly. The enormous spurs had four
or six long sharp rowels, under the infliction of
which the poor beast suffered the tortures of the in-
quisition.

Bias Pefia, born at Monterey in 1823, says that in
his day men wore corduroy or cloth breeches, jackets,
broad-brimmed, low-crowned hats, placing around the
crown a girdle of silver or gold thread, or simply of
beads, connnonly called chaquiras, but to which the
missionaries gave the name of paternosters. In rainy
weather the hat was covered with a thin yellow oil-
cloth. Top-boots were common, botas de ala 6 de tiiKin,
of chamois-skin or leather, most of them being made in
the country, the upper part secured with silk ril)l)oiis
of various colors. They also wore berruchi shoes, and
another kind called zapatones, a large clumsy aHliir.
The berruchi were tied on the outer side, the zapatones
on the middle of the foot, with thin straps or with
strings.

Some of the men wore short breeches, reaching
down to the knee only, open about six inches on the
outer side, where were buttons of silver, or of some
base metal, according to the wearer's means. They
iiad falls which were closed with a fine silver button,
or W'th one of copper if the wearer could not atl'ord
the fermer. The buttons used by the wealthy hatl the

CALIFORNIAN TOILETS.

387

^loxican eagle stamped on them. The breeches were
secured round the waist with a handsome silk or crape
sash, which was further ornamented with tassels of
trold or silver thread, the ends hanirins: on either side,
or both on one side, but never in the middle. ^len
were likewise accustomed to wear cloth sleeves of blue,
coffee-color, or black, with silk or velvet cuffs, round
wJiich was silver or gold thread wound. The hair
was braided like that of the Chinese, but never in-
crcased by any false hair. In 1840 they began to
kave off these cues, and cut tlie hair short behind,
leaving it long in front. This way of dressing tlio
hair went by the name of imnado de fiiria, the fury
fashion of carrying the hair.

Women in former times braided the hair in one pieco,
and twisted it round the top of the head, which
fashion was called pcumdo delmolote, the molote being
liuld by a comb made of horn, or of tortoise shell, ac-
cording to the pecuniary means of the wearer. The
American captain, Fitch, in one of his voyages friMU
Peru, brought four tortoise-shell combs, which he sold
at 3'»00 each, one of them being purchased by Josd de
la Guerra y Noriega for his wife, one by Mariano Es-
trada, another by Joaquin Maitorena, who shortly
afterward was elected a deputy to the national con-
gress, and Vallejo the last one.

Until six or eight years of age, children wore short
shirts. From an early day, boys whose parents could
afford it indulged in trousers of cloth. After that
age they wore pantaloons of jerga, or bayeton, or
coleta — chiefly the last. Children of wealthy parents
wore shoes, but generally a boy put on shoes only
afucr he could earn them. More pains were taken
with regard to girls* shoes. It was rare to see a boy
of k'ss than 12 or 14 years with a hat.

The following was the way in which a rich young
man of Los Angeles was dressed on his wedding day,
in IS 42, Yellow hat of vicufla wool, with abundance
of glass-seed beads ; the under-part of the brim nearly

FOOD, DRESS AND DWELLINGS.

I \

covered with silver lace. The jacket easy set, of
groon satin, with large flapi? of the same material, its
buttons being of Mexican pesetas with t!ic eagle staiiii)
on the exterior. The waist-coat of yellow satin with
the pocket flaps buttoned up with gold dollars. Bn t;i I
breeches of red velvet to the knees, held with silv< r
buckles. The buttons of the breeches flap, plainly
visible being also pesetas. On these buttons, the one
known as the atrancador exhibited a motto in these
words, '*No me saques sin razon, ni me metas sin
honor." A buckskin boot of the natural color, bound
to the knee where the breeches ended, with gi'cen
silk ribbons forming a flower, and with tassels from
which depended little figures of cats, dogs, puppets,
etc., made of seed-glass beads, interpolated with eiii-
bei'ilshments of ^old and silver thread. Where the
boot-leg ended began the shoe, which was sharp-
pointed and turned upwards, with tinsel ornanKMits,
most of them in the form of roses. The man'>a was of
sky-blue cloth of the finest quality, with red lining;
the opening for the head was lined with black velvi t,
and was oval-shaped, with silver galloon all round it,
and fringed. The hair in three braids fell upon the
jacket; at the end was a large flower of green ribbon.
To liuht his ci<jarctte housed a mechero, or cottmi
twist burnt at one end, with a steel piece and a flint -
stone wei«>hin<j: about an ounce: from the mecht ro
hung an ornament of beads, beautifully made. Tlii<
media or tinder was perfumed with Peruvian balsam.

The bride of about eighteen, a brunette, was biisk
in her movements. She wore a dress of j-ellow sat in,
adorned in the lower part with green ribbons ; wliite
satin shoes with the points turning upward, tit si i
colored st»)ckings, black handkercliief round the ho.ul,
a triangular shawl, and artificial flowers.

Lugo, who in his Vida de mi Fanchero, writes of
1824, savs that most of the men bound around tlie
head a black silken handkerchief, some tying it beliiml,
others over the forehead. Over this was placed a

HATS AND SHOKS.

380

il, its

, Avitli

silv( r
)laitily
[\G one

tlieso
as sill
bouiitl

gr,vu
s troll I
uppets,
til eiii-
ero tilt'

sViavi'-
auKMits.

IWJIS tit

liuin;j;;

\a'lvrt.

;)U11<1 it,

poll tlic

ril)l)on.
cotton
a iliiit-

[neclii i"
Tlii>

I balsam.

las brisk

[(WBiltil),

white

|a, ilfsU

le btiHl,

/■ritos o'l
ind the
belli nth
ilacttl a

li;it <»r tbo fashion we now use. It was always se-
( urcd by a barbiquijo, or tliroat-stia^), of aiitcloi)L'-
i^kiii, or of silktn ribbon, which latter motlo was in
vogue among such as were in comfortable circuni-
btances. He who aft'ected a dashing style wore his
hat cocked on one side, or tilted far back on the head.
The hats in general use were called poblanos, because
they came from Puebla in Mexico, and were low in
tlie crown and rather broad of brim. Some of fine
vicuna wool wt^re bought only by the otticiTS, or men
of means. Some hats were of leather, and others,
wliich were made by the Indians, of palm-leaves.
Thi> betas, which may be translated leggings, were
of antelopc-skin — a whole skin, less the legs, forming
one beta — from the neck of the animal downwari^L
Tlu! skin reached to just below the ankle, and was
.Sewn for a short distance at the l(>wer end.
^lost men used the whole width of the skin, but
!-oiHe doubled it into two, others hito three folds.
The bota was secured by a strap, a ribbon or a garter
woven of silk intermingled gold and silver thread
siiaiigles and escarchi (gold and silver twist, such
Jis i.s used in epaulettes). The bota was well un<l
thil)orately stamped or worked («libujada), and bi>und
on the edges. The shoes were of calf-skin, end)rt)i-
(.Kred with white thread of the maguey; came up to
tiie ankle only; were open on the outside that tlu!
t lot might be introduced, the ojiening being closed by
a tlap bound with some colored material, and fastenetl
with black leathern straps or silken cords. Men of
ineaus wore about the neck a whole silktn handker-
chief — black generally. A nian's hair was sel(h)m cut
— never, were he a soldier. His hair was cond)ed
hack and parted in the middle. It was then tied as
]ii;j;h on his head as possible, and in three strands,
l>iaided into a sort of cue which hung down the
hack like those of the Chinese. At last the soldiers
\V( re forced to cut their hair. The women wore
tlic hair in the same fashion — except that their cars

390

FOOD, DRESS, AND DWELLINGS.

Were concealed. The face was clean-shaven, except
the part covered by a whisker from the temple to the
edge of the lower jaw. Generally men shaved every
four or five days; but some did so only on Saturday
night or Sunday morning — in order to present them-
selves clean of face at mass.

The full dress unifonn of the frontier soldier was
that in use from the earliest days of the conquest.
All the horses were large and of one color. The sol-
diers wore their cueras, or leather jackets, being a
sleeveless sack, or surtout, sewed and quilted, with
four or five dressed sheep-skins, finely tanned, of a
vellowish color, and so thick that the Indian arrows
could no+ easily penetrate them. They had also
an adarga, or shield, made of the thickness of two
ox-hides, untanned; they were oval-shaped, and of
about 1 00 inches in circumference. Inside of it was
a strap, through which the soldier put his left arm
The face of the shield was well varnished, and the
king's arms painted on it. The flint-lock gun was
carried in a sack of well-tanned cow-hide, embroidered
on the outside, laid across the pommel of the saddle,
and was well covered to protect it from the ruin.
They used also a long lance, or spear, with a flexible
filbert-wood pole. A cartridge-box attached to tlie
waist contained the powder and ball ; five days' provis-
ions were carried in bags at the saddle bow; a cow-
liide covering extended from the waist to below the
knee, to protect the legs from rain and from shruhs;
the trousers were quite short, reaching only to the
knee, and from there was visible a boot of chainnis
leather that covered the legs. The hat was low-
crowned ; the soldier wore his hair long, and flowing
on the back on gala-days.

A California dragoon's dress, as Beechey saw it,
was a round, blue cloth jacket, with red cufts and
collar, blue velvet breeches unbuttoned at the knees,
showing white cotton stockings, cased over half-way
in deer-skin boots; a black hat, with very wide

WOMEN OF THE TWENTIES.

801

brim and low crown, kept in order by its own weii^ht;
a profusion of dark hair, which met behind and dangled
half-way down the back in a thick cue. A lonj^
musket, with fox-skin round the lock, was balanced on
the pommel of the saddle; the bull's-hide shield still
had the Spanish arms; a double-fold deer-skin cuirass
covered the body. The feet were arined with a tre-
mendous pair of iron spurs, secured by metal chains,
and were thrust into enormous wooden, box-shaped
stinups.

The dress of the middle class of females in 1829,
savs Robinson, " is a chemise with short embroidered
sleeves, riclily trimmed with lace, a muslin petticoat
flounced with scarlet, and secured at the waist by a
silk band of the same color, shoes of velvet or blue
satin, a cotton rebozo or scarf, pearl necklace and ear-
rings, with the hair falling in broad plaits down the
hack. Others of the hisjher class dress in the English
style, and instead of the rebozo, substitute a rich and
costly shawl of silk or satin. . . . Short clothes and
jacket trimmed with scarlet, a silk sash about the
waist, betas of ornamented and embroidered deer-skin,
secured by colored garters, embroidered shoes, the
hair long, braided, and fastened behind with ribbons,
a black silk handkerchief around the head, surmounted
by an oval and broad-brimmed hat, is the dress uni-
versally worn by the men of California."

Tomds Yorba, proprietor of the rancho de Santa
Ana, between San Gabriel and San Juan Capistrano,
wore upon his head a black silk handkerchief, the four
corners hanging down behind. "An embroidered
shirt, cravat of white jaconet tastefully tied, a blue
damask vest, short clothes of crimson velvet, a bright
green cloth jacket, with large silver buttons, and shoes
of embroidered deer-skin." On some occasions, such
as a feast day or festival, his display exceeded in value
a thousand dollars.

After 1832-3 the dress of the men was modified.
Calzoneras came into fashion. The calzoneras iro

302

FOOD, DRESS, AND DWELUNGS.

; i ':^

pantaloons with the exterior seam oixjn throufj^hrait
its length. On tlio upi>cr edge was a strip of cloth —
red, l)lue, or black — in which were the button-holes.
On the other edge were eyelet-holes for the buttons.
In some cases the calzonera was sewn from the hip to
the middle of the thigh, in others buttoned. Froiii
the middle of the thiuh downward the leg was cov-
ered by the bota, used by every one, whatever his
dress.

Gomez states that up to 1834, when the colony
came, the dress was a big green silk kerchief tit-d
round the head, the knot in front; another kerchief
wrapped the neck; a blue wide chaleco, partly open
below to exhibit a belt of crimson silk — often two or
three belts — a blue jacket adorned with big metal
buttons; short, wide breeches secured at the kne»s;
boots of deerskin like polainas — spatterdashers or leg-
gings — secured with colored silk bands, adorned witli
mottoes in silk and beads; shoes clasped in front—
abrochados — a wide-brimmed hat, low crowned, and
small opening secured by a string — barbiqu-jo. In
the wide pockets of the jacket a silk handkerchiof
was carried. The braided hair fell over the shoulder.

And thus Pena: The men wore braids like Chi-
nese, but without adding false hair. In 1840 this f(jrni
was abandoned for short hair, very short behind, huv-
ing it very long — largo — in front. This was ternird
de furia. The women formerly used one braid, later
two. The single braid was coiled on the crown, and
tliis was termed del molote. A comb of horn or tor-
toise kept it in pla^e.

Coronel, in 1834, describes the underskirts of the
women as elaborately and tastefully embroidered,
"he clothing of the men who could afford it was made
y the women of the family. The jacket, of cloth, ^vith
. any button-holes worked round the edges, was bound
' ith ribbon or cloth and elaborately stitched. The
./aistcoat, of cloth or silk, was also elaborately stitched
with silks of divers colors, the button-holes also being

COSTUME IN THE THIRTIES.

erchief

uklcr.

Chi-

f«>riii

, IrMV-

teruit'd

latrr

n, aial

)r tor-

cliiborately worked with the same. The manga, or
1 idiiiLf-jacket, ailoriied at the wrist with cloth, vtlvet,
or fringe, was also made by the women, as wi'ie the
(itudcras, or garters, used by the men to keep up the
1» !4.s of their boots, and which were woven of silk with
licads in the figures of annuals, fruit, etc. The skirts
of the men were also embroidered.

The dress of a seiu)ra of some means was a ttinico,
or gown, the skirt very narrow and de medio jutso, be-
fore mentioned, that is, so small in circumference at the
bottom tiiat the wearer could take but half a step at a
time, made of gauze or of silk, with the waist very high
in the neck and close fitting. This was adorned with
ril)bons and the like according to the taste of the wearer,
l^nderneath the skirt was worn another of red flannel.
On the siioulders was a rebozo of the shape of tiic
Spanish mantilla, and on the feet low shoes of divers
materials. The hair was drawn smoothly and tigiitly
to the back of the head, and plaited in a single braid,
which was tied above by a ribbon, and below ended in
a rosette or bow, also of ribbon. A kerchief of silk was
worn about the neck, the ends being knotted in front.
Some women used the camorra, a black silken shawl
coquettishly disposed about the head and shoulders.

The men wore breeches which reached almost to
the knee. The exterior seam was open for about six
inches from the bottom, the edges being bound with
ribbon, cloth, or braid, and ornamented with four or
six buttons of silver or some other metal. The open-
ing in front of the breeches was secured by a single
button of silver about the size of a silver dollar. The
waistcoat was of cloth, velvet, silk, or cotton stuff,
cauio well down over the belly, and was capriciously
adorned. The jacket was of like materials, but larger,
and w.s similarly adorned. The betas, a sort of leg-
ging which had heels, were made each of the entire
skill of a deer tanned and dyed black or red, and was
tdoled or embroidered with silk capriciously. A strap
passed under the bottom of the foot. From the top

394

FOOD, DRESS, AND DWELLINGS.

I i

the beta was doubled over until it came to just below
the knee, where it was confined by the atadera, or gar-
ter. The shoe was made of tanned calf or buckskin
in four or six pieces, each being of two colors, red and
black, the piece going over the instep being embroi-
dered with silk or thread of maguey. The sole of the
shoe was of tanned ox-hide, single, so that it might be
flexible, allowing the foot to cling to the stirrup, and
ending in a point which turned up over the toe and
protected the leather of the shoe from the stirrup.
The shoe so made was called del berruchi. The hat,
broad in the brim and round as to the crown, was of
wool, and kept on the head by means of a ribbon two
inches wide passing under the chin, and ornamented
below the chin by a great rosette. Almost all the
men bound a large black handkerchief about the head
after the manner of the lower classes in Andalusia.

On the arrival, in the Hijar colony, of women from
the city of Mexico, fashionable females exchanged
their narrow skirts for more flowing garments, and
abandoned the braided hair for the coil, and the large
combs till then in use for smaller combs. The poorer
women, and in general old women, from the waist
down dressed in an underskirt only, dispensing with
the gown — the material being according to the means
of the wearer — and a chemise with sleeves coming
below the elbow. The neck and breast were covered
by a black handkerchief, of silk or cotton, doubled
corner-wise, tlie corner being secured at the back and
the two points passing over the shoulders and cover-
ing the neck and breast, and fastened at the waist by
pins. The poorer women retained and continually
wore the rebozo of linen or cotton. Their shoes,
made by a member of the family or other relative, were
called del berruchi, for the sole ended in a turned-up
point, and another point at the heel. All women of
means wore stockings, for it was deemed imnu)dest
to allow more than the face and hands to be uncovered.
Sheets and pillow-cases were embroidered, more or

PECULIARITIES OP THE PERIOD.

less elaborately, and as stuffs were costly, they were
mended and remended as long as possible.

At the missions were kept a great store of woollen
cloths, blankets, serapes, jergas, etc., and at length
some of them manufactured sayal and pano good
enough for clothes for the missionaries. Formerly
no gente de razon went without shoes; but the cholos
of Micheitorena introduced the custom of wearing
sandals of rawhide, protecting the feet from stones,
but not against the hot sun. ,

In the Vallejo documents are some satirical verses
of Buelna entitled, Paquete que se andan dando —
Dandies arriving — in bad rhyme and worse grammar,
addressed to the first native rancheros who wore
lovitas, frock-coats, and tirantes, or suspenders.

"On arriving from Mexico in 1834," says Hijar, "I
was surprised to see the men with hair as long as that
of the women, worn in a braid over the back, or
gathered in the crown of the hat."

Wlien he went on an Indian expedition, or when in
the military service, the Californian added to his usual
rklinijj-dress the cuera, a long overcoat made of seven
thicknesses of antelope-hide stitched together, which
covered the body from the neck to the knees, and pro-
tected the wearer against arrows. He also carried on
his left arm a concavtvconvex oval shield — adarga — the
convex side outward. His arms consisted of an old
tlint-lock escopeta, occasionally a lance, sometimes
pistols, these latter rarely, and only for officers.
Generally all carried the Spanish Toledan raj)ier.
The same arms and equipment were used by military
iiitn, who were however distinguished by their in-
sij^nia and devices. The knife was an article of prime
necessity, and was carried in a slieath stuck in the
gaiter on the outside of the right leg. The sword,
although not of much use to civilians, was carried by
all mounted men, and was fastened on the left-hand
sid(> of the saddle, under the leg.

]Markoff, at San Francisco about 1835, thus de-

396

FOOD, DRESS, AND DWELLINGS.

scribes the rig of Senor Castro, the alcalde^ on his
visit to that place: "He rode in a long blue velvLt
cloak, with a small cape of the same color, resembling
a woman's pelerine, embroidered and trimmed with
yellow velvet. Beneath the cloak a petticoat or sliott
skirt was visible, held together by a wide silk sc^arf,
from which a beautiful dagger protruded. A black
felt hat and long black mustaches gave his face a
martial and severe expression." At this time tho
women wore slipper-shaped shoes of satin or buck-skin,
with heels; they were fond of jewelry; had each as
many silk dresses as she could afford. Bernardo Yorba,
of Santa Ana, had 150 dress patterns of silk and satin
of the finest sort, and whenever a son or dauglitcr
married, to the bride was given a trunk full of dresses
worth $80 or $100 each.

A cuotom which ealled my attention in Santa Biir-
bara in 1840, says Arnaz, was the camorra of the wo-
me!i — a black silk kercliief, folded into a band of abt)ut
two inches in width, tied round the forehead, into a
knot under the nape. This gave the Santa Bilrbara
women a different appearance from others in soutliorii
California, and all tliere used it.

Wealthy women wore pearl or gold bead necklaces;
aretes or coquetas of gold, diamond rings, and the like.

The shoes of the men were often of gamuza, em-
broidered with gold and silver thread. The women
had silken shoes for balls, but cotton shoes for ordinary
wear. People sometimes bought ready-made clothing,
but generally purchased the cloth, made it up them-
selves into the style of dress desired.

Sir Simpson, of the honorable Hudson's Bay Com-
pany, found the women of California in 1844 wearing
a sliort gown, displayhig a neat foot and ankle with
white stockings and black shoes; a handkerchief mi
the head concealed all the hair, except a single looj) o\\
either cheek ; the shoulders were swathed in a shawl,
and over all when they walked out was the "beautiful
and mysterious mantilla."

HATS, BOOTS, AND BREECHES.

SbT

The dress of the men was more showy and elab-
orate: a broad-brimmed hat tied round with parti-
colored cord or handkerchief; a shirt usually of the
finest linen, with a profusion of lace and embroidery
on the breast; a cotton or silk jacket of the gayest
hues, with frogs on the back and numerous buttons
on breast and cuffs; the pantaloons split on the outside
from the hip to the foot with a row of buttons on
either edge of the opening, which is laced nearly down
to the knee; and a silken belt round the waist serving
the purpose of braces. Under the pantaloons peer
out full linen drawers, with boots of untanned deer-
skin, the one on the right leg invariably forming a
sc:il)bard for a knife.

Heeled boots, de ala 6 de talon, were used of deer
or calf skin, and chieflv made in California. The
upper part of the boot was secured with silk bands of
viuious colors. The shoes were called berruchi and
za|»atoncs. The berruchis were laced on the side, the
zapa tones in the centre of the foot with cords or thongs.
Wlien women went out to ride, Serrano says, they
put on the head a broad sun cloth, white or colored,
and ornamented at the four corners with embroidery
of silk, gold, silver, or beads. This was intended to
keep the face cool by its fla])ptng; over it was placed
a wide straw hat as a protection from the sun ; at the
ri^lit side she carried her silk shawl or rebozo, a part
of tlio dress that is highly esteemed and great care
taken of

It was regarded as ill-bred to expose the ears, and
so the long hair was allowed to cover them. Says
tlie ( alifomiian, in April 1847: "For a month past
tlie (piestion has been agitated among the wcnnen,
S'lall they, or shall they not, adopt the use of bormets?
Fi-.im present indications the ayes have it. Who
will supply them?"

At Angeles twenty-six years later we find a bride-
j?i 'om at a fashionable wedding dressed in a yellow
liat of vicuna-skin, adorned with heavy bands of cha-

FOOD, DRESS, AND DWELLINGS.

quira beads of different colors, \s^ith tufts of the same
material, the falda or skirt almost covered below witli
heavy silver galloons. A wide chaqueta, or jacket, of
green satin, with large flaps, was ornamented with
buttons of Mexican pesetas, the eagle on the face.
Vest of yellow satin, with pockets de cartera, buttoned
with gold escuditos, worth $1 each, eagle facing out-
ward. Wide breeches of red velvet were sometimes
seen, reaching to the knees, where they were fastened
by silver hebillas on the side. The bragueta, which
revealed itself at every movement, was set with
pesetas, one of which, of copper and very large, called
atrancador, bore an inscription which decency forbids
a mention of here. Some of the people displayed
botas of deer-skin, of natural color, reaching to the
knee, where they were secured with green silk bands,
tied in a rose, with pendants holding figures of cats,
dogs, dolls, etc., of chaquira beads and gold and silver
thread, called alinos. Where the botas ended began
the shoe, which was pointed upwards, with colgaduras
covered with tinsel figures, generally roses, which
were introduced between the coverings and fixed witli
cement ; the rest was covered with embroidered green
silk manga, tastefully braided — terciada — of blue fine
cloth, with red lining. The opening for the head,
called muceta, was bordered with black velvet of oval
form, with silver galloon around and pendones of the
same stuff. The hair, according to the prevailing
fashion, fell in a braid over the jacket, ending in a rose
of green ribbons. He used a mechero to hold the
cigarrito of native tobacco and maize leaf, with flint and
steel weighing an ounce. From the end of the media,
or wick, hung a bead doll, well worked, one cuarta in
size, and perfumed with Peruvian balsam.

The bride wore a tunic of yellow satin, adorned he-
low with green stripes; white satin shoes called Ixr-
ruchi, pointed upwards ; stockings of flesh-colored silk;
pafloleta with green points, triangular, with a green silk
flower in the end falling over the back and secured

I '

CLOAK AM) SPUBfl.

over the breast with a similar flower; black niascada
gathered like a turban on the head, surmounted by a
crown of white artificial flowers, closed by costly
Chinese silk of different colors, with figures of birds,
fruit, etc.; ear-rings of false pearls and necklace of the
same.

A writer on Santa Bdrbara speaks of the prevailing
costume of the country as consisting of "a broad-
brimmed hat, usually black, with a gilt or figured band
round the crown, and lined with silk; a short jacket of
silk or figured calico, the European skirted body-coat
being never worn; the shirt usually open at the neck ; a
waist-coat, when worn, always of a rich quality ; the
trousers, wide, straight, and long, usually of velvet,
vilveteen, or broadcloth, occasionally knee-breeches
are worn with white stockings; shoes of deer-skin are
used ; they are of a dark brown color, and being made
by the Indians, are commonly nmch ornamented;
braces are never worn, the indispensable sash twisted
round the waist serving all their purposes; the sash
is usually red, and varies in quality according to the
means of the wearer; if to this is added the never-
failing cloak, the dress of the Californian is complete.
The latter article of dress, however, is a never-failing
criterion of the rank or wealth of its owner. The
cahallero, or gentleman aristocrat, wears a cloak of
black or dark blue broadcloth, with as much velvet
and trimming on it as it is possible to put there ; from
this, the cloaks gradually descend through all grades
until the primitive blankco of the Indian is reached.
The middle class wear a species of cloak very much
resembling a table-cloth, with a large hole in the cen-
tre for the head to go through; this is often as coarse
as a blanket, but it is generally beautifully woven with
various colors, and has a showy appearance at a dis-
tance. There is no working-class amongst the Span-
iards, the Indians doing all the hard work ; thus a
rich man looks and dresses like a grandee, whilst even
a miserably poor individual has the appearance of a

400

POOD, DRESS, AND DWELLINGS.

broken-down gentleman ; it is not, therefore, by any
means uncommon to see a man with a fine figure and
courteous nip, mer dressed in broadcloth or velvet, and
mounted on a noble horse, completely covered witli
trappings, who perhaps has not a real in his pocket,
and may even be suffering from absolute hunger."

Many Californians wore silver spurs, and plated
work on their saddles and reins; and on arriving at
the house of a friend, they would give the servant a
dollar to take off their spurs. General Vallejo says
that after tlie discovery of gold he used to fling the
boy who held his horse an ounce, equivalent to sixteen
dollars. Later tlie general would have been glad to
have had some of those ounces back in his pocket.

"Leading Californians," Torres remarks, "as Gueria,
Alvarado, Vallejo, Alvarez, always wore short hair
since I knew them, while the middle-blood people
wore it long." A popular hau was the sombrero de
vicuna, yellow, with wide rim, and a crown four or
five inches high. They were not flexible, but were
light. On the rim round the crown lay a coil of gold
or silver braid, while some persons placed an emerald
where tlie coil united. A hat without a coil cost $40 ;
but after the conquest an imitation very similar to the
vicuna was introduced, which at first brought the
same price as the real article, and then fell to half an
ounce. Americans liked them for their comfort.

Thus we see that although the appetite was moder-
ate, vanity ruled high, as displayed in elaborate and
costly trappings and attire, and that here, as in the
animal kingdom, the male donned the gayer pluma!4o.
To this love of finery, the trading vessels pandund
by bidding freely for hides and tallow with articles of
fancy and utility. While supplying cloth and ribbons,
however, they could not dictate the fashions, wliifli
followed those of Mexico, although there they were
greatly modified by Europe.

The true import of home, that great promoter of

HOME SURROUNDINGS.

401

culture, was little understood. The Californian lived
ill the open air and in the invigorating sunshine. The
li»\v, one-story dwelling of adobe, or mud and sticks,
was reserved for sleep and storage. Notwithstanding
the gleaming whitewashed walls and bright tile roof,
it lacked allurements, and was devoid of the romantic
aspect so widely attributed to Anglo-Saxon country
houses. Xo pretty creepers, no infolding grove, no
shady trees in close proximity, no ornamental garden
fringe, to relieve the desolate bareness, which was in-
creased bv the absence of architectural decorations,
and by the smallnes-s and de|»th of the window open-
ing, seldom glazed, and often barred. This conibined
dearth of taste and carelessness was a Spanish inher-
itance.

Tlie door opened frequently into an only room, with
day floor, for lumber was costly from the lack of
mills. The simi)le furniture consisted of a bench or
two along the walls, perhaps some chairs plaited with
rawhide thongs, a table; in one corner a stretcluT
with a hide cover for a bed, perhaps curtained off in
the absence of walled partitions. The low walls were
relieved with a looking-glass, some gaudy pi'ints of
martyrs, and a madonna image, or crucifix, with its
dim light which shed a gleam of solemnity through
the half-gloom of the corner, a guiding-star to loftier
thoughts. The Anglo-Saxon hearth was not to be
seen. The only fireplace was in a shed or separate
hut, partly because of the mild climate, partly from a
superstitious aversion to fires in dwellings. In this
hut could be seen a few pieces of pottery and in^n-
ware, and a hand-mill for grinding the daily sup})ly of
flour. Xear by hung the hammock wherein the lord
and master swunof himself into reverie while awaiting:
preparation f»)r the meal by the mistress and her
liaud maidens.

The guest was placed in possession of the premises
—theoretically; the key to the gate perhaps was
given him; the house was his own, and all its inmates

Cal. Past. 26

402

FOOD, DRESS, AND DWELUNGS.

were his servants. On retiring to rest, tlie family
united in pronouncing a benediction, and calling on all
the saints to guard him.

There was also a better class of houses, built after
the Spanish fashion, in squares, with small inner court
filled with luxuriant plants, watered by a fountain in
the centre. All around the court ran a corridor, ujioii
which opened the large, half-lighted rooms, witli low
ceiling, and furnished with something of barbaric
luxuriousness. The red-tiled roof w ith fervid stolid-
ity returned the sun's stare. Several of the richer
families possessed, after 1824, handsome bureaus, laryo
mirrors, tables inlaid with shells — all brought from
China or Peru.

The rancho house wa& of wood (palo parado), with
tule roof, and had at the most two divisions, one for a
sitting-room (sala y alcoba), the other for sleeping in.
If the family was large, they spread into both rooms.
Many houses had a door of sticks covered with an ox
or horse hide, but none had locks; nor was it neces-
sary to lock the door on the outside, for none wislied
to rob, and besides there was nothing to steal. If the
family were absent for some days, the things of value
were taken along, such as the trunk of clothes and
bed.

Some had beds of poplar (dlamo or alamillo) lined
with leather, and with it sheets, blankets, and cushions,
according to means. Others slept in big cacdisks,
.made of latitas with a hide on top. Others slept on a
hide. The furniture consisted of a table, a bench,
stools, whalebone seats, small cacdistes of reed, latita.

Outside the house were adobe benches (poyetes) at
least a vara high, often whitewashed like the wall.
Sometimes the whitewash was too difficult to obtain.

In some parts the kitchen was an adobe oven (lior-
nillas), upon which the pots were placed to cook.
Others had only stones to support the pots over the
fire.

" The houses," remarks a traveller, *' in all the

MISSIONS AND RANCHOS.

408

towns, are of one story, and are built of bricks. These
bricks are about four and a half inches square and
from three to four inches thick, hardened in the sun.
They are cemented by mortar made of clay, and the
wliole is of a common dii-t color. The floors are gen-
erally of earth, the windows grated, mostly without
glass, and the doors, which are seldom shut, open into
the common room, there being no passage or entrance
lialls. Some of the wealthier inhabitants, however,
have glass to their windows, and have their floors
boarded. The common houses have two or three
rooms which open into each other, the furniture con-
testing of a bed or two, a few chairs and tables, a
looking-glass, a crucifix of some material or other, and
a few small daubs of paintings enclosed in glass, repre-
senting some miracle or martyrdom. They have no
chimneys nor fireplaces to the houses, the climate
being such as to make fires unnecessary; all the
kitchens are detached from the houses. The Indians
do all the hard work, two or three being attached to
every house; and even the poorest amongst the
inhabitants are able to keep one at least. All that
lias to be given to these poor creatures is their food,
and occasionally a small piece of coarse cloth and a
bolt to the men, and a coarse gown, without either
shoes or stockings, to the females."

The mission children, Wilkes affirms, were for the
most part left to take care of themselves and run
abcmt naked and dirty. A large number died from
accidental falls from horses, which they rode from
earliest childhood. Amador sa3's: "When I was a
young man every one retired for the night at eight or
nine o'clock, immediately after supper. Each young
person of either sex slept in an apartment under lock
and key. The parents always arose very early in the
morning in order to open the doors, the father those
of the boys' apartments, the mother those of the girls'."

Although hospitable, the Californians seldom al-

404

POOB, BRESS, AND DWELLIKOS.

lowed strangers in their private t'aniily rooms. In the
houses of the wealthy there were rooms for strang^trs,
but they were not allowed to enter into familiar (mm-
versation with the young women. It was conniKui
for the Californian to sleep out of doors, when tlic
saddle-tree served as a pillow, while lying on the sad-
dle-cover with his serape over him.

Small children of both sexes had various games.
On moonlit nights they played gallina ciega, or blind-
man's buff; they rode wooden horses about the hill.-,;
they played vaquela, which consisted t>f throwing l)its
of stone, or the like, at a mark drawn on the ground
at a certain distance. There was also a game called
caiia, or tdngano, the American ducks and drakes,
a game which Roma^i children played, meta in ludo,
and to-day almost universal. On the result of the
game they bet buttons, encouraged so to do by tluir
elders, who staked money. Often urchins might he
seen without a button on their clothes, all having boiu
cut off by them and laid upon the altar of fortune.

A fondness for some particular name was frequent.
Thus, Juan Antonio Hernandez had three sons named
Jos^ Basilio, Jose Fernando, and Jose Antonio, while
two of his daughters were named Marfa.

Parents, or rather fathers— for the punishment
usually hurt the mother as nmch as the child — were
very strict with their children. A common way of
inflicting punishment was to oblige the youthful
wrong-doer, while his parents and playmates were
eating their noon meal at the table, to kneel before a
hide-covered stool, bearing an earthen plate, a tin cup,
and a wooden spoon, in one corner of the dining-room.
" It was a thousand times worse than flogging," says
Alvarado, "as I know by frequent experience; hut
we never used to increase the shame of it by laughing
at the culprit. And as soon as the father went out,
mother and brothers and sisters always hastened to
the one en penitencia, and gave him all the choice
food he could eat, besides their sympathy."

l! I

BOYS AND WOMEN.

405

And Yallejo laments: "In our day a boy would
liave been buried in the bowels of tiie earth sooner
than appear before his father with a cigar in his
luttutli ; but now it is common. Before the Americans
tame, our sons, meeting us on the street, came up re-
spectfully, and with hat in hand, said, 'Senor padre,
he saHdo de su casa con dnimo de ir con Fulano d dar
im pasco. I Me permite Vd. que continue divirtiendo-
1110 r If we consented, he saluted again, and went
away; but if we refused, he obeyed without a word.
Now, children say, 'conio te va, papd, d donde vas^'
TluMi, 'conio estd Vd., senor padre, que se le ofrece?'"

Writhig from Monterey, on the 1st of July, 1785,
to Diego Gonzalez, Governor Fagcs communicated
the following order by the comandantc general. It
being notorious that the officers and troops of the pre-
sidios conduct themselves among the missions with
yreat laxity and innnorality, very prejudicial from the
scandalous deeds committed with the Indian females,
the governor is ordered to prevent a contiimance of
siK'h evils, and to issue an order condemning such
jdactices, and imposing severe punishment to those
will) commit them, overlooking none in this matter.

The padre presidente, speaking to his Hock the Gth
of ^Tay, 1829, regrets the many promises given by
men to incautious women, often merely for the pur-
pose of enjoying the privileges of marriage. When
the men thereupon wish to marry others, the women
interposed objections. He finds the remedy in a ce-
dula of April 10, 1803, which orders that no tribunal
shall admit petitions regarding marriages unless cele-
brated by authorized persons, or promised by public
writing. Hence the women must know that no heed
will be given to their complaints, unless the promise
is proved by escritura publica.

iir
III

CHAPTER XIII.

AMUSEMENTS.

Vomm pone moras, et atndiuin Incri;
Kigronniique memor, duni licet, ignium,
Miaue stultitiam consiliis hrevcui:
Dulce eat dusipere iu lovo.

— Itornee,

The Californians were much given to divertliit,'
themselves. Iiulocd, to pass the time pleasantly, joy-
ouslv, was one of the serious consideratioTis amonjjf this
world's affairs, and was on a par with eating, drinkiiii;,
and religion, which latter was but the securing of a
happy existence in the heavenly kingdom, while busi-
ness, learning, and all that were but secondary aftlii is.
And why should they not devote themselves to wli:it-
ever they most enjoyed? Is not this the privik'i,n —
nay, the chief end — of man, of all animate things, tlic
butterfly and the bee, apes and women, and no ]( ss
the merchant, the politician, the preacher, and }>• il-
lor, and pig?

It is said by Senor Arnaz that the San Diego peo-
ple were very merry and fond of fandangos, while +li<»se
of Loii An<>cles were more reserved, and at Santa I^.;ir-
bara thoy •'/ere still more so, their superior gravity in
that quarter having a religious tint, due to the padiis
and to the great 13e la Guerra, the latter being n<>t
only the defender of Santa Bdrbara, but the consoL r
of the poor. During the later years of Mexican rr.k'
morals declined, as shown by the many bastard cliil-
drcn, sober Santa Bdrbara having her full quota ot
these. Entertainments were more common at 31 ou-

(406)

SAX DIEflO AND SANTA BXrRARA.

407

toroy, whoro tlio contact with stran«5oi'8, the presence of
tlicj^overnorand otticials, IiaclBtaniped the customs and
manners in accordance. Picnics (paseos al canux)) and
l)alls were frequent. Society was organizi'd and classes
separated; order and fun reigned at entt^rtainnients.
Cooper, Aniesti, and Abrego's liouses were tlie cen-
tres where halls were given on festival nights, with-
out ostentation or cost. At public balls rich wines
ill 1(1 delicacies were plentiful.

Picnics to the country were common, in which sev-
eral families joined, each contributing something, such
as chickens, stuffed turkeys, tamales, enchiladas, etc ;
usually a fat calf was killed on the spot and roasted
in the open air.

One or more carretas went in advance with provis-
ions. Elderly and married females went on horseback,
on their own saddles; the young women rode with the
young men, having a straw stirrup to rest the foot, the
man seated behind with an arm around the damsel to
support her, his hat on her head, while his head was
bare, or a handkerchief bound around it.

Arrived at the picnic-ground, all alighted, and the
fun began under the trees, eating, drinking, singing,
dancing, and games. For the picnic, mats covered
witli shawls were spread on the ground, and on these
wi'ie placed the eatables, wines, etc. On returning
to town, a ball was given in the house of some one of
the party, which lasted until the following morning.
Tlie young men supplied the wines. It was usual to
have a sui)per at midnight.

Sometimes on a picnic they would ride in wagons
drawn by oxen, and in returning various popular S(^ngs
Would be sung. If a violin or guitar player was pres-
ent, a friend would mount behind him to guide the
horse while he played. In the fruit season, people de
razon were always allowed to enter the mission or-
chards and gather fruit.

J)ona liefugio de Bandini speaks enthusiastically
ef tlio time when she was a irirl. "How often did we

AMUSEMENTS.

1 1

spend half the night at a tertulia till 2 o'clock in the
niorninjjf, in the most aarreeable and distinsjjuished so-
ciety. Our house would be full of company — thirty
or forty persons at the table; it would have to be sit
twice. A single fiesta might cost $1,000, but in thoso
days the receipts at my husband's store were $18,000
a month. The prettiest women were to be found at
San Diego."

The permission of the authorities had to be obtained
to hold a ball and illumination ; as for instance, the oiu-
at Carrillo's house, in honor of Fitch's return with his
bride in 1830.

Dancing was a passion with the Californians. It
affected all, from infancy to old age; grandmothers
and grandchildren were seen dancing together; tlieir
houses were constructed with reference to this anmse-
ment, and most of the interior space was appropriated
to the sala, a large, barn-like room. A few chairs
and a wooden settee were all its furniture. If a few-
people got together at any hour of the day, the first
thought was to send for a violin and guitar, and shoiilil
the violin and guitar be found together, in appropri-
ate hands, that of itself was sufficient reason to send
for the dancers.

In early times balls broke up at 10 or 11 o'clock
at night. Subsequent to 1817, or thereabout, the
keeping of such early hours began to be disregartUcl.
Finally the balls lasted the night through. In 1840,
on the occasion of the marriage of one of his sons,
Amador remembers that there was a ball at the house
of Sdlvio Pacheco, at San Jose, which lasted all night,
and until 9 o'clock in the morning, continuing again
at 8 in the evening of this second day, and kept
up all night. In 1843, at the marriage of another
son, dancing continued for three days and nights. The
supply of wine, aguardiente, and comestibles of all
kinds was unlimited.

of California dances and

)bably

analy

dancing is by Coronel, and dates from 1834. For a

PASTORAL DANCES.

409

««

ball, ho says, a large space in front of the house
selected was roofed with boughs, three of its sides
being covered with white cotton stuff adorned with
ribbons and artificial ilowers. The fourth side was
left open, and there horsemen collected in a group, a
strong fence preventing the intrusion of the horses.
Around, the three enclosed sides were seats for the
women. The musicians, consisting of a violinist, a
guitarist, and two or three singers, stationed them-
selves in a corner, where they were out of the way.

The master of ceremonies, or bastovero, was called
el tecolcro; from the first he was present organizing
everything connected with the ball. He led out the
women when they danced singly; beginning at one
end of the salon. Clapping his hands, ho took steps
to the music in front of her whom ho desired to call
out. She rising went to the centre of the salon, and
with both hands taking hold and extending her skirts,
began to dance to the sound of the music. After
taking a turn or two in the centre of the salon, she
retired and another took her place. In this way all
the women present were in turn called out, except
such as could not dance Or did not desire to do so,
and these, for compliment's sake, rose, and giving a
liand to the tecolcro, were by him turned and reseated.
While the women were dancinir, the men on horseback
ke[)t up a continual movement, and sky-larking, com-
ing and goin<^, and disputing places, each endeavoring
to force his lu^rse to the front.

If the piece were to be danced by a couple, the
horsemen who wished to take part dismounted, re-
ni(»ved their spurs, and hung them at the saddle-bow;
then, hat in hand, they entered the sakm, and took
out f'.acli the female selected. The piece concluded,
tlio women retired to their seats and the men re-
mounted.

Their balls the Californians called sones, and though
all were much alike, they varied in the song and in
the; e'Tcmonies. The jota was the favorite, and was
danced thus: Each cavalier took out a lady, and the

410

AMUSEMENTS.

couples faced one the other. The music commenced,
and the singers began their verses, or estribillos — a
kind of refrain of lyric couplets of not a very high
order of poetry — and immediately each set of couples
commenced to move the hands and arms capriciously,
taking care that this should last as long as the verse
lasted. Then the singers began an estribill'^, and all
the couples taking hold of hands formed in a circle a
chain, whereupon the men went in one direction and
the women in the other until partners met again, wJieu
each couple took its proper place. The singers tlioii
began another verse, and the couples began to make
different figures, but during the estribillo the move-
ments were as during the first. Of this da.nr e, the
step consisted in alternately raising the ftdt r.i ) liop-
ping gracefully in time with the music. ^^V!,, the
dancers understood this dance it was very ha^m luious
and graceful ; hence it was generally executed by the
older people who fully understood it, and because this
dance required in its execution a certain majestic grace.
The words of the verses were according to the caprice
of the singers, and perhaps came down from ancient
times. The estribillo was long or short, according to
the number of couples taking part in the dance.

The bamba was danced only by those women who
knew it, for it consisted of many intricate steps wliich
changed frequently. The most dexterous [)lacecl on
the head a tumbler of water; on the floor was pi;) cod
a handkerchief with two of the corners tied togcrher.
This handkerchief, the dancer while dancinif to<)
up with her feet and concealed about her person -
sometimes doing so with two or three handkercJdefs.
These she would afterward again place on the ihnn-.
All this she did without a single drop of water being
spilled. The feat concluded, the tecolero took from
her the glass of water, and amid frantic applause slie
returned to her seat.

The zorrita was danced by couples, as was the sot
from which it differed in that durini? the sinsifiiiL;
verse the men made to their partners signs or demon-

ZORRITA, ZOTA, AND FANDANGO.

411

strations in keeping with the sentiment of the verse.
During the estribillo each two couples, joining hands,
made a turn or chain. A second estribillo indicated
tlie time when the men gave a leap while clapping
tlieir hands. Los camotes was a dance somewhat
similar to the foregoing, though the time of the music
as well as the verses and movements were distinct.
This dance was characterized by very measured move-
ments, and at the end of the estribillo the man
saluted his partner, another taking his place. More-
over, the dancers also sang. El borrego was danced
by a man and a woman. When the music struck up
they began to take steps, and on the singing com-
mencing, each took out a handkerchief and made
motions with the hands appropriate to the sense of
the words — for if the verse said borrego, the man
feigned an attack on his partner, who made motions
with the handkerchief as if baiting a bull, capear; if
the verse said borrega, the r61es were reversed. El
burro was generally danced at reunions of persons
who were intimate, and toward the close of the diver-
sion. As many men as women took hold of hands
and formed a circle. Another person, cither man or
woman, took place within the circle as burro. When
tlie nmsic commenced, those forming the circle began
to dance about the central fiijure. Two or three verses
were sung, and at a certain word each man embraced
a woman, and the person who was left alone became
l)urro. In all these dances, there was a great variety
in the words of the versos and estribillos.

xlie ftindango was danced by a man and a woman.
It was necessary that he should understand the dance,
for after a jaleo with castanets, or if he did not know
how to use them, snapping his fingers, with changes
ami motions of arms, several walks were taken, while
the nmsic played and the singer finislied the verso and
estribillo. The music ceasing, the singer said boinba !
and the man had to recite a verse, generally of an
amorous character, to his partner — wliioli poetry was
good or bad according to the intelligence of him re-

AMUSEMENTS.

citing the same. On : repetition of the perfornianco,
the lady was the one who recited the verse. If slio
did not or could not do so, the man recited another
verse. Another man would then step forward, and
the tecolero would lead out another woman.

El jarabe is the national dance of the Mexican peo-
ple, and is of a capricious character, for many words
and airs being mingled, each change requires new steps
and movements. The tecolero selected a man and
woman who he knew could dance it well. Tluy
began to dance, and in tlie pauses between the diflcr-
ent airs the sincfers san<; verses according^ to the nmsic
which had just been playefl.

ia contradanza was a dance of the better class of
.-. lety. The partners sto )d in two rows — the men
facing the women. The nmsic was that of a slow
waltz — durinjj the first four bars the fij^ure was
formed, and during the next four waltzing took place.
The figures referred to were capricious, but genei .Jly
the same routine was followed. Young persons rarely
took part in this dance. The old women of the lower
class also had their popular dances. El caballo was
danced by a man and woman, who, when the nmsic
commenced, began to balance to each other. While
the verso was sunij, therr were movements of handkor-
chiefs. At a certain designated time the woman
seized her skirts before and behind as if about to
mount a horse, the man got astride of his handkii-
chief, and to the sound of the music they made move-
ments as if on horseback.

Torre says that the balls given at a celebration of
nuptials lasted regularly three days. The people atf,
drank, and danced day and night; while some rested
or slept, others continued the festivities. These balls
were given in arbors, the ground being well watend
and beaten level some days previor.s. The arbor was
lined inside with sheets, bed-covers, or other articks,
to exclude the wind ; around the sides were benches.
The women occupied one end, entirely separated from
the men. If the women were numerous and filled

MUSIC AND SONG.

413

tlio scats, the men would stand at the entmnce, which
was very wide, some on loot, others on horseback.
The musicians occupied a place assigned to them in
the middle of one of the sides. The tecolero went
around beating time with his feet and leading out the
females to dance. His method was to make pirouettes,
(»r clianges of place, accompanied by clapping the
liiuids. V ery soon the female came forward dancing,
wliile he made a turn around her like a cock around a
hen. The music consisted usually of two violins and
a guitar, which la :ter the plaj'er thrummed as hard as
he eould. Soon came out two or three singers, who
s(jU'»tted in front of the nmsicians to sing the air for
(liinci. ■••, for the greater part of the dance was carried
on to song accompaniment.

The female who came out to dance retired to her
place when she so desired, and the tecolero con-
tuiu'd beatiuix time with his feet and l)rini»ing out the
women one by one until he had exhausted the number.
Tiio woman who did not know how to dance well, or
ciiiild not for some other reason, came out, gave one
turn, and returned to her place.

It often happened that while a woman was dancing
(iiie or more men on horseback wt)uld enter the arbor
with glasses or bottles of aguardiente, wherewith they
spri'.kled the ground where she danced, at the same
time making their horses dance, and shouting, "£che-
las todas, mi alma; sabe que soy suyo, yo la amparo!"
Throw it all in, my darling; know that I am thine, and
will guard thee I Presently rows began, and scrim-
mages, and those brave ones went forth to fii^ht out-
side.

Ill the early days there was a dance called the con-
tradanza, very measured. The jota was the favorite
(lance among Californians. It was aeeompanied by
versi's and refrain. In the verse occurred certain
figures, and in the refrain a chain of hands. On oe-
• asidiis there were sixteen couples in the jota, and
never less than four. The refrain was lonjx when the

414

AMUSEMENTS.

, i:ii

couples were numerous. The verses were unlimited
iti number. For example, when commencing the jota
a verse such as the following was sung :

Piilomita, vete al Campo,

Y ilile & lo8 tiradores
Que no te tiren, porq'eres
La (lue&a de mis ainores.

Then followed the refrain :

El cuervo en el airo
Vuela vigilante
Vuela para atrds
Viiela y& delante.
Si la piedra es dura;
Tu ores un diamante,
Porque no ha podido
Mi amor ablandarte:
Si te hago un cariAo
Me haces un despreciO)

Y luego me dices
Quo yo soy el necio;
Coino si el quererte
Fuera necedad.
Pero anda, ingratota,
Quo algun dia cntre suefio
Tii to acnrdaras

Que yo ful tu dueflo.

There were various styles of refrain and verses sung;

Entro liis florea de lirio
No te pude conocer,
Que no parecias muger,
Sino Angel del Cielo empfreo.

Refrain :

Yo vide una rata
Con trcinta ratones,
Unoa sin ore j as,
Otros ore Jones:
Unoa sin narices,
Otros narizones.
Unos sin hocico
Otros hocieonea.
Maflaua me voy
Para los Sauzalea,
A ver & mi china,
La Rosa Morales.
MaAana me voy
Para Vera Cruz
A ver d mi chata
Maria do la Luz.
En fin el burreon
Siempre canta mal.
Pajaro lucido
Solo el Cardenal;
Falomita hlanca,
Pico de coral,
Llevale & mi duefi»
Este memorial.

JARABE AND JOTA.

415

T^e jarabe was also danced, in which two or four
persons took part, who endeavored to excel in the
shuffling of feet and sinj^fing of versos.

Then there were dances among the very low classes ;
these were the same, but with more license and lati-
tude. These generally ended with a fight, broken
heads, filthy language, and insults.

The dances changed somewhat with time; under
Echeandia it was customary to place a guard at the
entrance, those among respectable persons being gen-
erally held in the parlor of the government house.
For these there were invitation tickets issued, which
had to be shown to the sentry. All respectable fami-
lies, however poor, received invitations. Later, tliese
dances became demoralized, and respectable families
withdrew from them, holding balls only at their homes,
when some modern dances were introduced.

Amador, born in 1781, says : " When I was a young
man, the dances in vogue were the jarabe, the pon-
torico, the navaraba, the cuando, the queso, and other
airs (sones) which I do not remember." From Ama-
dor's use of the word son, it is evident that these were
names of different airs and dances, in faster or slower
time, a single couple, or several, occupying the tioor,
eacii individual introducing the steps he chose while
keeping time to the music. In fact, these dances re-
sembled minuets and the like, rather than modern
dances,

A ball always concluded with las cuadrillas or the
jota. The latter came from Spain, differing slightly
in the various provinces, that of Aragon being the
better known, and was a very quick, lively dance. It
resembled an English country-dance, or an American
Virginia reel — the men and women standing in long
lines facing each oilier — with which twenty years
since a country ball in the United States concluded,
and in some parts so continues to do.

Jn 1800 few houses had any other floor than the
bare earth. The owners would bring two boards,

416

AMUSEMENTS.

which were nailed upon three wooden horses, thus
forming a platform on which women might dame;
also tlioso of the men who danced well. The jaralx'
v.as danced by couples, two, tlirce, or four, wiio en-
deavored each to execute the most difficult and variiil
sLeps.

Kohinson describes a fandango at Bandini's liouso
in San Diego in 1829. Any one might attend without
an invitation. The room was some 50 feet lony; bv
20 wide, crowded along its sides. A mass of people
around the door shouted their approbation of tlie per-
formances. Two persons danced the jarabe, kee})ing
time to the nmsic by drununing with their feet, on
the heel-and-toe system. The female dancer stood
erect, with liead a little inclined to the right shoulder,
her bands holding her dress so as to show the execu-
tion of her feet. Her partner, sombrero undoft'etl,
rattled with his feet with wonderful dexterity. His
arms behind bis back secured tlie points of his scrape.

Dye, who came to California in 1832, gives the fol-
lowing about ball-room customs, wiiich, he says, wei-e
co'.nnjon among the highest and lowest. Indeed, in
earlier days there was very little class distinction;
the poor and rich associated on equal terms, and at-
tended the same parties, "excluding oidy such persons
— especially women — as were known to be lewd, or of
notoriously bad conduct in other respects." This state
of things changed in later years, however, and class
e'.lctinction grew clearly defined — say from 1 840 to
ir jO. Fornierl}' private soldiers and their wives were
fill.>wed at the best balls, but afterward such a thini,^
wcs never seen.

When a woman was a skilful dancer, she had a
piod o})i)ortunity to display her graces. The nuu
would become enthusiastic and applaud her, and as
a mark of particular appreciation would place their
hills on her head, one on top of the other; and win ii
her head could boar no more, she would take the lints
in her hands, dancing all the time; still more hats,

BALL-ROOM CUSTOMS.

417

, were
'ud, in
K'tioii ;
jid tit-
le rsons
or of
state
class
l40 to
WrVO

,tiiiii<^'
had a

IIU'U

lid as

I their

^vlieii

liats

lliats,

and even coin, were tlirown at lier feet, and when she
returned to her seat these were jj^athcred up hy the
tecolero and brought to her. All the hats in lier pos-
isession liad to be redeemed by tlie owners with coin —
each one paying what he pleased, from two reales to
five dollars.

Wlien the ball broke up, the men accompanied the
women to their homes, playins; music. When the
female eliMncnt had been disposed of, the men went
into the street on horseback, and sang to music more
or k'ss vulgar songs. Tired of this, they would ri«le
to the fields and lasso or colear (seize by the tail) the
stock; or tiny would watch in the streets for some
annual to give it gand)ia with the lasso from opposite
sides. The men would fre(|uently leave the ball at
intervals to buy brandy at the tienda.

"At a party in Santa Barbara," says Garcia, writ-
inn" in ls;5(), "the band was brought by the ship Qni-
ph\ consisting of six negroes, with a bombo, two tam-
1 tores, a timbal, and two clarinets, all of fearful
tlix'oi'd. Thonjpson's house was lighted up by 8 P. m.,
with six talh^w candles placed along the wall in
candlesticks. Soon the most pronunent families bc-
)IM\ to arrive, and the music starttMl, a violin, a guitar,
and two singers. The negroes could l>lay (»nly for
eeitaiu dances. There was a motley of colors, which
IVoni the mingling presented a fine app(>arance.
Tliere was also a figure in mask, general!}' black,
will eh was termed camorra, if with turban. If the
mask was narrow, of small surface, like a mere band
^vitll a knot in front, it was called melindre. When
the director shouted vataa! vataal each ])erson rushed
I'T liis partner. At II or ll:oO, supper was an-
nounced, consisting of tongue, olives, bread, cheese,
and Mine. After this dancinsj: was resumed. At
last the ball concluded with the canastita de fioi-cs,
iDiisisiiiig of a ring formed by all the dancers, who
'inicd around, singing. At the last word, each man
lushed forward to embrace the girl he loved. As a

Cal. Past. 27

418

AMUSE MKXTS.

nil , f^ome fomalo was I'.^ft in tlic cold, nirl ])ocaino i].o
clucuu do las biirhis. This was repeated S"veral tiims.
so tliat tlio diKM^ia Avas rlituii^ed."

Doctor ^Maxwell, lonL'C a j)roinitient physician it)
San Fraiiclseo, wrltiiiL: in 1843, says: "We, tin- i-tH
cers of the squadron, gave a ball at the '^overnnniit
h(3iise. At that time the female population of ^fun-
terey had never tasted eak«,', niince-pie, or anytliiii':;
of tliat sort, and the stewai'ds of our nu^sses were sict
to wo)'k niahin'j; all kinds of delit'aeies of the kind fur

tlie supper. Our ^fad^'ira wine was all ex])end('d. so
we were ohlijied to deiieiul on whiskev-toddv, \\\'v\
the ladies thou_^ht very fine, and some of them i'l-
dulged in it rather too freely. At the 1)all wnv m
number of American hunters, who had come to toAvn
because of our presence there. Captain Armstroii'^'s
dancing w;is ver\' vigorous, and the perspiration rollcfl
d(;wn his cheeks. The natives called h.im T)r;izos
Fuertes.

"These peo])le had the most extraordinary' cu-fi'His:.
They Wf)ul(l come on board ship and dance all <l,iy,
and we would go ashore and dance all night. TIkv
would sit down to tal)le, and every woman v.c.nld
spread her handki'rchitf in her lap ; whati'vcr \\v b;ifl
on the table they would eat a part of, and car!-y ort'
the rest in their handkerchiefs — nuts, fr>'S, evervtliiii','.
Their manners were exceedingly primitive." The
doctor went still further with some pin in relnt'')ii';
Ind(Hxl, these people, in their unsophisticated v.; v>.
would do things sometiuK^s that would b'j consid^ivil
improper by our more prudish people.

Every Saturday at the missions the neophyti^s Imrl
a ball. Some missions had a separate place fcv ^1'"-^:
at others the dance went on in the field. Wlierv ;i
place was s(^t aside, it consisted of a rotunda, ten yin!>
or mon; in diameter, formed of poles, separated fn^m
one another, which supported a tulo roof.

MISSION INDIANS.

410

TliG ball l)o«j:au about isunsct. Tlic music consisted
ipf di'Uin, lu)iu truiupcts, and small sticks, like cas-
tanets, wliicli set up a terrific lium-drum. A fire
W;is ]ii;-bti'd In tlie I'l'utre of tlie danelng-[)laee, and sev-
eral outside Ibr the audience.

The dancers were usually men, covered with a luin-
cloth, and lines (jf black, blue, and red colors over the
body and face. On the head they wore a liat with
various feathers, k^aeh held a stick taller than lilni-
scir. Tliey ])laced thenist.lves In file, and be^an to
cir( h' round the fire to the music, making contortions
and gi'imaees, and shouting somewhat lllce sailors
liiuviniif the anchor. After a while the leader of the
fiK' W(»uld throw a li\'o sjtarrow-hawk (ga\ llan) Into
ihe fire, whieli all turned witli tlieir poles wliik:
dancing, so as to roast It wt.ll. Wlien done it was
lalved out to be distributed.

l)urln<f tlie dance an Indian arrived as fromaiiTcat
(j'stancc, covered with feathers, and on his head
pluines bigger than tliose of the rest. On seeing him
ii.l s'uieked in afright, and ran to hide. Amid the
.-'nlt'ks tlie name of cueusuy (devil) was distlnetly
l.uard. Cueusuy retired after a few moments to hide
I fhiud the trees, wheiu-e he utteied dies at Intervals,
in iiiiitation (jf some animal. WJieii ho de|)arted the
(liUii'crs resumed, the ball eontinulng until the mayor-
(.1(11 iH) ordered all to bed.

J)uhaut-Cilly in ib'l-i saw twelve mission Indians
(.In ssed in a long sliirt, and feathers on the head,
('aiice in wonderful accord, strikin;/ tlie <;round with
i-licks, gesticulating with arms and eyes, making signs
(f love, hate, terror. The body was kept C'Ved, the
l.iucs soniewliat bent. The scene was ligjil^.d up b}'
torches. The ondiestra fornual a half-circle of women
.'^uiiMunded bv a row or two of dilettanti. The liar-
iiiciiy was plaintive and wild, mcjvuig the nerves
I'iitlicr than the soul. While the actors rested, a
lidiii was blown to drive away evil spirits; the padres
winked at these scattered pagan superstitious.

''1 11

1 I

;■!

410 AMUSEMENTS.

Three days of (laiiciiio; at Sonora re rated tlic
treaty between Vallejo and Succara. "Oh," e.\( laiins
the autocrat, "with wliat joy I pass in review thf
scenes at wliich I was present in those happy days!
Althou^li tliirty-eiglit years have passed, I renieniltt r
with pleasure the j^raeeful movements <»f the pi( tty
dau«^liters of the Suisun warriors, and tlie wives of
the fierce chiefs of the Sotoyomes in the diiiKc
The dances were much more charminj]^ than tliose
invented by the boasted modern civihzation; and
their manner of dress was so simple as to leave
exposed to the view of the curious the larujer part (it
the dancer's body, and they presented a tout ensumhle
to cause a thrill, and give one an idea of the terresti ial
paradise."

In 1837, at San Jose, a fandancjo required the pn -
vious permission of the algalde. Owners or occupants
of the house where held were responsible, jointly with
the authors of the ball, for disorders. In a non-
licensed dance, the first oflcnce was a ■ of $'20 ami
the stoppai^e of the festivity. After first (ttl'tiKo

there should be an increase of fine and punishment dis-
cretionary with the alcalde.

In 1889 there was a municipal decree in force at
Santa Barbara, to the effect that whoever gave a hall
hi his house should pay $1, or be fined $2. Day ili-
versions were exempted; likewise ])arties at niirlit
when the number did not exceed three families, and
the hour not beyond 10 p. M.

In 184G the citizens of Los Angeles seemed dissat-
isfied with the fine of $2 upon Indians for every tUn-
dango.

In 1821. the waltz was prohibited by the chuivli,
under penalty of excomunion mayor. Nevertheh >s,
Juan Bandini introduced it in California in 1830, and
it was danced that same year at a ball given by tl'.e
governor to the diputacion at Monterey.

In the mission of San Cdrlos de Monterey, gtnor-

INAUGURATION CP:REM0NIES.

421

ally known as the Carmclo, situatoil aWout throe miles
from the capital, resided the jj^reut theolojifian, Fray
Vicente Francisco de Sarria, and his abh^ sccretarv,
Fray Estevan Tapis, the f'onncr at that time jjresidcnt
nt" the missions. On the <lay appointed for the festivi
ties on the inau<j^iiration of the last Spanish ^•ovcrnor of
the Californias, Don Pahlo Vicente de Sola, in 1810,
the astute father jj^ave orders to all the missionaries
te attend, and each to hring with liim whatsoever he
tli(»u<j^ht mijjfht add to the entertainnn'nt. Therenpon
eiie of the two missionaries then attached to each mis-
sion attended. The late actin*^ governor, Aroiiello,
liad also issued orders to the connnanding officers of
tlie military posts, and to the military commissioni'rs
of the towns, to be present at the ceri'mony. The
couuuidante of Monterey made ready for the great
occasion the ])laza of the presidio, 200 varas sijuare,
with houses of adobe, tile-roofed, and surroundtnl bv a
wall twelve feet in height. The })lace was entered by
a huge gate, which was locked and tlu' kiys deposited
witli the comnmnding ofticer of the principal guard
t very evening at sunset. In the centre of the pla/.a
weie constructed broad covered corridors or yfallerii's
supported by strong pillars. All the habitation build-
ings were classified as quarters for the commanders,
olficers, and soldiers, who were mostly men of family.
Oil this occasion they ornamented the place M'ith pine
and other boughs, placed along the front of the gal-
leries, and so arranged that the })lace presented a very
attractive appearance. The church standing f»u one
si<le, as well as all the other edifices and trees, shone
liiiHiant from liohts placed within clav vessels. In
the centre of the }>laza stood the llag-stafl* at the top
"f which waved the S[)anish ensign with its lion of
Castile.

' hi the following day, about twenty priests, with
their president, were in attendance at the church to

• haiit a te deum, assisted by thirty Indian musicians

• ollected from the different missions, together with an

FEASTLNG AND GAMES.

423

ml )a it
iers nf

tmv ;
:-lu-iiii,
at'mns.

J''ui;i

<■• In

> llu'

will)
i/.lllLi"

ivte>,
■ l!:c
self,
ell, at
1 tliut
t.i !iis

sul'tlo
y.'Uii;;

liii" — to kiss the hand of his soiioria in the nauic
of t]i(}ir })areiits, accordin^jf to custom. Anions; tiiose
]>i<)tnin(M)t for their beauty and iiianner wnv Mao-
tlaiciia liistudillo, Ma*i,(lalcna Valltjo, and Jusuhta
Estrada. I-pon tiie word, the lirst named stepped
forward and informed his seiloria that she and her
companions liad come on belialf of tlieir ])arents and
iriends, to tender to his scnoria ^heir fehcitaiions
on Ills accession to the ijovernment of the peniusuhi.
All these ^irls were dressed in the heiglit of eh'^'ance,
jiicording to tlie usages and fasliions of tlie times;
llii.v kissed the governor's Jiorny liand, and the fat,
lial»l.y hands of the missionaries. Tlie good governor
Jiked it, and would not have objected to more. The
]iriests were accustomed to it. The governor, (d'
cninse, was overwhelmed at the sight of so nmch
gathei'ed loveliness. He invited them to take seats,
addressed them in a[)pro}»riate terms, and Illkil with
uratitude, he caused his orderly to brinsi' into the
r( i( |)ti<,)n-room several l)eautiful boxes that lu; had
iiiought from ^lexico, containing sweetmeats, one of
wliich he gave to each of the lovely damsels, who
I'll rru])on r"tlretl, ■.veil satisfied at having thus fuliilled
so pleasing !i,nd important a duty.

the governor and suite then repaired to the dining-
inoiii, wher.; was ready an a}nl>/;/n, or luncheon, con-
sist iiig of dt»mestic and game birds, conlials a!id wines,
Iresh and jtreserved fruits, the production of the south-
( vii ])art ot' the ])eninsula, ))r'oniiiunt amongst the nii-c
things being tlie t)h\es of iSan JDieg(», the oranges and
pomegranates of San (iabriil, the tigs, ]>ituhayas, and
jii'i served (Kites of Lower California, and the wines of
I'll' San J''<'rnando mission, whose pailri'S so well
ini<ier>tood the l)U.>-iness that the like of tliem has
H' \er been repeate(. to this day. The table was fur
tlur set otf with roses and other llowers from JJou
f cjipo (iarci'a's garden, about half a mih; east ol" the
|'!'sidit). \)i)\\ Fi'lipe was (|uitc aged, liaving liteu
"11' of the lirst settlers of the capital. l*resent were

424

AMUSEMENTS.

throe of Lis oliarming white daugliters, \vliito as snow
and with rosy cheeks, and black liair reaching down to
their ihi^t. And such waa its profusion tliat their
necks had grown thick in carrying it. His worshii)
was (juite struck witli tlie niagniticence of tliis ban(|U(t,
which displayed such liberality and good taste. Tlic
bread and cakes were of wheat tlour from the mission
of San Antonio, fan\ous over all others in the country
for its good quality. After the ambigu, which was
about 1 P. M., and the toasts and usual com[)linu iits
being over, as the quantity of viands left was so great,
orilers were given to put up tables, and call in the }»op-
ulace to eat and be tilled. About five hundred wiiv
thus fed, and there was still food enougli left to 1;l'lji
the otHcers in good humor for a i'ortnight.

The commandant now informed the governor tliat
the soldiers, dresF'^d in their vaquero's garl), wcic
ready to exhibit before his worship their customary
entertainment. The governor expressing his assent,
forthwith four riders mmmted on Hery steeds enttittl
the plaza through tiie great gate of the [)resi(Ho. Tin y
were covered with an embroidered cuirass, and an aii-
quera with bells. They were not alone, but \vitli
them were two large black bears; four other horsr-
mcn drove in two fii-rce bulls, which were to be made
to fight. The crowd shouted and made their btt
The native musicians loudly sounded tlu'ir violins,
fiutes, and drums. After the figlit was over, the gov-
ernor was told bv the comandante that thi'se Iteasts
were continuallv coming down fr(.)m the high nioun-
tains and destroj'ing cattle, and that the inhabitants
had no nutans of exterminating them. A ball was
amiounced for the evening, and the padres tot>k tin ir
departure.

Two days later, the governor, with his eseoit of
ofHeers, soldiers, and private persons, repaired to tlic
San Ciirlos mission, proceeding by the Calvario loid.
Tliis road went through a dense forest of pine, ahout
a thousand varas from the mission buildings. In ihf

AT THL MISSION CHURCH.

425

forest were placed manv ofreat crosses, slnfiiificaiit of
( 'lirist'.s sufleriiiLifs. They had not procccdeil far, when,
liilioldl a hand of holy men appeared, to tlie nuniher
(if twenty, all woarinj^ newly washetl robes, and at-
tended by a multitude of young Indians, who also
liad on their dress of acolytes. The vaniifuard of
the acolotists Avas closely followed by tlie padres
marching" in two wings, and in the centre, u[>on a
grand platform, was set a crucifix; next came a
lioi'de of whitewashed savages, to the number of two
tliousand, each carrying a branch in his hand. The
ii'overnor was escorted by twentv-five cavalrymen in
full uiiii'orm. Behind the escort came a goodly num-
ber of ft'males of all ages, and all mounted on fine
liurscs. The governor and his officers stopjx'd. alighted,
ami walked to the centre, where the crucifix was pre-
sented by the president of the missions, llfs wor-
?lii[>, and the officers one by one, kissed the leet of
that c'ffigy, and then rei)aireil to the temple. The
acolytes kept burning incense in a large number (»f
silvt r thuribles. The church ceremony consisted of a
srruKMi preached in Spanish and in Ii> lian by the vir-
tuous Fray Juan An)oros.

When ( V>siromitinofl' came to San Francisco with
the Hussian governor in 1842, ho gave a ball <»n board,
t'l which iill the families around wore invitt d, the ship
heiiig fitted for the occasion, and with burning ]>or-
funies to deaden the smell of the Kodiaks. Koal
sherry wine was ottered in honor of the Califoiniaiis
rt the bancjuet preceding the ball. Arnaz savs that
Iridic Quijas came and changed dress with him, he
takiug the priest's robe and dancing the (juudrille
with iiim, to the enjoyment of the girls.

So great was the res[)ect f »r pan-nts in California
tliata young man would never dance in their ])reseiice
until permitted. They were not allowed to jt»in a ball
bt Tore twenty, although they may have learned to
(laiiee in the alsi'uce of their parents. After ltS;;i the
tu.st(nu became less strict. JJalls wore begun by the

42G

AMUSEMENTS.

older people, no 3'^oung person taking jiart unless mar-
ried. When tlie old men retired, then the more ad
vanrcd youth entered.

Ji;irkiii gives the following as the cost of a ball:
2 dozi'ii wine, .^li); 1,', dozi'u beer, $13.50; ^O pits,
s!:i; cake, ^12; box raisins, 84 ; cheese, $1.50; U \^^t-
tles aguardient(>, $i:i.50; nmsic, $25; i) pounds sperm
candles, $1); comichi, s5; 5 j>ouiids cftfl'^e, .i?2.5'); (i
pounds sugar, $:]; servants, $4. Total, $125.

After tids was a sham fiiiht of the Indians, t' rnii-
nating with their looseniufji; the striiiLi's of their bov.s,
;ind laying their arms at the feet of the governor as
a mark of .-lubmission. The Indians were dismissed
after presents of beads had been distributetl among
them.

( )n the arrival at San Dit-go of the Ilijar colony, a
ball was given in their honor by Jose Antt)ino Aguine,
and another by Juan J^<tcha. After the CaliforisiaiiS
had dane(Hl their sones, ami other antiquated and'ks,
the new-conn^rs perfoiaued th.e more modern move-
ments in vogue at the ca|)ital. For the first time tlie
wait/, the c]nadrill(>, and the i-ontradanza were m;i.! '
known to the people of Calif )rnia.

Tht.' following is a litend translation of a print' d
invitati(.n toal)aJl: "Jos('' Figueroa, J<ise Antoiii"
Carrillo, i^io l^ico, Joaijuin Ortega, and the lieontiat.'
Kafael (/('mie/,, retjue-^t your attendance at S o'eloek
this eveiiinnf, at a bnll that v, ill be ii'iven at the hoiiM'
of the first named, to congratulate the dhvctors cf
colonization and their estimable fellow-travellers, the
eleetioii of d(>[mt;es for th(> tiM'iitory, and tiie country
U[>oii its enjoyiiient of miion and pi-ace. M()ntci'iy,

!. Is;l4. ("it!

xen

.^[;

inano Ijonilla

All ( 'alif(»rnians could make shoes ami play tla'
vihu'la or guitar. I^nciv niu'lit thev passed tlii'tii-li
the streets '''ivuig seri'iiades and sinuin'-' wluit occuiicd
to them. One soif-' ran :

o
Yi ii.'iriil 1 I riti- li'n rntonc>:.
Uuuii biu uabLxi — y iitrub cubuzoiiea.

II ISTORIC IN.STRU-MENTS.

lilt'

(■(H\

i»

i'uit

^ »

1,:.

•k

-r

<'f

. 1^

i,try

The airs playctl at liall.s wne v\ malciiado, <■] alor-

ratlo, ol a'lullo, (1 tu/;a. ol iiiaracuinlic, la va(

iui

a, etc-

MoNt iiuu could ]dav instruments and sin*'-, so that niu-
sicians were easily relievi-d at a party. At San (Mrl'»s
in the inventory of" rliureh pro[terty of !84:'5 a[)[

thn

CO vioinies, one vioion, one

tatuh

ear

)ra, and one tnan-

Allf).

All throuc^h these pastoral d;iys there was present
the material for a hundred pastor.d ])oems, oidy there
v;a;:5 not present any discovered Tlieocritus or Virgil
to v,-rite them.

.Vr!ia/ state

-ni

some of which points he is mis-

L-IU-

takeii — that the usual instruments were A-iolin-
tirs, and some clarinets and harps. The p!'>'HM'r
jlano was played by Manuel Jinieno. Santa Ijiirhava
Mas foremost in havinu' the •••uitar, (!uillirm<» ( 'ariillo

H Ul

1
til

play

er.

<>1

•era musie was nt

>t 1<

nown,

hut

le wonuMi could play and snii;' J'retty S}>ani<li songs.
Tiie Soheranes <>'ii'ls had no musical kn-'wled^e, vet
til- y sang well. The hest violin and harp players
Were at Angeles; the hani i)lavei'3 were from ^Irx-

o, one Jjopi'Z liemg promn

|| u

t. Tl

le vio

lini-t-

Wel'

( alifornians, the best heing the Mrst Imsl^and of
Sl'phen Forster's wife. TIu' missions had orchestras
ef Indians taui-'ht by the padres, coiisistln-'' usuallv of
one ])oinbo, one drum, one tria!V4lo, one violin, sev-
crd base viols, and one tlute. Tli'- ])lavers saiiLir also

l!l

the choir, assisted by (.»thers. Although a.t tim

'OOf

1 compass, yet it was ofteti dissonant, b(>th in
l>l:\ing and sin<'in'jr. The Trdians could not ^-i-asi)
nuisic. Tl!e\' were iicver call"d to nhn' at a baJl : there
til" guitar and vidhn were connnonly uslcI, and at rare
tiui's the band was brouglit from a man-of-war.

Xotwithstanding what Aiiia/ says. San ( Jabriel
liad an orchestra of Indians who }>layed ilute-, guitars,
violins, drums, tiiano-lcs, and cvmbals, A1I other

missions had more or |i

H'Ol )(

1 oreh.cstras and sinuers.

K\"''rvtliing played in tlie temple W.as c-dl. d a minuet.
Joa(|uin Carrillo, father in-law of A'allcjo, was an

■ ni

428

AMUSEMENTS.

accomplished violinist. When a soldier he was ono.
night playing at a ball at the house of Comandaiitc
Kuiz at San Diego. Ruiz was fond of a certain air,
wiruh ho ordered CarriUo to })lay; and because he
thought the latter too long in tuning his instrument,
Ruiz ordered him put in the stocks, and sent the
guests home, it being then about midnight.

While Commodore Jones was at ATonterey, many
balls were given in his honor by Larkin and otlnis.
On one occasion Larkin borrowed of Abreijo onr of
the three first piamxs brought to California. They
were brought from Baltimore by Captain Smith, one
sold to Jose Abrego, another in San l^edro to Eulogio
Celis, and the third to M. G. Vallejo at San Fran-
cisco. Aijrego granted the request, but suggisttil
that a piano would not be of much use, since no nw
knew how to play on it. Rut to the surprise of all,
it was solemnly affirmed, the boy Pedro Estrada sui-
ceeded in phu'ing the instrument, althougli he had
never touched one before! It was proposed to si nd
the boy to Mexico to be educated in nmsic, but the
advice of David Spence prevailed, who thought a cai--
penter more useful than a musician.

Most of the instruments used in the mission choii-s
were made at the missions, and were consequently
rude and inferior. The ancient po])ular songs of the
Californians were introduced from Sonora.

Their ])assion f )r nmsic is aptly illustrated In' an
incident of the war. California once conquered, tlic
ITnited States authorities adopted the judicious polii y
of conciliathig the ^Texican element in everv wav
possible. Rights of property were respected, and the
people were invited by proclamations of anniesty and
protection to return to their homcb, and no vioUiico
should be ofl'ered to any. The commodore, wluu
at Los Aiigeles, even went so far as to request (^ip-
tain Rhelps, long a trader on the coast and a man
familiar with the ways of the people and possess! n.;
their confidence, to visit them in their hiding-places,

POWER OF MUSIC.

429

iissure them of safety, and induce them to come forth.
Ca{)tain Phelps ri'plied: "You have a fine hand of
iiuisir; such a thin«^' was never before in tiiis country.
Let it phiy one liour in tiie phiza each day at sunset,
and I assure you it will do more toward reconciling
the }><jo|>le than all 3-our written proclamations, which,
iiidcid, l)ut few of them could read." " My sujj;<ifestion
was adopted." continued tlie captain, "and the results
wtru soon evident. At fiist the children on the hill
vtiitured down and j>ce})ed round the corners of the
linuses. A few lively tunes brouirht out the vivas of
tlic elder ones, and l)efore closing for the day quite a
ciicle (»f delighted natives surrounded the musicians.
The following afternoon, the peo[)le from the ranchos
at a distance, hearing of the wonderful performance,
iH'.jan to come in. I saw the old priest of the mission
of San (ial)riel sitting by the church door, op|»osite
the [)laza, and introduced him to some of the otiicers.
The old man said he had not heard a band since he
Ktt Spain, over fifty 3'ears ago. *Ah!' said he, 'that
niu^ic will do more service in the conquest of Califor-
liia than a thousand bayonets.' "

The Califoniians were not without their dramatic
{It rfnruiances. The I\ii<f(>nla, c<tmposed by J'adre
Kloivncio of the Soledad mission, and a copy of
\\liii'Ii is among the A'allejo documents, was often ]»er-
t'uiiied. It was a great favorite, and was usually
I'lought out on Christmas eve. IMo l*ico used to phiy
the part of Bato, the chief shepherd; the Vallejos fre-
• lU'iitly took part. But the best playiT, and the one
wlio used to get most applause, was Jacinto Rodriguez,
wlio used to go to the seashore to practise his part,
uUering fearful shouts, and making all kinds of crazy
L!i>tures, to the jxreat anmsement of the boys who hid
Hear i)y and watched him. Under Chico's rule, m
1 '''. a company of Mexican maromeros (acrobats)
caim to ^Monterey to perform.

i li

4.10

amu.-^i:mi:nt.s.

M I

There were some fine race-liorsL'S licrc in j^astcr; 1
timus. C()vairul»i;is saw a liorse from San Diego at
^rexico in 18.10 wliich Avas fiunous for slioi't di.-tancf s.

It Mas common to race to cliiircli on Sunday's with
oxen-drawn wagons, eontainingtlio family. The staki .<
wei'c money, stoclc, or halls. ^Tnnv oxui ^■a]l<:l)'(l
like jiorses, and did sn from practice without h' in^
urued with the uoad.

As in all other affairs, the law, with its

)rn,ir

isdom and strength, was ncjt iar away. In IPHt
Governor Fi;4:ueroa writes to Alcalde Jinicno lU'ohih-

itinijf

ic runnni'.

im
.tray ]ior.se.s at ^Monterey, S.

Jose, and San Francisco.

In IS'.VJ at Los Anu'des Avila and Diiai'tc

;ie

'.{

on a horse-race, Ixtting a l);ii'rel of hrandy, two hri'lcon
liorses, and H\'e dollars. Duarte brc»ke the rules of the

race uy givmg a blow <

bl(

tlie head of ^vvila's 1

lorse an

hloch

mu: t!u> w;p

an(

lAvih

appeared 1)1 fore the alcald.

with witnesses to demand tlie stake-<, altliouuh Duart

e s

lorsc

had

(^tine m a

head. Avila fiileil to charh

l>rove the infringements. After Jiearing the testii

noir,

pro and con

t!ie alcalde decided that as the course

\\as not properly fenced, t]\c ])arties should pay a Ihi;'
of i^'lO each, and that th- r;\co he repeated in twenty
days, in presence of a ri'gidor.

Suit was hrouglit at I.os Angeles, m IS (0, a
Fernando Sepulveda to pay A, l*ico 100 calw

L!"anr-

a;;i

diti

(Mic horse lost at a race - conditions lia\i:i'>- if 'H
I'gally arranged. Sv>pi'il\eda had promised to j'ny.
hut afterward refusid, aUh(>ugh the judge had deriJ-'d
against him with costs, in accord with article 01 of law f^'f
congress, IS:")?. Sepulveda, on heing tlircaten(Ml with
execution, pleaded that his property helong d to h:<
fith( r; he was merelv an hiio de familia. '^riie hiiiids-
man was now called upon, hut he showed that ^'ouiijif
Seiu'ilveda had Won hits hifoiHv and received the stakes

.1
with the fa tiler's k

low

hd.

uil^re seizi

d tho

stock representing stake and costs, hut was orderetl 'y
government to return it, SepiilviMla's asscrtior.s rcgi'''l-

HORSE-R.vCiNf; AND COCK FIi.KTINO.

431

iiv'" tlic mlnoritv of tint son 1)i'liiLr ivcou'iiizcd. Tln^
Aii''i'k'S iud'je (IclavcMl olx-viii''- this order, and t]i<>
docuiMonts mid a copy of Sopulvcda's stateinont was

lit to t]io supremo trilmnal of ^foxico.

Dii t]io 7t1i of June, 1841, tlie governor writes the
['i'( feet of AiiLii'lc'S, desiring" tliat some persons of tho

' "' ' tliat

ices, so

( ity sliall propose re^'ul.itions foi' liorse-r

the mu)iiei[ial funds may ri'Cii\e some benefit from a

lax thei'coii

he cause o

f tl

lis order was a (hsputi

ht'tween two men arisiiiLT from a liorsc-race. JuK
].'^ 11, the prefect and five vccinos ni< t to [)roposr ruK s
for ]iorse-ra»-'in_L:;', whidi w(trc suhmitti'd to ^oNri'nment
ai)]m»val. Everv rac/e sliould l.e arrani;ed hv ]< eal
ohhi^ation (ohliy^neiMii juridiea), wherein amount of
In t-^. conditions, and rules wei'c to he specified, and
fr<im wliicli no np[ie;d was allowed. Those who het
without suhjt-etin;^' themselves to this law wi'i'e ne\-er-
theless bound by it. Tho winner jtaid a tax of tv.-eiity
reah^ for every slTj bet, i^f) for $50, $G for $100. and
[" r cent beyond tliis, payabh- to the nnniicipal f,nid

;t tl

ic racm

.^•-I'l:

>ee

If elfert

S Wt

re stahed, thev

v.-ere to be vahn d ill the [)res( iiee lA' the judge of tlie
jilace, in order that the tax be colh-eti-d. P( isons
iiii!>t ad\ise tlie iud^•^• of amount staked in order tliat
the tax be collected.

Tn Augu t IS\'2, Prefect Arg

decided tluit a

hoise-race l)etween Nicolas A. J)en and J*io I'ico
nui.>t be I'un o\'er jiara cortar cue ,>tioiie>. ()ii <lu'

]i of A[i!il, \^M'>, tl

ic OON I

iiior aholished. the L

passed by the prefect of Angeles imposing a t.ix .)n
lioiNc-raees (corredores d.s caliallos).

'!''i.. <'ai'rera del g dlo, next to horsi'-racing, wa^> one
ef ^he inost popular sports among the native! C'alifnr-
liians. ,V livi' cock was burii d with the hea<l above
;.;i(>niid. At a signal a horseman would start at full
>i't d from a distance of about sixtv vards, and if bv
a d.'xterous swoop he could take the bird by the head,
1 '' was louddy a[)[ilaudcd. Should he fail, he was

432

AMUSEMENTS.

greeted with derisive lauifliter, and was sometimes
unhorsed witli violence, or drajj^iyjed in tlie dust at the
risk of hrt!akin»x his linihs or neck. Another anuiS( -
inent was to place on the ground a rawhide, and rid-
ing at full speed suddenly rein in the horse the
moment his fore-feet struck the hide.

Tliere was also the ruiming or coursing of bulls —
corrida dc fi>ros. For this spoi-t a large space of ground
was enclosed hv a stout fi'iicc;, outside of which were
erected stands for the si)ectators. The bull lassoed
by the horns was brought and loosed in the arena,
within which were 100 or more niounted me»i, and
outside an e<|ual number. Those within the enclosure,
who were the bi3st horsemen and generally the most
prominent of the rancheros, with their mangas or
scrapes baited the bull. This was ternu^d ca])otear el
toro. The animal was occasionally pricked with the
rcjo7i — which was an iron-pointed lance of about 4 feet
in length. When the bull had become tired, and con-
sequently less mettlesome, the gate was o[)ened, and
he was driven forth at full speed. Behind him came
those within the enclosure, those without joining
tlu'in, and following after, endeavored to cohar or
rahcar the animal— i. e., seize him bv the tail and
throw him. In disputing this honor there was niucli
jostling and coming together of horses; and it was
frightful to behold such a group of men and li(»rses
sallvin'j; out of the enclosure at the risk of life and
limb. There were always, on these occasions, nun
and horses more or less injured. Several bulls in
succession were thus c<^ursed.

Another diversion, also on horseback, was known
as t]\cjnrtj() de hi vara, the game of rods. The play-
ers formed in a ring, the horses facing inwards, (hie
of the number then rode around the circle, having in
his hand a stout rod of quince or other similar wood,
which from behind he gave to one of the play (is.
He who received the rod pursued the giver, directing
blows at his shoulders, which the latter bv the exti-

BULL AND BEAR FIGHT.

433

else of skilful horsemanship endeavored to elude, until
^'aining a vacant place in the circle he was exempt
fioni further persecution. This sport was continued
for hours, and he who was not a skilled horseman
received a good drubbing.

A bull and bear fight after the sabbath services in
diurch was indeed a happy occasion. It was a soul-
refreshing sight to see the y,rowling beasts of blood tied
with a long reata by one of its hind feet, so as to leave
it free to use its claws and teeth, to one of the bull's
feet, leaving it otherwise free for attack or defence.
The fight usually took place inside of a strong wooden
fence, behind which, and at a short distance, was
enacted a high platform for women and children, most
of the men being on horseback outside the ring, with
reiitas ready, and loaded guns, in case the bear should
leap the barrier, or other accident occur. The diver-
sion was kept up for hours, or until one or other of
till' animals succumbed, and it often happened that
both were killed.

There were also bull-fights by skilled and practised
toreadores, which consisted in baiting the beasts on
foot or horseback, each human brute trying to
exeel the other, sticking little darts with colored paj)er
Hags into the animal's hide. To succeed cleverly
iv(juired some skill, as the part where they should be
placed was just between the shoulders; and if the
toreador struck any other })lace he was jeered ^)y
the spectators. The bulls were seldom killed, except
when some toreador wished to show his skill and
('(iiirage with a two-edged sword and give it the gol[)e
dt' gracia.

"' We used to make bears and bulls fight," remarked
Bhis Pena, "for which purp<)So we tied the bull and
i>eur together, the bull having one of his fore-Kgs
strapped, and the bear one of his hind-legs. Some-
times the bull came off victorious, and at other times
Mic bear, the result depending somewhat upon the ages
ot the beasts. The bears were caught on Mount

Cai,. Past. 28

434

AMUSEMENTS.

Diablo with reatas made by the native CaHforniiiiis,
of four strinjjfs of ox-hide, the skin heiiij^ first dried in
tlie sun and then soaked in water. When they hcL-an
to exliale a bad odor, they were cut up in strijis of
about half an inch in width, and braided." Aniaz
thinks that in bear and bull fij^hts the bear <f<nciall\
obtained tiie victory. "I was [»rescnt," he says, " wluii
a bear killed three bulls. The animals were tied l.y
one foot; sometimes they were tied to one anotht r,
with plenty of loose rope. The bull was ^MMurally
left free, and was the first to attack. The bear stood
on the defensive, and either put his paw in tlie face
of the bull or seized him by the knee, which inude
the bull lower its head and bellow, whereu[»oi the
bear seized its tongue. They were at this juncture
usually separated to save the bull."

Bear stories are not hard to tell. Manuel Larios
was very expert with the lasso, or reatii. ()n<^ day lie
left his rancho of Santa Ana, for the rancho Quit n
Sabe, on some business. Upon the summit of a small
hill he saw a bear digging at a squirrel-hole. Throw-
ing the reata he lassoed the bear, which thereui'i i
furiously rushed toward him. Larios ran will; tl e
bear (^uite close to his horse's heels, until <jn reaching:
a small tree he threw the end of the reata over a
branch, and catching it again without stoj»[»ing, lie had
the bear dangling almost before either of tliem kiu.w
it. The beast could scarcely touch the ground witli
the hind-feet. Larios took two turns round the tree
witli the reata pretty tiglitly drawn. He then aligliti d
and secured the end of the reata to a strong shout.
With one end of a rope he tied ()ne of the bear's hiiid-
legs, and with the other lassoed one of the f(>re-l<gs,
leaving the tree between, tightened it to the tree, and
with a silk belt tied well the two hind-legs, and tht ii
with the rope did the same with the fore-legs. lie
now loosened the reata, and brought the f(tre-le.:s
quite close together, always keeping the tree betw. . u
himself and tlie ferocious monster. This done, with a

A BEAR STORY.

435

stick ho worked oft' his reata, aiul went his way to
(^)uic'n Sahc.

Arrived at the ranoho he related his adventure,
wiiicli told n«on; like a Sindhud-the-sailor story than a
true tale. It was the dutv <»f the men of Quien Sahe
to Ljo that same day to the rode(>; hut their hlood was up
t'lir hears, and busiiu'ss must wait. They wont oft' in
various directions, Larins and two others toward the
little hill where he had left hruin tied. Passinyf alonj'
a slope where was a larj^e rye-field, suddenly there
Itnped hofore them a she-hear with three euhs. In-
stantly all were in hot jiursuit. They lassoed hor two
(»r three times, and as often she threw oft' the reatas.
At last the men let lu-r <jfo and pursued the euhs, each
tnllowinu^ one. One of the cubs escaped. Another
jiursuod hy Sol(')rzano was overtaken, hut the cuh was
so s nail it was imjwssihle to use the reata on it in
the rye-field. Leaping from his horse Solorzano
seized the cuh, which ct)uld scarcely run in the rye.
Throwing his scrape over him, he tied the young
heast without difficulty. Larios followed the third
(111), and running as hard as the ground would per-
mit going down hill, overtook it, k-t himself partly
down from his horse, seized one of the cub's legs, and
tlius running he lassoed it by the neck, and then let
tlio kg go, and pulled the cub along. When Sol()rzano
and Larios reached clear ground, they tied the cub.

The big bear and the two cubs were carried to
Santa Ana. Some^days latiT the big one was made
to fight bulls. It killed one bull, and was gored to
death by another. Of the cubs, one hanged itself
accidenlidly, and the other became a pet of the boys.
Thus ends the bear story of Larios.

The tekersie was a favorite game with the Indians.
Til is was to send rtJling a ring of three thumbs (pollici)
in diameter, and to throw upon it two sticks, four feet
l"ng. so as to stop its course. If one or both traversed
the ring, or the ring fell upon one or two, they counted
so many points. When one couple had taken its turn

436

AMUSEMENTS.

playing, others followed, until it had gone the rounds
of the party.

Another favorite game of the Indians, played by
both men and women, was to divide into two bands,
each with a curved stick seeking to push a wooden
ball to a mark, while the other band endeavored t<>
thrust it back. It was deemed fun at a festival to
place clothing on top of a mast smeared with tallow
and sprinkled with dust and ashes, and let the In-
dians climb for it.

One of the few amusements of the padre at San
Josd was to throw rolled-up pancakes into the gapiiiL^
mouths of the boys, which would be i;aught by the
teeth and swallowed like lightning, amid laughter antl
jokes.

The game of billiards was introduced at Monterev
in 1828. No bets were allowed, and the price of tliu
game was one real.

CHAPTER XIV.

OCCUPATIONS AND INDUSTRIES.

Strangers to ill, they nature 'a I)an<|iiet8 proved.

Rich in earth's fruits, and of the lilust helovod.

They "ank in doiith, .^s opiate sluniljer stole

Soft o'er the sense, an I whelmed the willing soul.

Theirs was each good, Uio grain-exuberant soil

Poured its full harvoi.t unconipelled by toil:

The virtuous many Iwelt in common blest,

And all unenvyini shared what all in peace possessed.

— Jfesiod.

Here, as clsewhoie throughout America, it was as
masters and not as laborers that men of the Latin
race dehgbted to pose. Clymer says lie never saw a
8i)anish Californian who was a mechanic, or who cul-
tivated land. The aboriginal was the laboring man,
and though not so bodly treated here as in S(imo other
parts, his condition was practically that of a slave.
Indeed, notwithstanding a law of July l.'J, 1824, to
tlie contrary, there are instances approaching traffic
in slaves.

Antonio Jose Rocha says that a man from New
?>![exico offered to sell him a boy that he had
lM)ught from one of the gentile tribes on the way to
California, and to save the child from slavery, he
determined to give him th«j ^70 demanded, with the
intfsnt of adopting him as a son, and teaching him
cliristianity, thus keeping him until he readied his
majority, and then giving him his liberty. This may
lia\ e V)een benevolencr, or a pretext, or both.

Wages were sometimes paid, farm laborers from $3

(«7)

' I

438

OCCTJPATIOKS AND INDUSTRIES.

to $10 a month, the mayordomo or overseer $16, a clerk
$15; a neopliyte carpenter at San Luis Key was paitl
88, wlio could have got $12 at Sutter's. Nevertheless,
the niitive laborers could not move about from one
place to another without a permit; they were paid
whatever their masters chose, which were the chief
conditions of slavery. Sutter says it was common
for both Indians and Hispano-Califi)rnian8 to seize
Indian women and diildren and sell them, and Jolin
Chamberlain asserts that while he was livin<»' at the
Sacramento in 1844-(), it was the custom of Sutter
himself to buy and sell Indian girls and boys.

Here, as elsewhere, an Indian laborer in debt to his
master could not leave his service until the debt was
paid. On quitting service the laborer must get from
his late employer a pa|)er showing that he is pro[)erIy
discjjarged. For refusing to give such a [)aper, or rc-
eeiving a servant without it, except in the case of day
laborers, the penalty was five dollars. In 1840 Ai-
gliello, the prefect of Angeles, directed tlmt owners of
ranchos having gentile Indians in their service shoulil
send them to the missicm to be baptized by the minis-
ter. Says Bandini : " The neglect of the supreme gov-
ernment, the inditl'erence of local governors, and the
contempt and sinister views of the padres have pre-
vented the advance of tin; Indians, and reduced them
to vice and servility." I find among the archives ol'
San Diego, in 18;*)(), F. M. Alvarr.do petitioning tlu'
authorities in reference to a fine of $75 for whippiiiLf
an Indian servant, asserting that although forbidden
by law it was the eustom.

Markoff, speaking of affairs in 1835, says that the
Indian laoorers wore well satisfied with a fathom of
black, red, and wliite glass beads for a sc:tSon's work.
Beads were in great demand among them, and com-
manded high prices. In addition to the payment of
beads, the Indians must bo furnished with parclKcl
corn unground; iiot because they would not eat any-
thing 'Ise, but because the Spaniards would not allow

SHIP-BUILDINO. ilt

tlicin to rrct used to better food, sayin<^ that they do
not even earn that. Tlie Indians, liowover, Mere satis-
fied with this, and if they wanted a deheacy they
cau'dit a field-mouse and roasted it on a stiek.

There wore, however, many amoni*' these Indians
wlio had already beeonie accustomed to livinj^ in
jiouses, and acquired a considerable knowled_Lje of
domestic labor. To these the Californians either paid
a salary, or clothed and fed them at their own table.
Whenever an Indian became tired of this most ])rinii-
tive civilization, he was at liberty to return to his
native hills.

After the Russians of Ross and Bodega, little was
aceoni[)lished in shi[>-buildini]f until the coming of the
Americans. There were Prior, Wolfskill, Yount,
Laughlin, and Prentice at San Pedro, at work on a
scliooner for hunting sea-otter; and two or tliriM; years
later the famous J\or is Xtnla was built at ^Tontercv
liy Joa(juin Gomez. Under Alvarado's rule, some
small vessels were built at Santa Cruz for the coast
trade between ^[onten>y and San Luis ()l)is[)o. The
ciHttdn of the port of Santa J^arbara was somewhat
chagrined when on the 18th of April, ItS.')!), the ship
Moiitiooii arrived from Boston, and he had no boat in
which to visit her t)lKeially; whereui>on he petitioned
the government and a boat was provided t<»r him,

Comandante ValKjo, on June 1, 1840, at Sonoma,
grants to John Davis and Mark West permission to
cut timber on government lands in the vicinity of
Drake and Bodc-a bavs, for liuildin'jf boats to i>lv in
the l»ay of San Francisco. They wen- to rep(»rt e\eiy
iiKtiitli the state of their work, and the persons em-
ploved, and the license to b(^ duly ret-ordeil.

In 1841 John Davis of Yiiba Jhiena asked the co-
iiiaiulante general fr permission to use the Mexican
Hag on a schooner, which he inten<led to build at the
"■iiil>arcadt>ro where now stands Xapa city ; the boat
to be calKd ^^naana, to bo of tiiirty tons burden, and

I< -^

440

OCCUPATIONS AND INDUSTRIES.

eniplovotl in the coasting trade, he being a Mexican
citizen. She took a cargo of potatoes to ^lazatlan in
18415, where ship and cargo were both sold.

If Sir (xeorgo Simpson tells the truth, there Avas
not in 1842, on the inland waters of San Fran-
cisco, or anywhere upon the coast from this j)oint to
San Diego, any boat, barge, canoe, or other floating
thing, except the native balsa made of bulrushes, in
which priests and publicans used to cross the bay, or
even sometimes venture out to sea. But Sir Georire
Simpson did not tell the truth.

^licheltorena saw the great advantage a steam ves-
sel would give for transport, and formed a com})any in
1842 to buy one; but there were no lucky stock-gam-
blers or monev kinufs here then. The Eniilisinuan
Bocle asked pi'rmission the year following to build a
35 tons vessel for the coast trade, which request the
governor readily granted.

(Jregson says he worki'd with Henry ^Farshall at
Sutt(>r's fort in 1845, sawing lumber for a sehoont-r to
be built on the headwaters of the Cosunmes, til'ty
miles away. They received for the lumber ^-'O a
thousand feet. In July 1840, upon the testimony df
Boijf'^s, there were at Yount's rancho Chiles, Bald-
ridge, Davis, Rose, Chino, and lieynokls, the t\n\v
last named ship carpenters. They were building tor
the Napa Kiver a launch, which was christeneil at the
embarcailero, with the imposing ceremonies used on
such occasions.

A forest law obtained; permission was requiivd
to fell trees; the exportation of timber was forbiddin,
and the transport IVom port to pt.rt requiri'd a peiiuit
from the aleald(\ who slumld keep an account of tir
(juantity. Penalty t<o be eijuivalent to the value <>(
tiiidier estimated by two expi'rts, and to In' paid to tl r
muiiicipal fund of the defrauded place. Captains of
vess(ds were the responsible {larties. All vessi Is
might take needful supjdies of tind>er for repairs, aft' r
consulting the ca[)taln of the port and the alealih'.

DESTRUCTION OF FORESTS.

On the 13th of May, 18;U, a despatch from San
Francisco was read in the assembly at Monterey,
stating that a number of foreigners were ociupied
witliin that iurisdiotion destroviniX the forests. Tlie
jefe recommended measures to preserve tlie woods, antl
a change of the reglaUicnto of August 17, 18. JO, im-
posing a tax on timber.

Figueroa in his report in IH.'U to the secretary of
fomento says that many public works are need«^d. At
tlie capital and elsewhere casiis consistoriales are of
absolute necessity, and the plans and estimates he has
ordered made are in an advanced state. On account
of tlio swampy condition of the road to tlie lauding at
Monterey, it is necessary to construct a paved street.
As ^[onterey is the principal ]>ort for the ihiily in-
crejtsing foreign commerce, a wharf is needed. The
cost would not be y^reat. He has confided to his sec-
I't'tarv, Caj)tain Zaniorano, the making of a topographi-
cal plan of ^Monterey which approaches coni[>letion.
The government ordered a strong fortitication al)ove
San Francisco Bay, commanding the Russian estab-
lisliuu'nt of Koss.

ICcheandia foruKHl a plan, but went no further. The
Ljdvernor was now resolved to carry it into etl'ect, and
made a few i)ri'liminary })reparations. The ehronic;
lack of funds, however, prevented the happy <onsum-
luation of this projected benefit.

About the middle of 1S45 a pier was constructed
at ^[onterev, contracted for bv the autlmrities with
Laikin. l']stevande la Torre furnished I,.') 00 cart- loads
of stone at $1 a load; the stone was (piarried by some
military deserters and Indians, who were given their
tood aiid^l each daily. T'lie piles were furnished by
< iariicr at i^-i each, laid dow m near the pier. Tin; cost
I'f the pier was 8S,000, more or less, and was made a
jirt l'( ivnce charge on the custouj-house.

Markotr tieelares that "the Californiaiis have neither
wimlmills nor water-nulls with large stones. Some of
tlitni, but oidy a few, possess hand-mills; while for

442

OCCUPATIONS AKD INDUSTRIES.

tlie most part they obtain flour by crushing tho grain
betwoon two largo stones. You can imagine iiow
much flour one man can make in this manner in a tlay.
. . . Tliis is the reason why in CaUfornia, where whout
may be said to grow wild, flour is dear. A loaf about
half the size of our French 'bulkas' costs one real; tliiit
is, the}' soil eight for a piastre, and even at that pricu
they are not always to be had."

On the 22d of July, 1847, the Angeles ayuntamiinito
being in session, the connnittec on .streets reported on
their arrangement of the thoroughfares: the propitsal
of 15-varas-wide streets was opposed to ccmifort aiul tn
law. Libro 4, titulo 7, ley 1, says that streets shall
be wide in cool places and narrow in warm places; and
where horses are used, they shall be broad.

In February 1848, the agricultural land-owners of
Angeles were called upon to send the peones with
tools, to aid in repairing the irrigation-works, undi r
penalty <»f four reales a day until the work was done.

If there was one thingr the Californians could de
better tlian another, it was carrying the mails; tlniu;:li
when it came to carrying them or not carrying tlu ni.
that was a diiferent mattiT.

Tluy began to ride almost as soon as they could
walk, and such ohildren as were not killed in tlio ln'-
ginning became expert riders. A boy as soon as lie
had tlie strength would go out upon the hills, las-o a
wild colt, halter and mount it, and then let it i»() ilvni'f
over tlie open country until exhausted. If tlie colt
fell in junjping a ditch, or rolled over in order to ^et
rid of its burden, the boy looked out to keep on top.
Corrals were formed by driving poles (estantes) into tho
ground; these were secured by ledges (latas) tied with
thongs. The corral was about 200 varas in dianu tn'.

Twice a week a courier was despatclK-d in litlu r
direction between the missions, startiuir fiorn ^au
Diego at one end and San Francisco at the olli'r:
letters and messages were thus conveyed from ouc

CAnRYEsT, THE MATLS.

44A

p()int to another along the entire Une — each mission
cuiitrihuting its quota, and funiislilng its share of
liorscs and messengers. The courier was always a
Sjiiuiish soldier, never an Indian.

liiferring to the delays of couriers, Gutierrez,
writing to the padres and officials in February 18o(i,
ordtTS that mails leave ^Monterey on the 7tli of the
iiuinth, at 8 P. M. Tlie soldier carrying it is to he re-
litvcd V)y anothcrat Santa Barbara, who is to bo relieved
at San Gabriel bv the soldier who takes the mail to
San Diego. jMails to leave San Diego the 2 2d of
every month, at 5 a. m., for San Gabriel, Santa Bar-
bara, and Monterey. A horse and vaquero, to attend
the soldier in case of accident, was to be kept ready;
and the courier kept to time, according to an enclosed
table of arrivals and departures at each halting-place.
Tliu people were to be notified twenty-four liours be-
fore arrival, so as to have letters posted.

Al)ove ^lonterey the service was particularly poor.
Says Vallejo, writmg to the minister of war in 1841 :
"The administration of the post-office in this depart-
luent is an unknown thing; there is no regularly
I'stahlisiied mail service. The mails are exposed to
all who choose to timiper with them, and offenders have
iiu ft ar (»f punishment." W. A. Bartlett thus writes
to The Cidlfomiian in 184G: "There is a regular ex-
jm ss mail from the headquarters of the northern
military district at Yerba Buena to Sonoma and Xew
Helvetia, leaving every Wednt'sday morning, and re-
turning from Sonoma as soon as the river mail arrives.
Also i(»nstant conmmnication from head((uarti rs at
Wiba JJuena to Sauzidito, San Bafael, San I'alilo,
rinnlf, Cerrito, and other points on the opposite
coast."

Haifa year afterward, the editor of Tlie Cah'fortiian
thus laments: "It is a melancholy sight for a ]toor
"ditorto look over the jiaekages of eight weeks of
li;s little paper, and sec no possible means of sending
tiicni to his subscribers, and little encouragement to

i' f

444

OCCUPATIONS AND INDUsTllIES.

subscribors to l»o two months at a time without tlulr
|ni[Kr.s." In the sprinjj of 1847 a new mail arran^t-
niont went into effect. Tlie first arrival bruuijrlit nuuiy
lottirs and j)a[ters. Quartermasters at military posts
were tlie postmasters. Where tliere was no military
post, thealealde received, d«'livered, and forwarded tlio
mails. Tlie arrangement was for military purposes;
and as there was no other mail in the country, tla-
jLJ^overnor ordered that the citizens "be accommodated
by havintf their letters and papers sent free of expense.'

This service was perfornu'd on horseback by a party
consistinj^ of two soldiers, which started every otlic r
^Tonday from San Dii'y;o and San Francisco, the par-
ties meetinrj at Dana's rancho the next Sunday to
exchange mails; starting back on their respective
routes the next morniuLj, and arriving at San J )ieu;o
and San Francisco on the Sunday folK)wing. 'Uw
mail was thus carried once a fortnight from San Dirgo
to San Francisco, and from San Francisco to Situ
Die<ro.

1 loni San Dieyfo, the uiail arrived at San Luis lU v
^[onday evening; at the pueblo de los AiigiKs,
Wednesday noon; at Santa Barbara, Friday evenii",;;
at Monterey, Thursday evening; and at San Fran-
cisco, Sunday evening. From San Francisco, the mail
arrived at iUonterey Wednesday evening; at ]):ina's
rancho, Sunday evening; at Santa liilrbara, Tuisday
evening; at the pueblo de los Angeles, Friday nudu;
at San Luis Rey, Saturday evening; and at San
])iego, Sunday evening. This was exceedingly (luli k
Work as conipan-d with that in some other loeahtics.
For exam[>]e, Castaiiares found in 184.'3 at Mazatlaii u
mail-bag with many im[»ortant communications, wliidi
luul been Ivinuf thi-re since 18.57!

Lu'jTo states that imblic rodeos were ijjenerallv h^ Id
in April, to allow each man to pick out his own tioiu
the mission st»>ck. When the time came, the al* aide
U'at the drum, and announced the day wlini the
rodeo would begin. A juez de camj>o presided.

SOWINT. AND RKAPIXr..

445

Tlic owners singled out tlieir stoek, and took it to
one of tlie four apartaderos. Tiieroupon the juez de
(■iiin|io revised the various lierds, before the owner
iitiild take them away. Xo document was «jfivfn;
iudtH'd, few could write one. Arrived at his rancho,
tlif ownt'r branded the calves, and cut the ears with
!iis peculiar mark.

Stock was let into the fields to finisli the remnants
nf the harvest. The stubble was pulled out, lua})ed
up. and burned. Maize, frijoles, lentils, chick-pease,
r;il;il»ash, and melons were sown from March to ^Tay
atiil .June, and harvested in August and Siptember.
Wheat and barley were sown generally in ])ecember
ami January, sometimes in November, l^arley was
reaped in ^lay and June, and wheat in July and
August. S[»ecial lands were generally kept for each
lit' these grains. Pease could be sown at anv time.

luaping wheat was done by knives and sickles, and
stacks formed tt) be carted to the thiashing-tloor,
Heie they were spn>ad, and mares sent in to trample
out the grain, while the straw was turned. Such
stiaw as was not thoroughly thrashed was thrown in
a.jain, or beaten with sticks. For maize, pease, and
tVijiiles, heavy sticks were used; and for other things,
smaller sticks. The grain was next freed from chaff
(pija) by blowing (ventear), first with the aid of wooden
lurks, tlien with shovels.

Those wlu> ha<l no granary put the grain in leather
ba.:> h(»ldinijf from three to six fancjas. Horse-
iiiili'S were uenerallv used, since cattle-hides were
reserved for sale. The maize was ke[it in the ear,
aiiil was slielled bv hand when needed for food. Such
as was sold had to be slu'lled by thrashing (;l fuerza de
gairotazos). FrijoK'S, pease, lentils, and cliick-[)ea.s(>
W('i(! kept in bags, or in diy places. Their enemy
was the grui) (gorgojo), which attacked them while
>>t'ii<(l. Grubs were not so numerous as now. Hats
aiiil mice also did damag(\ but worst of all were sipiir-
i' 1-, moles, crows, and mtiatCK (a bird). Bird-catchers

446

(XCUPATIONS AND INDUSTRIES.

IukI to !»(' k«'pt Imsv ajjfaiiist tlu'Ui, traps set, ami small
anows used, (irain culture was a small iiahistiv
brt'ore lSjr>- :50, rauclieros raisim^ sufHcieiit only t'l'
tlieir «»\vii use, ami to supjdy the presiilios The mis-
sions had to produce lariL,nly to teed their people.

The poor people who had no stcu'k of tluir own
were t^enerallv emplov«'d as va(iui'ros to handle the
stock, work in matan/as, and to sonu* small extent in
cultivatinj^ tltt; soil. The i^'cnte di- ra/.on did the prin-
cipal work, that is, liandlinii; stock, niarkin*;, l»ran(lill„^
and killini^. The poore'st labor was done l»y the .some-
what christianizetl Indians.

Coronel says that the men occupied tlieni.selves
exclusively in caring; tor tlu' cattle and horses, hut this
oidy tluriuLj the season of the rodeos, that they mi^ht
pr(»tect their own interests, ami when the slanghtt i' "t"
cattle took place, in order to c(»llect the hides and tal-
low wheri'witli to make purchases and the payment
of their dehts — for these artit'les served in Vwn ef
ujont'v. TIh'V Were n<»t devoted to a<jfriculture : I'nr
at the missions tlmy obtained what jufrain they waiit-d.
Some, however, cultivated land for their own use. and
later, as the missi(»ns decayed, all were compelled to
i)av some attention to cultivatinsj; their land. At this
time the men of a certain age still preserved tlif
character of their Spanish progenitors. Formal and
upright, im|)eriou8 yet honorable, in their businesjii
transactions — liowever great the value involved im
aid of men learned in the law, or even that of wit-
nesses, was sought or net-ded. l^ut these charaeti r-
istics ra])idly «lisa[)peared as what was then deemed
k now h'dge incre-ased.

Speaking of the splendid riding, Sepi'dveda says
that the few who were not good riders were lonkid
upon with a sort of contempt. Their attachment to
tlu>ir steeds was as gfreat as the Arab's, and the un at-
est token of friendship between man and man was the
present of their best horse.

The Califi>rnians always galloped, says Gomez, nevi-r

HORSH.MAXSHir.

447

Ft iniiiij in to smoke. Wlieii the horse tired, tlio trav-
vWvv would latrli the first other one hv. saw, and so con-
tinue! cliany^inLC his steed, alwavssiire ofreeovi-riuLT it on
t'ctuinini;. Tlie hat was small in the opening and a
stiiiiLC was put on to secure it. The rider usually had
liis mouth ojK'n as if to keep the hat-string tight, and
the lull secure; often as he rode uloug he filled the
au' with jM)pular ditties. If rain (»vertook tlu; horse-
man, he would ride into the first house he came to, if
thfii' Were no outhouses or sheds.

The story goi'S that a horseman if San Jose won a
wa^^cr that In; could start at full gallop with a salver
ot' a (loz( II wine-glasses filled to the l)rim, and after
til'ty rods to stop su«ldenly and hand down the salver
without having spilled a drop.

Ill hoisemanship, the ( 'alifornians compared favor-
ahly w ith the sturdy Chilians and the llimsily attiied
and almost elfeniinatc IVruvian. Jioth tln^ Califor-
iiian man and horse were suj>erior to the Mexican in
stimgt li and weiglit, and hy the different arrangement
of the saddle-gear — the girth exactly in the ciiitre,
and stirrup forward, alm(»st an a[)pi'ndage from the
|MiiiiiiK'I — his figure erect and well poised. The (Jau-
cho of the pani[»as perhaps might excel him in sonu- of
the light exercises; but for hard work, strength and
ability, the Californian stood unrivalled. Serran • re-
inaiks that when Californian women ride on horsehack
tli(y use the same trappings and saddles as men,
though without ornaments; some are exciedingly
skih'iil in mana<xin<r a h()rse, mounting alone and with
a-ility. As the saddles on which they ride have the
saddle-how and stirrups taken otf, they use as a stir-
rup fur one foot a silk band, one end being made last
at the pommel, the other at the cantle. When the
lady is not a skilful rider and is afraid, the cahalhro
siats her on the saddle, and taking otf his sjmrs mounts
on tiie ciu|»per, and taking the reins guides the horsi'.

J)r»akiii<^ horses was a science. A wild horse was
lassMtd; a headstall and saddle put on; and a man

448

OCCLTATIONS AND INDl'sTRIFA

iiioimti'tl to run him tame, using tlie more spurs aiul
whip the more he hut'kod.

Acrorfhng to Anuulor, thougli the Cahftiriiian^
liavi! always bct'ii »j;»»o<l horseimii aiiJ vacjut ins, ila v
\vric ii(»t ('(|ual to till' M«'ximiis. XoverthrKss, tluy
iiavi' (iistin<4;uis]it'tl thcmsrlvf.s at nxiros and in lassd-
iiiuf cattle, horses, and i-ven hears. Tlu-y wi re invt r
notahle torents, or hull-fighters. Amador's testinmiiy
is in it sustained.

Calit'oiiiians ohjerti'd to mounting horses whose
mano and tail had been out; nor would they ride a
male. "We were at Monteriv tor ahout tinvc
months," says Maxwill, writing of 1.s4l'; "we heiaiin-
intimate with many of the tanuli»s m town, and us. d
to spend our time j»leasantly. But the ( 'alitbnii.uis
were very hitter, Castro especially. I had bought a tiiic
mare for nine dollars: it was considered vi'rv ultra \'ov
a man to ride a mare in those davs, and the j;irls usul
to <'all out after me, Yegua! yegual"

Young fellows would oft«'n remove the reins nt"
their horsis and i;uide tiiem menlv with blows of thtir
hat U|)on the head. At times they would lasso smnc
arinial, cast away the lazo, follow it, and pick it n\> at
fuil run. Jionifacio Lopez, weighing three humhid
]>ounds, used to ride his horse at full sj»eed up and
down a perilous trail at Soledad near San Dii uo, to
the great wonder even of his countiymen.

At San Gabriel were woven scrapes and hlaiilvt ts.
as W( 11 as a coarse woollen stuH' called jerga. IIkIi
were also manufactured sjiddles, bits, lK)tas, an<l slin.s.
There was a seap-boiling establishment, a larger car-
penter's shop, and a lesser one — in which latter I'^ys
were taught the use of tools. Wine and olivr nil
were made, likewise bricks and ailobts. Chocolati
Was made of cacao brou'dit from abroad. Dulcis and
lin)onada were made, and sent bv I'adre Sanihc/ tc
Spain In each department was a maestro, that is,
an Indian who beiuir ^^ell instmcted, had becuiiH' do

DOMESTIC M^VNUFACTL'UES.

449

razon. Of coursi' thoro was at first a wliit*^ iiiiui at
tin; head of tlic Wfaviii^ (li'iuirtniciit, l»ut wlitn the
Iinliaii!- wt'iH' sutticu'Mtlv instructeci, Ik; witlHlivw.

Salvador ValK'jo had a larjjjo Boap iactory at lils
Xapa raiicho, which hrouj^ht liim in scvt ral thousand
tli)llars '.I year. Ijarkiu and Fiti'li also nia«le a ;^ood
pi'oHt on soap. It is a fact that savages and filthy
nations take kindly to soap.

"All a!u;rec in pnuiouncinj^ the country <^ood for
fruit," says liidwell. ''I saw in lioss, toward the
nid of January, a small but thrifty orchard of apple,
jxarii, })ear, clierr}', and quince trees, most of thiin
as 1,'reen as in summer. Flowei*s were ahujidant.
The wine «»raixj is cultivated, and grows to great
pi'rfeetion."

It is a singular fact that the padns discounigcd
the growth of oranges and lemons outsidi; of the;
luission giounds, being apparently as jealous of innnop-
• •hziiig these, as that the whole king<lom of Christ
should bo subject to their sole administration.

From the earliest yeai-s the governint-nt provided
inastrr car])enters, masons, blacksmiths, weavers, etc.,
tor instructing the Indians. The man in charge of
tilt' soap factory was liowever an liombre de razon,
paid l»y the missioji.

All the woollen goods made were coarse and suited
to the necessities of tlic time, for in the earlv davs
of the country the irovernment tolerated no displav
of hi\ury. Father Duran well understood how to
niakr wine and aguardiente; eh'ar brandy of San .Jose,
\\ liich came out with the apiu'arance of clear watrr,
was colored with a sirup made with burnt sugar.
The color was tln'n light yellow. The brandy was
doul tic-distilled, an<l therefore very strong.

At San Luis Obispo cotton clotlu's were nuule of
g<»'><l (juality, as well as rebozos, (juilts, and other
tilings of the Siime material. So says Mrs Ord.

Acconlhii; to Jose Maria Amador the mission San
•luso hud 5 looms making 150 woollen blankets weekly,

C'AL. I'.VST. 29

! 1

III

;!<

450

OCCUPATIONS AND INDUSTRIES.

ami one which made 9 scrapes durin<:f the same ih\u\

Jaiissens assures us tliere were 400 barrels of w'luv
ami 135 of bramlv made in San Gabriel in 1840.

Jose de J. Pico informs us that durini*- Father Luis
A. ^fartinez' management of missitm San Luis ()1)1s|ki.
down to 1830, its Indians were better clothed tliaii
the soldii'rs and other gtsnte de razon. "At the mis-
sion," he says, "good blue cloth was made for cloaks
and j)antaloons, and manta, because there were iilaiita-
ticms of cotton which yielded considerably."

TIk^ theory of religious colonizaticm hatl it that it was
right and proper for the nilssionaries to get as much
land, lal>or, or other benefits out of savagism as jins-
sihle, the inestimable benefits of Christianity bcinv'
more than an offset for anvthin<j savairedom c(»iil(l
offer, had each convert a world to give. Hence it
wns that if tlie natives could be made to work fur
nothing, the padres did not scruple to let them do sn.
I^ut after a time It was demonstrated that to pay
them four or six dollars a month, and let them spend
the mon«'y at the mission store, was cheaper tliaii to
give them nothing. In 1H42 the wages of a wliitf
man, not a mechanic, w<'re about .$-5 a nu)ntli, skill' d
laluir n-eeivhig three dollars a day — not far tVoni
piices to-<lay.

The relations between the missionaries and the mili-
tary oftici'rs were not always fi'iendly. Tliere was ii
corpulent minister at La S<»l*Hlad, Florencio Ii>ainz,
who was sent to California for having knocked an
otticer iloNvn with his fist in Pitic, S»»noni. He m m r
extended privileges to the ofticers, and whvu any eiir
of th(Mn came to the mission, he made him eat of tin
same foo<l out of the pozcdt'ra that the neophytes >ii't,
wiving that it was what he himself had. Once Cap
tain de la (Juerra visited the missiotj and atteiiiptil
to embrace the padre, but th(> latter only j)erniitt' <1
him to touch his habit. However, this priest wa< an
intimate friend of Covernor Arrillnga, and re|)'^atrdly
made presents to the common soldiers, all of Nvli'Ui

PADRE IBANEZ.

451

loved him for his charicy. He would say that the
(itHcors had their pay, and must live on it, and that
tlio neophytes needed for themselves all that the mis-
sion produced. He at all times manifested a jj^reat
interest for his flock, treating them kindly, and t( ach-
i[\\X them not only the best way of doing their work,
I lilt also vocal and instrumental nmsic. At their
di'iith, he paid their remains the same honors as to
those of the wealthy. Most of the Fernandino friars
were exemplary men, and Padre Ibanez was one of
till' best beloved by the I.'dians.

Two missionaries of coi»siderable prominence — Jose
Altimirr,, who planted the symbol of Christianity in
tlio valley of Sonon)a, and Antonio Kipoll, a very en-
tliusiastic priest, who served in La l?urisima and
Santa Barbara — eftected their escape. In 1828, on an
American vessel, from the port of Santa Biiritnra.
Tin y went on board with the pretext of purcliasing
^oods. and never returned. A letter left on the
Im juli. and addressed to Captain de la (;iut'rra, informed
him of their intention to save themselves from tin-
hacsh treatment which the authoritii's ()f Mexico were
iiitlieting on Spai.ianls. They m-ted on the idea that
Mexican priests wouhl soon come out to relit'v*' them,
1111(1 then they, the old S[)anish missionaries, would be
e\|KHed without mercy. Previous to jumjiing into
the hoiit that i'onveved them to the ship, thev ten<l.'rlv
ii'ul the I.Mlians good-bve, but did not si«'nir\ their
intention net to come baek. Father K'poll was w«( p-
iiiL' and Altimira uttered not a word. The fatlu rs
(liti iiot carry any money with them. All the m<»ney
thr mission Santa Barbara had was left bejiind.

.Mtimira had been for several months at Santa
Bilihara in ill health. BipoU's colleague, Fraiuisi n
Suiier, was blind. These fatlurs, like all the other
Spanish missionaries, had refuse<l to swear allegijtiK e
ti> the constitution of Mexico. It was for this reason
tliat the father-prefect, Vicente Francisco de Sarri'a,
wu-> imprisoned.

1^ I

432

OCCUPATION AND INDUSTRIES.

The Californians had a grcit lack (if entorpriso.
As an example : Chiles and Baldridj^^e found an ad-
mirable site for a mill on the Napa rivt>r, on Salva-
dor Valleio's rancho. Thev offered to l)uv it. hut
nothinjiif would induce Salvador to sell. Then tin y
otfered to erectafine tlour-mill there, and give him an
interest in it for the .site, but he refu.sed, sayin<^' tliat
i\\v. mill would frighten his cattle. Sage Salvador!
He had all he wanted ; how could the mill add to his
hai)piness i

Sir George Simpson expresses the opinion that in
industry the Cahfornians wore perha[Ks the loa.st prom-
ising coloni.sts in the world, being inferior to what
tlu' savages had become under the training of tin
priests, so that tht' sj>oliatlon «)f the nussions tend* <1
dirci'tly to stop civiliwition. There were once larj^c
flocks of shi'i'p, but now in IS42 there were s<urc( ly
any left. Wool used to be maimfactured int<> r, .u'se
cl(>th; and because the Californians were too 1 » \ lo
wiave or spin, or even to clip and wash the raw ma-
terial, sheep were destroyed, to make room for honn d
cattle. Soap and leather used to be made in the iiii>
sioiis, and also dairy products, but now, he says, nei-
ther butt.-r, cheese, nor other preparation of milk is
to be found in the province. The missions |>rodue< d
amiuallv SO. 000 bushels of wln-at and maize, wliii Ii
they cohverti'd into Hour: at }»resent the govi'rniin iit
paid .i^JS a barrel for flour. Bi>ef was occasioiiMlly
cured for exportation, yet now, though (juantities ef
meat ari> destroved aimuallv, the authorities had to
jtundiase salted salmon as .si'ii stores for a small vessel,
and so on. l^ut the Hudson's Hay magnate. like
iiianv another, thniwlng a ij;lunciMit tlie counti-v as lie
pa>ses by or through it, tiiough he might sei' mU( 1:,
lie could not see all.

Tjcather was made to some oxtetit, but in no pi.t-
portion to th«' demands or possibilitiea t)f tlu> count iv.
At most of the missions some leather was tanned, ilio

LEATHER-WORKS.

■jr>3

Santa IVubara iiive'iitory oC IH45 sliowini; a taiUKTy
liiiiiso, five good vats, and otliir articKs iti |noj»oition.

Hall

savs

u' nativt's "iiiai

lo si

UK'S

tVoiii !«'atln'r

taiitu'd l>y tlitinsilvcs, in a luiriied pro<«'ss; that is. a

sham uroccss.

ley us»

'd to takt' a Ian

-l.id.

<^atlnr up its corni rs, hang it on a tvir or htaui raist-d
with posts, then till tht; liidr with wati r and oak haik.
ami place therein the skins to he tanned. In this
niannur they pnjiared sole-lcatlur. The upjurs for
shoes Were made from sin<tke<l dierskin, colored. Not
a hail-looking shoo was the linal result of their labor
nil skins."

Sduie W(»rk in w'ool was earrie<l on l»v the Indians,
who, says Clynier, "heat the wool with tw«» sticks in
jilai'c of cards, and when it is beaten enough, tiny
s|iin it with a stick, an<l lay the warp by dri\ ing a
iiunilier of small sticks in the groun<l. It is raised
1>\ letting a stick run through sutticiently to pass a
small ball through, aiul brought up with the same

■;tick. Of course their faiti'ic is (

oarse

hut tl

lev niaki

it \ei'v durabli

In IS4.") San .\ntonio had t

uiis, Santa Ines two, Santa Ixirbaia four laige looin?

Hid one small one. and s(> o

>n. In I'etaluma. San
.lose. Santa Clara, and in the more st)Uthern missions
w. le Weaving factories, where striped scrapes with
lila( k and white borders were made.

(hi the 7th of tlune, IS.'!!. \'ietoria writes the min-
ister .if I'elations that manufactiu'ing exists onl\ at the

iiii>siiins, and is |ieit'ornie»

1 b

liei

i|ihyt(

who make

"nliiiaiy woollen ti-xtuies tor which part of the wool
Imm their sheep is used. Some missiitns have woNfii
Maitkets. scrapes, siickekith (sayal I. and pahet»'s. 'I'here
arc also at the missions smit hs. catpenters, slmemakcrs.
t.iiiiii rs, etc., though capable of greater perfection.
Iliere is a lamentable carelessness, due in ^^reat part
'" want (»f men. and the abundance of the actual neces-
saries of lif(..

N"tliing was m i\o of stone, clay, gold, silver, iron,
copper, iir leail; nor of hair, silk, feathers, uv bones.

orrrpAiioNs and ixdustries.

LratlitT and sdli-leather wore uiaile from liiJes, for
sluM's uikI (ttlicr uses. Of wool were made blankets
and seia[)eH — very coarse work.

The inventory of San (Jahriel in 1834 includes one
wct»»l\veavin<^ establishment with four looms; a brandy
distillery with eiufht stills; a wine manufactory with
three jiresses; a smithy, carpenter-shop, soap factory,
and two grist-mills.

The inventory of San Mijufuel in 1S;57 values the
slituinaking shoj) with its implements in round figures
at !?-<!; hat-making, $00; weaving — i!.') good wheels — -
$.")t'>4 ; carpenter-shop with imj>lenients ^114; tallow-
melting, $40; soap-making, $170; mill, f(»r mule laimr
and hen-house, $!>!>; tannery house, witii implements,
8300. At San Antonit> tlie weaving establishment
was valued at $1,21 2.

Wheat was ground on metates at first, and for a
considerable time. In 183;5 th^re was an adobe grist-
mill run by water at CajMstrano mission, wliicli wus
destroved by an ovt'Hiow, a wooden one being aft* r-
ward erected in its^ place.

A water-mill at IV't.'dunia, belonging to Bell, in
1838 ground 100 pounds daily, Then there Mas the
arrastra, .some of which liad t\V(» or tlinn) stones.
smootli on one hide, the one above it being sccui' il
with a ]>iecc t)f inni. In*!! pa.sa<lores wiTe obtaincil
from the vessels, and a p<»le fastcn-'d to the j»asjul"r.
To tliis poh horses Were attached, and made to nn>\c
in a cirrh> round the stones.

The year 1 M42 saw grist-mills in Santa Cruz county,
otie built by Dodero, an Italian, and anotlier on tiie
Potrero l)y oiie Weeks. T)ie st<tjies were of graniti ,
found in that vieinitv. The women wasluil the whs ;i'.
and separati'd the flour with a sieve; they had n •
bolt. JSell iuid a g«»od null in Napa Valley by this
time, and Yount had one near the Sonouia Valh v.
Prt<>r Sains('\ain in 1S44 erected a flour-mill on the
(inndalupe Ki\er. in the San Jose valley. He n- 'I
Frer^ch iiuhr-^^tones, andasilk boliin*j-cl(»th,aikilgr('UM.l

sroAR-MAKixa.

4r.5

7') fanopfas of wheat a day. Soino Fit ndiiatMj liiul a
suw-uiill near Santa Cruz in 1S44; tlun- was oiu'
t rt'«'tt'(l at San (iahriol in 184G; and tlic tollowing
vt ar Monterey had one.

The Iu(Hans made surrar. and wliy sliould not thi'
CihtoniiuMs ? A ncd whicli onw in the; Tuhirrswas
«iit hy the natives when rijte. |»l;H\'d «»n nictates, and
(ru-<]i('d. \Vhen the reliise was r« ino\ril, thcic w-
111,1 iiH.'d crystals <»t" tine Huvor. sonicthin'j: like a/iicar
(audi, or rock candy, and of wliieii ta!uaU>s were
ina<l.c. roUed in reed U'aves.

ilijar speaks of a coffeo-colorcd hulh, (ulied torni^iii,
soiiicwliat iar*;('r tiiaji tht^ Mexican caconiitc of which
sui^ar was made. The hulhs wcrc j.lae»'<l in a liolo
ii! tlie 'ground, on a bed of hot stones and cndKis,

I hakid, in wliicli f.-rm lliev were

use*

1 t.

» sWeett'll

afnlc. Then there were the |ian<t.-h.'i Italis made tVom
tlie r'rvstalhv:e<l saceliarine matter shaken iVoni thedrieil
h a\is of Ii wild reed of light sttau found near the
missions.

Ill the year 18."18 there came to Mmitcn^y one Octa-
vii. ( 'ustot, surnafucil HI A/uearcro, th« suj/ar- maker,
Si) ealli'd because he did not know how to make sugar.

that anion

as a sharp t'ellow, this Octavi*-; and thiukiiit

g til

le smtiilc-muK

(led

pcoi

le of

our

lot

OS-

land it Were easy enough to live 1)V (»nc's wits, he di-
melted from his: ship. With th«» ^Swiss of New ijel-
\etia. lie thouglit what a liiu; thing it would he to lay
liie ( 'alitbrmas at the feet of France,

Hut Kl Axucarero— it was at Sonoma that h- ae-
i|uiri t! this title, and it was in this wi.se: Closeted
one day with the autocrat of the tVontlt !•, he re\e;i|cd
tlie stai'tliiig iiitelligeiiet^ that he could make sug;i.r; he
(eiiM fahrieute the g(;nuine saccharine substiince fri>m

lleetS.

\ allejo was a man of progrcs.s. All his life he had
spent in this far-awav wildernes-s, and there weic now

4riO

(XCUPATIOX.S AND IXDUsTUIKS,

iMnninix to tlioHo alioros so inaiiv stmn;j;t'rs with so
many strain;*' taUs, idias now to Iilm, and tliinji^s lU'Vcr
l)c'torc luaid (»t'. that lie was ready to bi'liove ahiiost
aiiythiuL;. ludred, thcic was no n'{i>'()n wliy siiun!
should not hi' tnaih' tVoni hi-t-ts, and jx'rhaps toa tVnm
oak l(a\(S, and cortbr inmi luanainita iK-irifs.

" 1 )oul>tl»'ss all is as you say," leniarked ValKjo.
"but wlu'if are tlic luH'ts:"'

"(flow thoni," r(>|>li('d ('ustot,

" I haAi' no seed," said Vallt jo.

"Send tor sonii>." answered ('ustot.

Indeed, the eunniny; (Ktavio had all alonsf rookont'd
on this <tn the absence of facilities, anil the restful
days in stoiv for him while awaitinjj; them; for thi>.
to M deserted s;iil(»r, was a fat country, with balmy ;iir
and bea,utiful wo'ui'U.

To his mayordonx! at j'et.'dumn, \'allejo finally m nt
the f( *

low. W I

th orders to j»laci' at his dis|)osal \'><\\v
yokt' of oxen, eij^ht Indians, jind a dwellin;^ and |ii di-
visions. "C'iN ili/ation is indeed a bot»n,"' thought Oc-
tavio. as ho lay muh-r a madrono smokiuLj his pipe,
while the slow-steppiuLi' oxen furrowed Ibrty acres.

Seed was found at Mazatlan. and when it came it
was pi(»nounce<| of mnnl (Mialitv — verv u<>od tiualitv.
"ihit," said Octavio, "nothinLj can b»> done now; it is
too late to plant this season." So thei'e was notliiiiL;
to bi' d(»?ie but to extend to 101 Azucarero liis iVee and
easy livino' at j'ctaluma through the sunmiei'.

.\t li'Uiith the rains came, tin- seed was put into the
oround. the beets <j,rew, sun and \ ii-^in soil eond»iniiin
to niaki' the bi^ocst and I'cddest roots on recoid. The

master came trenuen

tlv f

roin

onoma to sei' tl

beets u;row. and in his mind to t'ompute the (juantity
of su^ar each contained, and iiow much would thitt I'l'
an acre, and what was fojty tinxs that, and it uis
about time to think of ircttiuL! i»arrels readv.

Finally came to Soiioina tfuiy IS.'U), and with it ;i
fine box «>f su;j:ar from ( 'ustot to the sen«tra. \\h<> pi<'
nounced it fine -very fine; c'lUiil to lit r h»af-siijar

A HOUSE SHINfiLED. Hf

lirouglit from Peru. "Here is an industry wortli
liaviiij;." mused the inaster--''<)xen, Indian liil)»>r, un-
limited lauds; wliv, I will have in luets millions of
at I'es, ami presently ships eairvini^ hem-e the yreat
staph' to t'Veiy (jtuirter of the tarth."

l>ut what is this the senora says, as she r<turns
with the servant from [)utting in the storehousr with
the other the new produetioii ? Her sULftir is <ioii(I
A do/.t'ii loaves of her hest Peruvian stoleni Ali! all
iscltar; she always knew that ( )etavio to he a thief.
\';illi jo hurrii'd to Petaluma, demanded to see tlu'
jiiitctss, ami was told it wotdd not hear too much linlit.
••'riuc; nor y«misrlf." rrplicd A'allrjo as he oidrrrd
Solano to take the inij)ostor to Yeiha Hn»iia. Solano
mIm y«d, lanilin;^' El Azuearero wjaist-deep in water.

ddssini^ the plains, (Jcorofe Y<iunt dropped himself
(liiwn in Sonoma, and stoo<l hefort- the mast«'r.

"Wliat can you do.^" demanded \'allejo.

"Many things," said Yount.

"1 do not want yon to do many things; what one
tliili'4' eaii vou di» lliat no one else «|oes hel'e T'

1 1

lave s»'en no s

hinLrl

es m

(^alif

ornia ; vour new

linij.se yonthr is altout ready for them; I can m:d<
sliiny,les."

What ;ire tzin — tzin — , h<

irais

ou call them — tzin-

Y(»unt explained, uoin^;" through with all the opera-

tldllS.

hark

in<J the felled tree, el'(»ss-euttili!4' ill

l.L.ek

eiuiiteen iiiehes lon^,', splittiii;;- and shaving, and all
with the simplest tools. "; '

Very wi'll," re|)lied \^dlejo. who had followed him

attititively, thoU'^h half iiiereilulously ; "you sIki
iiialve me .some tziiiii;ds and lout' my liouse,"

1 he Work was done, jiiid the autocrat was hii,dily
I'! asid; he had a ' tzin^ahd' house, the liist in all

1 he was very proud of it.

t wo

Calif

oi-mas, an(

.i> I'-oked indeed like civilization.

A'..,'a:n the mechanic stood htfori' the mastei-,

: t

488

OfCLTATIOXS AND INPUSTKIES.

"What shall I i^^ive you?" asked Vallojo.

"I woiiltl like some land in Napa Valley, if you
would h'lid me a few heifers so that I mijjht start a
herd," said Yount.

•' |[ow much land?"

"Haifa lea<rue."

" V(»u can't have half a leai^ue; wo don't ^ive half
huij^ues here, with five hundred miles on our north,
and a thousand on our east, unoeoupied. You cjih
have four Icaj^ues."

"I will tjike a leaj^ue," said Yount, who was think-
in*; of the care and cost attendinj^ the ownership of so
lary^e a tract.

"^'ou can have two leaoues, and nothing less,"
re[)lied N'allcjo; and so the matter ended.

CHAPTER XV.

INLAND TRADE AND COAST TOAFFIC.

With nhiiw tliu nua, Vfun Niiriiikletl fnr an<l nigh,
Liku Htiirti in huavun ami juyouMly it Mhow'd,
tSoiiiu lyinu fust iit iiiu'lior in tlie rnatl,
8uuio vuuring up aud duwu, uiiu kuuw not why.

— ]\'or<l''imrth.

Un'DKR tliG cxcluftivo policy purauod by Spain to-
waid licr Atnericaii colonics, Califoriua could have,
(luniii^ the sevt'iitccnth and oiijlitccnth ccnturiia, no
external trade. Indeed, asi<le from a few prodiicts
fiiiiiislied to the Pliillipiunes j^alleon, and to the tran.s-
pnrts which hroujjjht supplies for the presidios and
iiiissittiis, and some salt sent from time to time to San
Bias, on jj^overnment account, she exported nothini;
tlnwn t<i 1786. A royal order of this year allowed a
free trade for eijjfht years with San l^las, which priv-
iltn-c was later t'xtended for five y«'ars more with duties
rnjuccd one-half; hut California derived little if any
udvaiitajie from the concession.

Th(! mother country undertook in 1785 to open a
trade hetween the Californius and China, hartrrin'^
|H Itrit'S for quicksilver; and a conniiissioner was ap-
I'l'iiited to study the (piestion and make the necessary
aiiaii!^ements for carry injjf out the scheme. Skins of
various kinds were to h*' proeuied hy the Indians,
•It'livered to the missionaries, and then he turned over
to the <_M)vernment agent at from S-T)!) tt> .$10 each,
acconhng to size and col<»r. Private persons wire;
f •rl.iildcn to hecoine purchasers of furs. The friars
ta\ovtd this project, which would attord an additional
ininiiie to the nTissioas. The agent ohtained al)o\it

( V.U )

:'!•

IXL.VXI) TRADE AXT) COAST TRAFFIC.

l,r»00 otter skins, returning' with tlii'in to Ari'xlm,
wIhiu'c at ti»e eiul of I7H7 ho took tlicin to Manilii
for lUTount of tiu' roval tnasurv. lirforo I7l)0 tlif
iiuiiiIht of skins shi{>iM<l t(» tiiat Asiatic port fmin
hoth Californias was *.>,7-0, at a total cost, inchi<liii'4
the aj^ciit's salary and expenses, of .^.s7,r»r»!). But in
the lattir year it was thouj^iit best to leave the tin
tra«le in private hands. However, It appears that
some otter skins were procun-d for «;ovi'rnnient ae-
eount after that time. The Kn|L,d*ish were intri».^uiii.;
to secun^ th(> business, which was checked hv tin
treaty entered into in October 17D0, between (ireat
liritain and Spain, inhibitin<^ the subjects of tlif
former power from killini; otter witliin thirty mili s
of any part of the coast occupiet! by the latter, — tliat
is, all of California below San Francisco, — and finm
eiiu;a^ing in any trade with the Spanisli cstablisli
nients.

There wer»' several reasons why the trade in pel
tries met with ill succes.s. First, the furs obtained in
California were fewer in nundter than lia<l be»n ex-
pected, because the natives lacktd skill an<l the ne<ts-
sary im[)lements. Secotidly, the quality of the ottt r
skins was inf»'rior to that of the skins taki>n to China
from the Northwest Coast. Thinl, the tariff of prices
fixed by the *;overnment a«ijent at first was cnii-
sidi-red excessive. The roval fur tradtra were \\<>t,
satisfied with a fair ])rofit. Then, too, the Spaniauls
did not know how either to prepare the skins orcon-
<luct the busint'tss. Nor were private hidividuals <lis-
po.sed to en;4a«4e hi a busiiie.ss which had been aban-
doned bv the liovernment. Nevertlu'less, tht^ nati\'S
continuetl }^athenn<^ furs for the mission.s, and in
later years American snm|^«.di'rs carried off consid»i-
able (juantities in exchaiiife for j^ootls.

There was no development whatever in any otli* r
commercial branch. Ka<'h year two tran.sports <'ani«'
to California, one usually visitin*; San l)ie|;;o an<l
Suuta Barbara, and the other Monterey and S.ni

THE FUU TRADE.

461

Framwo, with supplii's fortlio inissioiiH and prosidios.

Tlio Manila galK-on toucliiil at Montiny in 17h4 uikI

I7s5. Every pncaution was taken to |>n'\«'nt eoni-

iiiunications of torii^Mi veHsels with tl»o n>untiv.

tlioujili in casiH of distress sueli vessels were fui-

nisl led stores and water. The laws prohiltitid trade

ii't only with forei«;n vessels, and for for*'i}.'n t>;«Hnls.

l)Ut with Sjumish vessels and for llispano-Anuriean

uoods, if brought hv other than the re«'ular trans-

|M.it.s. At first even the transports were not all<twed

tu l)i'in|4 any other i<;(N)dH than those whieh had In-en

<;illi'd for hy the haiulitaiios of the presidios. It is

kiioNVM, however, that this rule was not elosily ke])t :

the ottiet|-s and others on the ships hrinj^injj; on private

s|»reulation from San lilas aitieles for barter with tin-

suldii IS, for liquors, hrlglit (•ol«)red cloths, trinkets,

ttc. A. triHin;jf 4|uantity of produce, brandy, fi«»s, and

liiisjiis, was imported overland for the friars from

Jiuwer Califoinitt. Sevend projects were conteni-

jil.ittil to fostiT trade, but they never took etfeet. In

I7^H tlie ^ovrrnor issued a new .schedule of prii-es of

livr-stoek, u^ricultural products, And articles he was

iik* ly t«> r«'<|uire : horses, ^.'{ to ^1); asses, ^(I to i^7 :

rahes, :?1.50; bulls, ^4 ; sheep, 75 cents to ^'J ; swhie

$1 to ^4; nmles, ^1(1 to ^20; mares, ^IJ; c«»\vs, 5?4;

cxrii, js^J; j^'oats. 7i) cents to 61 ; jerked bi-if. 75 cents

I" r -5 IIks. ; fnsh beef, 1*5 cents per 25 lbs. ; hides,

uiitainie«l, 37 cents; tiinned, ^li.25; wool 81.-5 to .$-

]•' r :]5 lbs; wluat, ^'J ]Mr fanega; barley, ^l pt-r

tiiiitnja; maize .31.50 per faiiejLCa; beans, i^'l.bO per

t'ain;^fa; tiour, $1.25 to .^'J per 25 lbs.; suj^ar. 25 cents

|M r Ihs.; brandy, 75 cents per pint. The list was

iiHidiHed some years later, with an increase in the

juice of some articles; the nundier of article.^ was

also tvrcatly au»jmented, including those of luxury,

which in the earlier years hiul lu'ensevenly exchnh-d.

I'larly iii the lUth cinturv American vessels beoan

I" apprar at California |K)rts, under th»? pretext of

iiitdiug supplies, their real object being to secure

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

»" IIM 1 2.2
It i^ mil 2.0

1.8

1.25 u 1^

— — —

^ (,"

►

Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

:0^

^«,'

^.-^^

"<b^

23 WEST MAIN STRCEf

WEBSTER, N.Y. 145i!0

(716) 872-4503

•1

462

INLAND TRADE AND COAST TRAFFIC.

otter skins, for which they had goods to give in ex-
change, in which iUicit traffic they were somethncs
successful. The Americans were not the only for-
eigners poaching in the Spanish preserves of the Cali-
fornias; the Russians also endeavored to establish
commercial relations in some form. Joseph O'Cain,
connnander of the ship O'Cain, persuaded Bardnof,
chief of the Russo- American colonies, to let him have
a number of Aleuts, with their bidarkas, to take
otters on shares. O'Cain left Kadiak in October

1803, and did some trading on the coast of Alta
California. He touched at San Diego in January

1804, for provisions, which were denied him. After
hovering some time on the coast of Lower California,
he returned to Kadiak in June with 1,100 otter slvins
to be shared with the Russians. The same ship, and
another American vessel under Russian auspices,
visited the coast of Lower California in 1805 and
1806. These voyages yielded about 6,250 otter skins.
The Russians allege that Bariinof forbade their hunt-
ing on the California coast without special jxirmission
from the Spanish authorities, but no such permission
was either asked for or obtained. From this time on,
for ten years or upwards, the Yankees with the aid
of the skilful Aleuts, under contracts with the Rus-
sians, had things their own way in California. Tiny
disposed of their goods by barter with the friars, and
even occasionally with the officials. The hunters, be-
came more and more emboldened, until they actually
came to take otter in the bay of San Francisco, under
the very eyes of the Spanish authorities, who nmic
powerless to prevent it. It is known tliat the Russo-
Alaskan company thus obtained nearly 10,000 ottor
skins as their share of the number taken by the con-
tractors. It is believed that the latter were honest
in rendering an account of the animals killed ; but in
other respects they caused trouble and loss to the
company by occasional sharp practice. The contract
system was disconthmed about 1815.

rezXnof's adventure.

463

In 1806 famine stalked in Alaska, owing to the
wreck of a vessel with supplies, and the failure of an-
other to arrive. Scurvy also made its appearance,
Hunger, misery, despair, and death were fast reduc-
ing the number of the colonists. The chamberlain,
liczilnof, who had come to Sitka the previous year
on a visit of inspection, loaded the ship Juno with
such articles as were thought to be acceptable in Cali-
fornia, and proceeded to the port of San Francisco,
wliich he reached early in March, after a stormy pas-
sage, in which the lives of all on board were repeat-
edly in peril. Rezdnof well knew that trading with
foreigners was forbidden in California, but he hoped
to soften the hearts of the Spanish authorities to
rdiove the pressing need of food. Possibly there
might be a little business transacted in furs, if not
with the permission of the officials, then through the
connivance of the missionaries. But he had for a
time to contend with Governor Arrillaga's regard for
duty. While admitting that commerce would be
beneficial to the people of California, the governor
felt bound to comply with the strict orders he had
from the crown and the viceroy of New Spain. The
most he would permit was the purchase of cereals for
casli ; no sales of goods from the ships, nor purchase
of peltries should be allowed. But where di[)l()niacy
faiK'd, love, all-conquering love, succeeded. Rezdnof
won the heart of Concepcion Argilello, the coman-
(Innte's daughter, and offered his hand to her in mar-
riiio;o. Through this intermediary the comandante's
inHuence was brouo-ht to favor the chamberlain's
wislies. Arrillaga found himself at last unable to
resist the pressure of the friars, the people, his own
inclinations to favor the country, and the arguments
of his friend of thirty years' standing. Captain Josd
Diiri'o Argiiello. He yielded, and a complicated plan
was devised, by which specie was made to appear as
tli(! medium of purchase on both sides, Rez;lnofs name
Hot appearing in the transactions. Pursuant to this

m'i

464

INLAND TRADE AND COAST TRAFFIC.

arrangement the ship was soon loaded with w^hcat and
flour, maize, barky, beans, oats, and pease; salt, soap,
tallow, etc. The ship delivered goods, which had
originally cost about $5,000. Rezdnof now delavid
his departure as little as possible, and arrived safely
at Sitka on the lOtli of June.

The Russians after this determined to establish a
settlement on the coast of California, the port of
Bodega and the country back of it being the chosen
spot. The Russian emperor gave his assent, witiioiit
saying anything of Spanish opposition. The Russo-
American company was simply authorized, as re-
garded connnerce, to arrange the matter in their own
way. The first attempt at Bodega in 1810 was un-
successful. Meanwhile Captain Jonathan Winsliip,
in the (/Cai)!, visited the California coast in 1810-11,
under contract with the company, and returned to
Alaska with 5,400 otter skins. His brother, Natlian
Winship, in the Albatross, under a similar contract,
took 1,120 skins. Several other ships were at tliis
time engaged in the same traffic, namely, the Isahclla,
Mcrcim/, Catherine, Amethyst, and Charon. The Rus-
sians tinallv effected the desired settlement, com-
meiiced agricultural operations, and made efforts to
o})en a trade with California, but their overtures wtie
unfavorably received, and they were ordered to quit
the territory. While the revolutionary war raged iu
^Mexico, California was left without supplies. Fortu-
nately a small trade with Peru began, two s]ii}».s
coming from Callao with cloth and miscellaneous
goods, to barter for tallow, hides, and other produn-.
The American ^\n^ Mercury was captured on the coast
with a cargo worth $16,000, which afforded consiil-
erable relief. The Russians at Ross were after ;i
time allowed to send to San Francisco, in bidarkas
goods to the amount of $14,000. From this time
commercial relations were rarely interrupted. In
1814 another Spanish vessel sold $16,000 wortli of
goods for treasury drafts. A small amount of money

BUSINESS WITH ALASKA AND LIMA.

465

was also obtained from two English vessels that
visited Monterej'- and San Francisco. Lieutenant
Moraga was sent a third time to Ross to t)rtler tlie
Russians to depart ; but the officer in charge, Kuskof,
found it convenient not to understand a messaj^e con-
veyed to liim in Spanish, and despatched his clerk to
San Francisco with the usual caro;o, which by the in-
(luli^^ence of Captain Luis Arcfiiello, the coniandante,
found a ready sale, and the Kussians met ever after
with the same success, to the benefit of the troops
and people of California, for they not only furnished
iu'o<led articles, but purchased large quaiitities of
<4niin. And thus it was that from the year 1815 to
the end of the Spanish domination, hi 1822, the period
of most C(^m})lcte interruptions of trade with Mexico,
and consequently of greatest want, with what the
Russians furnished and vessels from Lima brouglit,
tlie situatic^n was rendered less insufferable. In
fact, during tlie last half of the decade 1811-20, there
was no need on the part of foreign vessels to
resort to snmggling, for the Spanish authorities were
«j,lad to purchase every cargo, Spanish or foreign,
though tluties were exacted on all exports and im-
ports, according to a tariff devised to meet, as alleged,
the needs of California ; but practically, there was no
ol)staclo to free commercial relations. Nevertheless,
there is nothing to show that anv trade was carried
on witli foreign vessels, even contraband, exce[>t by
the *j;ovcrnment. Of course there was smugijfling
even tlien to some extent.

Tiio missionaries claimed exemption from export
ami import dues, but Governor Sola heeded them not,
and tinallv they had to be content with the cold comfort
of paying by a pro rata contrilmtion, a sum of money
helieved to exceed the amount of duties demaiuled.
The governor accused the friars of behig unserupuh>us,
inasnmch as they bought goods on speculation, ]>re-
tiiidiiig that they were for the missions, and shiitped
liquor and other merchandise under the title of gifts,

C.vi.. Past. 30

I :'3

4G6

INLAND TRADE AND COAST TRAFFIC.

:it;

■IF

etc. He thought it needful to watch their proceed-
ings, on behalf of the country's interests.

In April, 1821, was published in California, a royal
order of the preceding year, exempting from duties
national products exported on Spanish bottoms to
San Bias and the CaUfornias. But this order, con-
nectod as it was with some commercial schemes wliicli
had no eifect, brought no benefit to California. The
rates of duties exacted in the last decade were now
continued. Nine vessels entered California pons
during this year, and in 1822 there were twenty on
the coast, one being a government transport, and six
wlialers which entered San Francisco for supplies.
The rest traded goods for California produce. In
1823 there were seventeen vessels, three of them
Russian men-of-war, five whalers, and the rest
traders, purchasing tallow, hides and produce. The
duties on imports and exports collected at Monterey,
amounted to upwards of 17,500, which may or may
not include $6,500 received at San Francisco and
San Diego.

The British subjects, Hugh McCuUoch and Wil-
liam Edward Petty Hartnell, the latter becomini,' a
permanent resident as well as a citizen, brought a
cargo of goods in 1822, and proposed, both to the
government and to the prefect of the missions, to
enter for Begg and Company of Glasgow and Lima,
into a contract to keep the province regularly supplied.
Such a contract was actually concluded for three
years, to begin from January 1, 1823. A scale of
prices was arranged. Prefect Payeras saying that the
times when hides and tallow where to be had for the
askhig had passed. The following was the schedule
fixed in the contract: hides, $1 each, large and small;
wheat, $3 per fanega ; tallow, $2 per arroba of 2 J Ihs;
suet, $3; lard, $i; soap, $16 per 100 lbs; beef in
pickle, including bone, $4 per 100 lbs, without casks.
Other articles were included without mentioning their
prices ; such as horns, hair of horses and cattle, h'.uip.

EXPORTS AND IMPORTS.

4G7

wine, brandy, saffron for dyeing, skins of bears, foxes,
etc. The only article to be received in unlimited
quantities was hides. Wheat m large quantities was
to be taken only in the event of the wheat crop being
sliort in Chili. The contractors were bound to
Jes})atch at least one vessel every year, which was to
touch at each harbor or roadstead, take all the hides
ottVred, and at least 25,000 arrobas of tallow, and to
pay for the same in money, or such goods as might
be desired. There were a few other conditions which
it is unnecessary to enumerate.

In September 1824, a tax of ten per cent, on pro-
ducts was decreed. The comandantes of presidios
wt'ie instructed to facilitate the sale of products as
much as possible; taxes on exports were repealed
fmui January 1, 1825, but a duty of 25 per cent was
imposed on all coin taken from the province.

From this time it is unnecessary to detail the
development of trade from year to year, under the
}iilvll(ge of free intercourse, subject only to duties as
i't(|uired elsewhere. The ever loan treasury could
ill-afford to lose the amount the parties in interest
Would contribute toward its relief Everv such con-
triltution was a godsend. A. 'I'olony of foreign
traders controlled the conmierce, and the system of
exchanijinof hides and tallow for goods brouo-ht fn>m
ahroad did not vary nmch between 1823 and 1840,

Complete records of revenue exist for on r three
vi ars, making the average $70,000 annually ; the
receipts for about 1837 did not exceed $60,000
vrarly. Exports could not vary much in Nalue at
Calit'ornia prices from imports. For three years the
avirugc of exports from San Francisco was $83,000 ;
the annual exports from California to Honolulu for
tive years was $45,000. Sir James Douglas, of the
Hudson's Bay Company, in 1841 estimated the total
exp<irts of California at $241,000, the largest item
Ixing $70,000 for hides.

During General Micheltorena's rule, a decree was

4G8

nil i

U'i

•il

INLAND TRADE AND COAST THAFFIC.

issued, in 1844, forbidilina; tlio importation of natioii-
alizi'd foreign goods from Alcxican ports. This dccii c
was repealed hy his sueeessor in 1845, as was anotln r
pliW'injj; restrictions on tratlo by wlialers. These ves-
sels oould now sell i^oods to anv amount In exehnii'c
for produce by payiiu^ the re<ifular tluties, and wt it-
exempt from the ]»ayment of the tax of ^.'50 forme rlv
exaeted from tlu'm. Every vesst'l >vas requind to
pay .$50 |H>r month fora license to enjj^a^e in the retail
tradts This wjisconstituU^d a special fund to [)ay the
guards placed on tlie vessels, and for the construction
of a pier at Monteny. The traders objected to the
presence of these watchmen, but not to the tax.

The total revemie collected by the custom-house in
1845 was about $140,000. The records and otli.r
sources apeak of sixty vessels havinjjj been in Califm--
uia in that year. A dozen names mentioned arc
rather doubtful, many of them rcstiiisf on unreliahK-
statements, and elj^lit were men-of-war, which, if not
reorular traders, nuist have brou<]jht large supplies.
The }fnf(t<lor paid into the trt>asurv $<>7,000, which
far exceeded the amount ever i>aid l)efore bv anv one
ship. Betw^een 1841 and 1845, 134 vess(>ls arrivid.
Among tlnMU were 45 of American nationality, II
British, 8 French, 7 German and Swedish, 5 ]lussiaii.
3 South American. In the case of 2!), — many of which
W(>re smugglers and reticent, — no nationality appears
in the records. Of the 1,'U, 43 were whalers and 'I'l
ships of war or of scientific exploration.

It mav be of interest to the o-cneml reader to l<now
what were, in the late years of the Mexican doiniiiii-
tion, the ruling prices for the chief articles. Bramly
of the country was $50 a barrel ; a fat beef, $5 ; sluc|>,
$'2, ; wheat, 83 |x^r fanega; maize and pease, $1.75 a fa-
ni>ga; beans, $2.50, oats, $1.50, a fanega; butter. S2
for 5 lbs; milch cows, $8 each; and hogs, $6; horse-
skins, $1 in merchandise, and $.75 in money; ox-hides,
$2 in merchandise, $1.50 In silver; deerskins, $.5i) to
$1, according to size; beaver skhis, $3 per lb, ^loro

PRICES fUKllKNT.

400

lliiin 3,000 skins were obtained each year. Otter
skins became vt-rv scarce. Scarcely 100 wen; taktn
ill I,S4'J; tl)('y wi-re worth in CaHfornia from $'.ij to
s to, at Maaitian from ^r)0 to $;")."), and in Afcxico
from .$00 to $70. Tliey were not rej^ularly exported
to China after 1H40. The skins of fresh-water otters
weie wortli only $2 to $'.]. Wild goat skins were
Nvortli 25 ce'nts; skins of the hair seal, 75 cents; of
tilt; fur seal, §3 to $4. Californians would pay for
slioi's i^-\, b<M)ts $15, vermicelli $10 a Ik)X, woollen
socks $10 a dozen, silk stockin'^s $2.50 to $5 a pah',
linen tliread $4 a lb., silk handkiTchiefs $2 each, su-
Uiir $20 per 100 lbs, nails 37 cents j)er lb., calico 50
cents a yard, bn)wn cotton 37 cents a yard, not to
mention a rebozo at $150, a serape of Saltillo at $200
to $300, a saddle at $300, etc.

In l83'.)-40, while the country was at peace, some
native Californians united to ex[)ort their products
iii<lej)endently of foreign tra<lers. This relieved the
want of money somewhat, since they sent letters of
exchange on their agents in Mexico and l-ia Paz and
received money in return. But the arrival of Michel-
tiirena unsettled things again, and each one looked out
for himself, and not for the country. Freight to the
Sandwich Islands or Msizatlau was $20 per ton ; pas-
sage, $60 and $30, or $80 and $40; tune, 14 to 20
days. To Boston, freight was $40 per ton, hides 7j
cents each, and tallow ."JO cents per arroba; passage,
.SI 50 to $50. To Callao, $25 per ton, huhn 37 and 50
cents, talli>w $3 per arroba; passage, $200 to $120,
according to agreement with the captain; time, 50 to
()0 (lavs.

The fat from the weekly slaughter of cattle at the
missions was dragged in on the hide, made into soap,
or melted and put up in leather botas. The melting
coppers were of iron, of 200 or more gallons capacity.
Tlie hides were stretched on the ground, and held by
sticks driven into the ends. When dry, they were
stored for shipment.

470

INLAND TRADE AND COAST TRAFFIC.

Sutter says tliat wlion lie first came to Califonun.
"articies on tratliiiiij vessels were so high tluit ho wliu
went on board with $100 hi money or hitles, couM
cairy away his purchases in a pcx'ket handkerchiot."

The trading ships, after entering their cargoes, and
sui)plying the wants of Monterey, usually proceedt d
to San Francisco, where, mooring off Yerba Butiia
cove, they despatched boats to various points of tlie
bay to bring the rancheros and tlieir families to tlie
ship. Stearns was the first to export cattle horns on a
large scale.

There was usuallv, savs Davis, a considerable float-
ing population, mostly made up of runaway sailors.
disposed at all times to purchase goods on credit ; hut
as they were men who spent as fast as they earned,
the greater part of their earnings going for tobacot
and drink, their credit was naturally below par. Tht sc
remarks do not apply to permanently settled foreigners.
nor to the hunters and trappers who came across tlie
mountains and remained in California. Tluy were
men of a different type, true, sober, and industrious.
Most of them continued as hunters and trajipers lure,
and were confidentlv trusted bv merchants and traders.

Davis' father owned and commanded the ship Jennie,
of Boston, and visited California with goods early iii
this century. On one of his trips to California he
went into Refugio, a rancho situated a few miles west
of Santa Bdrbara. Many of the well-to-do Calit'er-
nians, as well as the missionaries, visited the ship to
make purchases, and as the captain had no use for
hides or tallow, the rancheros and priests produced
their Spanish doubloons to make payments, or tentlerod
otter skins, which were then plentiful and acceptalilo.

About 1823 was organized a company of otter-
hunters. They were Kadiaks from Alaska. Tluir
way was to pursue in their boats the otter in the hay
of Monterev, and when the latter became tired out,
kill them with arrows. The otter used to sleep on a
bed of sea-weed, ojiposite the sand-banks of the hay.

TPJCKS OF THE TIMES.

471

The Kailiak skin boats woukl take positions in line ;
tlun from a largo boat several shots were fired; the
tVi;j;htene(l otter would start on a run, and the boats
pursued them with the utmost speed. Their boats
wvro made of scal-skhis, the hair having been removed ;
tlnv had a wooden frame inside, and they sounded
like a drum; generally eat^h boat carried two or three
Kiuliaks. In this manner were destroyed all the otter
oil that part of the coast, and further down.

The padres were the chief customers in those days,
and spent freely from their well-filled coin-bags, or
fiuiu their stores of otter-skins, which they aocunm-
latod largely from the bay of San Francisco and along
the coast. They were extremely jealous of the Rus-
sians, who were making fortunes out of the business.
The padres had become regular traders. The China
troods thcv bought were not for their own use and
enjoyment, but were resold to the rancheros at a profit.
Tluy were shrewd traders, making their purchases
with good judgment, and at lower prices than the
rancheros. They frequently supplied the latter with
goods from their stores, taking in payment hides and
tallow, furs and cattle. Captahi Davis' vovages to
tJiis coast on the Ear/Ic proved successful, realizing
ahout $i!5,000 profit on each, in Spanish doubloons
and otter skins, from his sales in California and the
Ihissian settlements. He was among the first traders
from Boston, and had everything pretty nmch his own
way. John Meek, who in after years traded on this
coast as master of the Don Quixote, was Davis' mate.
On one of his first vovaijjes here on the Don (Quixote,
ho received a present from Coniandante Ignacio ]\Iar-
thu^z of three heifers and a young bull, which were
carried to Honolulu. In 1871 Meek was livin^j; there,
and owned a rancho about '25 or 30 miles froi.i tlie
town. He then had between four and five thousand
luad of cattle, and had been for years supplying for-
eiL^Mi men-of-war and other vessels with beef cattle, all
the offspring of the little band presented by Martinez.

1 Mi

t;;

j!l

472

INL.VM) TRADE AND COAST TRAFFIC.

There was considerable coinpctition in later years
anioiiijj the traders on the coast, and tlicre were iiut
wantinjjj instances of sharp practice in the collection of
hides and tallow, e8i)ecially during tlie slauj^htoriuu;
season. Merchants trusted the rancheros largily for
the ijoods thev sold them, and the indebtedness was
paid when the hides and tallow were prei)ared. Mi^st
of the rancheros were in debt at the time. One of
them, for instance, would promise the trader to supply
hhu at a specified time with hides and tallow, but
shoi-tly before the time so fixed another trader, to
whom lie was also indebted, would come, and by imi-.
sistent eftbrts and blandishments, so work upon liim
as to secure for himself a good portion of the csqiiilnKis
which had been promised to the first trtader. Wlnii
the latter in due time presented himself, and demandc d
the fulfilment of the ranchero's promise, such deniiiiul
the poor man could not disregard. Then the seri>ii(l
trader's claim had also to be attended to in some wa\',
at least in a measure, and so, between debt and duty,
the ranchero was pretty well pulled to pieces. Tlie
hides were often received in a green state, and luul to
be staked out and dried at Yerba Buena or San Dit^u.
Davis often had them staked out in a meadow bv tlio
waterside in Yerba Buena, between what are now
Washington and California streets. It was con side it il
legitimate among traders for th best to outstrip tlu!
others in ''the race for precedence. Business was
transacted in a straightforward manner between tlit^
merchants and the Califomians. The purchaser nc^ver
had occasion to ask the price, the seller quietly nam-
ing it at once, which was accepted or decUned with-
out more ado. No advantage was taken. There
were, of course, exceptions, but this was the rule.

The merchant, Don Jose Antonio Aguiire, owner
of the ship, Joven Guipuzcoana, once had a new sujxr-
cargo, a young man, who was a stranger to and igno-
rant of affairs in California. While the ship lay at
San Pedro, Aguirre being absent on the shore, Agus-

MACHADO'S BOND.

479

till ^Fachaclo, a well-to-do raiiclioro, antl a man of
sti'rlin«r oliaracttr, but who could noitlu'r road nor
Miitt', wont on boanl to niako purchases, his caits he-
i;iLj at tiie landinjjf. After his !;;o()ds had hccn selected,
us he was about havin*^ them placed in a launch to be
carrie<l on shore, the supercarj^o asked him for J>ay-
iiuiit, <»r some guaranty or note of hand. Machado
!-tiired at him in great astonishment; at first he could
iiitt comprehend what the man meant. Such a de-
iiian<l had never been made from him before, nor, in
fact, from any other ranchero. After a while, the
idea struck him that he was distrusted. Pluckin*;
(Hie hair from his beard, he seriously hamU'd it to the
.suj)ercargo, siiying, "Here, deliver this t(» Senoi
Aguhre, and tell him it is a hair from the beard of
Agustin ISIachado. It will cover your responsibility ;
it is sufficient guaranty." The young man felt i .v,A\
aliashed, took the hair and placed it inside of his book.
]\I;u-hado carri'^ ^ ^.vay the goods. Aguirre was elm
griued on hearing that the supercargo had demanded
a docunitiiu from Machado, a man whose word was as
good as the best bond, even for the entire ship's cai-go.
Jose M. Estudillo, who was a brother-in-law of
Aguirre, and in his emi)loy from boyhood, relates the
al»(»ve, and also the following occurrences in which
the same A<;ustin Machado was concerned. In 1850
Aguirre despatched him, Estudillo, to Los Angeles
ti» collect old bills, many of which were outlawed;
hut the greater part of them were finally paid. He
visited Machado's rancho, La Bayona, to collect a bal-
ance of about $4,000, and happened to arrive when
the house was full of company. He was cordially
received as a guest, and a little later on being ap|)rised
of the object ot his visit, Machado said that he had
been for some time past thinkhig that he was indebted
to Aguirre. As Estudillo could not remain long,
^lachado made him take a fresh horse, and prom-
ised to see him in Los Angeles in two davs. On the
tnne appointed Machado was there, and dei'vcred him

474

INLAND TRADE AND COAST TRAFFIC.

n ■

the whole sum at the door of Manuel Requena's
house, and refused to take a receipt, saying tliat
Aguirre was not in the habit of collecting the same
bill twice.

Before 1826 nine or ten trading craft, and later
twice as many, came to the coast each year ladcu
with goods to be exchanged for hides and tallow.
Restrictions imposed by the laws were regularly dis-
regarded by the authorities of California under Mexi-
can rule. Gradually, as the excess of duties developed
smuggling, wayports ani emharcaderos were closed,
and even Santa Barbara and San Francisco. In tlie
last years other restrictive measures were attempted,
but tliey generally came to naught; subordinate offi-
cials were mostly influenced by the traders, and even
the governor often had to submit to the inevitable
when a su]iercargo or owner threatened to take his
valuable cargo.

The people seldom resorted to the stores to sell
their produce, preferring to await the arrival of vessels
which paid more. There was no rivalry between the
mission padres and private persons, although they had
the same object in view. The padres often gave good
advice to the latter in trade.

Laplace went aboard one of the ships which was
moored near the land for trading. The goods were
spread out on deck. The greater part of those offered
were of little value, except the articles relating to the
feminine toilette, which were more costly and in great
demand. There were household and atjricultur;d
implements, side-arms and fire-arms, powder and lead,
marine stores, hardware, woolen and cotton stuffs.
and a hundred other things easy to sell in a mw
country.

Phelps, who was in the California and Boston trade
in 1840, says that all ships intending to trade on tlio
coast came there to make the best bargain they could
with the authorities respect* ng duties, gave security
for payment, and received permission to trade at all

DUTIES AND DEBTS.

475

the ports until the voyage was completed. The duties
oil an invoice of cargo averaged about 100 per cent,
payable half in cash, and half in esquilmos, hides and
tallow, or goods from the ship. As I have before
stated, tliere was but a limited quantity of specie in
the country. Trading vessels brought only moderate
sums, barely enough to meet the duties. Many of
tlicm borrowed what money they needed for that
purpose. Most of the trade was an exchange of
ooods for domestic produce. Bryant, Sturgis, & Co.,
the Boston firm, not oidy furnished most of the goods
used in California, but also most of the coin for the
j)ayment of the salaries of the revenue and military
officers, which payments were contingent on the
arrival of the next ship — the duties on a cargo being
always anticipated by custom-house orders on such
shi[) for their pay, in goods and cash in equal propor-
tion.

To give some idea of the labors of the trading voy-
ages made by the Boston traders on the California
coast, Phelps states that on his 1840-43 voyage, his
ship was seven times at San Francisco, thirteen times
at Monterey, three times at Santa Cruz, four times
at San Luis Rey, seventeen times at Santa Barljara,
si'vonteen times at San Pedro, five times at Refugio,
and returned to the depot ten times, frequently an-
choring at other places along shore. The bow anchor
was hove up 131 times, and the crew killed and con-
sumed while on tlie coast 203 bullocks. In collecting:
and curing a hide cargo, and finally stowing it on
hoard ship, each hide had to be handled twenty -two
times.

Tlie want of enterprise was apparent on the part
of tlie people by their paying higli prices, with nmcli
gruniblhig, for salt and dealboanls, which could easily
have been procured at San Francisco and elsewlieic.
Sea-otter skins were purchased at $20 a piece, while
the animals swam about in the ba^-.

The Californians could have done well in furs had

i;i

INLAND TRADE AND COAST TRAFFIC.

they not been so shiftless. Amador, mayordomo of
the mission of San Jose, states that with three In-
dians he rode to Point Quintin in 1880, and caught,
by lassoing, 30 sea-otter out of about 100 which were
on the shore. Previous to 1846, there was a small
community of these animals about the entrance of
Sonoma Creek, which were under the special care tif
Vallejo, who would not allow them to be disturbed.
But in 1847 some hunters from Santa Bdrbara were
in tlie bay, and not having the fear of the northern
autocrat before their eyes, they shot every one of
them, obtaining 42 skins worth $60 each, after which
slaughter of the innocents, few others were ever seen
in San Francisco Bav.

"As respects trade," says Wilkes in 1841, "it may
be said that there is scarcely any, for it is so inter-
rupted, and so much under the influence of the gov-
ernor and the officers of the customs, that those
attempting to carry on any under the forms usual else-
where, would probably find it a losing business. For-
eigners, however, contrive to evade this by keeping
their vessels at anchor, and selling a large portion of
their cargoes from on board. Great partiality is show n
to those of them who havr> a full understanding with
the governor; and from what I was given to under-
stand, if this be not secured, the traders are liable to
exactions and vexations without number. The enor-
mous duties, often amounting to 80 per cent, ad valorem,
cause much dissatisfaction on the part of the consum-
ers; the whole amount raised is about $200,000 per
annum, which is found barely sufficient to pay tlie
salaries of the officers and defray the expense of tlie
government feasts, which are frequent and usually
cost $1,000 each."

The operation of curing hides is as follows: To
soften the hides, thev are soaked for some davs in
sea water. They are then stretched on the ground,
and fastened with small stakes. All particles of flesli,
which might decompose, are then carefully removed

PEDLING VESSELS.

477

with a knife. Thoy are next placed on racks to
dry. The inside part having been powdered with
salt, tliey arc folded in their length, and loft with the
luiir outward. Thoy are then pressed to flatten them,
itnd packed in the ship with the aid of jack-screws.
It was not unconnnon to see a brig of 100 tons l.)aded
witli 14,000 hides, and a three-masted American sliip
of 3r.O tons, with 30,000 hides.

The Hudson's Bay Company's Simpson writes in
1842: " Few vessels visit San Francisco except such
as are engaged in collecting hides or tallow, the tallow
Uding to Peru, the hides to England or the United
t^tatcs. Each ship has a supercargo or clerk, who in
a decked launch carries an assortment of goods from
farm to farm, collecting hides, and securing by his
advances as many as possible against the next ma-
tanza, which is generally in July and August. The
current rate for a hide is i^'2 m fjoeds, or 81.50 in
ppeeie, the difference arising from the circumstance
that goods are held at a price sufficient to cover bad
di-bts. The exports of hides do not exceed 00,000,
Vet at present there are fully sixteen ships on the
ceast scramlding for hides or tallow. Supposing half
ti) he enijfa'jjed in the latter business, there remain
ei ;;lit for such a number of hides as would take at
l.ast three years to fill them. The Jkrt, belonging
to one of the oldest houses in the trade, has spent
Some 18 months on the coast, but is still al)out a third
sliort of her full tale of 40,000. A vessel has to keep
p' illing from one place to another, taking her chances
ef l»ad weather and anchorage in all the ports from San
I'ranelsco to San Dicjo. As the hides are all green,
or nearly so, each vessel has to cure them for herself;
and as the upper half of the coast, owing to the rains
and fogs of the north-westers, is unsuitable, the hides
have to be carried to the drier climate of the southern
jwirts, particularly San Diego; and then the curing is
a great loss of time." Evidently Sir George was not
in love with Californians or their traffic.

478

INLAND TRADE AND COAST TRAFFIC.

Herewith I give a specimen of commercial corre-
spondence of the period :

Sax Francisco, Oct. 8, 1845.
^Ir James Watson: Dear Sir — I wish you would
purchase for mc, payable next season or in the spriiiir,
tliree bales of sugar, of Malarin, if he will kt y<>u
have it, at six dollars the arroba. And if not, see if
Don Manuel Diaz will let you have it at that price or
less. Get two bales at any price you can, if you can-
not get it at the price named, and deliver one to tln!
Advance when she arrives in Monterev, and send thu
other one or two, as may be, to San Francisco, m
California. I want it for immediate ship's use, as I am
borrowing sugar here for daily use.

Yours truly, H. Mellus.

In 1842 common calico paid a duty of ono eighth v.{
a dollar a vara. The ^Mexican tariff imposes a tax of \ .")
per cent on 'artfculos pcrmitidos;' but in Callfornir.,
where no prohibition exists, articles in this category
are admitted at 40 per cent ad valorem. Foreign
ships pay $1.50 per ton for right of anchorage.
Whalers pay a simple duty of $10 when it \a suppos((l
they come ii merely to provision. If, however, tlu y
sell any merchandise, they have to pay the regular
duties. Ships that put in for safety p:.y no duties,
but on condition that they sell nothing. ^Mexican
ships bringing cargoes from ^lexican ports pay no
duty. Monterey is the only port open to forei;^n ci>in-
merce, and any ship which *il moins de relache pour
avarie' runs a risk of being seized as a sumgirler.
When once the ships have discharged their cargoes at
the custom-house at Monterey, and have paid tlu ir
duties, they are at liberty to take their merchaiulise
on board again, and trade along the coast until tliey
have disposed of their entire cargo.

It may be imagined how easy was smuggling und> r
such circumstances. The American and English ships
sometimes landed merchandise at isolated points on
the coast ; but they preferred to wait out at sea, or

GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS.

479

at an uninhabited island, for ships which had ah-eady
])aid their duties, to which they transferred their
cargo. Some ships in this manner sold two or three
times the value of their original cargo. Coin being
scarce in California, captains, supercargoes, and mer-
I hants paid part of the duties in merchandise at current
prices. Thus we observe at difterent times diilerent
regulations, though statements vary somewhat, as a
matter of course.

Governor !Michcltorena promulgated his dtcree on
lii.les the 31st of December, 1843. At every jujrt an
ngcnto do policia was to be appointed by the local
authorities, who should inspect all hides exported in
national vessels. Xo hide should be shipped without
lieintj examined and marked bv this acfente. Hides
ni)t bearing the owner's brand and sale-mark should
lie confiscated by the alcaldes, and the buyer, or per-
son in whose hanils thev are found, should be fined $5
t')r each hide. Every four months the agente should
report to the local authorities for publication the num-
h,T of hides exported, with a statement of tlieir marks
of ownership. To the agente of San Francisco all
vessels mu 't present themselves on entering or leav-
ino- the bav. The aofentes to collect from those in-
terested one real for each hide marked. Failing to
attcMid to his duties, the agente should pay a fine
of 84 each up to 10 hides exported without the
proper marks; 35 each from 10 to 50 hides, and so on,
increasing 61 per hide for each additional 50. For a
second oficnce he should lose his position. Fines to
be in three parts: the first to go to the informer, the
second to the owner of the brand, and the third to
the nmnicipal fund. Confisca^-xl hides to go to the
owner if he prove he has not sold them. If he
cannot prove this, the hides to be divided like the
tines, between the informer and the municipal fund.

From Monterey, on the 22d of March, 1845, Lar-
kin writes: "The laws of Mexico are but Httle heeded
here, only as they may suit the country. No atten-

480

INLAND TRADE AND COAST TRAFFIC.

tion is paid to tiie Mexican tariff; every single article
that can be brought to this country can be entered
by paying about 30 per cent duties on its value in
Monterey; there are no prohibitions whatever from
foreign ports; there is even a law here prohibiting
foreign goods being introduced from San Bias and
Mazatlan, with guias, pases, unless the owners will
pay the duties the same as if introduced from a foreign
port. Any foreign vessel entering cargo, and paying
duties at this custom-house, can carrv on tlie coastincr
and retailing trade on board for two or three years,
from San Francisco to San Dieii;o, having a store on
board, with glasses and shelves; or on shore, selling a
vara or bale of calico, and carrying freight up and
down tlie coast as they please. Whalers are allowed
to trade, paj'ing no tonnage, but duties on wliat they
say they have sold, and $30 port charges."

Again, January 4, 184(3, he says: "Monterey is the
only port in this department where foreign vessels can
enter to pay tlieir duties. A'esscls under the ^rexican
Hag, direct from any other port of Mexico, can tourli
at anv of the ports of California before arrivin'j; at
Monterey; yet they must pay their duties here, which
by tlie tariff of Mexico is about 15 per cent on the
import duties, every time they are transported by
land or water from one Mexican state to another;
shipping dollars pay the enormous duty of 10 pere( iit
from one state or department to another. The avrr-
age duties of California for the last seven voars
amount to $85,985 per year, of which 15 to 18 }>i'r
cent is paid to the collector of the custom-house and
his suboi'dinates; of the remainder, tlie treasurer pays
about one third to the civil autlioritles, and the bal-
ance to the military. The officers of the custom-house
receive tlieir salaries in full; the civil and militarv r.^-
ceive bv an avera'jje rate according to the amount I'f
each entry, which is divided at the time it is received;
tliev must then wait till the arrival of a new vess. 1,
which may be one month or six. The rule of this

CUSTOM-HOUSE METHODS.

481

custoin-liouse is to demand the duties in cash and
liidos in 80, 130, and IGO davs. As the officers can-
not wait so long a period, they in general take orders
from the treasurer in sums of $j to $1,000 on the
sni)ercargoes, who pay them at sight in goods, or the
owner must wait the stipulated time for i>ayment."

From the Larkin arcliives of 1845, 1 extract as fol-
lows: The regular Boston traders generally have two
vessels on the coast at the same time. After collect-
ing in company for periods varying from 12 to IS
months, one of them returns home, leaving the otliers
until a fresh ship relieves her, tiius continually keep-
iiiij the work of collectinj; iroing on.

The hide-houses are in San Diego, to which place
eaeh vessel proceeds two or three times during the
year, to land such hides and tallow as may have been
collected from nine or ten jjoi-ts between San Fran-
cisco and San Dieg<\ the customer being expected to
}iay a part of his debt in produce every time the ves-
sel ancliors in port.

There are no Mexican vessels in California owufd
I'V ^[exicans or Californians; they belon*; to natural-
ized foreiijners. The laws t)f ^Mexico are observed
oulv M'hen they are for the interest of Californians.
Little regard is paid to the tariff. The collector of
^Monterey imposes such duties on many articles as he
considers requisite at the time.

Althouti'h against the laws of Mexico, the governors
and generals of California, since the independence,
have idlowed the ct)asting trade from San Diego to
San Francisco to all foreign vessels wliieh have pai<l
tlieir duties in !Monterev. In 1S44-5 !Mielieltoi'ena
li\ led a tax of $50 per month on foreign vessels for
tliis license of coasting ; 65,000 was collected ^lareli
2S. IS4G. Governor Fieo annulled this law.

The payments of duties are made in about 90, 130,
and IbO days. The supercargoes in general agree
v.poii the second payment, making it in cash, and
bullock-hides at 62 apiece; cash, should the Vessel

Cal. Past. 81

4S2

IXI.ANI) TRADE AND COA.ST TRAFFIC.

■'; I

pay less tliiiii 80,000; from 30,000 to 812,000, two
thirds cash and ouo third hides; from 812,000 to
818,000, half cash; over 818,000, one third cash and
two thirds hides.

On the collector's arran;j,ing the amount, mode nf
paynKMit, and takinj? two securities, he retains siitli-
cient f(»r the salaries of his otticcrs, and passes the
remainder to the treasurer. Thev both then draw in
sums of from $4,000 to 85,000 on the supercar^t) or
aL;ont, payable at the specified time; some orders t'nr
cash, some for hides; the creditors and officers rectiv-
in«jf a draft on the pro rata system as far as the duties
of the vessel then entering may suffice.

The supercargo or agent has a store fitted up eii
board ship, with shelves, show-cases, drawers, and
scales, selling from one pound of tea, shot, etc., U> a
box or bag, and agaii from a yard of silk or calico to
a bale.

From Boston, cargoes consist of groceries, furni-
ture, dry goods, crockery, hardware, etc., from wliich
cargo the holder of the draft can choose the amount
drawn from in his favor, or a part of it, taking- the
supercargo's due-bill for the remainder, both (hafts
and due-bills being negotiable; they aiv sometimes
cashed at a discount of two per cent a montli. In
many cases the supercargo has debts against the
holiler of the draft, which is always accepted as })ay-
ment for his or any other demand.

The duties of the principal vessels amount to froin
85,000 to 825,000; they also pay one real per eadi
large bale for storasjfc in the custom-house; half of that
sum for wharfage; and have the use of tlie custom-
house and warehouses for storage and sales until the
arrival of the next vessel that may require the buikl-
ings. Tonnage duties are 81.50 per ton to all foii iu'ii
vessels, and all ^lexican vessels from foreign ports.
There are no other port charges; no wharfage, julot-
age, or light-house fees, nor any health or quarantine
regulations. There is no article prohibited by the

.'M

FOREIGN IMPORTATIOX.'^.

4S3

fiistom-housc, no prohibition or restriction of any
liind; no bounties or navigation acts; no drawbaclvs
on shij)[)ing or their cargoes; no board of trade or
other estaidishnient reUiting to commerce in Califor-
nia. Coins, currency, weiglits, and measures of Eng-
land and the United States are in common use in
California. By long custom, whale-ships are allowed
to enter ^fonterey and San Francisco on paynig from
$slO to $"J0 port ciiarges, and a certain percentage on
siirh matters as they may barter for supplies.

The imports from San Bias, A[azatlan, and Aca-
pulco consist of rice, sugar, panocha, nux vomica, sad-
(IKay, silk and cotton rebozos, cotton and woollen
Scrapes, sIhu'S, and some EngTish, American, and
(nrman o-ornls.

Imports from the I'nited States and elsewhere
are domestics in very largo <|uantities; shoes, hats,
furniture, and farming utensils, chietlv of >«ow
lOugland manufacture; groceries, china goods, iron,
liardware, and crockery, which are sold to the mer-
cliants and farmers on the coast, on a credit of from
one to two years, payable in hides, tallow, dried beef,
IuuiIkt, soap, etc.

The vessel obtains a coa.sting license to trade, and
fdllcft produce until she is filled, which occupies from
IJ to 24 months, the vessel's consort the next year
takintj; the balance of the carryo and debt for collec-
tion. The J^oston vessels return to that port with
from 20,000 to 40,000 bullock-hides, the owner
expecting about one hide for each dollar invested in
<aigo and expenses of all kinds. The tallow is
exclianged for hides with vessels bound to Callao.

Ill former J'ears, considerable fur was exported —
lii'ime sea-otter skins for the Canton market being
wuitli iii ^r(^)nterey as high as .$40 each; there is still
snine fur and gold shipped. Shingles, lumber, spars,
and horses are shipped to the Sandwich Islands; beef
fat, wheat, and beans to the liussian settlements on
tlie north-we.-?t coast, in cxchanjjfc for drafts on St
JV'tersburii.

4S4

INLAND TRADE AND COAST TRAFFIC.

Oil the 8tli of October, 184j, tlio assembly deorord
that traders who boujfht hides shoukl re<nster in tlx-
books kept for that purpose tlie name of sellers.
marks, and value. A commission appointed by tlu'
alcaldes should meet at the nuirket (coniereio) every
Saturday, and collect the hides brouj^ht during tin-
week. The commission should take a list of seikis
and marks, and quality them, whether legal or not, in
accordance with the books of the juzgado. Hides willi
false sale-marks should be applied to the iiiunicipal
fund, and the sellers held as thieves, to l>e judged by
the alcaldes, the price to be returned t»> the purchase i,
and the value of the animal to its owner. No one
should sell stock (bienes de campo) without putting
on the sale-mark. Tliose who deal in hides should
obtain a pass from the neares' authorities, when send
ing them to any place, and present the pass to those
in charge at the fort for inspection. Prefects, sub-
prefects, and alcaldes were authorized to inspect liitli s
and receive passes. This service should be regardc d
as a public benefit. Hides inspect" 'd weekly as jk !•
article 2 were marked with the national brand, and
needed no pass.

Hartnell, in the draught of a letter to H. C. WvHic
in 1844, says that articles of English "manufacture best
adapted to this market are brown and white cotton-.
coarse and fine, for shirting, sheeting, etc.; prints ot'
good quality and fast handsome colors; cotton and silk
handkerchiefs of all descriptions; good stout vt 1-
veteens, blue and black; fustian, principally brown;
nmslin; cambric muslin; bishop's lawn ; cotton laoe of
all descriptions; cloth of all kinds, prmcipally blue and
black; cassimere; cassinet; flannel, principally red and
white ; bayeta ; a very small assortment of linen goods,
anions: which some of the finest Irish linen and cam-
brie; cotton, woollen, and silk stockings; handsoiuo
gown patterns; cashmere shawls; all kinds of hard-
ware; tinware; earthenware; glassware; needles, most-
ly very fine; cotton and linen thread; sewing-bdk;

SHIP CAUOOES AND STOKE STOCKS.

485

Wvlli.'

:"C best
?ott(ins.
nuts (if
.11(1 silk
Lit V(l-
.)ro\vii ;
laoc cf
lie and
cvd ill id
o-()<uls.

(1 oaiiw
dsoiue
■ luud-
llidst-

isx-bilk ;

liat^, boots, and shoes; ready-inatlc clothes of all
(Icscriptions, includiniif plenty of white and cheeked
shirts; Scotch (griddles; hutchers' knives; knives and
t'niks; silver and brass thimbles; all kinds of knick-
knacks for women's work-boxes; stout hoes, spa»U'S,
shovels; window-ylass, principally 8 by 10 inches;
nails of all kinds, ])articularly cut nails; furniture of
all kinds — a small assortment vcrv ele'jfant, the rest »»f
middling f(uality; tea-trays of all sizes; cari)etini;,
a small quantity; oil-doth; artificial flowers; false
]i.>arls; the finest and smallest bi-ads that can be pio-
( uii'd, of all colors, and needles to work them with;
ireld and silver lace from \ to 2 inches wide; perfuni-
try; iron pots and kettles; candlesticks; sickles; a
fi'W (rood common silver huntinir-watches. A carijo
of <j;oods direct would leave an immense profit on the
invoice, but two years' time would be necessary to
icalize it. Pavnient would be almost entirely in hides
at 82 each, which woukl have to l)e salted; and tallow,
at 12 reales the arroba, broutj^ht to pay half the
amount.

In 1840 coin was scarce in the countrv, owin^' to
rumors of civil war, the moneyed men cither hoardii)<4;
it or shii)pin2f it away. Hard "lip in consequence fell
on the rancheros, who were oblii^ed to slaughter great
numbers of cattle for the hides and tallow wherewith
tn pay their debts. Alany were thus injured to their
ruin.

In 1841-2, says J. J. Vallejo, few vessels arrived
with merchandist^ — so that the Californians, of whom
a maioritv owed the foreign incrcliants large amounts,
wrvo obliged, in order to meet their obligations,
to kill great quantities of cattle for their hides and
tallow, which were the only articles admitted in j)ay-
niont by the supercargoes of vessels. In this way
disappeared more than two thirds of the country's
Wealth; and many Indians, and some white men, who
wore accustomed to sfain a livimjf bv driving cattle,
wore loft without the means of sui)sistence for them-
selves and their laroe families.

480

IXl,A\I) TRADK AN'I) COAST TRAFFIC.

lu'tail stoivs ItouLrlit (linrtlv iVoiii vcs.si'ls, on crodil.
as did ranolieros, st'lliiiijj also on nvdit, tlii' fustonu r
Id'iiij^iiiiL^ tlie hide and tallow to tlK!wtt>rt! wlunrvrr he
.slani;htL'n'd. If tlio slaii^u^litor did not sutlico tt» |i;i\
a debt, the live-stock was j^iven, anil all store-kecju is
hail herds, except Sjuar tSc Hinckley of San Francixo.

A part of the small interior tradi' was that frnm
tlu' Salinas lagoons, or salt ])t»nds. situated betw** ii
the ocean sand-dunes and the Monterev Kivei;. Salt
was here ohtaineil for the mission and the troo|i>.
some Iteing sent to San l^las (Mi the king's ships its
eailv as 1770. Salt being a roval monopolv. iio
.sooner did men begin to make and move it than a
guard was placed over it by order of the governnuiit.
The conunander of the guard would bring Indians
from Soledad and Carmelo, and gathering all the sih
from the three lagoons into one pile, covered it with
sticks and bnniches, to which they set tire, so as {>>
melt the surface and foi'm a crust over the mass, wlii( h
would protect it from the dampness of the contiguous
ocean. When all was ready for its shipment, it wa^
brought to the warehouse at Montei-ey, and placed in
d large of the habilitado, and sent away in tain ml
leather bags br(»ught by the ship for that j)urpose.

When Fremont wanted horses in I84r», he sent to
the natives of the Tulare plains, and purchased I ^7
horses and nmles, paying for each animal one small
butcher-knife and a string of beads.

There was some traile with New ^[exico. Partit >
were wont to come across the countiy with packs nt'
blankets which they exchangt^d for mares, horses, ami
nudes. Each party woidd take away from l.Oun to
2,000 animals. On several occasions those Xew Mi \i-
cans weie really tin 'ves, and stole many head of sterk.
The last considera!; -) robbery of this kind took plan'
in 1844-0, when a \anadian, or Frenchman, naiiitl
Charley Fou, got a ,iy with some 2,000 horses ami
mules. An armed \ rty went fiom Angeles in I'ur-
suit of the thieves, I it finding them superior in pi'int

THE FIRST ATmiVAL

487

of numltors and wi'll ariiiod, retuiiii'd \vitlu)ut liuviiij^
U('t(»iii|tlislu'(l anythiii*^.

Tlie Ainajavos, Cocluuios, and Yumas used ovory
year at fcrtain times to biinsj; to Anj^eles antelope-
•skiiis and tirutas — blankets wliieli tliey wove hy liand
with i^ri'at peileetion, and which were very durahU ,
ill color white and Mack — made with the wool of the
wild shet'p once tamo (l)orrei>'os cimarroni's), which
they chased in Sonora. These tirutas were much
.sought after l)y the rancheros, who used them an
siiddle-cloths. In exchange for them, the Indians
tnok mares and horses. These Indians wi're led l>y
tht'ir capitanes, who were presented by the authorities
with horses and cast-oti' cloth in*;.

We may be sure that the arrival of the first foreii^ti
vessel at .Nfonterev was an event. It was in 1^17.
]jieutenant Don Jose Maria Estudillo was comandanti?
of the military post, and Don Vicente I'ablo tie Sola
was ifovernor. On a soft sprin*; morninij^, while a
'gentle brci'ze was blowin*!^ in from the north-west, the
look-out stationed at Punta de I*inos came rushiiii;' in
on horsi'back through the presidio j.jate, and made
straiii^ht for the comandante's house.

■'What is the matter .'"' asked Don Jose, eominj.,' to
the door.

"A sail! A stranue sail, far out at sea; it is verv
far out, but it seems to have the intention of comiii;^'
iu'ie," replied the look-out.

"Ho, there! My jj^lass and trumpet," shouted tin-
Commander; "and brin<4' my coat, the best one with
the »4dld braid; and don't tbru'et my boots and liat.
Where is mv sword .' and hunt me up that chart of the
tla'_;s of all nations."

Arrayed in his most iniposin*; hal)ilimcnts, the com-
mander was ready to meet, the enemy.

••Xow sound the drum!" ho cried, "and let the
infantry and artillery ap[)ear ; let all wlu) love their
(luuitrv join witii me in her defence, prepared to
sited our last drop of blood for God and the King!"

488

INLAND TRADE AND COAST TRAFFIC.

Tlio drummers rcshoO forth, beatinof for dear life
round the plaza, while the troops uiouuted their
hors()s, and the artillerymen and militia repaired to
the fort. The women made everything ready for
flii^ht, and the old men and boys got out their old
swoids and fire-locks, and scoured from thein tlie rust.
At the fort the men heated some balls red hot, so as
to dt) the fullest execution upon the ship.

"Is it a pirate," they wondered, "or a Frenchman,
or Yankee r' It did not matter: it was all one; it
should see, whatever it was, that the country was not
to be so easily wrested from its noble and brave de-
fenders.

Slowly and surely as an impending fate, the vessel
approached, until distinctness marked its every out
line, and the ever-broadening sails were loosened and
allowed to Hap in the wind.

The commandui planted himself at the foot of the
fort. He clutched his big trumpet nervously; he
gazed at frequent intervals through his glass, and
studied attentively his flag pictures. Life was swiet,
but his mind was made up. Life without honor was
valueless; and better eyes dim in death than awake to
see California sons slain, her daughters ravished, and
the little children with their brains dashed out upon
the rocks!

By and by, after faithful study, applying to the mat-
ter to the fullest extent the exercise of his astute
intellect, the conunander pronounced the strange sail
a schooner of 80 or 100 tons burden, but of wluit
nation it was impossible to determine. The streaked
and starred bunting flying at the mast-head was imt
on his chart of the flags of all nations, which was fully
fifty years old. It was evidently a private signal, and
there was not a rea.sonable doubt of its being that of a
corsair, the red streaks signifying rivers of blood, and
the stars the number of cities taken. He thought he
could discern warlike preparations on board; never-
theless, he would play on her at once his old success-

BRAVE DEFEXCE.

489

ful tactics, and raise a white flag. If lie could thus
hire the enemy into his power, he might yet save the
commonwealth. Presently the gallant comandante
placed his trumpet to his lips and bellowed :

''Qudbuque?"

"No sabe Espanol," was the re])ly which came back
across the water as from another world.

"Ship ahoy I Quebandera?" bravely persisted Don
Jose, determined to know the truth, however unpalat-
al )le.

"Americana!" came from the schooner.

If there were now only a boat at hand; if Spain, in
tlie days of her grandeur, had only supj)lied the niet-
ro])olitan seaport of Alta California with a boat wjiere-
with to board shijis, he would show the world what
ii brave man will do in the service of his country. But
alas I there was none. And not without show of reason
Ferdinand, Charles, Philip, might ask, why burden
Spain with the expense of a small boat at the port of
^lonterey, which has no commerce?

^leanwhile the governor, who had tarried to mend
some rips in his full-dress unifonn, ap])earetl upon the
scone, attended by his officers, all with shoes blacked
ami hair oiled.

All on shore felt the dreaded moment approaching,
as a l)oat was seen lowered from the vessel and making
toward them. Fearlessly it approached the land, and
as tlie bow touched the beach a man stepped forth,
smirking, and nodded to the august assemblage. In-
stantly he was surrounded by soldiers, and the meas-
ure taken of his man-kiiiing capabilities. He was
arrayed all in black, hi!'}i hat and swallow-tail coat —
a jirivate disguised as a i)riest, it was whis[)ered.
Fortunately for the peace of Cahfornia, the creature
carried no weapon. He was wliolly in their |)ower.
If, as they supposed him to be, he was the cajttaln of
that great and villanous-looking craft, they had him
in tlicir power.

Leaving the army to guard the boat, lest some

480

INLAND TRADE AND COAST TRAFFIC.

dariiij^ sailor should rush to the rescue of his captain,
the Yankee skipper, for such was the quality of the
invader, in the centre of a platoon of cavalry was con-
ducted into tiie presence of the governor. Signifyinuf
that he spoke only English, an interpreter was pro-
cured in the person of a seaman from the boat.

The Californians were now in a position to take the
matter coolly, as did old Nestor, who, after feastin;j;
and sacrificing with Telcmachus and his crew, turned
and bluntly asked them if they were thieves or mur-
derers, or what.

The coniandante thought it safe enough at this
juncture to charge the prisoner with being the spy of
some enemy, and so he boldly said, though of wliat
enemy, and why a spy, was not set forth in the com-
plaint.

The prisoner declared he was no spy, and was not
an enemy.

"Then tell me, sir," the governor demanded, "who
you are, whence and why you came, whitlier bound,
and what flag you sail under?"

"I am an American," the captain replied; "I sail
under the United States Haij; I am last from the Rus-
sian possessions, and am bound for the Hawaiian
Islands; I have stopi>ed to otler for sale some Chinese
goods, of which I have a sui)ply on board."

The governor thereupon retired to his house to
hold a council with his otKcers, while the prisoners
were conducted to the plaza, and placed in the centre,
still closely guarded.

While the council were discussing the matter, the
sailor being minutely questioned apart i'nnn the cap-
tiiin, the ])eople of the town, men, women, and childri n.
congregated about the captain, and discussed his
character and <|uality.

"He is a Jew," said one. " You can tell by the tails
of his coat."

"He is a cannibal," remarked another; "for lie
clu'ws tobacco, which is more filthy than eating hu-
man flesh."

MIXED RELIGION.

401

In any event, they all agreed that he was a sea-
heathen, as they could see in every feature that he
had never been baptized ; and this opinion was presently
mure fully confirmed in their minds when the noon
lull sounded for the Ave ^Earia, and the prisoner
iK'itlier kneeled nor removed his hat like the others.

•Down! down on your knees, barbarian I" the
ouard exclaimed, as best thev were able to make
themselves understood. The ski[)per turned pale,
thinking his hour had come, and that he was thus to
he sliot.

"Hell!" said he, "vou wouldn't murder a man like
wild Indians, would youf" But when he understood
that they oidy wished him to pray a little, he put
on the outward appearance of i)iety with thankful
alaeritv.

It was a picture for the tin-type man, truly, the
soldii-r of mixed Spanish and Indian blood, clad in his
Client, or yellow leather jacket, armed with long
sword, lance, and bloody-looking knife, kneeling be-
side a ship-master of Anglo-Saxon origin, in iHplo-
iiiatic attire, the guard with bended heail, having one
(ve on the beinsx ht; was pravint; to, and the other on
the juisoner, while all around over the plaxa were the
scattered populace down on their knees where the
stroke of the noon bell had met them.

'"Ask your master if he would not like to become a
Christian," said the st)ldier to the sailor, as they
iircsentlv wended their wav to the ijovernor's council-
room, whither they had been sunnnoned.

"He says he is a Christian,'' M'as the reply of tlie
iiitei'preter. The ^lexican man of prayer could not
1" lieve such a thing possible of one so ignorant of the
fouimonest intercourse with heaven, and charged
tlu! sailor with lying.

With the dust marks still upon his knees and on the
tails of his diplomatic coat, tlu; ca))tain was nsliered
into the august presence of the governor.

" \Vii cannot find vou cruiltv of bein<if a i>irate or a

492

rST.AXD TRADE AND COAST TRAFFIC.

spy, for lack of evidence, thougli doubtless you are
both. A storm might have blown you hither; and
wanting water 3'ou may have said you liad Chini'so
goods to sell. Neither can we prove your Hag pirati-
cal, though it looks so, as indeed do you. You may
have water; but you must be off within five hours or
be hanged."

We may be sure that the captain did not unneces-
sarily delay his departure. Five months afterward
an English man-of-war in like manner disturbed tlio
serenity of the sleepy capital. From the boat sert
ashore, in polite terms and good Spanish, the ofiicials
were informed that the ship was on a voyage of
observation round the world, and had called that the
officers might pay their respects to the govenujr of
California. As there were powder and shot hero
wherewith to blow the town to atoms, and as the hioli
responding parties were smoothed the right wa}'", the
reply was as courteous as had been the announcement.

CHAPTER XVI.

A FUTILE FKIHT WITH ICNORANCE.

Fur ignorance of ,iU things is an evil neither terrible nor excessive, nor
yrt thi' greatest of all; hut great cleverness and mucli learning, if they ho
accuiiijuiuiuil hy a had training, i:i a much greater niisfurtunu. — Plato.

()\viX(i to the very exci'ptioiial nature of etlucatioii
iuiioiit;" tlio Calitorniaiis, it will l)u necessary, iu treat-
ing of what little did exist, to enter somewhat into
detail, and adhere strictly to the chronological order
of a few meagre facts; for from the earliest settlement
of the country until it became an integral part of the
American republic, California had no well-established
system of schools. All of the instruction imparted to
her sons and daughters was due to the spasmodic and
short-lived eflbrts of rulers, who, on coming into office,
deemed it their duty to initiate reform, and yet lack(>d
the a!»ility and power to overcome the obstacles which
at e\ery step confronted them. These obstacles, we
shall find, were ever alike in kind, although varying
ill degree, and consisted in the chronic depletion of
the public treasurv, and an inveterate unwilliiiLrness
oil the part of the people, which was theirs bv iight
I if inheritance from illiterati; ancestors, to give to their
eliiklren an educati(m better than that which had
fallen to their own lot.

In all that pertains to the proper discipline and en-
lightenment of the intellect, the Californians, com-
[tared even with their brethren in many of the ^lexican
states, were deficient. Almost without exception, the
earlv settlers, men and women of mixed blood, drawn

( 493 )

494

A FUTILE FIGHT WITH IGNORANCE.

from the humbler ranks of Spanish colonial society,
were unable either to read or to write. The alcalde
of San Francisco in 1781 could not sii^n his name tt>
a document conveying; the possession of land. Equally
ignorant were the non-connnissionrd officers and pri-
vates of the ])rcsidial companies; for these men wore
chiefly jVfexican half-breeds, while the handful of
Spaniards in tlieir ranks were of the unenlightened
peasantry of the mother country; and not infrequently
it was found necessary for the commanding officer at
one garrison to request that there might be sent to
him from some other presidio a man qualified to act
as amanuensis. Out of fifty men cfmiprising the
Monterey com[)any in 1785, but fourteen could write.
Among the thirty men of the San Francisco com-
pany, only seven could write. Thirteen years later
but two out of twenty-eight men in this same coin-
l)any could write. Again, in 1794, not a soldier of
the company was able to read or write, and the com-
manding officer asked that one so qualified should '
sent to him from Santa Barbara.

The ct.mmissioned officers themselves possessed only
that rudimentary education at the time consicKrcd
sufficient for the Spaniard who, while yet scarcely
more than a child in years, embraced the profession
of arms; and few of them had the opportunity, even
had they possessed the inclination, to inqmne their
niinds during the years of hardship passed at a froii-
tii>r post.

Nor at a time when growing weakness at homo
presaged the downfall of Spanish dominion in Aiuii-
ica, did the education of the masses in a new and
remote colony form any part of the policy of a gov-
ernment whose aim it was in all its cisatlantic posses-
sions to maintain its subjects in ignorance, in order
that they might less murmuringly bear the increasing
exactions of the crown.

Not until children born in California had in their
turn become parents was the least attempt made to

POSITION OP WOMAN.

r4al)lish public schools in the country, and that child
was fortu late indeed whose parents were able or will-
iiiiT to instruct him to the extent of readinijf with
hesitation, and writing the few misspelled worils that
at rare intervals should serve to convey to others in
u-raceless language the very primitive ideas of the
writer. Occasionally some woman, fortunate among
her sisters, with a mother's love imparted to her little
OIK'S her own scant store of knowledge, while at times
tlio amicja, as slie was significantly called, jierformed
the same duty toward a neighl)or's child, or taught
to the ambitious soldier the simple accomplishments
necessaiy to his promotion. Jose Maria Amador says
tluit in his childhood — and he was born in 1794 — there
were no schools; and what little instruction he, as
well as his brothers, acquired, he owed to his mother,
Alalia liamona Noriega, who also instructed the chil-
clreu of some of tlieir neighbors. She moreover
taught to read and write a few soldiers desirous of
heeoming corporals.

To the count of Revilla Gigedo, second viceroy of
tliat illustrious house, and by far the most liberal of
all the viceregal rulers of New Spain, is due the
suggestion which in 1793 caused a royal order to issue
foiKorning education in California, by which schools
weie to be established, not only for the children of
mute de razon, but for the neophytes, w'ho were to be
taught to read, write, and speak Spanish, the use of
their own language to be in every way discouraged.
The later portion of the royal order was communicated
by (lovernor Borica to Father President Lasuen, and
that most politic of Californian prelates hastened to
Itroijiise his cooperation in a scheme of which neither
he nor his subordinate friars at heart approved; for
jireseiitly a want of funds was the extraordinary ex-
( use for non-coinj)liance, pleaded by men who avow-
edly had dedicated their lives to the rescue of their
iellow-creatures from the multiform degradation of
savagism.

496

A FUTILE FIGHT WITH IGNORANCE.

Borica did succeed, however, in establishing a sys-
tem of pubUc schools, if system be the proi)er tenii
for a })lan alike crude in conception and practically
inefficient. In December 171)4, he inquired of the
connuandants of the presidios and the comisionados of
the pueblos, whether, in their respective jurisdictions,
there were any persons who knew how to read and
write, and were otherwise fitted to become instructors
of children.^ He also desired information as to what

' In tho accompanying I give a list of the teachers of public scliools, placua
at wiiich tliey taught, terma of service, ami salaries, from 1794 to 1846.

Name.

Maniii'l do Viirgas

huiiKiii l.a.ssi)

JIaiiui'l do Vi'irnas

JiLso Miiiiiud Idea

Manuel llnronda

Jiisi? Ivodrinuez

Josi'' Medina

Jiso Alvarez

Manuel cle Viirvras

Kafaul Villavicencic. . .

MiKnel Archuleta

Antdiiio Jtiielna

Kafaeldel Vnlle

JoBciuin Jiuelna

LabaMtida

J()s6 Jierreye.sa

.lose Antonio Romero...

Luciano Vahlcs

Antonio Menendez

Josii5 1 iburcio Castro. ..

Joaiitiin liotiller

Vicente Morai;a

Pablo do la o.-.sa.

Cri.^toval Ai,'uilar

Frnncisco I'antoja

I'otronilo Uio.-;

Jo.sC' Miiria .\(;nila . . . .

Juan Ifiueia

Johc do ln> Santos Avila.

Victor I'nidon

Isnaclo Coronel

Mi(,Miel Avila

iJoniingo Amador

JliVrcos Jionilla

JosC Maria Silva

Jost^ Fernandez . . .
Jos»'' Mariano Komero. . .
Jo.se Zenon Keniaudez .

Juan I'adilla

Fliirencio Serrano

Ii^naeio (Coronel
A. A. de Miera y Norefla.
Enriijue Canibur-ton . .
JosiJ Maria C'anijiina .

Asustin Hilvila.

Jose I'eiia

W. K. 1'. Hartnell

Guadalujie .Medina.

Franeisca (ioniez

Luisa .\r!,'liello

Unadalupe Mediua

lioea

Joru'u Allen

Manuel (Jit'crrez

Floreiicio Serrano . . .

Plac«.

San Jos^*

San Jos»?

San l)iepo
Santa liarbara.
San Francisco
Monterey
Santa l.i'irbara.
San Franeise >.
Santa liArbara.

San Jos(5.

j Monterey ...

San Jos6

San Jos6.

San Jos6

:San Jos^.

San Francisco.

San Jos4.

Los Angeles. .

San iJlego

Monterey . .
Los Angeles .
Los Angeles. .
Sta Gertriidis. .
Los Angeles. .
Los Angeles'.

Monterey

Uraneiforte. . .
San Gabriel. .

Sonoma

Monterey
S. Luis Obispo
Santa lilirbara
Santa (.'ruz .
Santa (,'ruz . . .

Monterey

San Josi^

San Antonio. .
Monterey
Los Angeles. .

San Jos(?

Monterey ...

I Monterey

Santa ("ruz .
jSanta Clara.. .
Monterey . .
Los Angeles, .

^Monterey

Los Angeles .
Los Angeles. .

So'Muia

Monterey .
San Jo.vi^. ...
Monterey

Salary.

Term of St-rvic

2'4 reales per child. .
.fJIAO per annum
.fl2.") per annum,
raught gratuitously.

f2 extra pay monthly

Extra pay

Extra pay. .
*10 per month.
iflS per month.

if 15 per month.

Taught gratuitously

$10 per month.

B'20 per month.
r20 per month.

ijjtlO per month. .
$1000 per annum
$1000 per annum.

$1.') per month

$1000 per aunum.

|$1000 per annum

$1200 per annum

.$1000 per annum

Kach child $2..')0 per m,
■'.0 per month.

1200 per annum

WO per annum

10 per month

M') per month.

<.")00 per annum

>I0 per month

$1000 per annum

.$.")00per annum

Dee. 17'.M-June 1795.

July 17U5-Mav 17jt).

July 17ur>-l)ee. 179«.

Oct. 17^.>-June 17.'7.

May 1790-June 1797.

May 179fi.

June 1797-Dec. 179.'.

July 1797.

Jan. 1799.

Oct. 1811.

Jan. 181K-1S22

I -.Mar. IS'JO.

lAprill820-l)ec. \>:'.0.

Jan. lS21-June 1>-.J.

IJuly 1822.

Mar. iS2;{-oct. isi!.

I April 182;i.

IJan. 18-S-Xov. is:f0.

(Aug. 182.H-l)ec. IWJ.

Jan. 182.'.

Dec. 1830-Dee. iNil.

Jan. 1832.

Jan. 18;i3.

Jan. 18,'W.

Feb. 18H8-Feb. Iftil.

Feb. 18H:!.

March 1884.

June 1834.

July 1834.
jNov. 1834.

Nov. 1834.
iJan. 183. >.
,iJau. lS3->-Atig. l.«3.\
1 April 183">.

-Oct. i.^;«.
jNov.isav

iNov. 183.">-Nov. I.''*).
JFeb. 1^3ti.

April 183<).
I Deo. 1830.

July 1838-Sept. "MO.

April 1840-l)ec. Ml.

Aug. 1840-Jan. l>l'i.

July lS41-May Im:!.
I Dec. 1841.

May l«V.'.
iJune 1813-Feb. i^M.

Aug. 184;5-,Iuly 1-11.
IJune 1844-Apr. iMo.
iJunel844.
Ijan. 184.'i.
'Jan. 184.5.

March ls4.5.

Nov. ISI.VJulv l"^.

Jan. 184(i-July !•""'•

ACTION OF GOVERNORS.

I'. 1>-2J.

compensation they would require, and from \vliat
source this was to come. Masters supposed to l>e
competent were found, and Borico repeatedly expressed
liis satisfaction with the speedy success that had
crowned his efforts. Not later than tlie I'lth of
December, 17D4 — I am unable to establish the date
more satisfactorily — Manuel de Vdrgas, a retired ser-
ocaiit, t)pened in the public granary at San Josd the
first primary school in California. Vjlrgas shortly
afterward went to San Diego to open a school there,
and Ram<m Lasso took his place at San Jose. Early
ill October 171)5, Jose Manuel Toca became the mas-
ter of a school at Santa Bdrbara.

I have been unable to ascertain the names of the
masters at Monterey and San Francisco, the last of
the ]iresidios to have a school, but the five schools
nanuKl were in operation early in 1790.

Xot without difficulty, however, did the energetic
fjovcrnor accomplish what he did, for at the very out-
set he found himself confronted with the necessity of
creating funds for these establishments, and the want
of j)ro[)erly qualified teachers. The men wliom he
had appointed teachers were retired veterans, whose
knowledge of what they were called uj)on to teach
was l)ut slight, and who from their age as well as
their ex])erience of life were ill fitted to become
instructors of youth. It is })ossible tha,t these appoint-
nuiiits were regarded by the governor as temporary,
and to last only until the arrival of teachers from
Mexico. The other difficulty he hoped to evade by
decreeing that when the people would not voluntarily
sup|iort the school-master a contribution should be
levied, payable in grain when money was not forth-
coming. This order was dated October 19, 1795, and
bachelors were to bo taxed as well as married men.

By this decree the attendance of all children over
seven and under ten years of age, both of civilians and
^soldiers, was made obligatory; and such of the non-
conuuissioned officers of the presidial companies who

Cal. Past. 32

498

A FUTILE FIGHT WITH IGNORANCE.

were unable to read and write were ordered to attend.
The liours of scliool were early in the morning' and
a<2fain in tlie afternoon, in order that in the interval
the children might aid their parents in the necessary
labor of the household or the field. The only text-
books were primers furnished by the parents of the
children ; but paper for writing was supplied by tlio
habilitado, to whom it was afterward returned, tliat it
miijht be made use of in the manufacture of cartridges.
The prime object of instruction was to learn the doc-
trina cristiana, or Christian doctrine; and this tlie
children acquired by rote, repeating it line by line and
sentence by sentence after the master. Reading and
writing were matters of secondary importance, and
were taught to no child until he had treasured up in
his memory the contents of tlie catechism.

Upon the schools thus established, the governor
looked with excusable pride, for he hoped tliat tluy
were but the forerunners, necessarily imperfect, ot
fiourishinir academies. He took great interest in the
progress of the scholars, and naturally supposed that
the parents would appreciate his endeavors. He re-
quired that, at stated periods, reports of the nuinhi r
of scholars in attendance at the different schools should
be made to him, and for several months this was dom-.

He also required that their copy-books should be
submitted to his inspection.

But presently there was a notable falling off" in the
attendance; nor could the threats to which he now
had recourse accomplish wliat persuasion had failed to
do. Parents, seeing that under the instruction of
masters but little less ignorant than themselves tluir
children did not make much progress, suddenly dis-
covered that in order to lead the same monotonous
life of sluiTsxish toil that had fallen to their own lot,
not even the most rudimentary knowledge was nnpti-
ative. Books they possessed not, letters they neitlier
received nor were called upon to write, while the few
formal documents that were needed could be drawn by

SCHOOL MASTERS.

•Wf

that

C YV-

iuuiIht
liouM
doiH'.

ukl l>o

in the

now

ilod to

tion of

tht-'ir

V (lis-

;onous

:n lot,

iclthcr
ho I'cw
wn by

tho few amonrr them capable of tlic task, and who made
suih |)r(»fitless drudgery their business. Why, indot-d,
should their children know more than they or thoir
fathers knew? Reasoning thus, and with the jilausiblo
inoteneo that tho services of their children were ntct'S
saiv to the support of tho family, they gradually with-
diow thenifrt)m tho schools. On their part the mastcis,
conscious perhaps of their lack of qualifications for an
othcc^ which had been in a measure forced upon them,
as well as discontented because of their scant sahiiy
and the difficulty of obtaining even that pittance, took
hut slight pains to enforce the attendance of unwilling
scholars.

Thus it came to pass that some time before the ex-
))iiati()nof Bijrica's term t)f office, teachers were almost
ciitiroly wanting, those who still pretended to tearh
asstnihling their scholars but once a week; and the
vouth of the country, instead of learning to read and
wiite, and to stand before the king as that zeahjus
ruler had hoped, were growing up to manhood as their
fathers had done, without education save in horseman-
ship, and the primitive agriculture then practised; tit
for nothing but the unintellectual life of a ranchero, or
enlistment in one of the presidial companies. A blight
ft 11 upon education in California, similar to that which
aftir t!ie death of Charlemagne paralyzed the schools
of his empire.

Another generation needed instruction before the
•suhject of education was again taken up in earnest;
tor during the long second term of Arrillaira the
apathetic, nothing was done for the more permanent
establishment of better schools. But his successor was
a man of different mould. Shortly after his arrival at
^lonterey, Sola summoned to his presence the school-
master and his pupils, the latter bringing with them
tlioir cartridge paper and their books. After exam-
ining these, the governor announced his intention of
attending to thoir education more closely than his

m A FUTILE FIGHT WITH KiNOUAXCE.

predecessor had done. Thereupon, tlu.' wortliy poda-
^oLfiie, apparently considering this remark as a retlec-
tion upon himself, and anxious moreover to basi< in
tluf ravs of the rising sun, with much earnestness ami
at ij^reat length, explained tiiat his pupils were uril
read, though few of them eould read a word, for the
lives of various saints and like yhostlv lore was at
their tongue's end. Many of them were also especially

lept in the singing of masses, for their voices liad
heen carefuUv trained bv the neoidivtc Jose, choir-
master at the nei';hhorin<!: mission, and a master of his
art; and they took part in the weekly processions of
the rosary. Xorwere these 'he sole accomplishments
of the youths who yearlv on the feast day of Our hinW
of (luadalupe ])ronounced discourses in honor of her
merit, which won the applause of listening nmltitudes.
What more was necessary than this heavenly disci-
pline? As for a knowledge of earth, any fool keeping
his eyes open would learn that.

To tliis erudite tirade, his Excellency listened atten-
tivclv, at its close remarkini' dryly that f()r all this a
little education would not harm the vounj*' Californians,
and that there were other branches of learning fully
as important as sacred music. After a servant had
distributed fruits and sweets to the children, Sola dis-
missed them, bidding scmie of the more advanced
scholars to wait upon him the following day. On
their presenting themselves, he explained the inipm'-
tance of close attention to stud}'", and at the close of
the interview presented them with a copy of the con-
stitution of 1812, some recent decrees of the cintcs
and numbers of the Gaceta de }[exko, and, most ac-
ceptable gift of all, a copy of Dim Quixote. Promisini^
them more when these should iiave been carefully
perused, the governor dismissed che lads, who returiK d
to their fellows with a jjlowinGf account of the interest
taken m them by their new ruler.

In this way Sola caused the schools to be reoiioned
at various places in the province. As masters, he

COST OF LEAUNI ,(i.

sclortod sottlors, or invalided soldii rs of jj^ood cliaracter,
to whom a j^ratuity was oivm, or soiiii! sollicr who
t;iii,niit leading and reli«;ion. Out ot" liis own almn-
d;mt means he t'oundrd at the capital a sehool for boys,
jiiid one tor girls. He caused the reins of discipline
to he tighter drawn, complaint against a master heing
regarded as a sort of high treasdii, to he punished
wilh the utmost severity; an<l wisely ht»lding that on
the I'dueation of youth depemls the j)rogress of the
state, punished such short-sighted parents as refused
to send their children to the schools.

In a letter to Comandante Argiiello of San Fi'an-
cisco he wrote: "No admita Vm discul[)a alguna il los
padi'cs que rehusan enviar sus hijos il la escuela ponpie,
si no se educa la juventufl, el pais en vez de i)rogres;ir,
forzosamente se veni obligado a n^troceder, cosa (pie
OS deher de las autoridades evitar a todo riesgo."

Desirous of founding a high school, he invited to
^hmterey two 8})anish professors of ability and ex-
jierii'iK'c; but to men of narrow though educated
minds, life in California proved irksome, and the im-
ported pedagogues remained in the country but a lew
Weeks. Observing that the neophytes evinced a (H-r-
tain aptitude for singing the Latin of the mass, and
t(K)k great interest in assisting at that ceremonial as
Well as in all pertaining to the service of the church,
ho j)roposed to the viceroy the establishment of a
College similar to that of San Gregorio do Mtyico.
Tlio expense was to be l)orne by the mission commu-
nities, each of which should send to the college half a
(lo/en young Indians, who, under the su})ervisit»n of
two of the friars, should be taught writing, grammar,
l»hil()sophy, and ethics. It was Sola's well-founded
opinion that thus there could soon be instructed a
ho(ly of missionaries who w^ould be of inestimable ad-
vantage in the conversion of their kinsfolk. He also
sii;4gested the foundation of an establishment where
the female neophytes, who at the tender age of three
years should be taken from their mothers, might un-

502

A FUTILE FIGHT WITH lONORAXCE.

dor the care of a discreet matron be instructed in the
ordinary household duties of women. But men of
the stamp of Quiroga no longer existed in New Spain,
while the political condition of the viceroyalty was
such as to render even the discussion of such a schenu'
impracticable.

It was evident that no aid of any kind could he
expected from Mexico, and Sola was left alone to
battle in behalf of education against the covert iiitlu-
ence of the friars, which fanned into open resistaiut'
the inveterate dislike of an ignorant people to any
})roject for the mental improvement of their chikhcii.
When, therefore, in addition to this the governor
found himself opposed and crippled because of the
chronic lack of funds in the public treasury, it caiinnt
be wondered at that even an enthusiasm such as Iiis
became discouragcid, and that he abandoned the profit-
less struiriile.

The earlier years of Sola's administration may he
ro!>arded as the uolden a<jfe of education in Califoi iiia,
since heretofore the schools had never been equalKd.
while later they were unsurpassed. Of these schools,
the following is a descrij)tion: The room itself was
long, narrow, badly lighted; with unadorned walls.
save by a huge green cross or the picture of sonu'
saint, generally the virgin of Guadalujte. suspe'iidi ci
over the master's head, or to one side of his ta\>\v\
dirty everywhere, and in places dilapidated. Around
its sides were ranged roughly made benches. Tlui"
was a rude platform at one end, sometimes with a rail-
ing, but more frequently without, on which was [ilacid
a table covered with a dingy black cloth. Biliind
tills table was seated, in a tjreasv dress of fantastic
fashion, an old invalided soldier of ill-tempered visauo
and ref)ulsive presence. As the scholars reluctantly
entered its chilling atmosphere, each walked the length
of the room, kneeled before the cross or saint, recited
aloud the bendito, and crossed himself. His devotion":

THE LUCKLESS SCHOOL-BOY,

503

finished, he, trembhng, approached the master, sayhig,
'La inano, Senor luaostro;" whereupon that grave
t'unctionary, with a sort of grunt or bellow, gave hhn
liis hand to kiss. The boy then put his hat on the
luap formed hi a corner by those of his school-fellows,
took his accustomed seat, and as soon as a larger boy
jiiid sliown him his lesson, began to recite, in a high
tone and with a vehemence that caused the veins of
liis neck to swell, his allotted task of the caton, or
primer. If learning to write, he placed some heavy
l)l;ick lines, called a pauta, under the coarse paper,
wliieh he ruled with a piece of lead, afterward taking
the pa))er and his pen to the master, who, sharpening
tlie latter with a knife, set him a copy according to
liis ijrade, of which there were eiijfht, rans>ini:f from
coarse marks and })ot-hooks to fine writing in the old-
fashioned round hand. The sheet completed, the child
took it to the master. "Here is a blot, you little
rascal I" "Pardon, Sehor maestro, to-morrow 1 will
do better." "J [old out vour hand, sirrah ! " and tlie
necessary discipline, witliout which no educatit)n could
lie achieved, was duly administered. During the time
devoted to the examination of the copies, the fi>rule
liad but little rest. ]^ut on the black cloth lay anotlier
and far more terrible implement of torture — a luinptMi
scourge with iron points — a nice invention, truly, for
liilping little children to keej) from laughing aloud,
running in the street, playing truant, spilling ink, or
failing to know the lesson in the dreaded ilodriiia, the
only lesson taught, ])ei'haps, because it was the only
one the master could teach, this letter oftence being
unpardonable. This very a[>propriate iiKpiisItorial
implement was in daily use. One by one each little
guilty wretch was stri[)ped of his ]>oor shirt, often his
only garment, stretched i'ace downward uptui a bench,
with a handkerchief thrust into his mouth as a gag,
and lashed with a dozen or more blows, until the blood
ran down fron ' e little lacerated back. Ah, heavenly
J:'ather, what tools 1 and what innumerable follies civil-

A FUilLE FIGHT WITH IGNORANCE.

izatlon and Christianity have to answer for! It was
held that while the children were at school their par-
ents could not call upon God in their behalf, but that
the master was alone answerable to him, as well as to
the civil authorities and the church. Tiie master was
also responsible for any want of ap[)lication on the part
of his pupils; as a set-off, however, he was directed to
counsel and warn the children, and to apply the tor-
ture when deemed necessary, especially for siiortconi-
ings concerning the doctrina cristiaiia, for which no
excuse, as I have said, could be accepted. Moreover,
the master's conduct was watched by the parents; ami
if the children did not make satisfactory progress, com-
plaint was made to the comisionado or alcalde.

Six or tw(>lve months were devoted to the primcM-,
or A B C book. A like time was given to tlio caton,
which, though also a primer, was regarded as a second
book, an incongruous mass of reading, obtuse, useless,
corrupt, absurd; lessons of servility to tlie stupid
alcalde; gross doctrines ill defined. After tliis the
child entered upon the course of writing from tht-
first to the eijj^hth ijrade, after which he learned the
first four rules of arithmetic — this accomplishment,
however, not being taught universally. Through
the whole course ran the doctrina, the most accursed
torment of all — the children reciting these sublime
lessons of ignorance like parrots.

Even in the same stdiool there was no uniformity
in the reading-books. They were all religious works,
chief among them being the famous Cak'cisnio de
Rijtalda, after which ranked in imj)ortahco the (\ditii
Crixtiano, a Novcna de la Vivgcn, in some one of Ik r
many attributes, or the life and martyrdom of any of
the innumerable Spanish saints. In conmiitting tluso
to memory, each paragra[)h was associated with diio
n»ental torments, the remembrance of each page
indelibly fixed by the all-purifying scourge.

Vallej(s to whom I am indebted for many facts
connected with the subject of education, writing at a

RELIGION IN EDUCATION.

80S

time when upwards of lialf a century separated him
fVoiu the occurrences which he rehites, says: "The
catechism of Father Ripaldal Who among tlie sur-
viving elders of the native Cahfornians is not ac-
(juainted with Father Ripalda? Who among them
jiossessed of a ghmmering of reason, and the kast
desire for liberty of conscitnice, does not detest that
lonstrous code of fanaticism, which, like some veno-
mous serpent, entwining itself aliout the heart of
youth, slowly devours it? — the while implanting in
their innocent understanding principles of tyranny
and superstition incompatible with our institutions — -
1 had almost said inimical to human dignity!"

The Spanish government, while not prescribing
V h;. J class of text-books should be used in the schools,
t(.' ■ s[>ecial pains to prohibit certain political cate-
thiii . and pamphlets published in Spain, and which
St dlliously savored of other things than the divine right
of kings. Among the prohibited text-books, which
do not, however, appear to have made their w.ay to
Calil'ornia, \/ere: "Catecismo polftico arreglado it la
coiistitucion de la monarquia espauola para ihistracion
(1(1 pueblo, instruccion de la juventud y uso de las es-
ouelas de primeras letras; por ]3. J. C. en Cc'udoba,
(11 la imprenta real de D. llafael Garcia Domingiu^z —
anode 1812; Catecismo patritStico, 6 breve exi)()sicion
do las obligaciones naturales, civiles y religiosas de un
hucii Lspanol; onmipuesto por un parroco del arzobis-
pado de To'j'lo; iVIadrid : Imprenta do Ibarra, 1813;
Lccciones polftitas para el uso dc la juventud Espauola;
por (£ Di. t). M;inu'^l Cupero, Cura del Sagrario de
Sev'lla: ii.;pn a e". la mii,ina por 1). Jose Hidalgo —
anode 1811? ; Caioeismo politico Espanol constitucional
•jiu' it imitacion del de doctriiia cristiana compuesto por
el Sr Keynoso, presenta al publico E. E. D. 0. N. En
Malaga, en la oficina de 1). Luis Carreras, ano 1814;
Catecismo cristiano politico compuesto por un magis-
trado para la educacion de su hijo y dado it luz por el
ayuntam <to de Antcfiuera para el uso de sus escuelas,

txa

A FUTILE FIGHT WITH IGNORANCE.

imprcso en la niisma por la viuda e hijos de Galvan,
ano 1814."

Compare these with the text-books we place in tlie
hands of our children to-day, and we may well excuse
any manifestation of feelinj^ on the part of one who.
like Vallejo, had been subjected in the days of his
tender youth to their tortures.

This, then, was the routine of study during^ fivo
days of the week, except when some feast or fast of
the church gave the jxlad children a holiday. Satur-
days were days of review and examination. Occasion-
ally the children were taken to church in order to be
present at the n.-ass and listen to long sermons, dry
and tedious, ^i '\ nnd then they were made to con-
fess to some grim < issionary.

This was the almoo. nvarying routine of school-boy
life. Their nu»thers had some pity for them, as nftir
a frugal breakfast, pale and tearful they left tluiv
homes; but their fathers, saying, "As I was ground so
be thou ground," took away all hope. Vallejo thus
graphically closes his account of the early schools;
"The escuela antigua was a heaping uj) of horrors, a
torture for childhood, a punishment for innocence. Jii
it the souls of a whole generation were inoculated
with the virus of a deadly disease. . . . There opeiud,
black and frightful, the tomb of thought, antl tlif
scliool, which should be the gilded vestibuiu carpctid
with roses, bv which the human fainilv enters the
sanctuary of civilization, in the time of the viceroys
and the earlier governors of California was but the
gloomy and harmful })assage which swallowed slaves
for the future use of monarchy. In my mind thoro
rise up such ]>ainful emotions, such bitter renu'ui-
brances of the sad consequences due to the education
which our masters gave us, that the mere recollection
is absolutely painful. Recalling to mind these thiiius
is like the dream of the escaped victim who sees aris-
ing from the depths the spectre of his hated exreii-
tioner. The old school should have been called the

YOUTHFUL DirLOMACY.

507

school of sorvilism, since it was tlie torture-chamber
wherein was done to death tlie sentiment of digaity
which perislied amid a thousaiul torments, jiiiysical
and moral, encompassing' the martyrdom of the hody,
and extinguish injjf tlie light of reason in the new-horn
man." Such being the case, there was fully enough
of education in pastoral California, after all.

Not that the little Californians were angels, deserv-
ing no discipline. They were like other scliool-boys
of other times and countries in frequently infringing
the rules laid down for their guidance, and were, in-
deeil, if the truth must be told, som 'times found in
ojjcn rebellion against the master. At Monterey, it
was customary to allow the boys to go to the beach
ill order to see the incon 'nir ships. On one of the.sc
rari' occasions, the Pri)tccsa was si«>nalled in the olhnu",
and the usual permission was given. The elder
scholars had nearly completed a copy of the habili-
tado's accounts, on which they had bestowed unusual
care, as it was intended for transmission to Mexico,
and were bidden by the master to carefully put away
their manuscript, and to close as they went out the
(jnttni, or hole cut in the door for the pa.ssage of the
(at. Heedless of everything but the anticipated
jikasure, these injunctions were forgotten, and the
camr cliildren hurried to the »lK)re. There they met
Sola, who received them l^indly, as was his wont, and
wa^ well pleased witli their re[)ort of the progress
made in the task which he liad allotted to them. In
(hic time the shin anchored; the commander and pas-
sengers came on shore, anil the lunvilUng lads returned
sl(»\vly to school, to Hiid that, in conseijuence of their
Higlect, a numbi'r of hens had invatled the classic j)re-
( inct, and overturning the ink-bottles, had ruined be-
yond redemption their elaborate coj ties. Tiieir hearts
ahiiost ceased to beat as thev tiiouuht of the iuioend-
ing conseipiencc; for their [)receptor, whiK' miserly in
the expiMiditure of cigarrillos, was nowise niggarilly in
the use t)f the ferule, which, moreover, through long

001

A FUTILE FIGHT WITH IGNORANCE.

practice, ho wielded with no mean skill. Their sus-
pense was not long. The master entered, and taking
in tlie situation at a glance, with a scowl more than
usually demoniacal ordered the whole school into the
torture-chamber, an inner apartment with no means
of ogress save through the school-room. He was
obe\ed in ominous silence. But when he ordered two
of tlie elder boys to seize the first victim, they llatly
refused. Encouraged by this bold stand, their com-
rades closed the wooden shutter of the only window,
and began discussing the advisability of laying out the
pedagogue on the bench, and applying to his back
the scourge. If well laid on, it might serve as a
reminder to lessen their tortures, which presently it
would be their turn to endure. When it fully came
home to him —this amazing impudence — the school-
master took to liis heels and reported the matter t(»
the commanding officer of the presidio, who in turn
informed tlie governor. A connnissioner was sent to
investigate the matter, who pardoned the rebels, on
the ground that their excessive joy at the arrival of
the Princcsa so affected their minds for the moment
as to render them irresponsible agents.

Little learning as the boys got, far less was imparted
to the girls; it was '\ot necessary or desirable that
a woman should know anything beyond household
duties. Besides plain cooking, plain sewing, sufficient
for making plain clothes, unvaried in fashion, worn
by themselves, their husbands, and their children,
made up the sum of their accomplishments. Witli
the exception of the single instance of a girl's school,
to which I have alluded, there were none established
until a much later day. In the towns, the daughteis
of some of the prominent families assembled at the
house of the mother of t)ne of them, who taught them
to read and write, in the same way that the boys
were taught, although not to the same extent.
They also learned to weave in hand-looms the gaudy

MISSION INSTRUCTION.

609

rnofs which, spread upon the floor of the church, served
them as seats. Or seated on the floor of the school-
room, or of the inner corridor of the house, each child
with her hoop-like embroidery-frame upon her knees,
tliey slowly wrought with the needle in cotton stuff
not over fine the simple embroidery intended for the
tinbellishment of valances, and the like, which ulti-
mately were to form part, and frequently all, of the
maker's dower. The simple ccwkery known to Cali-
fornians, and the care of children, each girl learned at
home.

The friars took no part in public instruction, and
this may well excite our wonder, for they were them-
selves all men of good education, some of them deeply
Irarned. But they taught, only i?i a desultory way
and as if for pastime, their favorites among the sol-
diers of the escoltas, or the few children de razon wlio
lived at the missions. One enthusiastic religious w;^.s
wont to arise at untimely hours of the night in order
to instruct the sentry at his post, and with the ramrod
of his pupil's musket trace in the ashes of the guard-
house liearth the letters of the alphabet. A few
tliere were who, mastermij: the ton<jfue of those who^^e
welfare, material and spiritual, was in their keeping,
endeavored to make clear to their benighted intel-
ligiMiee mysteries not easily comprehended by Plato
or l*aul. As a rule, however, the friars, adopting
the traditional policy of their country and their clotli,
that education was bad for the Indians, although in
tlie few cases where it had been tried in California
the result had betMi good, prevented the neophytes
from acquiring a knowledge of reading and writing,
nnd taught even to their household servants onlv such
menial duties as were necessarv to their own comfort.
Of what avail was learning in this lotos-land t There
was m it neither health, wealth, nor happiness ; besitles,
it was a great waste of labor; for if the soul was
saved, the mind at death would know all, and that
was soon enough.

A FUTILE FIGHT WITH IGNORAXCE.

Thus, as we have seen, a twofold obstacle hindered
the uroij^ress of education, and during the administra-
tion of Arguello nothing was accomplished. In 1824
he presided at a meeting of the provincial assembly,
on which occasion the question of the establishment
of a high school for the education of youths was
mooted, but it was decided that there were no funds
that could be applied to such a purpose. Of eight
mend)ers present, the half spoke in favor of the estab-
lishment of the hospicios de estudios, in view of its
great benefit to California. A little later, Sola, who
still preserved his interest in California as well as his
enthusiasm for the promotion of learning, and now
represented the province in the Mexican congress,
wrote to ArgUello of the formation of an institute for
the j)rt»niotion of science in the republic, and invited
the Californians to contribute to the estimated expense,
which was not slight. Though aware that he was
about to be removed, and, moreover, no friend to Sola,
Aniliello sent circulars to the friars, and to the more
prominent among tlie laymen. The priests refused
to aid an enterprise favored by enemies of the mon-
archy, and the others said that thev had no time for
science. California contributed nothing; and as tin;
other states did no more, the enterprise failed. Xo
public interest in education could be awakened, and
each father of a family followed his own inclination.

Echeandia held that learning was the corner-stone
of a people's wealth, and its encouragement the chirf
duty and greatest glory of a governtn. He believed
in the gratuitous and compulsory education of rieh
and poor, Indians and gente de razon alike. These
were fiivorite ideas \vith him, openly and frequently
expressed ; and when the matter came to the ears of
the friars, who through many channels ever ki'jtt
themselves informed of what was said at the govern-
ment house of the territory, they, having neither for-
gotten nor i jrgiven his secularization scheme, called
upon God to pardon the unfortunate ruler unable to

GOVERNORS AND FRIARS.

511

roniprclieiid liovv vastly superior a religious education
was to Olio inoroly secular. This, however, did not
prevent the governor from calling on the fatliers to
establish at each mission, and at its proper charges, a
primary school, whose teachers were to be capable
men of good moral character. The fathers promised
obodience, determined all the time to disobey.

While at Tepic, on his way to take possession of
liis o-overnment, he had been obliged to inform the
sui)reme authority that the two teachers of primary
schools in California who had already reached Aca-
pulfo were unable to go farther, because the province
could not defray the cost of their passage to Monterey.
Sliortly after he reached Monterey the assembly, at
his instigatitm. voted to reipiest the supreme govern-
nitiit that it should send, at its own cost, some masters
fur ])rimary schools in California. The number of
masters, who were also to establish, if possible, an
aciuU'mia de granuitica, where philosophy, law, and
(hawing sliould be taught, is not mentioned. Me-
chanics for a rope- walk which might be useful to vessels
wcri' also asked for. The re<|uests were not granted.

Xothing daunted, tlie governor continued to battle
with recalcitrant friars and stupid ayuntamientos. He
K'tt no means untried to gain the supjwrt of the latter,
in one instance directing that there should be elected
to that body only members who should at least be able
to write legibly, and threatening that were this requi-
site not complied w-ith judicial action would, conform-
ahly to law, suspend their right of citizenship.

Finding that the civil authorities were powerless to
carry out his commands, some of them in despair
asserting that it was useless to endeavor to pay a
teacher if not a single child attended school, Echean-
(ha called upon the commanding officers at the presidios
to compel parents to send their children. This meas-
ure was to a certain extent effective, and the alcaldes
a-^aiii set to with a will, he of Monterey voluntarily
acting as master of a school whose sole belongings con-

612

A FUTILE FIGHT WITH IGNORANCE.

sisted of a covered table, one aritli luetic, and four
primers.

So the nia<;istrate was able to make a brave show-
ing — on |>aper — when in 1829 he reported to the
supreme govertiment that there were in existence in
the province eleven primary schools, with an attend-
ance of 331) pupils. This report was dated at Sau
Dieoro, May 19, 1829.

The schools were as follows: one at San Josu
pueblo with 30 scholars; one at San Miguel mission
with three scholars; one at Santa Btirbara presidio
with G7 scholars; one at Santa Barbara mission with
44 scholars; San Buenaventura had 30 scholars; Sau
Fernando 20; Los Angeles pueblo Gl; San Diego
presidio 18; San Gabriel mission 8; San Juan Ca})is-
trano 17; San Luis Rey 35. It will be observed that
the Monterey school was once more closed for want of
a teaclier, and that of San Francisco had not been
reopened.

The governor added that the schools had been [)ar-
alyzed by the lack of funds and the impossibility of
obtaining suitable teachers. Municipalities and mis-
sions were now prepared to pay cajiable teachers; for
even at the schools for gente de razon only poor
instruction was given in the doctrina cristiana, read-
ing, and writing. At the mission schools the young
neophytes learned only to sing the mass awkwartlly,
to play wind and stringed instruments, and repeat the
doctrina, while the attendance was small because of
the necessary work afield. He therefore called on the
supreme government for aid.

But the enthusiasm of the subordinate authorities
was short-lived, and Echeandia, unable to contend
against the enmity of the friars, the indifference of the
people, and the poverty of the treasury, accomplisliod
no more than his predecessors had done. Reluctantly
he abandoned the contest, and the cause of education
again declined. The schools, few in number and pie-
sided over by incapable teachers, were open only

CASA DE EDUCACION.

t»

id four

} show-
to tho
ience in
attcml-
at Sail

tn Jose
missi(jii
presidio
ion with
irs; San

I Dieu'o

II Capis-
ved that

want of
lot been

teen par-

ibihtv of

and niis-

lors; for

ly poor

la, road-

e young

wartlly,

peat tho

ause of

d on the

thorities
iconteiul
\e of tho
liphshod
[.ictantly
lucation
md pio-
m only

about one third of the time, at irregular intervals, and
lor brief periods, according to tho condition of tlio
treasury. Any circumstance was seized upon as a
pictoxt for closing the schools. In March 18.S2, it
coming to light that the assessor had introduced some
a^niardiente without paying duty thereon, the mer-
chants at Monterey also resisted payment on their
introductions of liquor until the assessor should pay.
Consequently the schools, which at the time were
maintained by these funds, were closed. Some of the
teachers of tlie mission scliools went so far as to
enqiloy their pupils as servants about the house, or in
uathering herbs which the master sold for his own
jiroHt. During the period of anarchy which followed
Echeandi'a's term of office, and even before the secu-
larization of tho missions, these schools one by one had
ceased to exist.

At this juncture W. E. P. Hartnell, a Roman
catholic Englishman of liberal education, and j)roH-
cient as a linguist, who some years previously had
married a woman of the country and engaged in trade
at Monterey, in which he had not met with success,
concluded to establish at Monterey a school for boys.
For that purpose he associated himself with the Kev.
Patrick Peter Short, a refugee priest from the French
missions at the Hawaiian Islands. He also obtained
the concurrence of the friars, and of the governor, Fi-
tj:uei()a, who promised aid. Hartnell thereupon issued
a prospectus. In this document, which is dated Dc-
cond)cr 10, 18;].3, he announced that he would o[)en a
'casa de educacion' for a limited number of pupils,
not under eight years of age. He counted upon the
patronage of the government, and of a considerable
number of honorable citizens and foreigners, who had
already contributed liberally to the preliminary ex-
penses of the undertaking. By the favor of God, the
establishment would be opened at the beginniiig of
the coming year; and as there were but limited ac-
connuodations for pupils — the wilderness hereabout

CaL. Past. 33

614

A FUTILE FIGHT WITH IGNORANCE.

being narrow — early application should be made. In-
struction would be given in reading and writing; Spun-
isii grammar; French, English, German, and Latin;
arithmetic and book-keeping ; mathematics and philos-
ophy. Particular attention would be given to teach-
ing the christian doctrine, and to the boys' habits
and manners. For his board and lodging and educa-
tion, each pupil should pay |200 yearly. They should
furnish their own books and stationery, and hi'\n<r
with them certain articles of clothing. Three weeks
thereafter, namely, on January 1, 1834, the Seminario
de San Josd was formally opened at the rancho del
Patrocinio, an estate near Monterey belonging to
Hartnell. Fourteen boys were brought together
under these happy auspices, and yet in a year and a
half the school was closed.

In May 1834 Governor Figueroa reported to tlie
supreme government that there were primary scIhxjIs
only at Monterey, Santa Bilrbara, and Los Angclos,
which were taught by ill-qualified, inexperienced nun,
and attended by but few children. They were all for
boys; for girls none existed; nor of late years had
any attempt been made in the direction of fenialo
education. These facts the governor set forth in a
speech delivered shortly afterward at the opening
session of the assembly, whereupon that body asked
from the supreme government an annual sum for the
support of public schools, to which request no atten-
tion was paid.

Aid was at hand, however; while the governor and
the ayuntamientos were searching for men and money,
the Hijar colony arrived, with a teacher for the
normal school, which it was proposed to establisli at
Monterey, and eight, of whom one was a woman, fur
the primary schools.

At a session of the assembly, held November 3,
1834, a bill of the following tenor was passed: 1. The
governor should designate the places at whieli the

THE HIJAR TEACHERS.

filS

teachor.s brought by Ilfjar were to open schools. 2.
These teachers should receive the salary assigned them
hy Hijar — $1,000 per annum — and be paid from the
municipal funds, or the community property of the
missions, as the governor might determine, in money
or in pnxluee. 3. The teachers of primary schools
sliould first be required to pass the examination by
l;\\v indicated. 4. The teacher proposed for the
normal school should also comply with the law pre-
vious to establishing himself at the capital. 5. The
IL^ox triior should see to it that one or more persons
iVom each pueblo, cho.son from among those most apt
I'di- tiie purpose, attended the normal school. These
should 1)0 maintained while at the normal school by
tliu pueblos. 6. Seflora Ignacia Paz should open at
Monterey a primary school for girls; she should
undergo an examination, and receive a salary of $600
por annum.

Still the cause of education did not thrive. The Cali-
firniansdid not like new-comers; and soon there were
complaints on the score of morals against the masters.
Some of these, finding Hijar's representations to some
extent false, returned to Mexico. Then some of the
schools were confided to the old-time pedagogues, who
were incompetent, he of Monterey, for instance, being
unable to spell correctly his native language. And
altove all, the old opponents of jirogress, the ignorance
and indifference of the people, which led them in some
eases into avowed opposition to the governor's scheme,
were unconquerable.

A t Los Angeles not a man could be found who was
al>ie to discharge the duties of fiscal in an alcalde's
fi.urt. Of thirty ranchcros of San Antonio, San
Pahlo, and elsewhere, who petitioned the governor
that their properties might be separated from San
Francisco and joined to San Josd, only eleven could
sijrii their names.

At first the alcaldes, urged thereto by the governor,
threatened to punish the priests who did not comply

A FUTILE FIGKT WITH IGNORANCE.

with the law; but these Jiaving Httle effect, educational
matters were allowed to drift and decline.

In February, 1835, Figueroa instructed the alcaldo
of San Diego tliat parents need not be required to
send their children to the school when this was not
convenient. At the San Diego ex-niission the In-
dians were excused from attending school because tluv
did not like the master. Kind treatment or punisli-
ment equally failed to prevent the schools from beiiij^
deserted; parents preferred to employ their chikhiii
in labor, and when search was made for tljeni by some
conscientious master — wiiich, however, was of rare oc-
currence- -they concealed themselves.

Nor was Alvarado, himself one of a handful of nativo
Californians who in spite of all obstacles had acquin d
Borne little education, a wlnt more successful in his
persistent endeavor to advance the cause of learniiij,'.
His first message to tlie so-called congress of Califoi-
nia urged the necessity of public instruction, and he
made other appeals to the same eflbci. But tlie
treasury still remained in its normal empty condition,
and save by the stereotyped reiteration of laws o«i tiio
part of the ayuntamientos, nothing was accomplislud.
Continuing his efforts, however, the governor visitrd
frequently the schools at the capital, rewarding tlie
meritorious and rebuking those deserving of censuic.
But the government was powerless to render pecuniary
aid, and the negligence of parents insurmountable. At
Los Angeles, when Ignacio Coronel, a man of fair
education and good ability, called a meeting of liis
fellow-townsmen to select a suitable locality for the
school of which he had charge, there was exhibited an
almost entire lack of interest in the matter, and few of
those present offered to contribute to the necessary
expense.

After four years, Alvarado, in another speech de-
livered at the opening of the assembly, said that in
the whole territory there was scarcely a single school.

CALIFORNIANS AT THE ISLANDS.

Tliat tlie igHorance of the people was as great as ever,
is evidenced by a mass of documents in my collection.
At Santa Bdrbara there was no one qualified to act
as secretary to the alcalde's court. At San Jose the
jiit'Z de paz, as he himself informed the prefect, being
uii.ible to write, appointed an amanuensis.

Wliile it was so impossible to maintain in the terri-
t tiy the necessary primary scliools, it was proposed
lliiit a number of Nouuij Californians should be edu-
c:ited at the military academy of Chapultepec. The
lilaii was abandoned, however, on the ground that it
was better to bring up Californians in their own coun-
try, where their morals were less likely to be cor-
rupted, and where they were less liable to be seduced
into })articipation in revolutions.

About this time the sons of several foreigners who
liad married Californians, and had settled in the coun-
try, were in need of education, and with a few of the
sons "f native Californians, were sent to a school at
the Hawaiian Islands, which had been for several
yvixvH successfully taught l)y tlie missionaries. But
tlie expense deterred many parents from sending their
M)iis tliither. After they had been there some months,
till' boys wrote to their parents asking for some horses
and their ecjuipments. The first Sunday after receiv-
ing,' tlie gifts they went out to anmse themselves, and
I'tlier game being scarce, they lassoed and nearly killed
three natives. The bovs were arrested and lodged in
jail, heing liberated only at the intercession of the for-
c'iiiii consuls.

When Bishop Garcia-Diogo took possession of jiis
(lioeese, lie signified in his first [)astoral his intention
of attending to the primary scliocls; and in accord-
ance with orders from Rome, he busied himself with
tlic project of founding a seminary at Santa Barbara.
But although he succeeded in obtainin«j from Michel-
torejui a grant of eight square leagues of land, he was

818

A FUTILE FIGHT WITH IGNORANCE.

unable to raise the money for building an episcopal
residence.

Micheltorena endeavored to adopt a new system tor
the establishment of schools. He exhorted the mas-
ters to be patient and kind, and sought by means ot'
rewards to arouse in the childrejn a love of study.
These he caused to bo distributed at an examination
of the pupils of the Monterey schools, and nuidi'
similar gifts at such times as he visited them unan-
nounced. Among other reforms, he concluded tluit
instead of two poor teachers for the normal school, at
salaries of $1,000 and $1,200, one good one was betttr,
and Hartnell was appointed with a salary of $1,200.
He also stimulated to action the ayuntamiento of Los
Angeles, although the corporatit)n wondered whore
the necessary funds were to come from.

The ayuntamiento, at its session of January 1 1 .
1844, claimed that there were no municipal funds
which could be appropriated to the schools, for tluiv
were none except such as arose from fines and land
dues, and requested that Los Angeles might be put
on an equal footing with Monterey, whose schools
received an annual appropriation of $600. The gov-
ernor replied that he was engaged in preparing ro<,ni-
lations for the schools, and that meanwhile $500 |k r
annum should be given to the schools of Los Anorlis.
Micheltorena also agreed to purchase a suitable build-
inu: for a school.

The governor spent several weeks in perfecting Ins
educational scheme, and finally issued a decree l>y
which schools vvere reestablished at San Diego, l^ns
Angeles, Santa Bdrbara, Monterey, San Jose, Sici
Francisco, and Sonoma. The plan adopted, tlnuiL;!!
but a slight improvement on the others, was perliaps
the best that under the circumstantes could have l'< t ii
devised. The decree was issued May 1, 1844, and
contained the following articles; 1. Each scluxil as
soon as opened should be located in the tea<li'i'^
house until a suitable locality was provided. 2. Kcati-

THE GOVERNOR'S PLAN.

619

Ing, writing, the four fundamental rules of arithmetic,
and the d^Kitrina should be taught. Girls, however,
should also be instructed in making and mending
clotlies, and to a certain extent in embroidery and
weaving by hand. 3. The schools should be open
Ironi 8 to 1 1 A. M. and from 2 to 5 p. m., except on Sun-
ilays, national holidays, the saint's day of the town,
and scholars were excused on their own saint's day.
4. All cliildren of from 6 to 11 years of age should
attend school, uidess a valid reason was given for not
doing so, or unless the child were instructed at home
or elsewhere, in the branches specified. 5. The
school-mistress might, if she would, receive children of
less than the specified age. 6. When it should be
IV ccssary to exact the fine or impose other penalties,
as sjKscified by law, the judge must take into consid-
eration the circumstances of the case ; for the child
might be ill, or have to work at home. 7. Pupils
wore to furnish their own books and stationery. 8.
The school-mistresses were to be appointed by the
governor, from names tent to him by the ayunta-
niientos, and were to receive each $40 monthly, tiie
[)iiyniont being preferred to tliat of any salary in the
territory. 9. The school- mistress, always keeping
gitod order in view, should arrange the school work to
suit themselves — the sexes, however, being kept sepa-
rate — sliould attend to the religious education of the
children, and pay due regard to their acquiring j)roper
social manners. 10. The most holy virgin of (iuada-
hipe was named as patroness of the seliools, and lur
image was to be assigned a suitable place in each of
them.

The gcnernor likewise issued a proclamation, in
wliiih, after an exhortation on tiie usefulness of edu-
eiition and a recital of tlie obstiicles which heretof«>n;
h.id prevented the establishment of schools, he called
upon the patriotism of otticials and people to support
tlit'in. The proclamation elosed with the announcement
tliat on the first Monday in June the schools should bo

820

A FUTILE FIGHT WITH IGNORANCE.

opened with a solemn mass, and witli the concurrence of
all the leading people. It does not appear that scliools
were even opened at all of the places indicated by tlie
governor, and at the places where they were estab-
lished it was found to be impossible to raise money to
pay 'Jie teachers.

In the autumn of this year, another attempt was
made by a few foreigners to secure an education for
their sons, who had long since returned from the Is-
lands; but the plan was never carried into effect.

Nine men signed an agreement, whereby each was
to pay annually for three years $100 to a school-master
from the United States, who should be a Roman cath-
olic, and bring with him satisfactory certificates as to
ability and character. He should teach Spanisli and
English grammar, writing, and mathematics for six
hours daily during five days of the week. Each sub-
scriber had the privilege of sending two boys to the
school, and by the payment of an additional $50 was
entitled to send a third ; but the number of pupils was
never to be more than thirty-six. Each subscriber
agreed to board the master for three months, either at
his own house or some other, and each was to furnish
the books and stationery used by his sons^^. At other
hours than those specified, the master was at liberty
to teach other pupils.

A visionary proposition was made to the govern-
ment by Henri Cambuston, a Frenchman who had
been master of the Monterey school, but had been
discharged on account of some trouble with the pre-
fect. He oflered to teach more branches, from pri-
mary instruction to the application of the sciences,
than any four men could have taught properly; the
offer was not accepted.

Within a year after its adoption, the impracticability
of Micheltorena's rejiulations for the schools had been
abundantly shown, and he had but just left the coun-
try when the assembly resolved to ask the supreiiip

PROHIBITION OF BOOKS.

521

gdvemment to furnish five teachers of primary
schools on the Lancasterian plan, and two professors
competent to teach the higher branches and the two
))rincipal foreign languages. But when this request
reached Mexico, other matters engaged the atten-
tion oi' the government, and the request was not
granted.

Dining his brief term of office, Pico took steps for
the establishment of schools similar to those attemi)ted
by his predecessors, and encountered the same obsta-
eli> — want of funds, lack of competent teachers, indif-
fntMice on the part of parents — which rendered his
titforts fruitless.

Such is the brief history of the schools of Califor-
nia under the dominion of Spain and Mexico. Theie
wt'i'o, indei'd, none worthy of the name until a ditt'er-
iiit race came into possession of this fair land, and
l>r(»ke the spell that seems to bind every colt»ny of the
Spaniards still ruled by their descendants. Tlie Cali-
foruians of 1840 were scarcely nK)re learned than those
of 17(»t); they hardly knew enough fully to realize
their i>j;norance.

In 1845 but eleven of twenty-five voters at San
])iego were able to write. In March 1845 Alcalde
ijcese of Sonoma rej)orted to the governor that the
}>ueblo contained upward of 100 inhabitants, but that
aiiinng the civilians there were but two persons com-
petent to serve as judges, for they were the only ones
wlin could write. Two months later, Marcos J^aea,
<HU' of the j>ersons referred to by Leese, recpiested the
governor to excuse him from acting as judge, for he
ccaild neither re.".d nor write, liiwa stated, more<»ver,
tliat the judge should l»e removed from (»tlici', as he
alx) was incapal)le. l*rivate letters and official docu-
uii iits in my collection, in penmanshij) and in spelling,
as well as in the crudity of the iileas expressed, bear
testiniony to a lamentable condition of ignorance.

Among such a people books were a superHuity; and

A FUTILE BIGHT WITH IGNORANCE.

only in later years were a few volumes collected by
two or three individuals. During the early years of
the missions, they had been furnished with certain
approved religious and historical works. Among
these were copies of Venegas and Palou's Vida de Jn-
nipern Serra. But the Inquisition, which througliout
Spain's wide domain was the ruler in all that related
to the mental development of her subjects, prohibited
the introduction into California of any but a certain
stripe of books, and watch was kept on the luggage of
the few foreigners who visited the country.

In January 1797, the governor, writing to the
viceroy, reported that Captain Dorr's French pilot
had furnished him with the voyages of Biron, Car-
taret, and Cook, and that he had given in return thu
memoirs of Sully and the voyages of Tavanier, As
these works were all in the French language they
could not have worked great harm to people unable
to read them.

One would think that it was about time for nnnj
to be emancipated in America, but one of the first
acts of the church in Mexico was to insist upon the
full rigor of the prohibition. Heretofore, indeed, the
ban had been inoperative, because there were no
transgressors; but now that trade with California w;is
open to the world the case was different. The Bos-
ton skippers and supercargoes indulged in little ven-
tures of their own, which did not appear on the sliiji's
manifest — among other things a fe'v books which tlu y
bartered for hides and tallow to two or three Califor-
nians athirst for knowledge. The friars were vigilant,
Jiowever, and not infrequently detected tlie illicit
traffic, and condemned the volumes, in all the sober-
ness of mediaeval times, to be burned in the market-
place. In 1831 some persons who had in this way
come into possession of prohibited b(^oks were duly
disciplined by the church.

But in the lotos-eating days, few books were ac-
quired, and except the collections of religious works

LIBRARIES AND BOOK-BURNERS.

623

at the missions, which at the time of their seculariza-
tion consisted in the aggregate of some 3,000 volumes
valued in the inventories at about $4,800, there was
no such thing as library, public or private, in Califor-
nia, until the arrival of the Hfjar colonists, who
l)rought with them a few books. While limited in
number, these must also have been only such as the
church permitted, for as late as 1838, at least, the
supreme government ordered certain books to be
taken away from their owners and destroyed. A list
of works "contrarios d la religion que de pronta
providencia se manda recoger e impedir su introduc-
cion," is given in an order issuing from the dcpart-
incMt of state, dated July 2, 1838. And this was
only eleven years prior to the time when such a flood
of infernal literature was poured into the country as
should call Serra Salvatierra, and all the rest of them
back to that dear old besotted book-burner, Zumarraija.
Shakespeare, Smollett, and Shelley. Oh 1 Tom Paine
and Luther, Bunyan and Byron, Voltaire and Victor
Hugo, Eugene Sue, Paul de Kock, and Reynolds.
Oh ! Oh ! Oh I If now the scions of California nobility
could only read what delicious draughts of wickedness
niii>:ht be theirs 1

There were in 1846 three or four libraries in Cali-
fornia, other than those of the missions, being M. (x.
Vallejo's, at Sonoma, Hartnell's, which had cost him
a good sum, and from which he readily lent to his
friends; Francisco Pacheco's collection was worthy of
notice, consisting as it did of per'mdicos onpasfarhs, and
books on Mexican history. Captaiii de la Guerra at
Santa Bdrbara had a lot of scientific and religious
hooks. None of these libraries remained long mi the
original owner's possession, Vallejo's being burned ;
Hartnell's divided among his descendants ; Pacheco's
wvnt into the possession of his brother-in-law, Mariano
]\[alarin, of Santa Clara. De la Guerra's was jiroba-
bly scattered among his sons and their descendants.

A FUTILE FIGHT WITH IGNORANCE.

The padres, as I have inthnated, during the period
of full sway over the consciences of the Californians,
' did all they could to check intellectual development,
by preventing the circulation of books contiiiniuiu;
modern philosophical ideas. A number of books rt--
ccived bv one of the Carrillos from the American
bark ] 'Volunteer were bunied by the missionaries, who
obtained after much exertion, the permission of the
jcfe-politico, Echeandia. This was between tlio
years 1825 and 1831. In the latter year on board <>t'
the Mexican vessel Ijcnnor w^as a large collection of
books of the class interdicted by the church. They
were the property of the German merchant Virmond,
and were not on the ship's manifest. A spiteful or
fanatical sailor reported the matter to the padres at
San Francisco. Vallejo, then comandante at this
place, went on board, warned Virmond and Fitch,
the commander of the Leonor, and offered to buv tlie
books, which were sold to him for 400 hides and 1
skins of tallow. This was the best librarv in Call-
fornia up to this time. By 5 o'clock the next moin-
ing the books were safely in the purchaser's house.
Jose Castro and Juan B. Alvarado, who became in
later years so prominent in California, took some of
these books to Monterey to read.

Later, Castro's very pious chere amie, on confessing'
her own and her lover's sins, told the padre that he
and Alvarado hatl been reading Rousseau's and other
prohibited works. About the same time Father
Estenega at San Francisco surprised Vallejo reading'
Tckmachis. The president of the missions demanded
the surrender of the books, and due penitence, etc.,
and the demand not being complied with, the three
were excomnmnicated, and the decree was duly pro-
claimed at the several missions. Neither of them
cared much for that, and went on with their readini>-,
though the books were kept where they could nut be
easily discovered. But their mothers, sisters, ami
female friends were filled with terror at the fate

A GAME OF EXC0MMUNICATI0?T.

836

awaiting them, both here and hereafter. A short
time afterward, Alvarado had some money to pay to
Frttlier Duran, the prelate of the missions and vicar-
forain of the bishop of Sonora, and went to his resi-
drnce : but before offering to dehver the money, told
him that he was one of the excomnmnicated, and in-
asmuch as he had heard Father Sarri'a say that it
was sinful to hold any relations with an excommuni-
cated person, he was sorry to be thus prevented from
paying him the money. Thereupon he turned to
o(i away. But the padre called him back, sayijig :
•ListH!! Juanito; thou hast misunderstood what
Padro Sarrfa said. What thou sayst applies oidy to
persons under excomnmnication major, and not the
iiiinoi'. I have power to annul the sentence, and to
do nmch more. From now thou and thy companions
aiv absolved, and I can give you permission to road
jtrohibited books, even the protestant bible. Let us
have the money, and we will still be friends, for I
believe that the sons of the old settlers who suflered
witli us in early times, will not permit the Mexican
(jt)vernment to drive us out after so many years of
toil, simply because our vows will not permit us to
take tl le oath of allegiance demanded of us." Alvarado
returned thanks and took lunch with the padre.

CHAPTER XVII.

C.UJFORNIANISMS.

Wer ctwas Trefiliches leisten will,
Hatt' gem was Oroszes geboren,
Der sammle stillt und unersclilatft
Ini kleiuaten I'unkte die hochste Kraft.

—Schilhr.

The inhabitants of California have retained in
common use, since the annexation of the country to
the United States, a considerable number of Sj)anisli,
Mexican, and Hispano- American words and phrases.
Among them are some which seem to be of })un'ly
Californian origin. The able jurist, Ignacio Sepiilveda,
remarks that though the Californian settlers did not
preserve the Castilian language in its purity, yettlitv
retained a great many memories of old Spain, witli
many of the concise proverbs which the Moors
brought to the peninsula, and many of its legends ami
traditionary songs.

, Begiiming with the word greaser, so commonly
applied by Americans to their Mexican neighbois.
Salvador Vallejo, in his Notas Ilistoricas gives a ver-
sion which may be taken for what it is worth. Ho
says that in 1844-5, when large numbers of immigrants
were arriving overland, and most every one dro\ o a
heavy ox team by which their aged relatives, tluir
women and children, had accomplished the journey,
the Caynameros, who for mother wit were the Irish-
men of California, flocked around the wagons, from
wh'ch came forth human beings with dirty faces ami
greasy hands, the drivers pulling out greasy mat-
tresses and with greasy hands spreading them on the

(526)

THE GREASER.

Sty

pfround. It made the savages smilo to see such greasy
( iv ilization, to see a people more greasy than them-
silves, and so they called them mantecosos, greasy
ones; and at the last it turned out that whenever a
( 'aynamero spoke of any one who had come over the
jtlalns, he called him a mantecoso. The nick-name
liavhig been afterward explained to the overland im-
migrants, they turned the tables on the Indians:, angli-
ci7A'd greaser, and applied it to them, and finally to
all native Californians and Mexicans. In 1846 the
word was also used in connection with the people of
^[atamoros, and all Mexicans with whom the Amer-
ican army came in contact. Its use there is said to
have originated as follows : The Americans did noi
ospeolally fancj'' greasing the wheels of their wagons,
and made the natives do it for them. Hence they,
and presently all the Mexicans, came to be termed
iireasers.

Adobe. An unbumed, sun-dried large brick.

Agnaje. The Mexicans and Californians apply this
w«)rd to springs. In Spanish it has reference only to
the sea.

Alameda. A grove of trees.

A Iforjas. Saddle-bags, commonly made of rawhides.

Aliml. A grove of alisos, or alder trees.

Ajiurejo. A pack-saddle, also applied to appurten-
ances of machinery.

Arrastra. An old-fashioned mill for crushing «)re.

Arwyo. A brook ; also applied to the dry bed of one.

Aijunte pronounced by the illiterate jayunte (hah-
vulin-tav). The assemblinij: of the Indian single nun
and grown-up boys, as well as their quarters in the
mission.

JicKjUcano. In Spanish it means an expert. In
Spanish-America it is especially applied to one who
knows well a country and its roads.

Jkrruchi. A peculiar form of men's shoes in old
times. Possibly it meant also the material the shoes
Were made o£

028

CALIFOnNIANISMS.

Boiumzay and Jiorrasca in floa parlance moan rcspor-
tively fair weather and storm. In nnnin«<^ tlie fonutr
is opplicd to a mine that in yieldin^j well ; and the
latttr to one that will not pay expenses.

Jirca. Pitch ; al8o applied to tar.

JJnscnn. A iK)or miner seeking for metal.

i'ahallada. In California signifies the herd of broken
liorses of an individual or of an armed force.

Cacdsfc, or cacaxtle. A basket; also a footstool.

Canada. A deep ravine, small canon, or narrow-
valley with stecip sides.

Canon. The original meaning in Spanish is a tube.
It is applied also to a narrow, tunnel-like pa.ssage for
a stream of water between high precipitous banks ; ii
canyon.

Carpa. Used in California for tents, or shelter.

Cafmdor, like buscon, refers to a miner who is look-
ing for metal.

Ccdazo, a fine sieve; also a figure of the contre-
dancc.

Clia. The Californian term for tea.

Chuhuixtlc. A disease of wheat caused by lonj,'
drought-

Chapapotc. A bitummous substance ; also applinl
to tar.

Chaparro. A short, thick-set man.

Chapnlin and CliapuL Mexican for locust, and
grasshopper. In Spanish langosta, salton, and grillo
for different species.

CJiichirjuo, as applied to sucking calves, and toruno
to bull calves. Chichigua is applied to milch cows,
and possibly, as in Central America, to wet nurses.

Chinguirito. Rum distilled from the refuse <if
sugar. Applied also to all ardent spirits.

CJnrrion, from the Spanish chirriar, to squeak.
Chiefly applied to an unwieldy cart. It means also a
heavy whip. A chirrionazo is a blow with a chirricii ;
a pela de chirrionazos, means a sound thrashing with
a chirrion.

MIXED SI'aMSH and INDIAN W0UD8.

Co)iiillfo)in, nil old Spuniiili word, now conriloiui.
All almiidant t'oast; a sort of luciuc and baibeiMit',
w itli I'lfiity of meat, l)ivad, iiK-zcal. etc.

Cnrml. A pin for live-stock; even a poultry yard,
lit lice the California verb 'to corral,' "o drive into a
corral.

I'Di/nfr. A small California wolf; also a inininLT
tmii, iiieaiiiiiL^ to di;.; a hole similar to tin burrow of
a coyote. It is us^d likewise as an adjective applied
to any person or thing native, or indigenous to the
country.

( 'itrt'd was a jacket of several thicknesses of chamois
or other skin, used by the presidial troops tor cam-
paigning against hostile Indians.

( nradcra, the practice of killing cattle to steal the
hides.

< 'iirrn, the hide of cattle or horses.

Ihniinridr, or to make a dc nuncio. To report to
tlie government a crime or plot; a metal bearing site,
or unoceupied land.

Did frrimlo. A day on which no work could be
(lone, l^sed in California as <lia dc fiesta.

J'','nUi'Xwlcro. A place of embarking, or landing.

KxihXKente. The collection of original papers relat-
ing to a g()vernnient aflair.

Etu'inuL A grove t)f incinos, or oaks.

I'dndunijo. A dance of the common people.

I'nuic. A saddle-tree.

(iori/ucz. Probably a corruption of the Spanish
,j;oiguz, a species of dart used in the olden time. In
(alit'ornia. oorijuez means an ox-ujoad.

lfdhilitdvio)i. The act of authorizing a thing, or the
provision made in money, goods, etc., to carry out a
project.

Ildhdikido was the paymaster and business man of
a presidial company.

Ihirro. In 8i)anish, it is an unfccundated c^x<^; un-
substantial, empty, insignificant. In California, it
was applied to persons of light complexion and hair.

CaL. I'AST. 34

530

C ALl FORXr ANISMS.

:!g,'

Hullo. A man wltliout i)hysical strength, or weak
in tlio lojjs.

Jural, or Jacalc. A temporary liut covered with
canes or tule.

Jiu/ulma. A head-stall for breaking wild horses.

Jam. An arrow or dart.

Jarazo. An arrow wound.

Jihitrar. As pronounced by the illiterate. Tiic
wor<l is helotear; to pick Indian corn In the milk,
which is called lielote.

Lazar. To lasso, or catch aninuils with a rope.

Mauada. A herd of shee[>, also called horrcf/add.
A DKinada dc ycgvas is a herd of breeding maivs
un<hr the lead of a stallion. When the mares wi ic
used for breeding mulen, a ra6a//o raltaado was placed
with them. A mare, after she had been touched liy
a jackass, was called a yff/va <d>iirrada.

MidKjas. Bed-clothes and blankets.

Mfcate. Mexican for rope.

Mrsfn'io and Mostrniro. Live-stock without owin i-.
Generally aj>plied to wild horses or cattle.

Miljia. A field of Indian corn.

Mniiillas, or MochillaK. Leatlu>rn flaps for covciiiii
a saddle-tree. A soldier's mochila is his knapsack.

Macho. Ap[)lied to a bull or cow with horns cut
ofl'; also to any human being or animal that has lost
a [)i('ce of a finger, thund), toe, ear, etc,

Mo)ijrrl(). T\\v (juartcrs of the single Indian wn-
men, or even young widows, in the missions.

Xaraiija dc aqua. A measun^ of water of about tlic
diameter of an orange, which is rather an indefinite
measure.

(h'ijaiuK lidi fhrcjaiia dr ficrro. Cattle marked <>n
the ears, tliough not necessarily with an ir»»'i brand.

Vaulno. An epithet applied to land suitalde tor
any purpose.

PdiKwlia for panoin- -fVn ear of millet or maize:
applied to th<* Jisc-shapcd loaves of coarse sui;ar;
otherwise called panela, and in Peru, chancaca.

; 4a

MIXED SPANISH AND INDIAN WORDS.

6»1

Placer. A place wliere jjfohl is found in dirt, eitlu r
nil drv land or in the bed of a stream.

J*l(ii/a. The sea-beacli.

Plaza. An open scjuarc in a town.

Pozo. A sprinijf or well.

Piichh. A chartered town.

lidiH'lio. A. tract t)f land used almost wholly f"r
|);istura«]jo. It rarely had, in Mexican times, less than
t'our miles in extent; in most cases, not less than iiO.
Since the American annexation, rancho, anji'Iiciz* d
lanch, is applied even to snu/ll farms, and to sin*ile
Ik. uses. The verb, to ranch, 1 as been coined in con-
nection with farmlnsjj. It is bad forn>

Ranchcro. A })erson owning a rancho. or living
ill one.

Pii iirhcria. An Indian village, or collectie.i ••('
Indian lodges. It may also be a place of scatters, huts.

l!((il<ir, or crhar nalada. To seize by royal right.
Xo longer heard.

Iicata. A rop made of rawhide, used (or lassoing
animal.;.

Punxjkhi, A gathering of horses.

AV.s'. A head of mat cattle.

PiOtko. Hounding up cattle for separating or mark-
ing them.

Hi'ihrira. A scroll or tlourish appended by people
of the Spanish race to tlu'lr signatures, as a necessary
pait of them. Officials in the Spanish doniitiioiis
t't'ti n use tin; rubrica alone to public documents.

•'^aiizal. From sduz, or siluce, willow, means a gvo\ e
of willows.

^nn:alil(). This diminutive means a small gro\e tf
Nviilows.

S/'irra. The original meaning is a saw; a serru.'lin
is a connnon carpenter's saw. The word is commonly
u>< (I to express a chain of mountains.

Sovinjotc. As is ap})lied to the youngest child
"»f a family; also to the lowest servant.

Tdpulo. A shawl.

(AIJFORXrANISMS,

wit*

htjiniictt.
the j^'ari't't.

d t

.sc'(.l It) mean a <•«)(

k-l..t't

or room ovt i"

Tiirdcdila. A march l)o<jjuii late *m the dav.
Tivnliro. Tilt' mnstrr of cfrriiioiiics at a Isall.
T<ciili>f('. A species of oNvl.

T'ljiicqiiilc. A mineral .salt, cliicHy used

imiK'S.

Tciiuin. A task allotted to the niission neophvtes.
after <(>m|;letiMi; which they were allowed to rest.

TiCrrtix ill' f( mpoi'dl. Lands di'jteiidiiiLj entirely on
raiiis for their cultivation ; <listin;j,uished from tierras
i\r re'j;iidio, «»r irrigated lands.

Ti<rriix ilc (ihrrniilr^o. Jjands having dt>posits df
water to which cattle resoii.

Tiilc. Watel--l'eeds.

Tiihir. Field of tules.

I'dllddo is used to si;j;nify a wide, deep trench, with
the earth taken therefrom thrown up on oik^ si<l. .

Tlie vallado Served as a hound.nv fei

v. In >>|'ai!

and some pai'ts of Spanish Ameru-a \allado means a
kind of fence or wall of runnned earth suiMnomitid hy
stones or rods, and planted on tlu' snnnnit with
ma'^ues', <'actns, jtihuelas, hlackherry vini's, or soinr
other thorny plant?

(icinin.

Neat cattlt

HCIIN

(Kino'o.

<i. \'acchiation, and also tlu* vaccine viru.-

A c«»w-herder,

d also as an adjec-

ti\ e, as in sH/n riKinrrd, ii sadille of the kind used h
\ acpieros.

/iiiijit. \n 1! ri'^atlnjj^ ditch, such as one in Los
Anu'cles.

y.oiijiro is the otHcial havinLj charue of the /aiiji.
to see tliat it is in «^ood orchr, and to attend I'l
the dlstril)ution t)f water, et»'.

'I'o tlu' ahove may he added other words, not >^'
Spanish oi* Mevican origin, which have peculiar
meanin>xs in C'alHornia. as for Instance :

llrtl-riK'l:. l(oi*rowe<l from mining, is often used to
imply the bottom of a suhject.

M1XK1> ' rANlslI AND INDIAN' WOUliS.

llinuJiirr. an i-'lo, wortliltss How, who earns
iiothin;^, and lias no means ofsupimrt.

lUditnuw) arotunl, playinLj tlie role t»f a hummer.
Ciaiin. Tlie piece of ;j;roim«l measured out f'li'

iiiinin'jf l)y a party or a company

lere are

li;nik. liill, Hat, tunnel, claims; ako land clainb

/>/'/'// ////.s'. rir«)und where' oold is dutij for. Wvl

Mi-i'^in'jfs aio on

hank;

hars of streams of uater,

1 hy dl;j;!4in;js are in places whit h are dry at certain
prrioils of the year.

7h ih'H Hj, .. a slan;j; jthrase, sij^nityin;.^ to sto]>, say

in> more

fail, o-i

o away, tlisappear, etc

To freeze out. I'sed hy mim-rs to cxjti-ess tliat
certain stoclvliolders or others conceined in a mine
lia\t' heen forced to .sell their shares or interest.

dulrji. A ,u,ully.

Iloodhim. Applied to youni:; va<:al)onds. especially
nt' towns. '^I'he word does not n<cessaril\' imiil\- that
tin individual will not work, for there aie nouii'j,'
p'lMins Nvho Work in tin' day. and act as hoodlums in

Hie evtMnn«j;, on holid;
d t

»vs, I'tc. The word is ^eiieralK-

Used to mean a younu: man or woman who is con-
stantly disturhin^^,' the peace, or causin;^- annoyances.
M(»st of the lioodhuns are vicious, and sooner or latt r

S\\ 1

11 tl

le crunma

1 cl

iss.

UlV o

f tl

am m

IOCS

I- rancisco atfect a certain rakish dress, peculiar si
iiMil hats, and mode of nrran;j;inL; theii" hair, which
makes them out at once to he of the class.

Ifililnnilir. A minin^jj pi-occss hy which watir is
tliiown throULjIi a hose or pip" upon the dii't, to wash
out the iLjold.

To Itioek (loini. To ste;d. Tn miner's parlance, to
sfial valuahle pieces of aurifirous (piart/ fioin ;i

lo,i,..

I'dil-dirt. Auriferous dirt that yields wa'j:es, oi
' pans out well.' When wa-^-es wtic lii^di. it was c«piiv-

alrtit to \ieldniU!" ahundaiitlv

len a !rnne

has h

'iiie (>x]iausted it is .said to juive 'pctei'ed out.

1 nee

hoth

expressions are api

>|>lieti to other affair:

-M

CALIFORNIANISMS.

To 'profipcct. To hunt for ])laccs containing gold,
silver, etc.

]*rospccl is the discovery niado after prospectin;^.
When a prospector finds gold in one or more particles,
he sa^ s he has f(»und the color.

liocLcr or Cradle, an apparatus resembling a domes-
tic cradle, used to wash tlie gold clear of tJie dirt.

^^luicc. A wooden trough used for washing dirt
to separate the gold dust t)r nuggets.

(iroutid Sluice. A trough or hole made in the
uround for washin*' dirt.

Tu'd-Slukr. A sluice placed below other sluici s
from which it receives dirt and water.

SI nice-Fork. A fork resembling one for stin-ing
manure. The prongs are blunt, the width tlie same
at pohit and lu'el.

SI nice- J lead is the amount of water used in tlif
sluice. Water is constantly running hito the sluier
through an o))ening.

Sltiiii is slimy dirt.

Tofifrip. To clear tb'> pay-dirt of worthless cart li.

Square uieal is a full and sutHcient meal eaten at
table.

Tailinf/a. A mining word, meaning the waste of a
<iuarlz-mill, ro(^kt'r, sluice, etc.

Tmii. A wooden ti'ough, of 10 to 15 feet in hiigtli
in which to wash out auriferous earth.

T'liii-StroiHi and Tom-Head. Tlu' (quantity of wtUir
usetl in a tom.

WiiKj-Ikun, A dam made in a river or creek. s<»
as to shut out till' watvr fi'om a par't of the bid.

A word as to the jiopular use of the ti'rms 'Calit'oi-
nian ' and ' Amei'ican.' I object strongly to the use it"
thi'se wortls, hi their common accrjttation, as, strictly
s|)raking, incorrect and misleading. In my Xaliir
Hans of (he Pacific Sfdhs. I apply the word ' Calif' u-
nian ' to the native inhabitants of California, and tlu'
word 'American ' to the native inhabitantsof Americi.
And the.se are and can be the oidy strictly accurate

•CALIFORNIAX* AND 'AMERICAN.'

885

application of the words to j^eoples. It is a ijjross
ai)surditv' to call the ])eople ou one side ot" the Niau;ara
Kiver. Canadians, and those on the other side Anieri-
cniis ; or to call those on one side of the Kio Grande,
^[cxicans, and those of the other side Americans.
An c«|ual absurdity it is to call Europeans who came
from Si>ain or Mexico and settled in one part of the
state at one time Callfornians, and Europeans who
( amc from Enufland or the United States and settled
in another [)art or the same part of the state at an-
otlur time, Americans. Yet, after turninjj; the matter
well over in mv mind, I see no other way than to fall
in with fallacy, and drift with the tide into the sl»»UL!,h
of inaccuracy. The words have become so idcntificil
with the history of the times that it is now imjto.s.sihle
to chant^e them; and even were this possible, it is
(litlicult to find other words practicable to be used as
sul)stitutes. The WO' ds 'Anyjlo- American' and ']fis-
pano- American' are iimch more exact, but these are
tno clumsy for ])opular use. All the more rcpunuant
to me is this forced misuse of these words here, wlu ii.
in aiiothi-r work, I have ap])lied them in a totally
ilitfrreiit and the only correct sense; for thus I find
iny.«;i'lf the histrument of an anomaly which in the
same liti'rature applies to the same words ditli rent
]iu'anin<jjs.

Tlure is yet another ap})lication of the word 'Cali-
f'trnian ' ra|)idly sprin^iujjj into u^e, which incrt-a.^rs
tiir ditliculty. Shortly after the country fell into the
1 lands of the ITnited States, returned o;(»ld-seeker8
wvvi' calK'd Californians; and as California liirw
mightily, and brcame fam(»us throu*xlu»ut tlif woild,
and as the word became tlu> svn<)nvm of fi'i-eness,
tlusjmess, manliness, and enti'rprlse. it pleased the
fincy of these adv<Miturers ; and rvi-r since, wlierever
tlie state's a«lopted sons have wainlered-- in the east,
in Kurop(>, and In Asia — tluy have ju'oudly recorded
tin ir names as Callforuian.s. Xor do I see any way
to avoid this application of the word in this connec-

CALIFORXIANISMS.

turn. The present inliabitants of the country must
have a name, and are justly entitled to the use of the
word. But that makes the abnormity no less uii-
pleiislnuc to the writer, who finds himself forced to
apply to a proper name three several meanhijjjs, with
nothiiiu^ but the connection and the intelligence of tlie
reader to determine in each instance which is meant.
In writiniL^ upon the aborij^ines of America and Cali-
fornia, therefore, I call the natives Americans and
Californians, respectively; in speaking of the events
that transpired under and immediately subsetpient to
Spanish and Mexican rule, I call the S()anish and
^le.xican occupants of the country Californians, in
contradistinction to the people of the United States
kn<nvn as Anu'ricans, and later, as the before-men-
tioned di.stinctions become obliterated, and people of
all lands and nations are ])roud to merge their natinn-
ality into that of the land of their adoj)tion, these, toD,
shall have given them the name they so love — C;ili-
fornians.

CHAPTER XYIIT.

LAW, (iOVKUNMKXT, AXl) RKIJcilOX.

Aviciido y (lt>vioii(1<>H<'r los HistnI•i,^(l(ll•l•s jmntualc-*, vcriluilcrns, y no n.ida
!i|iassiiiii<iilii.s, y ni t-l inturvs, ni il iiiu-ilu, el niin'or iii la alii'inii, im Ics liaxa
t.iircr ilcl oaiiiiiiii lie la vcnlail, cuya mailre is la llisturia ciiiula ilil ti<'iii|Mi,
(li |iii<itii lie las aooioncs, tt-stiji" ile lo jiassadn, fxeiiiplo y aviso dc Ici [ire-
M iiti', advurU'iK-ia do In \n>r vciiir. < i rrmi/i-i.

Ik the tlirc'Cjijrcat pniiciitlt'sunderlyinjjjt'tliics, iiaiiii-

;i\v. L*'<.)Voniiii<'nt, aiK

1 rv\\\x

un\, are proper cnteria o

I'lo^ri'ss, till' HispaMo-Califoriiiaiis were tlie iiidsf civ-
ilize il (»f peoples. Law, datiiiij;' from S[iaiiiaii<l Mexico
ci'iituries l)aek, was present to superHuity, tlioUijIi to
till the truth It was very moderately ai){)lie(l. (Jov-
ciiiment, civil and eeelesiastieal, was piU'd round them
iinnmtahi hiL!;h, as if the two "jjreat [lurposcs of (Jod
aiid man were, one class to rule anil anothci* te oliev.

As for reli«j;ion, it was liko a limitless swamp
w, IV engulfed in it.

Ihit law, government, and religion are not element."
'■•essentials of pro;4ress; they have hut little t(t dt

with proi^ress except at certain sta<j;i's. Savage
stiiitly such, have no law or government, and hut a
|MM)i' excuse for ri'li|jlon. ^Fcn the hii;hest cultivated
h;i\(\ or have need of, little more of these honds than
sava'j;es. liut in the intermediate sta'j,-e they are
fiiiiid to he essential. Law and !j;overnmint were
st}oii;^(.i- iij t(^udal times than latei' ; and rdi^ioii was
much mor(^ the master of advanced peoples fifty years
ii-M than now.

Ill few of Spain's colonies, or in tmy part of her do-
minions, or in the connuunities ;4'rowinL!; out of her col-

( .'^i- )

LAW, CJOVEIIXMENT, AND RELKilON.

onizations, lias there been inueli lack of governiiio'.
Douiinioii has ever heeii a prcmiiiieiit feature with tin-
Latin rare, to say n(»thin«jf of the An«,'lo-8axon, hall of
the nation bein;j; always (luite ready to govern the
other half And as for laws, there was no I'ntl to
them. Men wi're made to eat and slee[) hy law, to
work, diess, play, and l)ray by law, t(j live and die hy
law.

Nor was California slii»;hted in this respect, as 1 have
said. .V pueblo of oOO inhabitants should be ruled I'V
an avuntainiento, consistinj; of an alcalde, three aldt r-

men, ana one ijrocurador snulico

lese orticers wtif

to be electtd each year aecordiuLT to the law of election,
the alcalde and two of the aldermen to be changed
everv veai", while one alderman and the procurador
wiTe to serve for two years.

civi

One writinjjf of Monterey [)laces it at tlio head
lizati

on. "The whitewashed houses," he say>,
"have a nmch better effect in the landscape than
those of Santa Biirbara, or of (^difornia towns i>'enei'-
allv. which are all of a (lii"t\ ;nud color; the red tihs
of the roofs also contrast well with the white sides nf
the houses, and with the brii^ht fresh yfreen of tlic
lawn, upon which the dwellint;s, about a hundred in
number, are dotti'd about irrcLJularly here and theiv.
There arc^ not, in this or in any other town of C^dit'in-
nia, either streets or fences, excei)t here and tht'ie a
small patch fenced in for a i;anlen, so that the hou>i >
bciuij^ l)laced at random on the green, and being all ef
one story aiul of thi' cotta«j:e form, have a remarkaMv
pretty eii'ect when seen from a distance.

"Monterey is decidedly the pleasantest and niest
civilized-looking place in California. In the centie et"
the town is an o|)en square surroundi-d on the fmir
sides by lines of one-storied plastereti l)uildings. hi
the middk' of the scjuart' are some half-do/en caniieii,
some mounted, others not. This is the presidio, er
ibrt. lOvery town has a presidio in its centre, er

rather,

eve

ry pr

-'sidio has a town built round it, as the

PASTORAL MONTKUKV,

599

fuitrt wero first built l»y tliu Mrxican ijovcrninont, and
till' pLoplc then t'rt'fticl their (l\vi'lliii«;s round tlnin

tni- i»i'i)ti'('tion. Tlu- prt'sidiol
mi

ion' is vu

tiri'l

y "'I

R-n an<
sfvrra

fortified. A short time back tliere wen
(iiliecrs stationed liero, with lon;^ and soundinL,'' titles,
and about eighty soldiers. These, however, wei'e very
jiitorly jtaiti, tV'd, and clothed, and eonse<juently just as
j)o(»rly diseijdined. The y'overnor-y;e'neral, or as he is
conunonly called, the <.(i'neral, has his resiiK'nce here,
!iii(l Monterey is thus the seat of o;«>vernnient. This
ntlicer is ap}»ointed by the central L>'overinnent of
Mexico, and is the chief civil an«^l military olH<'er. In
addition to the o'eneral, each town has its coniandante,
who is the chief niilitarv otHct'r of thc^ station, and
has chart;'!' of the fort, and conducts all transactions
with forei<;ners and foreii»n vessels. The civil officers
consist of two or three alcakles and c(»rresjfidoi'es, who
aie fleeted bv the inhal)itants. Of courts of law
;uid jurisprudence gt'uerally, tlu; iidiabitants \ui\v no
knowledge whatevi'r. Small numicipal matteis are
ie>-ulate<l by the alcaldes anil c^trretiidores, whilst
cvrrythino- pi'rtaininijf to the general i^over-ninent, to
the military, and to forei_t»"ners is left to the coman-
diiiit/, actins^' un<ler the orders ()f the lufovernor-i^eneral.
Caj-ital cases are decidi'd by him upon personal in-
spection if he happened to be near, or by minutes,
transmitted to him by the pro|K'r oifieer, if the offender
chances to be at a distant jdace. Xo protestant has
iuiy civil rights, nor can he hold pro|)erty, nor in fact

IS lie

allowed to remain niorethana few

Wee

a>liore

unless he belonn's to sonii' vessel, so that any Ameri-
c.iiis or JMiglish who intend to reside at Monterey are
oimjielled t(J beconu- catholics."

The only ranchos Lri^'eii as proju'rty to holders dur-
iii'4 Spanish tinu' wer- those of the Xietos. \'erdiiL;os,
l>ominguez, the Malin<» of Hartulo Tapia, and pi(ii»a-
hly also la Ballona (»f the Zuhigas.

I Ii re are some of the i>rdenan/.as municipales tor the
ityiuitamientos for 18J3. One of the princiiKd [»re-

'•>!

')»()

LAW. COVKllN'.MKN'T, AND UKLIClON'.

royativi s 'jfraiitrd l>v tlu; j-oiistitutlon to tlM> juuiita-

III

K'litos, itMituiiicil ill tlic Htli f'acultv tif aiticlt

is tliat nf tonniiii;" tlic iiiuiiici|»al ordtiiaii/as ot' tli

•I.I.

and |trcsrii

liiiH' til

(•III. a('cuiii|..i!iir(l l»y a r(|iMrt

tliiou'^li tile (lijtiitacioM ttiTitorial tor approval. 'I'ln

ordriiaii/.as slioiiM (-oiiipi'cIkmkI

ic ol

nlir t«

S(i\(»| ill tlir intrnial i;o\rriiiiitiit of the ji\ uiita-
iiiitiiio, and in what must lie ohstivcd hy the citi/i ii>
as to |»oIicc, utility {roniniliilail), and health. 'The priii
rijtli s o-ovcrniii!^ the intrrior alliiirs ot' i\\o ayiinta
iiiii'iito can he ^tin'i'ali/rd ; hut as to cxtrrnal inattns,
tlitsc will htj diH'citnt in tlu- dillciriit imchlos,

Til

put

o siial

have a lious(

for tl

It' use I

.f tl

aytintainiciito, with the iicccssai'V olliccs for the sccii
taiv. tlu' arciiivos and accounts, as well as a warchou-

for

ic ininlcincnt^ aiK

1 tooh

.1 I

s needed lo]- imi»iic Work

and harracUs f()r tho national '>iiard when this he di

uamze*

This house shall i»e termed the casa

coii-

sistoii.ij. and the apartment wiieie the ayuntainieiifo
iiieetiii'^s are held the sala capitular,

>s soon

installed, the ayuntamieiito shall hy a jilurality of votes
a|i|»oint Ji s(>cretary. a \ irtuous and capahle jtersoii
\\ h(»se ;ippointmi'nt shall he suhject to the a|tj)ld\al et
the provincial deputacion.and who shall not he renio\ t (|
excejtt hy consent of the same hody; a treasurer, nr
<le|»ositary of tlu' comiiuin funds —this heiiiiL;' a ]iei>(iii
approved f»nly hy the ayiintaniient(»; a eontador tis(,il,
whose duty shall he that of kceiiiiii^" the municip.il ac-
counts, and authorizing' drafts inad»> hy the committ"e.
such as come within his province; one or two pnrteis.
who shall summon nn'inhers to mei'tinij^s, and iiiaki'
themselves o'eilerally useful; a store-Ueepi'r, who sli ill

S we

taki' care of and keep in order the tools, etc., a
the furniture and the standards of weij^hts and n
Ules.

;is

rM>-

4. The avuntamiento heiiiLT installed with th

e solria-

nities j)res(
.)

■rihed hv the constitution, t>ii the first dav

in Januarv, which is not a

liolid.

IV. an e\tra(»rdinai\'

Si'ssioii .shall ho held for the purpose of the appi'Hit-

MUNICIPAL rnOCEDURF..

iiHiit of oonimitti't'H, acfonliiii; to artick' 3'_M of the
(.-iistitutioii the srcntai'v Iiaviiiij^ previously ir;nl

oidiiiaiici's J

111(1 tlu; aiticlo iiK'iitioiifil. StoailiiK

/ o

f those ordiuaiuTs.

f). Then' shall hf a|i))oiiitr(l. hcsidcs thrsc coimnit-

'jLlJulol

vs auxiliaics toa.Nslst the alcalde accoid

11^- to the st'foiid |>ai't of said article- in cariii'j foi'

tl,

tolK'C {

Hid

secunt\ o

f th

l»m

l»los, this, if siitli-

ii iitlv extensive heiiii; divided into euarteles <listil«'ts.
<;. The avuntaniiento as a hodv shall he called

nil

tie until tlu! oortes di'ternuiK^ the |>l(»|tel

titl(

illK

wliile in session its ineiiihers shall a<klress one aiiotlit r

;is

V. s.

7. I'litil it sliall he determined whetlier or not the
111! nihers of tlu^ avuntaniiento must use a uniform.
tlh \ may usi; those in voj^ue ainoiii"^ former ayunta-
iiiiciitos, and see that they he of stutls made in the
niiinfrv; no one heiui:; ohlin'e<l to wear uniform if he
Ih not ahle tt» att'ord it, it hein«j^ sutHcient that he jne-
>i lit himself deceiitlv. Militaiv men will wear tin ir
uiiif >rms.

-^. (Ordinary sessions sliall he held on Tuesdays :iii(l
Tiiursdays of each week without any summons heini;
11' ecssary, hut he who will \)v unahle to attend will pie-
\i'Ui>ly oivt. due notic«; to the |)rcsident. who shall he
tliej(f(>-j>oli'tico, where there he«>ne, and in the following-
mdrr the 1st and 'Jd alcald»>s and the senior re;jitl<»r.

'.'. 'i'o constitute a »iuoruni al' vothin" nieinhers iinist
iittt lid. hut this heinj:; hii|>ossihle, a numher. consist-
iiii of otic more than half the whole, will suHiee.

I". At the hour fixed u|>on, the porters sliall iiidi-
<"i1f the saiiK! tt» tin- president, and tlu; niemhers sli.ill
'iiti r tli(^ sala capitular, and hv order of seiiioiitv in
"tlice take theh" seats around the tahle with the presi-
'I' lit at the head. The secretary shall occupy a si ji-
■iijite tahle at the foot of the main tahlc. All shall

"•i>iiili

ictth

lemsclves Ul

haneb

y and circums|)ectiy

Til

l'"il.r shall heat hand outside of thi' sala, in onJei-
t'l luiiie when called and keep outsiders from t'litering.

542

LAW. r.OVERNMENT, AND TIEUOIOX.

1 1. Slioukl a meinlxr arrive tiftrr tlio sittiii'^ 1m'
opi'iu'd, he is to be received hy the (»tlierH staiidiir^.
ai;(l tlie secretary must iiitonn him of wliat busiiu s.s
has been done.

1'2. Tlie session will commence bv the secret;>iv
r(^adiii<jj minutes of the last meeting, that, if neeessaiv,
ameiichntiits may be made, and that a clean copy In-
made and dulv sii^ned at the prestnt sittin*;.

IM. Ileception of reports, written or verbal, of
committe«'s, shall then be in order. 14. He who lias
th(> floor shall be listened to attentively, and in it
interrui)ted bj' others. After all (K'sirous of speak
'\u\f have done so, the vote shall be taken — the junior
members votin^j first.

1 .'). Should the sindico make any verbal propositi, ui,
ho shall be attentivelv lu'ard before the mattcf In
acted on; if in writiuLj it shall be discussed, but n-r
resolvi'd until the next meetin*', or if a verv intricate
matter, the meetini; thereafter.

!<!. Wlieii the secretary lays before the council an
ordi'r, or a bando circular of the jefe-politlco, it shall \>v
read slowly, and afterward ordered [)assed to thf al-
calde for publication or execution — except where it lie
referred It) a connnittee ^v ithin the coijjnizanci" of wliich
it may come. The alcalde will, as ordered, cause tlif
same to be .sent to the next ayuntamiento, and Ik'
and the secretarv will acknowledife haviuij: receivnl
and circulated the same.

17. Should any order be received from the juc-
vincial diputacion, relative to economy in exjxiniiiiLr
pro})ios y arbitrios, it nmst be connnunicated to tlic
contador and tesi)rcro for their i»uidance,

18. Should the order or bando circular relate to a
matter interesting to the juez (jf first in.stance, ercK -
siastical juez, or other functionary, he ^^hall be officially
notified in writing by the presiilent and set retary.

10. The discussion of business treated of being ti'i-
ishcd, and — provided that the proceedings have Iikh
lengthy — the minutes of the secretary signed by the

MUNICIPAL PROCKDURE

jiri'sidi'nt, that they may 1><' aftorwanl written out,
tlif t'X|»'clit'iitt'S .shall ho ufiveii to the coiiimittt't's,
that the same he examiiud (»r executed.

•JO. Should the juez eelesiilstieo, and he of first iii-
iiistaiice, have occasion toatttud a sittiiiij of tlujayuii-
taiaiento, the former shall he seabd on the ri^ht hand
olthe alcalde, and the latter on tlie left ; either wlieii
iil'iiie shall 1h' seated on tiie rii^ht — as also tlie conian-
(laiite militar — i»ut any other puhlic functionary must
sit hflow the sindico.

2\. Should any diputacion of farmers, merchants,
or aitisans [iresont itself to the ayuntamitnto, in
order to treat of anything relatinjjf to their rosprct-
ive trades, vie, or tlie imposition of contrihutions,
tilt y sliall 1)0 .«eated on seats separated from those of
the memhers of the ayuntamiento; hut any oni- eiti-
ztii wlio may present himself individually sliall remain
oil toot unless ho have some military o!" ci\ il <listinc-
tii'M — hoini,' a military officer or having hrlnnu'td to
tli«' ayuntamiento, or a letrado, or some persnn eon-
suited on the point under discussion — in wliieh case
lie shall have a separate seat; if a clei'<j^yman. he shall
sit ani<ni|Lr the nu'inhers next to the decano.

!"J. Citizens' petition.•^ recpiirins;; study or n^suluti

shall he referred to a sj)ecial committee, which shall ex-
amine tho same and n port at tho next meetin'Lrof the
ayuntamiento; hut no husiness can ho so riferred t<i a
pi is(in not a memlK-r, though ho he a nlatixe of a
lutuilM'r. L'M. Should any individual petition have
any relation to tho puhlic, it shall ho referre<l to the
si'nilico, that ho examine tho same and rejiort as tlie
(urasion mav demand; and in anv nuittiTof this nature
Ills opinion shall he heard heforo tho same is decided.
•24, Should tho petition ho one in which is con-
corned any memher of the ayuntamiento, or his i-ela-
tive, intimate friend, or person to whom ho is under
ohliixations, or on whom ho in any way depends, such
iii'inher shall not vote, or shall leave the sala when
tin. matter may require, that the others vote freely.

fii' ■

'i I'

644 LAW, (lOVERXMENT, AND RELKilON.

25. Slioulcl tlio matt' r treated of Ik; of a rescrvod
luiturt', all tli»' iiu'iiiiHTs ai'f (>l»li!jj('(l to In; rcticfiit; and

•crt't shall \)v voted as wtak-

ft'^.

whoever di\ ulLjes tlie st

iiriM(li!d. and he held respoiisihle for resultant daiiia-j;

2(1. What lias been detenniiied uitoii 1)V the a\ iiii-
taiuieiito caimet he rovokorl without j^rave motives, m-
without the j>revlous consent of the sindleo and tliu
concuireuei; of all who [)rovi'>asly voted on tho ques-
tion.

27. Shouhl tho serretarv ho ill or unavoidahlv ah-

V t

sent, the junior rei^idor shall lU't in his stead; if the
reu,idor Ik; husy on some eonnnittee, a secretary ad
interim shall he appointed hy a |)lurality of vot
who shall deliver to the secretary, on his return, the
minutes, etc., si^netl hv the mend)ei's.

28. In the same manner, the si'ndicc) shall he rc-
|)lac(ul hy tht3 junior re^idor; the aleaKle hy the re^i-
dores in order <»f seniority; when, however, theje he
two alcaldes or two sindicos. one shall (ill the vacancy
of the other, and only when both bo absent shall tliu
above course In; taken.

2!). if on the day (>f any ordinary me(>tiii|4 any
matter requiring- inimediato action should arise, mem-
bers shall be citiil.

30. In case of special meetiiiLjs members sliall lie
cited by means of notes signed by the presidi-nt ami
secretaiT.

.'M . 'I'he sfndico may ask that a special meetin-^' he
called, and is not obliged t<» ^ive his reasons : any ot Ik r
nicmbei' shall make a like reiiuc^t through and in iu-
cord with tho sindico, informing him of the case that
ho mav ask what is littint^, and that all the nuinh' is
be cited they signing the citation and ivcurnii!'^ it
to the |i(»i'tero for- a ivcord of their lia\ ing been <'iii d.

82. .\t stated as well a.s at I'xli'aoidinary mectinus
mondters may request that their vote be nconled
apart fi-om the rest in a book kept for the puip'»<',
but this will not excuse them from signing' the minui'S
accoriling to the will of thi' plurality.

MUNK'irAL riUH'KDUUE.

848

nn. No individual vote sliall bo rcoordod, uides.s so
ordciod l)y tliu [H'osidrut.

34. If tin- matter ilebiitc'd bo not uriifiMit, any ineni-
Imt may sus|t('iid tbo takinj^ of a voti; until furtbor
(liscussioM, providi'd tbat lio si,L,n>ify liis intt-ntidii of
liiiiiuiii;4" forw.ii'd nrw arLfUuuMits. Xo business can
lie thus sus[i('nih'd for uioro tban ;3 sittinj^s — on tbo
4lli the vot»* to bo takou.

.!.'). Sbould a s[)ocial ujootin*:^ be called to consider
sonic sealed eonuuunieation addressed to tlu' ayunta-
iiiicnto, the secretary siiall not open the saiuo until oie
iiinre than the half of tbo nu'iniicrs be present, win u.,
it' tiio matter be j^rave, there nmst Ik- uniinimity in
vntin^'~in ease of ilisaifrooment ill the niemi)ers be-
iiii; cited.

:\i'>. No member wbile eni;a«jfed on a speei.d eom-
iiiittt e may absent bimsei fun til its labors arc «'oiic!uded,
and then only for eauso, and with perMiis.siou of tin-
|iicsidcnt.

;)7. No auth(tritv may summon tbe ayuntMiniento
a> a i>ody to appear before it; and should JUiy iiidivid-

tl member Ite cited, it must be bv an ollicia! cctinm

iiic.ition.

.is. ( 'omnuuncations to tbe ayuntamiento fimn the
ililli relit authoriticH must be in writinij^, mid must be
aii^wtrcd in the siime way; or if dceiiieil better, by a
i'(Miiinittee (d' one or two.

.'I'.'. Nor can the ayuntamicnto ^^ummon l>et'ore it
aiiv public functionary. e\c«'|iL for consnltation or
iiuieeiiieiit, which shall be done by Ml oflicial communi-

• 'atlnll.

I". Should thejud'^"e of lirst instance be obli'^ed to
juii'^e civilly (»r criminally a member of tjie avuiita
iiiiciito, be Hball, in a |tolite manner, yive oflicial com.
iimiii< ;ition to the president, unless hi' be taken in the
act, when it is neccNsary only t<i advise tlif pn sideiit
that the party has been arrested without it beitiLT
iircr^sary {<» say why.

I i An arrested member of the ayimtamiento miiMt

t>" ijeiained at the casa coiisistorial under the resjioii-
c\i.. I'tsr. ;»

.,1

i I w

B46

LAW, OOVEIIXMEXT. AND llEI.HilOX.

sil>ilitv of" tlu' president, (►r ono of tlie rcj^icloros, as li

slioiiUl he III rus(; ot llilplisonmelit Dellij^ lU'ees.sai y, or
tliere ha no l)«>n«lsnuiii u<'i'or<linf^ to law ; l>ut if sni-
teiweil to death or eorporal puniishnient, lie must be
deliven^d to the juez and ur<> to the jail.

42. JJurin*^ the trial, an<l until the erimc l)e dttrr-
niiiM'd, liiH vacancy in the ayuntauiieiito .shall he fill. d
in the usual way.

4.'{. The same course shall he fuHnwed if thr al< aide
f(»riinilat(' the sumaria until tin' culprit he Kj^^ally i>l;ii i d
at the disposition of the juez.

44. Siiould the '/ulpiit he the alcalde, the "id alcalde,
or the .senior rci^idor, shall take his placf.

4."). Should the arrest he arbitrary or illeiial. ihr
ayuntaniientt> shall, hy its sfndico, make a formal rmn-
plaint to the juez of the nearest partido, accordiiii,'
to law, for they should aid and honor one another as

niemiicrs of till! .saiiK

Dot

4(i. If the oflence he committed hy a reiLjidor ;is
reju'idor, tlu! alcalde cannot _ju(lL;"e it, l)Ut shall, tliroii.;li
the si'iidico, formalize the accu.sation hejore the jui z
d<' partido, and if it he foi- an infraction of the consti-
tution, the same juez shall form tlu' sumaria, ami fur
ward the .same throu^^h the [trovincial diputacion \,,
the proper auth(»rity.

47. In accordance with article 4 -ut supra tin tv

I ted

le I.I;

an III-

snall he appointed a juez di- ai;nas y de j.iaza
spet'tor of cattle killiiin" and hakeries, a police jiiilui'.
one of schools, and one or more of juihlic works, rnmls,
forests, and jails, who shall act according to a sp( « lal
ur«liiiaiice formed for that ohject.

4H. There shall al.so he a committee of ways !iii(i
means (hacienda), composed of an alcalde aii<l a i'< ji-

(lor, the eontador, and the secretai

■y

41), 'I'hese pei'soiis shall taki' turns, of one iiHiith
each, in colle<-tin|4 the rents of propio.s, or otln-r sum-
of a like nature, the eontiihutions of arhitrios or r.ipi-
t^icioiies lev ied ill accord with the prosiiicial diputa-
cion, and shall pav these sums into the treasiiiv the
i'onta«lor enteriiii: the same on hi** hot<k.s.

MUNICir.VL rUOCEDURE.

50. No money for expenHes shall l)o drawn without
thtre bointf presented to the treusurer a <lraft siifned
ity the al(;alde and secretary — <'o^iiizance of the same
hiinir taken by the contador in the hooks, all tlie doe-
UMunts beinj^ retained hy the treasurer as vimchers
tor halanein^ his accounts.

51. Accounts shall l)e balanced on the Ist of each
month, on which occasion tlnf members of the com-
mittee of Wiiys and means (hacicMida) shall attend, and
tlie accounts audited by the committees of producto
and consumo shall be presented, and the estimate's for
tlie ensuin<^ nionth shall be made.

52. No item of the accounts shall be admitted by
the treasurer or depositary, unless it be certified by the
(-i)iitador that he has taken account of it; noi' shall
the latter certify to any taking of funds ftr expense,
unless the same lie appi'oved by the ])rovincial dijMita-
eiuM lor any t>bje«'t whatever, not even for the secre-
t.iry's pay - as was deternnned by the decree of .July

The i- "i rd of the ayuntamiento sessions of Angeles
alloid little information as to rules and mode of pi-o-
cnlure, besidis what tin; i"e;;lam«'nto prescribes. 'I'he
pit'sideut as 1st alcahh', antl hence usually a man of
moi'e inriuence and saL;a«'ity, as may be supposed, than
lie ordinary reLfidort's, i(enei"ally propo.ses tin- moi-e im-
]"irtant projects. Tln.rea|>p«'ars to be no record of any
motions bein^ formeily secon(le<l ; they are referred
tn the tyeneral vote, discussed, and passed or rejected.
Tiie r«'solution is i;iven to th*' president to carry out
li\ V()te of authorization, or a eonimission is elected to
<i" so. Ofti-n a subject is l)y vote transfeirci.! to the
|ii« sident, or to a committee to diM-ide as it pleases.

The limit of power, as re^ai'ds the natuic of a sub-
ji -t or its extent, may be seen in the various proceed
iii'^s in till' polici! rei^ulations where mention is niadi-
;i> to when the government or assembly ha\e to be
ii|'|icaled to, as of higher authority in the respective
iiiiitti'rs. The a<'ts of a meetiui^ are re-read at the next
uiH' to be apj)roved finally. Often a petition or meas-

LAW, r.OVE?vXMi:NT, AXn RELIf;iON.

'.'%

uro is oxciiiptiMl from tlic usual roiitiiu? of sovf-ral vviu]-
iujj^H and rt'[n»rt of a <()uiiiiitU;(', ami jtjisstxl tlic saiiu'

Previous to 1S23, the alcalde was electod at the
lH'«.'iniin.<jf of tlio year under suiu'rintcmlenco of tlie
niinistros, wlio hIiouM notify the t^overnor.

On the nth of .May, 1 H.'Jr,, J(f(>-}M.litlco Chico is-
sued the followiiiL!^ dec ree for the better eid'oicenieiit
of the law of l)ecend)er 21), 1H.'};>: 1st, Cuerpos de
seo'urulad y polici'a ti) he estait]ishe«l in the territory.
2d, Tliese cuerpos to 1)»; composed of jefe-politieo, sin-
dicos of the ayuntamiento, and four comisarios of ]»(i-

leia,

chosen from the leadinj^ clti/ens, 'U\, Tl

condsariosto ])e a])pr(»vt'd by the respect ive ayuMt.iiiii-
eutos hv a i»lura]itv of votes durint' the first week in
.Tanuarv. 4th, Four substitutes were also to Itc jip-
pointed, nth. The ayuntamiento should notify men iheis

ot tlieir apjiomtnient. and also noL'y all encari;ados jok
masters of hacierulas. fith. No one should beexcus((l
from servility without just cause. 7th, The duti( s ef
the njend>ers will !».•: 1st, to care for tin; public ti;iii-
• piility at their place of resid<'nco; 2d, to ]»uj'sue and
arrest evil-tloers, aii<l deliver tlie»u to the judges; .'5d. t<>
obey th(! orders of tiie alcalde eonstitucional. 8tli.
llesidenis of all nmnieipalities are oblij^e*! to aid (lie
ofHeers of policr with their ]>ersons, horses, lunis. ii'i.I
uliat<ver may be re<{ul!"e<l, but tlie comisarios are \n
act kindly. Jith, Ayuntamientos will re|»oit to tin.'
L'oxernor the orLjanization of thest> cuerpos acecii'dni'^
t<5 this decree. Idth, i)isobc<lience to be He\t ii ly
punished This is taken fiom the Sun Dii^jfo arclnv s.
I Ljive hertv.ini the j>ro» isioiiul rules for the •mk-
ployec s of the ofHct' of i^ovcrnor's seen'tary. |>rep:ui(l
liy the chii'f eh ik and secretary ad interim Fruncixu
Ar«-e, conformablv to |M)Wers coid'erred on him hv
the law of March 20, t^.'57, and approved by Miiii'l-
torena.

JSccntarv's functiotis: Art. 1. T«) have cji;

ir<:<

RULES OF COVKIiNOrrs OFFICE.

(Vtrytliliif^ counoctcil witli the (tffirc, lu'liinf rrspon-
.siMr tor whatoviT tlocuiiiouts iiiav !)«' iiitrustrcl to liiiii
l>y till' <,'ovt'r!ior. Art. 2. To sec that th«' employed
(.iiiijily faitlifully with their duties, and tiiat they do
not divulge nijitters taking place in the otiice. Art.
:l. To sign all orders or documents sent him for that
nlijcct hy the govi'rnor, and to scrietly comply with
iiiid give speedy despatch to everything sent or
in omineiul.Ml to him. Art. 4. To re{)ort immediately
evt vy papei^ or doi'ument which may come into his
]i.i»es>ioii from other stances, and which may depend
tor d»'spat<'h on tlu* governt»i''s decision. Moreover,
li( >iiall, once »)r twice daily, re[>ort to the governor
t'li orders.

l!scril)ii'nti''s functions: Art. 1. To complv stri«*tlv
wirli the present rules, and carrv out faithfuhv ail
oidtrs givi'ii hy the seci-etaiy. Ait. "1. Shall «-o5n»,'
to the ortice at H A. M.. and work till \'l m., conie again
at il. and work till T. \\ m., except on the customary
lii»li(!ays. Art. :{. Siiall he res[ionsil)le to the seere-
taiy for any <locunieiit n(»t forthcoming wh«-n needed;
:iiii| to tile government foi' tii" slightest infraction <»f
tin-'- rules. Alt. \. Sliall take care that all matters
<Miifi.|ed to him he desjiatched with neatness, and keep
.s':li lit as to matters confid«'«l t:o hini by the goNernor
or >ecietary.

\\ ith N'ictori.is arrival, tla^ otlicers already l»»gaii
t'l li.ok upon the soldiers as infei-iors. Formerly, there
I heeii no distiiK'tion, \\>\ otlir( is' and soldiers' fami-

ii.'ii

ite«i

It > treate<J ont> anoiiter as etpiais.
.liiM' Marfa Amador, writing of is::7, relates:
■".'vfter ten years and tivi> months ot servic«' in the
WW Fiancisco comitany of cuera, T determiiii'd to ask
"I iiiv dischaige. J went to Captain .Vrgtiello t'

11' II'IUUI

le same

He refused,

aiu

1 otfered me a

\ ron of seigeani i

f 1

voulcl renwun ui tlie >er\ u-t-

Tliis I refuse(i. sa\ ing tliat he had not favoi'ed me

II pi'omotion Wo

ulil

jave l)een tim*

twith

LAW, (iOVKllXMEXT, AND UKLIOIOK.

I'Pi'

standing my luMnj^ tlu- son of nn oftic-er, and liaviiin;
uhvjivs (lone niv duty laithiullv.

"All tlu.' acknoNvlc'd'cnK'Ut of mv servioes had In . u
the title of soldatlo distinj^uido — a title wliuh \\;;s
mine by ri^^ht. I ronfoss that, durini!; the time I was
his siTvant, lie had fii<jUi.ntly a.skid me to taki
wliiu with him. The ailvanta<j;e of iK'iiii^ a MtMadu
distin<jfuido--t]u're wore four of us in tht comjianv
was this; we wi'io iKtt ol)liu:ed to do any kind df
work other than tiie occupyin;,!' of (»ur ]ihu'<'s in tl.i
ranks, aiui mtunitin;^ ^uai-d. When ordered to (1,«
anytliinfjf tlse, and we aLjreed to do it, we reeelved tm
reaii'Sixtni )>ay in ad\anee. When told that there
n<» money, wo refused ilatly tit do wiiat 'v".:!-

was

desire*

Win ;: Sj>aniarils first hf«4;an eominji' to ('alifninia,
]tur>uant l"> a luvai urdt r thr i;o\ cnnnent furnislml
to eaeh soldier of the *jurris(tiis a hroadsword, lauci-.
i!U oval leathern shii-ld, a firelock, and j»istols. Tli
sword had to li(> of the standard si/t' ; the laner-hraiU
were ahoiit two feet in k'Hjj^tli, on(> and a half inci --
M'ide. Mill stl-enutlu'ned in the ei'utre, so that tin v
forme<l a swell, and sharp on hotli sidew, with a 'j;uaii!
to cheek the weapon tV(»ni s^oin^- in too far, and t
facililat^ its hriiiL,' jtulled out, and the i-i-petiti-ui n-

ows.

Tl»»- shield was like those loniT in use li

uiid rtfier tliis lime; th«' firelock as well as the jiist.'!-
Were <*ocked, and liatl locks after the Spanish fa-ln ;
the guud»arrel was « it' the h HM-th of three feet of a t" -
— a toise heiuL; a i''iench measure of six fe» t. etjuixa-
lenttoHcven Spanish teet the stock was well jiropMi
tioned. The hairels of the jtistols did not exceed t' 1
inches. The ealil»r«' of tlu- enns and pi>f"ls wa> "i
one ounce; the hammers of the liuns were of the liiii>t
tem[)ei', in order that they could stand the acti<»n ot't

sun.

Desides the troop.«; of the line, artillery ami ch\ ili'v.
each presidio had a c(M'tain nundter of lisdian se-fN,
who were urmed with pisti»l, shield, and spcai', Ik '1 '

MILITAUY MATrKUS.

5.-1

liavinuf tlu ir hows, and tlu ir (;uivi>r.s filled with arrows.
Tlurt! was always an txtni supply of arms at ta« h
jinst, ami thiy wm.' kept in pt-rftrt order. An
aniiorer, who was also a private, to whom extra i)ay
was allowed, had ehar<;o of the ainuiinent of his lom-
ji.iiiy, and iiis duty wa.s to kei'p the same elean and in
fond repair.

Ivu'h soldier was allowed six horses, one ])ony, and
one mule ; the eaptain of the presidio saw that the
animals weic proi)erly eared for and feil. Kaeh man

IS re(iuired to havi' one of his horses readv saddK'd

and supphed with foraijo, day and night; the captains
;iiid otlieers Were lieM ii'Sjionsihlt! for the striet fulfil-
ls nt of this oi(K'r; tin' safety of the })ort and (»f tiie
settlements might (h'lund u[ton the troops heing in
ri adiness to ^tart at a moment's notiee, and to jiut a
Slop t<» tin' raids of the .savages.

Tlie Indian scouts wei-i> also supplied with a sad<lle
ami iiridle; the foi'mer was of the kind later known
undi-r the name of silhi i'(np(('r(t, or va<[iu>ro"s or cow-
Ik rder's saddK-; it was jirovided with the u^ual ap-
pendages of e.ipai'ison; long and wide leathein skins
atr.iehi'd t<» the [lonunel to covei' tin- thighs ami legs,
littli' eusliitins and closeil wooden stiri'ups; the u.se of
iaige stirrujis was strictly foihiddeii.

"Notwithstanding our privileges," continues Ama-
'l.'i'. "Captain Argiiello iVecpiently put us in the
stocks, the culj>i'it lying on the ground, with no rest
ftir the lu'ad. and exposeil to the sun. This puni>h-
imnt the c.ij'tain termed the pina arhitraiia, and said
that he inllicti'd it heeause, in i-efusing to assist in loa«l-
ii)'4 niules and conducting them from Santa ( 'ru/ to
the presidio, we gave a Itad example to the other sol-
tliei's. Hut as soon as 1 )oiia iiafaela, wife of ("a|itain
Argiiello saw us in the stoeks, she would m>ist that
w> >li(tuld lie lilu'ratiul; many times coming pi rsonally
til make tin. coi-poral of' the guard free us. I imagine
tiiat she ami tin* captain had an iniderstanding ahuit
this; for one day in his pr-scnee, and that of the olii-

555

LAW, COVr.IiXMFA'T. AXD REL1<;I0N.

ccr of t]io ouanl, slic luTsrlf ojK-iu'd the .stocks and
St t us at lilu'ity, at'ti-r ohtaiuiiiu^ piTuii^sion of the
<»lH<Tr ot' tlif j^uanl. TIio (■a[)taiii iiuTtly laiinlird,
and calit d u.s, as was Ids custinii, costah's di' a/uiidnv/'
(Azumliri! is a nifasurr used tor lujuids. and a/.uiiiltiar
is to um' that incasuK'. It
inaiiv otliiT Spanish words, t<

was also us<'<

o cxprt'ss <

hind

a If N< ry
kt nn»'ss.

Thi' rx|>ifssion may hv taken to siij^nily 'tnipty-iiatt'd
Ic'llows;' htciallv, it is 'sack of azunihiv.)

Justi

(•(' was somewhat erratic: severe to-dav, la\

eiiouLjh to-morrow,

e.Mcan thieves were so pit-nti

U-nti

tid in Is.'.S that Alvarado thoULjiit two jit least iniylit
Well he spared, and under color <ti' martial law oi-deiid
theni ti> Im' shot.

•' I can assert." says Ai'na/, "that from IS-lOlo 1> I".
perlect security tor jterson jtrevailed in ( "alifoi nia
towns and highways, except iVom savages in reumtc
localities, as at \A Xacimii'iito. Asuncion, l*a.so dc
JloMes. and Las J*asitas. i-'iidv's was tlu' t)nly niiii-
tlei' and rohhery I luai-d of."

'I'he alcaldi' was the justice, and all «lisputes and all
suits Wire hrou^ht hefore him. Minoi- cases he (|i-
cided himself, hut cases of yreat importance, and all

conmiei'cial cast's, wi

re referri'd to tl

le n'overnnicjit

at the north. Aftei- the sup|iri'ssion of alcaldes and
avuiitamientos, under the central regime, thei'e wi iv

justa-

if the pea«'e who exercised the judii'ial fun

tions fornu'i'ly perl'oiine<! hy the alcahK

Ahar.ido divided tlu' territoi-y int(» districts ami
cantons, at the head of each district |ilacinn' a
pre t'ect with a suh-piefect to aid him. Toward tlic
(lose of the year IS.!'.), in accordance with a law <'(
connress, the ayuntamii'iitos wen* sup[)ressed, tlu' |'ii-
li'ct-' heiii'jj jiuthori/ed to t.ike char^n'e ol" hiisiness i'"ii-
iiected with lanil titles in tu'der to hriii^' the same
het'ore the !,;overnment. The law referred to provid< d
that there should he letrados itr escrihanos piihlic<is,
(which will hear translating into notaries ]>uhru', simi-

JUDICIAL DISTRICTS.

r.ri3

their (lutus wen' siinilar), for the purpose of antlicnti-
catinn' all acts, judicial as wi-U as civil; and at ]»()ints
wlicrc tlicro wi'ro no such officers, tliu juccts do i)az,
iiidcd l»y two witnesses, wore enipowerecl to act in tlii'ir
stead. On the su};})ression of the ayuntaniientos,
j uces do })az were named, who pcrfornu^d the duties
ot' the former alcaldes const itucionales, with this dif-
frrence: that, wlicreas the 1st alcahle had heen pres-
ident of the ayuntamiento and juez de I" instaneia,
now the 1st jui'Z de paz possessed the powers of juez
de I" instaneia who took cognizance of suits at law,
and the suhstantiation of criminal <'auses. The 'Jd
|u«/,de paz took charge of preliminary matters in crim-
inal cases, and of conciliatory aiul verbal civil suits.

The San Dieiio district in liS44 extended to Santa
Margaiita, one league heyond San Luis ]vey. San
.luaii ( 'ai»istrano e,\tended Irom Las Flores puehlitt),
six leagues .south, to Uio Santa Ana. Santa jJarhara
rxtended from raiK^ho Simi on the north slope- of Santa
Siisana to the raneho Ivinji' half-wav Intwicn I'ui'i-
sinia and San Luis Ohispo. Monterey extinded from
San Luis()hispo to nea!' San Juan l^autista, though
iud'hiallv it lu'ld swav farthei" noi'th. San .foso ex-
t ■iidetl over Santa Clara and San Jose mission and

lan> lies.

I ease o

f a sale of real i'stat(\ the alealde acted a>

notary. The protocol of terms was signed hy the }>ar-
lii s, liy the jutlge, and two witnessis, and soiin-tiint'S
liy two (ir three other witnesses called in>trumentales.
The original ileed remained in the aiclii\e>, a eeiti-
tifil copy lieing given to parties. The judge, elirks,
"1 [laities would read the dociunent aloud to all.

l''oi' \tivy:ra\e crimes, twentv-ti\c laches ilailv were
i:ivrii for nine days, hut this si'Utenee was indulged
ill niily liy iiiilitary eoinmandei's or the ^i»vt'rnmeiit.
T\^intv-livo laslus were the most imi'osed hv the
1 'allies, 1 1

< hi one occasion Pio Pico came to Angeles fioiu
k^aii Diego. Befori' reaching Anneles, he was inl'ornieil

6&4

LAW, COVERXMKXr. A\I) UKLHilOV.

that tluf alcjiltlc would not let Iiiiu cut* r tlir plaof
without ai passpoit. llaviii!;; iioin', he foryctl oiif —
siuiiuiLj to it tlu' iianit' oftiu' ('oinaialaiitc of Sail ])i( ^o.
This, on rcachiiii,^ Aiiiiclrs. he picsi'iitt'd. Tho alt-aldc,
wlio did not know liow to icad, to(»k tlic pajur and
jH'tlcnd.'d to read it. Tluicupon ho tx|>n'sscd hiin-
s( ir as |nir((tly aatisfii'tl, and ii'tunu'd tin: ilocunuiii
to Pico.

In a Icttt'i" fVoni tlu> alcalde of ^[ont('I'cy to tin
oovcnioi', under date of Dccrnihcr li>, I S IS, rcf'ci'cncc
is niatic to the i-tu'losed \ci<lict ot'a jiuy of six Mcx
ieans, a;4ainst Salvador Nieto for havin;L:; diidlen^cd
Nii'oliis Silvas and Hr«'d a pistol at him. lie is cmi
dennietl to hIx months iiuhlic lahor, and Silvas to thii c
months for acceptiniu^ the ehallenj^o and leavinj^' liis
liouse with arms.

It was comnion to challeiii^e an opponent out "f
jeahiusy. aftei' a (piaiTel over a naim

I Mi

ice and

tim«' appointed, they met, and without further word
l»e;^an to slash with their swords, inllictinj^- terril'l

woun(

\v;i'

allout'c

Is. When one of them hecame tii'e<l, a Vt st
1, \\ hen one cried enoU!nii, and re<'«»^ni/ed tin

<»ther as the hest man, tlu' viet»»r ilictated condition^
'I'Ik' usual meetin'^-plaees were the IliU'rta \'i>j;i,
lluerta del luy, or Canada <le la Si-j^unda. Care \v;i>
taken to jirevent ohsirvation.

Writing- to the lu^overnor from San .lose April I'l,
IS'JJ, l'\-itlu'r Diiran, vi<-arit) fonineo, aeknowltd.;. -
the summary of j»i'oceedini>s formed against Calm
Cannto r>t)ronda, and Melit«tn Soto, civilian, for fiulit-
i\\\X a duel near Santa liiiihaia, in which case h.' is
asked to uive his opinion as regards the penalty i
j)osi'(| l»y the church for the ofl'enco. The (hurdi.
savs, caimot look with indiflerence on th(> almost t

ni-

tarn eternal damnation or tliose w

f th

ho d

u> m a (

luel.

rl'-

aiii'.

hasaccordinuly imposed the most terrihle punishment,
namely, that of excoimmion mayor, //»>(» j'dch) incur-
rcii<l<i. He itd'ers to the laws on this otleiieo — inlro-
diiced hy the devil to destroy men's souls — whicli also

LATIN LYINO.

fi<V>

(It iiy burial In consocratotl jjfrnund to tlio falhii. To
this the Imll (loti'stuhllrm of Pope Hi'iudit-t XIV.
u)l<ls d«Miial of saiTi'd burial, cvtii wIhmi tlu* piison
«lies .some time after, in coiiscnuriuf of tlu' wouimIh.

BoroTida ai)iH'urs to liavo been tliall«n<^('(l by Soto,
ami tbo duol was fou«^lit with (Icadly weapitiis, not
pistols, in a Canada, without witnesses. Hence tliey
iiieiirrcd cxconnnunion mayor late sententia i[)so faet(»
iiK'urrenda, and must conduct themselves as reijuiii'd
to obtain absolution. ()n(> «!xcu.se was i;^noran«'o (»f
tlie punlsliinent, but this plea was ranly admitted.
TIr' absolution for the case waa termed <i<l caiih htm.

If the C\difornians were fluent and polite liars, they
came honestly by thl.s, with other amiable vices, in-
herithiL^ tlieni from their Mexican and Spanish ances-
try. To lie was a small matter; to be caught lyin<x,
even, was not a <;reat matter. lleliL;lon, (Hi a Sunday
iiiornini^, was a serious matter; on a Sunday aftn noon,
it was a tritrmj^ matter. l\'!Jury was a horribU' of-
fence — sometimes. With easy consciences and facile
ton!j;ues, they did not really expect to l)e visited by
jnmishment, here or hereafter, for false sw»arliiL;'.
(Iivi-rnor Sola says, in IS'21, it was customary for
witnesses to deny a knowledge of facts whrii.xcr it
mi.;Iit be det'med uncharitable t«> speak truth wliich
would l)rin«jj injury upt»n another — ^just as it is to-(hiy
with reujai'd to our railway maujnates testifyin;;- where
their interests are concerned; If there is no other way
of !j;ettinL,' around it, their memory is sure to fail
tlii-m. One certainly could not expect a fifty-inillion
• lollar man to remember anything which it was clearly
to Ills interests to forj^et.

So it is with nine-tenths of those who are put ujum
the witness stand in any country. Not all of them
intend to swear falsely, but few speak or [»iactise the
whole truth and nothinij else. It mav he bias of
111111(1 or bias of feeling, but it is a singular fact that
thi' hias is always in favor of the alliant's intei-ests.
JIt'U often in a court of justice do we hear witnesses

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« .^^

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^^ o.

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

IIM 12.5

T m

M 12.2

12.0

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1.4 1.6

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Photograpliic

Sciences
Corporation

''<ir "..>. <^

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716) 872-4503

s^^

556

LAW, GOVERNMENT, AND RELiaiON.

swearing diametrically opposite to each other, so that
it is impossible to say tliat one or both of them arc
not perjuring themselves, and yet they can hardly be
punished for purjury, as it is impossible to tell which,
if either, is telling the truth. And so when a man
swears he cannot remember ; there is no way of prov-
ing that he is swearing falsely, or that he can and
does remember, and would be very quick to give the
desired imformation were it to his interest to do so.

Hence, when we complain that a Mexican's word
cannot be relied on, that his sense of honor as a rule,
is not sufficiently strong to keep him honest, that as
he suspects every one himself, he expects every one to
suspect him, that as he believes to be true not more
than half of what is told him, so he expects not more
than half of what he says will be believed, and so on,
— I say when we complain of the short-comings of the
Hispano-American, let us not forget those of the
Ano-lo- Amer ican.

The ecclesiastical government in 1835 was arranged
somewhat in this wise : The two Californias and So-
nora together formed one diocese, under a bishop witli
a stipend of $6,000. Until California should be erected
into a bishopric, there was to be a vicar, appointed
by the bishop of Sonora, as he was usually called, for
each of the two California territories. The necessary
curacies were established, each mission being sucli;
and were the curate clergyman or friar, he could i.ot
be a Spaniard. The curate must have sufficient means
apportioned to him for the support of himself and his
subordinates, collecting nothing from his parishioners,
and making no charge for baptism. Curates were
ecclesiastical judges, their acts to be before two wit-
nesses, with appeal from their decisioas to the vicar.
Curates should act fraternally, and settle matters
amicably.

The mission churches afforded asylum for political
or military refugees, but were hardly sufficient to
shield notorious criminals. The chapels of the pie-

ECCLESIASTICAL AFFAIRS.

657

sidios, whose expenses were defrayed by the garrison,
gave no such protection.

Pontifical bulls being counterfeited at Rome, and also
breves and rescriptos jn indulgences and other favors,
the president decreed in 1833 that six months from
date no buia or rescripto should be received which did
not come provided with the visto bueno of the Mexi-
can consul at Rome.

The Angeles ayuntamiento in 1845 resolved that
the present ecclesiastical authorities should set aside
a place for Indians to hear mass, because they were
too dirty to mix with gente de razon.

Says Alvarado : " In California we have never had a
bishop, and consequently the people do not desire one.
Here the friars are in general looked upon with indif-
ference, because every one is poor and devoted to
agriculture. That is, there is no fanaticism, such tvS
I have been told exists in other parts of the republic.
Here we have no religious establishments."

Father Mercado, of mission San Antonio, being
called on, March 10, 183G, to ratify on oath what he
had on the 28th of December, 1835, represented to
the diputacion against the treatment of the Indians
of San Antonio by the administrator, Ramirez, refused
to do so, pleading his privilege as a priest, and his
position as ecclesiastical authority in San Antonio ; he
denied that the fiscal had any authority to demand
testimony from him. The fiscal quoted the law of
the nth of September, 1820, under which he claimed
the right to interrogate the padre, and allowed him
fiv(> liours within wiiich to come and testify.

The five hours having elapsed without the padre
appearing, the fiscal wrote him that for tlie last time
lie suinmoned him to appear forthwith; otherwise, ho
Would at once declare the charge against Ramirez
false and calumnious.

Still Mercado did not come; but on the same day
he answered in writin*; that he would like the fiscal
to show him the law under which he could declare

558

LAW, GOVERNMENT, AND RELIGION.

|}l!

1 id

his charges false and calumnious, and that he pro-
tested beforehand ajjainst such an illejjal action on
tile fiscal's part.

]\Iercado finally appeared in person before the fis-
cal, and took tlie oath 'in verbo saecrdotis,' and
stated that the church canons forbid ecclesiastics to
appear before secular judges, unless in self-defence, or
in defence of the church, or of such persons as could
not act for themselves. Ecclesiastical as well as civil
laws, and the holy father's conmiand, and even under
the ponalty of mortal sin, impose upon all the literate,
and also upon the priests of Indians (pdrrocos de
indios), to defend these unfortunate beings against
any abuses they may be subjected to.

There may be those who would like to know what
the San Francisco chapel contained in the year of our
Lord 18;51. There were six images on canvas of the
virgin, San Diego, and St Dominick, one statue of
St Francis, five complete ornaujents, two pluvials or
ct)pes, rose and black, six stoles, five sets of altar limn
(on which the conmmnion bread and wine are put to
be consecrated), one set of embroidered linen, five
ornaments of the altar, six albs, one surplice, one con-
secrated stone of the altar, one silver chalice with
patine and little spoon, one large silver cup, one pair
of vessels for wine and water, silver saucer and tum-
bler, one silver and one copper small bell, two incen-
sories, two gilt wooden stands for the missal, one
old wooden palabrer, two covers for the altar, two
amices, one manotejo, thirteen purificatories, six silli
embroidered blue ribbons for amices, two missals,
one of them old, one ritual, one Christ crucified of
wood with the inri of silver, one Christ crucified of
copper, one old gilt niche, six copper candlesticks for
wax tapers, one copper candlestick in pieces, two large
bells, one copper letter, one tin box for commuiii"!!
wafers, two small candlesticks, two parvapalias of
front ornaments, one white linen cloth, two long cas-

■;!

SOUL-SAVIXG MACniXERY.

socks, one old useless carpet, one wooden bench, one
arm-chair, two sets of red curtains in windows, one
iiise for the ornaments, one wooden confessional, two
old gilt screens, one small vial for the holy oil, one
old trunk for the dry goods of the church, one old
breviary, one old via crucis, and one iron implement
for making communion wafers — machinery enough, if
l)roperly fed with money, to save a hundred thousand
souls.

It was too much the fashion with foreigners to ma-
lign all classes. The priests, they said, possessed little
Karning or intelligejice, and this little they devoted to
the crushing and plundering of their people. They were
dissolute and unscriptural, fatherly in a too literal st'nse,
briimiiigf too much of heaven to earth if of such is the
kingdom of heaven; and loving eau-de-vie, the water
of life, more than the bread of life. For the laity,
they were the largest order of animals then known,
as well as the dirtiest ; a people wholly l^'ing in wicked-
ness, and lacking soap. They were supercilious, yet
ignorant and superstitious, and full of beastly habits.
That they were over-ridden by their clergy they con-
sidered a benefit, if not to themselves, at least to their
neighbors, for when the blind lead the blind both fall
into the ditch. The Indians wore as wild and timid
as the beasts of chase among which the}' existed, with
the exception of a few slightly advanced by becomiiig
^Mexicans by connection with the missions. The ap-
pearance of an inunigrant for the first time in a ranche-
rfa of the natives produced an effect sickening and [)itiful,
as intlicative of their treatment by the Californians.
All capable of flight escaped, while the women a[»p(>ai'ed
uailing for njercy, and endeavoring to a})pease sui»[)osed
ferocity by otlerings of such food as they possessed.
On the departure of the stranger, they made the place
echo again with cries of surprise and joy. The gov-
ernment was a rotten military despotism; and the
eouits of so-called justice were run by hard bribery
and hard swearing, legal and profane.

560

LAW, GOVERNMENT, AND REUOION.

Sunday was the great gala-day, devoted to religion
and amusement. After mass the young and fashion-
able belle returned home and dressed for the ball-room.
The waltz which followed so closely their worsliij)
was all the more fantastic from the previous soml)r(j
solemnities. The mind for the present was fretil
from further anxiety, and the heart, relieved of its
burden of sin, bounded lightly forth, a new creature
Aboriginals, those who could obtain it, resorted to
liquor as a panacea for their troubles.

The ideal of the time and place was pleasure. Re-
ligion was a power, wealth a blessing, and chastity
comely; but religion, wealth, and chastity were made
secondary to pleasure. The fathers saw this, and so
made religion pleasurable; the rich men felt it, and
so opened their houses to festive throngs; the humble,
the poor, the good, and the wicked, whatever else might
befall them, were not to be cheated of their round of
pleasure.

On Christmas night, 1837, while the families of San
Diego were gathered at Pio Pico's house, the religious
comedy of El diablo en la pastorela was performed.
In the play appeared an angel, the devil, a hermit,
and a Bartolo, in the persons of Guadalupe Estu-
dillo, Felipe ^larron, Isidora Pico, and other girls.
On each side of the scene were six little girls dressrd
in white with red head-gear. During the represen-
tation the women sauij hvmns of adoration to Jesus.

The government demanded of all the fulfilment ot
church precepts. All except the disabled had to as.sist
at mass on Sundays and ordained days. If any one was
noticed to fail in attendance for some time witliout just
cause, the authorities sought him out and reprimanded
him.

In eastcr (pascua florida) all had to confess and
take sacrament, and assist at doctrina. Each received
a paper from the padre to show that he had compH( d
with church duties that year. When one reached tlie
age for confession, this was no 'onger requisite, or at

INST^VNT IN PRAYER.

50 1

least was not compulsory. Still, they performed their
duties in obedience to the wish of their parents, al-
though the government did not meddle.

Keligious education was carefully attended to. In
every house, before dawn, an alal)ado was said and sung
by the united family. At noon, prayers were again
( (tiered up. At the oracion— about 6 p. m. — and at
night, before retiring, a rosarlo was recited, and an-
other alabudo chanted in chorus. At a fandango (^r
a ball, at 8 o'clock, the head of the fan;ily has l)een
known to cause the diversion to cease while he recited
the rosario, which occupies about a quarter of an hour,
ill which all present were obliged to join, after which
tlie festivities were resumed. Many times at rodeos,
at the wonted hour for i)rayer, old men would cause
labor to be suspended while they, and with them all
the bystanders, offered up a prayer. Indeed, among
the more pious life was one continuous petition, or
series of petitions, to the almighty powers for favors
desired, and calamities to be averti'd. The most insig-
nifieantof every day affairs were n ferred to the man-
agir of the universe, to be passed u[)oii and adjusted.

It was an altoo-ether abnormal condition of all'ah's,
so far as law, government, and religionwerecoiiec rm <'.
Tin' natives, when let alone, were wholly natural;
\\]\r\i imder the domination of foreign missionaiies, it
was worse than artificial. There were no other ap[iH-
ances for the debasement of intellect which Wt)uld
c(iual these. For though the mind when left alone
may fall into a thousand fantastic fanaticisms, win n
lila\ ed U}»on and impressed by more skilled minds, the
result is an intimidation of intellect painful to see. If
missionaries, or others who Mould convert tlie whoh-
World to one way of thinking in religious affairs, would
hut observe how qui(dvly both body and mind wither
uiidtr the malign influence of superiority, sa^■agesalld
fliildren would be more let alone, wocld be less under
rrstraint in tlic application of ancient traditions and
meaningless formulas to the training of intellect.

r.w.. Past. 36

502

LAW, GOVERNMENT, AND RELIGION.

A godchilil, wherever ami whenever lie met his
godfather or godmother, was obliged to take oti' his
hat and offer a brief j)rayer, after which a benethctioii
was bostowed by the sponsor. The obligations of the
sponsors were such that in case of the godcliild be
coming an orphan, the sponsors took the place of
parents, and provided him with food and education.
At all times it was the duty of the sponsor to give
salutiirv counsels to the {godchild.

The conipadrazgo was a bond of afHnity existing
between the parents of the child on the one sidi', and
the sponsors of the child on the other — that is, it was
so lield by the church, but not by civil law. At a
baptism the officiating })riest alwavs ex|)lai»ied tlif
relations thus contracted. Compadro and c-omadre wtic
the words used '\\\ speaking to or of the s[)onsors ot
one's child — the same words being by them ai)plied to
the parents of the child. The words menu literally
co-father and co-mother. We have no kindred tciiii
in English, unless it be the now obsolete— in that sense
— gossip, a perfectly well-formed Saxon word, against
the Retaining of which no ol>jection could be reasonably
urged.

About September 1847, two Indians wore con-
demned to be hanged for murdering a foreigner. Tl:r
cords were adjusted by the attending padres, but both
knots slipped, and excej)t a slight choking they wcrr
both uninjured. In a m(»ment one of the priests
moujited a horse and galloped to the governor's, urg-
ing a re[)rieve on the plea of a special disi)ensation
of providence. Governor Mason refused, and tlio
Indians were hanged.

The robes of the paores were deemed by the In-
dians sacred things, precious relics. In 1833 at the
death of Padre Sanchez the women took fraj^ments
of his dross, sewed them up in little silk or velvet
bokillas, and wore them round their necks as bles-ed
relics.

It was the custom in California to give thanks to

THE MILL OF TIIK C;ODS.

r.03

riod at break of day, in a loud V(»i(o. One jravc tlie
thread of till' prayer, the rest responding'. Men, wo-
men, ehildren, all wei'e yood ( 'hiistiaiis at heart, .-d-
iliout^di most knew nt)tiiing of the rudinieiits of their
reii,t,non.

It seemed hard on the poor j»adres in California,
tliat after spending their whole lives to gain heaven,
thev should he left to Hounder about in puriiatorv
p>'rha]>s for a year or more, and all beeausi> there were
iiono in certain times and jtlaees to give pronijit sufia-
gies. Finally, it was agreed that for lack of (piality
there should be <|uantity, every mission padre eele-
hiating twentv masses everv time a brother piiest
(hed. As there were then twentv-one missions, there
would be 420 masses for every priest dying.

Says Friar Juan Saneho, guardian of the college of
S;tii Fernando de Mexico, writing to the vicenty, the
Conde de (ialvez, in answer to tlu^ viceroy's despatch
covering general royal order of Januaiy \\\, I7S4:
" From the reports of the jtndns in chari;e of the ( 'ali-
f iniia missions, which owe their being and advance
tliii'tly to the efforts of Don dost'f \\v (lalvez each
ft' the nine missions has its churcii well sui)plied with
ornaments, vessels, etc., the .31.000 givt'u by the vici'-
roy for the founding of each having been augmented
liy what the padres have been able to economizi' in
tlu'ir yearly stipends.

'■ l*]ach mission has tlu^ buildings necessary for tlie
padres' <lwelling, storehouses, and the like. Fach has
a liuilding for youths, and another f )r maidens, pre-
siiK'd over by ])ersons detailed for that [>ur])osc by the
j'riest. Each has barracks for the escolta. These
Imildings, together with tlu' houses for married Indians,
ci»inj)riso the pueblo, or mission. At each mission live
its. children, at least the adults, for many little ones by
re.ison of tender age live with their pagan parents,
who take them almost everv day to the mission that
II 10 priest may see them, and in order to receive food

664

LAW, COVKTINMKXT, AN'D KKIJMION'.

for tlu'iii, until tin- age of four or Hvl-, after wliioli tlic
child rciDuiiis at the misKioii.

"At tlu' sound of the nioniiiiLC IhU, the IndiauH ljo to
the church, where the priest recites prayers and doc-
trina in Spanish. After hearing mass, they goto hr(;ak-
fast. The same religious exercises ai'e repeated every
al'ternoou. Although at almost each mission the na-
tive dialect is ditl'erent, hy the padres' exertions most
(»f the Indians speak Spanish, and some confess in this
language. At the same time the j»riests have learned
the liulian tongues. The chiUlren learn Spanisli
easily. The efforts of the padres for the s])ii"itu;d
amelioration of the natives are ceaseless. As the
jtadres also look after the temjxti'al welfare of the
natives, they instruct them in what jiertains to social
and political life, and in all o[)erations connected with
the cultivation of the land, the padres actually |)er-
i'orming all these opei'ations that thiy may learn.
Thus they have cli'ai'ed the best land near the mission>,
and have hrou-'ht water to irri<«ate it. Each vear
there is planted as much as is possible. Tlu' new
('hristians learn also to lie caipeiiteiN, masons, smiths.
(piaiTymen, and the like, under the direction of tin
])adres. The Indians ])roduce everything that is pm-
duced, and consume it. The ])agans that visit the
nussions are given what then; is to give, the ])a(liv
knowiiiix that thus thev are moreieadilv attra(,-ted te
ii Christian mode of life. The padres also are j)hysi-
cians and surgeons, making use of remedies sent from
the college, and of hei'hs the virtues of which expe
rience has shown thenj,

" One affliction tlu' jKidres suffer — they cannot. a<
they desire, clothe their neophytes. Of liis stipend
of .$400, each padre spends the half in his own dress,
chocolate, wine and wax for the church; and other
things of less import — -such as medicines, triidvets lor
the Indians, etc. It costs nearly $100 to conduct
these things from Mexico to San Bias. The otlnr
$100 is spent on blankets and coarse stuffs for clotli-

SAINTS AM) SAVACKS.

r,r>5

iiiLf — tliJit is, tlic balance Irt't ui'tvv tlir lu^rcssary jmr
cliiistTs of tliiii'^s tor till' cliurcli and iiiipltim'iits ot"
liushaiidrv. So there is not ciioul:;!! to liaif riot lie

till-

liul

laMs.

Alt:

lou'jli iiearlv evei'v vcai- tlu-re is a

^ii|tcrai)mulaiu-e ot" grain and cattle, no advanta'^e can

!)(' taken ot" it, lor there

are no imvi'rs.

Jt'th

le i)a(lres

Sell anything', it is (»nly losin^j it and nctt ri'ceiviny- its
valut', the jtiirehase!' asserting" whin payment is asked
that he Las no niont'V.

Throii'^li the instruction of the padres, the Indians

S( M )

n become skilled in tlu; jneehanic art.-

lev are

(|uick at learning, and are docile, Though they woi'k
AVi II when tho })adr(> is pri'sent, they will not other-
wise apply tliemscKcs, which, considering the new-
ness ot' <'ivilized lite to tlii-m, is not to he wondered
at. Without tlu' continual care o[' the padres, they
would rela[)se into harhaiism. 'I'his is the reason
why the lands ha\ e not heen assigiuMl hy families, and
why all cultivate them in common, and live ami cat
tiigether. .\t present tlu^y are not capahle of living in
any other way; many years must ela[tsi; hefore they
will he. They are like children, and have yet to learn
liow to live a political and civil life in ( 'hristiaii society.
"At these missions, there arc no cofrailias, nor lier-

n 1:1 IK

lad

es, nor an

)ran(

■h of

commerce.

<lu not even think of reci^iviii!^- anv obvencioi

IMid

res

hccemher of the past year, an order of the king was
iiilimated to the padres of thivse missions, and its
|uiiictual observance I'xacted, Paragraph I'J of that
'ider provides that only at missions near presidios, or

at those near the pagan frontier, shall there be tw
padres. All these nine missions are on the pagan
fioiitier, and almost every night many |)agans sleei> at
eiie or all of them, so it would seem that none are
ehjigeil to go on with oidy one padre. Tiie king
<U(1( rs that the statutes, which in 1780 the comisario
general de Indias framed i>v roval order, shall be ob-
Served punctually, J*aragraph (5, number 3, of these
statutes, orders that no minister shall reside alone at

LAW, GOVKRNMKNT, AND REI,niON.

tho new missions. As the missions an; distant oni' from
anotlior, anil the assaults of Siivai^vs may tak»' jtlacr
at any time, a padn; livin;^ alono is ox|>oseil to lii-atli
witliout receiving the saeraments — a contiiiij^cncy
wiiich should l»y all means be avoided. Thereftnc,
these padres bi'seieh tlu' vieeroy not to allow them to
live alone, Imt to in()vide that they shall continue to
reside two at a mission."

(Jovcrnor !Nrirheltorena, in ]\i^ interview witli Hishop
Diei^o, said that the eler;^y of California swam in
luxury and lasciviousness, iiuvin*; al)andont!d tlu^ ways
of the missionaries of old. The early |tadrcs slept on
tlu^ jj^rouml with an adobe for a pillow, and a hide for
a blanket; while nt)W tlu^ padiis ileal, Jimeno. Quijas,
^[ereado, Santillan, an.d others had luxurious beds
adorned with curtains, and provided with good niat-
tnsses. Formerly they punislu'd the padre who car-
lied a silver watch, but to-ilay all the priests go with
gold watches and chains. They engage in all maniu r
of illicit pleasures, and all without hindrance from
their bishop. The scandalous conduct of the clergy
impelled all who cijuld afford it to send their childrt n
abroad to be educated, and keep them from the per-
nicious example of unchaste priests. So said the gov-
ernor to the bishop.

The Senoi-a Padilla once complained indignantly
to the juez de paz, for herself, and in the name of
other religiously inclined females accustomed to go
to the chapel to say their prayers. On this occasion,
they were about to commence their novenas and via
crucis, when the sacristan, Mariano Quarte, would not
serve them in the via crucis, saying that he diil not
know how to luay the same, but he did know the
novena, always supposing they would give him fivr
reales ajnece, as jiad be»>n done formerly after finishing
the novena by those women whom he had accom-
panied in this exercise; and that coniplainant and tlu'
others were also obliged to do this. No one woukl
object to this were the sacristan not paid by the peo[ilc

I'AY AND I'RAY.

r.iiT

tt> servo in all tlnnjnrs iHM'cssarv. Thoy lu'liovc tlwit
tlit'v should \r.\y iiotliiiitj;, tor the puMic |>ays tho sac-
ristan a salaiv, aiul Iir iloiH not do his duty as lie
.should.

Mr Hood of Yciha Hutiia, wlio.sc laniily had ln-eu
insulted l)V a drunki'ii i>rii'st, Uv'uwx asked whv ho liad
nut kntH'kod tlu' «lrunkard thnvii. answiMi'd that undrr
tin- law if a liiynian struck a jnicst ho luul to sutl'or
amputation of Iiis rii;ht luind in punishnn'nt.

10 rai

ly fatl

lors W(

ri' not rmiiirkahK' for their

inti'llii^once.oj' thoir faculties for rcast)ninuf. " J -.a vcrito
ot (|U(> cos hons poi'cs n'octaiont pas tU' grands ci-i-

tl(|U

I'S,

avs liO CK-ro; and the niorf thev were like tlu

i|iostles t]u> more siinph- were tluy Their writin^js
Were like those of men who had nevei seen davliiiht,
or lu'ard the roar of ocean, or smelt a violet. They
conid neither receive nor conim .'.Icate striHi_;e truths,
and childish crodulitv characterized their thoULihts
Mid actions.

Till' ( ulifornians, says (Jomez, had hoon led to ho-
litxe that the fathei's (»t Zacatt'cas wen; trno apt)stK's,
livinij^ models of virtue and t;oodness. Hut what w;'s
their surprise when tlu\y canu^ hitlu^r to Had them
(huiikards, advt'uturors, who saHie<l forth at nin'ht in
Starch of fun, with women at thoir aim, with whom
tliev livtd more or less oponlv. For them it was a
\ ice to ahstain from pleasui'o. Amonij^ those pK'asure-
i\in;,^ j)riests wiM'o Father Ordaz, Father Ileal, also

cii'iKlo am

1 Anza. Ordaz, however, was a Fernan-

(lllio.

('aptain Pholi)s tells a story of Krmitin^-er, the
trapper, and a padre of San J^afaol mission, 'i'iie
SI riie occurred at a small nartv u'iven l)v(»len l^jo,
uiider-factor of the Hudson's l^av (\>mpanv in chariio
at Verha Huena Cove. The priest, who had heeii
tliinkin,i>- rather freely, diselosi'd a penchant for kiss-
in.; the men after the fashion of the Latin lace.
lliiiiitingor, who was a stranij^or, a rou_i;h man, and a
iiLiid woinan-kisser, dech'u>d the fraternal embrace.
'Ju vam," says the captain, "wo tried to keep the

6G8

LAW, GOVERNMENT, AND RELIGION.

priest quiet; but as he increased liis libations, so fvrcw
his foolish persistence. Alaking a desperate etibrt to
accomplish his purpose, most unexpectedly he came in
C(>ntact with the back of the hunter's hand, which sent
him sprawling across the room. 'Stranger,' said Er-
mitinger, 'when I was in the llocky Mountains I swoic
that I would never allow mvself to be hunifed l)y a
Blackfoot Indian or a grizzly bear; but I would sull'cr
the embraces of either in jireference to those of a
drunken priest.'"

In robbing the church, the government required
no more plausible pretext than did the church in rol)-
bing the people. War was a standing excuse; and
here the people must not oidy pay, but come up and
be shot. They are fine tilings, civilization, religion,
and well worth paying and dying for, and all so neces-
sary, for so religions and civilizations are establislied.

It is interesting to follow the manipulations of the
fondo piadoso in California. So firmly establislied in
the Peninsula were the ramparts of Satan that thi^
hosts of the Lord could not ])revail against them -
without money; with money all things are possible,
the devil himself, from the earliest times in these
regions to tlie present day, whether in legislative or
cathedral halls, being unable to withstand its influenee.
A royal junta, a})pointed in 1(581 to consider the mat-
ter, ottered money, but not enough; even the Jesuits
were not tempted by the advances of the government.

Finally, in 1()1)7, fathers Salvatierra and Ugarte
olfeied to undertake the work on their own account
if the government would give them their own way,
which it was very glad to do, for it was a shame tti
give over to Beelzebub any portion of Christ's kin-4-
dom, even so God-forsaken a sjiot as the Peninsula.
But even these priests, ri[)e as they were for martyr-
dom, and depending chiefly on s|)iritual weapons, must
have money. It is wonderful how spirits even are
wooed and won by the cold, impassive metal.

THE PIOUS FUND.

5G9

, SO grew
ett'ort to
I came ill
liich sent
said Er-

S I SWOl'C

[red V)y a
uld suffer
losc of a

required

ch iu r«'^'-
cuse; aii<l
lie up untl
I, reli*;'ion,
I so neees-
itablislied.
ons ot" tilt-
iblished iu
I tiiat the
it tlieui -
possible,
ill tlu'so
hslative or
iutlucnce.
|r the iiiat-
10 Jesuits
vorniut'iit.
lid Ug-artt"
Ml account
own way,
shame to
[ist's kiu'j;-
E*eninsula.
tor martx 1-
l^ons, must
even aic
II.

The priests began to borrow and beg, and the peo-
ple gave willingly enough, security being well assuretl
iu heaven if all were lost on earth. One man, (\iba-
llcro y Ozio, gave ^20,000; another, Puente y Pena,
(lcsirin<j somethin<>" more than a hut in heaven such
as this sum would buy, with his wealthy wife put up
liiilf a million dollars in lands and cattle. Others
gave, until the pious fund aggregated a million dollars,
and a board was a|)})oiiited to take cluirge of it, the
government meanwhile eyeing it closely. Ten thou-
sand dollars would found a mission in those days, and
the establishments of Upper California were not with-
out participation in the pious fund.

From the Jesuits the pious fund passed to the junta
(le temporalidades, and when this board was extin-
guished, to the ministerio do hacienda, after which it
went to the minister of relaciones. It was invested
at this time in buildintjs occuiiied mostlv by the oov-
trunient and paying no rent, which was equivalent to
conHscation by the government.

The gvjvernment divided the fund into three branches
for its better administration: <uie eml)raciiig the city
estates and the interest of the capital; the second,
enil)racino; the hacienda Cieneya del Pastor, in Jali.sco;
and tlie third, the otiier country estates in Guanajuato,
Potosf, and Tamauli[)as. All these branches de[»end
directly on the secretary f)f affairs.

The secretary of state gives a review of the condition
of the pious fund 'v\ 18;)0, and calls the attention of
congress to the fact that not only had the missions of
Aita (;'alifornia sustained themselves during the with-
(h'awal of the pious fund stipends from ISIl to 18 IH
and \H-2:\ to 18:30, but actually provided .^271, .'Ul for
the troops there, which had been also neglected by the
t!;overnnieiit. Hence some modifications in the admin-
istrative system should be entertained, reserving the
funds for the poorer establishments, both for sui>[>ort
of tlieir missionaries and for their exterior pr-ogre.ss.
ile foresees the most glowing results to the C'alifor-

570

LAW, GOVERNMENT, AND RELIGION.

niaus in applying to its development the yearly fund
revenue of 30,000 pesos or more.

Says Carrillo: 'The people of California are well
convinced that to the missions is due the little pros-
perity hitherto attained by their country. They be-
lieve that the government is bound to protect am!
develop the missions. They well know that the in-
come of the pious fund ought to be expended for that
purpose, and that the missionaries have not been paid
for years— and that the government treasury is in-
debted to that fund some $500,000 principal and inter-
est." In 1836 the Mexican government obtained from
the pope the establishment of a bishopric in California,
and gave the administration of the pious fund to the
bishop. But this functionary was soc^n bankru})t, and
the fund turned over to a government director to
manage. The amount, yielding six per cent, was rujw
$1,G98,745.

That black angel, Santa Anna, pretending to a bet-
ter care of these gifts of piety and charity, in 1842
ordered the fund, now amounting to a million and a
half, to be swept into the government treasury-, or
tliieves' strong-box. Upper California's declared jxtr-
tion, after passing the ordeal of a joint commission,
being finally declared to be $900,000.

CHAPTER XIX.

CRIMES AND COURTS,
Li's rupubliquea fiuissent ][>ar le luxe; lea monarchies par la pauvret^. —

It is not among a lazy, improvident people that we
^'o to look either for the greatest criminals or the
strictest administration of justice. Few desired to
kill: there was but little to steal; it was easier and
iiKiii! ])rofitable to be satisfied with poverty on a full
l)tlly than to enjoy a lean and hungry higher spiiere.
Illicit hate was thus reduced to a minimum ; while
illicit love was not driven into the thorny path marked
out for it b}' the saintly and sentimental of the more
fiiuid moralities. Governor Alvarado affirms, with
pcriiaps a slight stretch of truth, and himself the
lather of children born out of wedlock, that in pro-
Aiiicrican times there were wo jirostitutes. Some
women, indeed, may have given themselves up to
their heart's desire, but it was through the heart's
impulse, and not base passion, ^[oneyhad nothing to
di) with it, until the Americans came —which would
seem to say that the wicked ones from the United
States paid the women tlu^y prostituted, while tlie
j;tio{| Mexicans did not. The truth is, in lotos-eating
lands lovi>s licit or illicit are not harshly denominatetl
criiin's, but rather the effect of the weather.

So with cattle-stealing, pn)l)al)ly the next great
wickedness, it was rather a manly occupation, some-
times a war measure, unlucky on the part of the
pel soil caught at it, but not specially disgraceful even
tlioii'^li it might be death.

(W)

572

CRIMES AND COURTS.

Slciiuler was an offence. On the r2tli of ^raivli,
18-8. tlie governor, writing to the comandaiite at
^Monterey, orclerecl liini to exact reparation from ^faiia
A'as(|nez for cahmiiiiating the honor of the wife < I'
Ca})tain (Jonzalez. But hack in 1785 I find in tlu'
state })a[)ers (Governor Fages writing from Monteirv
to Diego (Jonzalez, desiring him to warn tlie heads of
faniiHes to he i>erupuk)usly mindful to correct anum^-
tliemselves all excess of hickering and discord, and to
hold each responsihle for any disturhance they canst.

In the archives of Santa Cruz, I find written in Alay
1835 that it is notorious that vagrancy is excessive in
the puehlos. And the governor ordered that alcaldes
should estahlish trihunales de vagos, or vagrants"
courts, to hear and determine casrs against vagrants.
conforming proceedings to the law of the 3d of March,
18-28.

In Xovemher 1833, Governor Figueroa issued cii-
culars to the comantiantes of the four presidios, tliat
from each jn-esidio there should every month he sent
out a military expedition wliich should visit the places
of refuge and deposit of horse-thieves. Tlie missions
and neighhors nearest at hand should suj)ply tlic
necessary horses. Expetlitions should he made at any
time during the month, to he commanded hv an otliit r.
sergeant, or corporal, who should conform to the oidcis
of the comandante of tlie presidio. All horses fcund
in the possession of any one without the roita, that
is to sav, sale mark, or other leLjal formalitv sho\\ inLi
rightful possession, should he restored to the owiicis.
Cattle Ibund at the tulares, and in other waste places.
should he considered as stolen, and the actual posses-
sors thieves; and they should he held rcsponsihle t'er
damage done hv the jj^entiles whom they incite to
steal the cattle. Alcaldes, comandantes, propiittois.
owners of ranchos and estates, and their mavordonies,
should aid in pursuing cattle-thieves, arresting those
caught in the act, or where there might he proofs ol
crime, and delivering them to the proper authority.

CATTLE-STEALINOt.

SfW

Tlio monthly expedition slioukl take ])laco at tlio
tiiiu- most convenient, and any liunters encountered,
it' joreigners, were to be told tluit luii^ting is proliil)-
itnl: and if Mexicans or naturali/.ed, that tliey must
have jiermission from the government.

All commerce should he carried on in tlie civilized
districts, and on no account with the wild Inchans. who
possess no property whatever; any one found carrying
(HI a clandestine traftic should he deemed a snuiggler,
lii> goods confiscated, and placed at the disposal of the
indue, who should decide whether thev are to he for-
fcitcd or not.

The Inchans should i)e well treated, and he made
to understand that if thev .stole stock they will in fu-
tuic he brought by force to the ])residios for punisli-
iiicnt; that all were under the obligation to inform
a'iaiiist robbers, and if thev did not, thev too would
111' |iunished.

Alcaldes as well as comandantes militares. proprie-
tnr> of ranchos, haciendas, anditheii* mayordomos, wrre
til pursue all stock-thieves, apprehen<hng them when
rauulit in the act, or having proof of their (n'inu'. and
t(i liaud them over to the iudi>(\ who as (luicklv as
jKissihle should sentence and punish.

There were laws against gand)ling and against
di inking: no special increase in the vices seems to
have been noticed after the passages of these r(\gula-
ti'iiis. The gente de razon, or jteople of reason, wei(>
the oidy class the law allowed to drink at all, the wild
u'ciitiK^s not havijio' anv reason to be affected bv fire-
water, it were a waste oivinu" it to them. A wauer
III! a game not forbidden by law was a K'gal contract
ill ls.'!:{. On all the ranchos where there were shops,
lie vanchero encouraged gambling among his labf)rei's.
The games were of cards, and the plavei-s would
lift hides, u\oney, and any article of (dothing. to
their shirts. The nionev and hides sjeneralK' f\dl to
the raiudiero, in exchange for aguardiente and other
UKicJumdiso. Later, store-keepers allowing gambling

CRIMES AND COURTS.

were fined $6 for the first offence, $12 for the socoiid.
antl for the third offence according to the decision of
the judge. Bankers of games and monteros paid the
same penalties, and those assisting $1 each.

Echeandia, writing to tlie minister of justice in
Mexico, in June 1829, says: "Formerly San Francisco,
Monterey, San Diego, and Santa Biirbara were the
four heads of departments, and the respective conian-
dantes had cognizance of government and the admin-
istration of justice according to the formulario do
Colon, and in the graver cases sent the expedient's,
or information, to the governor for his decision, or that
of a court-martial, or for him to send to the viceroy.
Since the independence, things have changed. The
government, in order to have a rental, has opened
commerce to foreigners, and there are many in tlie
country. Civil population has increased, and the num-
ber of military officers decreased. The alcalde of An-
geles within liis limits, and on the neighboring farnis
to a distance of nine or more loaijues, and the alcahK- of
San Josd in liis jurisdiction, deteiinine civil causes nut
exceeding $100 in value, and criminal matters wliere
only reparation is to be made, or a light punishment
inflicted." In matters of greater importance, they
take the first depositions, which they remit to Echean-
dia, who, according to the military system, determines
the matter, or consults the nearest asesor, or hi^al
adviser, who is at Sonora, or calls a court-martial, or
sends the matter to the minister of justice, or war, or
of the navv, as the case mav be. In his small juris-
diction, the alcalde of Branciforte determines matters
verbally, and in graver affairs sends the expediente
to the comandante of Monterey, who proceeds in a
military manner. The alcaldes of Monterey and
Santa Biirbara, as well as the respective comandantes,
take cognizance of civil matters not in excess of 3 1 00,
and act — criminally — as the alcalde of Angeles, ex-
cept that they refer proceedings to the comandantes.

At the presidios of San Francisco and San Diego.

THE ALCALDE'S AUTHORITY.

tliG comandantes proceed in a military manner in
minor matters, and in graver cases as the others.
Tliere are therefore six districts for the administra-
tion of justice. This itself is in a lamentable condition
for want of a letrado, or ler^al adviser, which makes
it impossible to proceed properly in military or other
dt'i>ositions.

Savage says that in 1826 there were no competent
courts of law to try civil or criminal cases. The
alcaldes of the towns were authorized to act as jueces
coiiiisionados, or fiscales, in criminal cases, to make
investigations, and suggest release or punishment of
the accused ; but being ignorant of law, they could not
even do this properly, and they often acknowledged
tliiir ignorance in the dictamen fiscal. And as late
as 1847 Bryant found no written statute law, the only
law books being a digested code entitled Laws of
^^paiu and the Indies, published in Spain, a century
before, and a small pamphlet defining the powers of
various judicial officers, emanating from the Mexican
noverinnent since the revolution. A late governor
of California told a niafjistrate U administer the law
"in accordance with the principles of natural right
and justice;" and this was the foundation of Califor-
nia jurisprudence — the true foundation, indeeil, of all
justice. The local bandos or laws were enacted,
adjudicated, and executed by the alcaldes. The
altalde had jurisdiction in all nmnicipal matters, and
ill cases for minor offences, and for debt in sums not
over one hundred dollars. In cases of capital offences,
the alcalde had simply power to examine, testimony
being taken down in writing and transmitted to the
jui'Z de primera instancia, or first judge of district
before whom the case was tried. The trial by hom-
bies buenos, to which any one that might demand it
was entitled, differed from our trial by iurv onlv in
tlk' number of the jurors, they having three or five, as
ordered by the magistrate. With honest magistrates,
the system of law in California operated well; but

R7rt

CRIMKS AXn COURTS.

V'>.

with corrupt mid isjriioraiit inaiijiHtniti^H, too frequently
ill power, the <'ons('(|iU'ii<'('S were had.

I find uinonuf tlie arcliives of the adiniiii.stration of
justice, of IH-J4, th(^ foIh)\viii<jf instructions for the tri-
hunides (»f T'instancia of California compiled hy tliu
asesoi" thereof

"As tlw! alcaldiis constitucionales exercise the func-
tions of jueces de I" instancia— in conformity with
articles I and .'{, cha|)ter IV., dei^n-.'e of ( )ctoher 1), I S I '2,
.still in force hi tlu^ i'epul>lic -and as no distrilnition of
jiiirtidos has heen made, nor jueces de h^tras ajtpointcd
for tlieni, as the alcaldes have no escrihanos, or otln r
suhalicins, wlio miolit advise them, as it would not lie
easv for tlieni in a short time to solve doubts arisin<>- -
I have ileenied this cartilla necessaiT, in oi'dt-r that it
he of' service to them, it heiuij; understood that my
lahoi' has h(>en unollicial, and that as asesor of Cali-
fornia I am not ohliu;ed to do it —whence it follows
that it has the same autliority as would tlie |»roduc-
tion of any individual lawyer who ilesirt's unifoiuiity
of j)roceediii<4", and who has Jiekl strictly to the practico

and tornui

he o-

i>ni>ra,liv m use

I. llavinoheen informed that an offence has heen
connnit.ti'd, the jue/ shall di'aw up a docun<ent calhil
<-aheza«K>proce.so, which must set forth theinformat'dii,
andorderan in(juiry into the alleged offence. This must
he si<j;ned hy the alcalde and two test igosde asisteiicia,
who act insti'ad of an escrihano [)ul)lico — of this |»i(i-
ceedin^- it heing" said that they ai'tuaron por n'ceptona.

'J. The alcalde will tlu'ii proceed to verity in pi'isuii
the fact of an otfence having heen committed: in ;i
case of homicide, he will inform himself as to wlu'ie the
body is. of the wounds and theh" dimensions; shall m.iki'
a drawing of the weapon, as ]>art of the aumaria, in
order that twt> experts may verity its liaving caused
the wounds; if the ak'alde be alone, he shoukl inako
an examination of the locality where the crime was
coiumitted

f'OURT OP FIRST INSTANCE I'ROCEDURE.

577

n. After tukiiij^ declarations concerning the crime,
111- hIuiII talce that of tlie criminal liimHch, and there-
art(;r take such proceedings as tlie case dem nd.

[. Sliould the crime he proven even by circumstan-
ces, the alcalde shall draw up the document called de
l>i( H preso (that culprit is well held), endeavoring to do
tills within the GO hours stipulated by article I'Jl of the
irciural constitution. This he shall make known to the
accused, and shall send a copy to him who acts as alcaide
(jiiilcr), that he may comprehend his responsibility,
if It be manifest that the accused be not delinquent,
or that the crime is unimportant, the alcalde shall set
him at liberty, or order the proceedings to be quaslied.

0. In case the prisoner should be guilty, and tliere
lie no further documents to be made out, he shall be no-
tified to name a defensor — or having none, or refusing
to do so, the juez shall do so. In tlie presence of this
(lel'eiisor, the culprit's confession shall be taken as to
all of which he is in the sumaria accused, and he siiall
be confronted with any or all of the witnesses, if this be
considered convenient.

G. At this stage, the sumaria is to be sent to the
otl'ended party — if there be one — as is his right, and
to till! defensor, that he may answer the charges made.
The alcalde shall wait for this such time as appears
well to him — even for the 80 days prescribed by law;
the witn(;sses, except those who have been confronted
with the accused and qualifying as acceptable, those
of deceased witnesses or those who live at a distance,

7. The proofs or allegations of the offended party
and of the defensor — or of tins latter alone when the
proceeding has been do ofieio — having been rec(>ived,
the same shall be made public, and after the prosecu-
tion and the defence have pleaded de bien probado,
the case shall bo sent to the asesor in order that he
may pass upon the matter definitively, and i)ronounce
sentence.

S. The decision of the asesor being received, and
being in conformity with the alcalde'^ opinion, sentence

Cal. Past. 37

S78

CRIMEA AND COURTS.

must bo passed within t'i<jflit days — accordiniv to
article 18, cijaptcr ii., ot'tlio (Urrco of October 1), 1812.
U. The seiitenee pronouHf'ed shall be notified to the
acusador, and to tlie reo. If either appeal, the orijj^inal
cause shall be sent to the supreme court of justice, in
order that in its (piality as audiencia the sentence he
approved or modified.

10. Should accuser and accused conform to the
sentence, and the crime be a trillinjjf one for which tlie
law do(>s not prescribe cori)oral punishment, sentence
shall be executed by the alcalde; but if it be i(rave, the
cause and the customary official connnunication si mil
bo sent to tho supreme court after the time forapjxal
lias jvissed, althou;^h neither party, being cited, ile-
mands such nroceedin*;.

11. Jf tiie delinciuent bo an ecclesiastic, at what-
ever sta<^e of the proceedings this fact appear, the
matter nmst be transferred to his proper judge, ex-
cept the crime be atrocious, in which case the civil
and ecclesiastical judges shall sit jointly.

1 'J. If the criminal be a military man, ho nuiy i)o
a|)prehen(led at once, the first steps in the sumaria he
taken, and an account of the same, together with the
testim»)nv, be ijiven to tho officer under whose cnm-
inand the criminal is, and this latter placed at the dis-
position of said officer — except that tho offences liavo
been committed while the perpetrator was a deserter,
in which case, or should delinquent be of that class
which has K)st the fuero militar, tho alcaklo shall coii-
tinuo to manaiio the case until difinito sonteiicf ho
pronounced — this in accordance with decrees of Octo-
ber 14, 1823, February 13 and April 12, 1824.

13. Should the criminal take sanctuar}', his delivery
shall bo demanded of the ecclesiastical judge - this
having been preceded by the caucion juratoria (Itoiul
that ho be returned on demand) that no capital jmii-
ishmcnt bo infiicted — and the case properly pre[iarotl
shall 1)0 sent to the asesor.

14. Should tho asesor declare that the ofience is

COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE PROCEDURK.

Iffb

not an cxccptetl ouo, or tluit tho proof is iiisuftlriont
to take awjiy tlie immunity of tl»o culprit, lie shall l>t)
coinK'mni'U por providencia (tt'm|H)rary rtsolution of
jiu'z) as tlio ast'sor may rule — iK-lorc its I'xrcutioii the
matter hv'i\\<f rep()rto*l to the supremo court of justice,
sintcnco being executed when tho otience is such as
liai's the ri<jfht of asylum to the criminal.

I.'). Should tho supreme court of justice riturn tho
case to the court of first instance, as comiiiLj within
the exce{)tion treated of in the latter part of article
1 }, this latter trihunal shall present a ci-rtitied copy
of the delito, and a conununication on ordinary paper
to the eccU'siastical judije of the district, and demand
tlie full and cotnplete ilelivery of the culprit where-
upon the trial shall proceed in the usual manner.

10. In case of a refusal to comply, on the part of
tlie ecclesiastical judge, the alcalde shall report tho
same to the supreme court of justice, in older that the
col it'sponding recourse to force may be justified.

17. In case a criminal cannot be found, there shall
issue an exhorto giving his description; and the<lesired
result not being obtained in this manner, \\v shall bo
summoned hv thret; edicts, issued at intervals of nine
(lays, which biiall be posted in public })hu'es, and his
laiiiilv shall he notified — it beinj; stated whether it be
the first, second, or third edict.

IS. Tho alcalde shall make the general and weekly
visits to tho ctircel in the maimer prescribed by law,
and shall make a monthly report of the result to the
supremo court of justice, accompanying the same with
a list of causes pending, with a specification of the day
(»f tho conimonccment of the proceetlings, and tho
stage these have reachotl.

Here follow various foi'ms for the use of alcaldes in
tlie heforo-nientioned proceedinus. Thev are the fol-
lowing: For the caboza do proceso of tho iinjuiry into
ft Clime; certification of the cuorjio del deliti>; decla-
ration of the surgeon or surgeons; declaration of tho
experts; declaration of the culprit; tho document

ERRATIC JrSTICE.

called do bien preso; acccptauce of position by the
di'fenaor, and his oath; contosion con cargos, of tlic
criniiiuil ; confronting of witnesses and criminal ; docu-
niont culled dc pnieba; ratification of his testimony hy
witness; formality in case of dead or absent witness:
definite sentence; form of edict for summoning absent
culprits.

Whenever a person was arrested for an}' offence of
a serious character, he was imprisoned and fettered,
and so held until his trial was concluded.

SirShnpson thought the judicial system "rotten to
the core." "In cases of real or fictitious importance,"
he says, "the alcalde reports to the prefect of his dis-
trict, the prefect to the governor of the province, and
the govenior to the central authorities of Mexico.''
Meanwhile, the accused endures in a dungeon a men-
tal torture in most cases more than adequate to his
alleged guilt. The ordinary result after the delay "is
a receipt either for dismissing or for punishhig without
trial — perhaps for punishing the innocent and for dis-
missing the guilty. . . Frequently, however, the sult-
ordinate functionaries, under the infiuence of jiersonal
feelings, such as caprice, or vhidictiveness, or indigna-
tion, or love of popularity, pronounce and execute
jutlgment on their own responsibility. Thus, a j)refi ct
of the name of Castro, being informed that a man liatl
nmrdered his wife in a fit of jealousy, caused the of-
fender to be instantly destroyed under this sentence:
* Let him be taken out and shot before my blood cools.'
A commandant named Garvaleta similarly disposed of
a suspected murder, on the principle that he had before
baen accused of a similar crime. Occasionally, the
^ ^vernment is unable to carry into effect its ideas of

itice. In 1837, when the foreigners of Los Angiles
ried before Alvarado some wretches who confessed

tc the murder of a German, they were told: 'I liave
nc sufficient force to carry the law into execution
ag Inst them, but if you have evidence of their crime.
do as you consider right.' "

SiRANCiEST OF STIlANlJE PLACES.

A81

Tlio alcaUle c^PTUTally walked with a silver headed
taiK', with it suiniiioiied partioa into court. Or a man
hrariug the cane summoned a person; if ho disobeyed
lie was sure to be fined. When the ])arties appeared
ill court, each, if he wished, could sel ct a iiombre
liuciio, arbitrator, or juryman. Then the alcalde made
tlio parties tell their story and heard the witnesses,
11' any; after which the alcalde and arbitrators would
(li'citle. Sometimes the alcalde decided the cases him-
st'lf r4,t once."

(Governor Chico, writing to the alcalde of Angeles
on the 4th of May, 183(), orders him to arrest crimi-
nals, for alcaldes priraeros are as jefes politicos in their
jurisdiction. Thieves and murderers are to be given
up to the comandr...Ge militar, according to the law of
Uctol^er 29, 1835, which orders them to be tried by a
military court; or he may try them himself, as sub-
(Ick «;atc, which the law declares him to be.

" As an instance of the way civil cases are disposed
of in this strangest of strange places," writes the
Huilsou's Bay Company's Dtmglas, in his journal, in
1S4(), "I may cite the example of a Mr. Stokes, who
!>ununoned a farmer before the alcalde, to compel the
payment of a debt which had been two years out-
stamling, contrary to the previous stipulation between
tliu }»arties. The justice, instead of meeting the case,
rt'trrred it to arbitration. The case was going against
tlitj farmer, who entreated for a further indulgence, as,
if ODiiipelled to pay at that moment, he would be com-
pelled to sell his cattle at a heavy sacrifice. 'Well,'
says the justice, 'how long do you ask?' 'Why,' sa}'^
the farmer, * I promise to make the first instalment in
twelve months hence.' 'Very well,' replied the jus-
tice, with the utmost indifference, that will do;' and
the case was dismissed without further proceedings."

In 1834, Governor Figueroa published the text of
the law passed by the Mexican congress, and approved
by President Santa Anna, regulating the judiciary
system of the republic. The parts particularly refer-

582

CRIMES AND COURTS.

ring to California were that the state of Sonora and
territory of Alta Cahfornia should form one circuit.
Until a convenient division of the republic into tlis-
tricts should be made, each of the twenty states
should be considered one district. District jud«ris
should have cognizance of causes and affairs aftectiiii,'
the federation. There should be one district judge in
the territory of the Californias. The seat of the dis-
trict courts should be in the capitals of the states ami
territories not on sea-coast, or in the principal port
of those which are; the government might change
tlie place when deemed expedient for the benefit of
the federation. The district court should have a
notary appointed by the government with a salary
not exceeding $1,200, and no fees. In the absence of
a notary, the judge should appoint one — if there wero
none, the judge should collect the pay to reniunerato
attorneys, witnesses, and a clerk. The district court
should have a sheritf appointed by the judge, witli
a salary of $200 or $300, and no fees. Flscals sliouki
have a salary of $1,500, and no fees. The district
judge of the Californias should have a salary of
$3,000. His promotor fiscal's salary should be $2,000.

As in the case of wages of common and skilkd
labor, so with regard to salaries, they were about where
they arc to-day in many parts of the United States.

Hall states that "according to the leyes constitu-
tional of December 30, 1836, each department was to
bo provided with a superior tribunal. On the 23(1 of
May, 1837, the Mexican congress }iassed a law mak-
ing provisions for such a tribunal for California, out
of which two courts were to be formed. This triliu-
nal was to be ct)mposed of four ministros, or judyis.
and one fiscal, or attorney-general. The three senior
judges were to compose the first sala, or bench, and
the junior one the second. The second bench was
known as the court of the second instance, wliirli
took cognizance of appeals from the court of first in-
stance, and also original jurisdiction in certain cases.

THE ALCALDES FUNCTIONS.

583

Tlie first bench was the court of third instance, with
appellate powers. These courts were to sit at the
capital of the department. There was to be a court
of first instance at the chief town in each district,
with original jTjeneral jurisdiction of all sums over one
hundred dollars. No superior tribunal was ever es-
tablished under this law in California; nor were there
any judges of the court of first instance; certainly
none in San Josd until 1841), when they were appointed
by United States authority." The governor of the
department, in his message to the assembly in 1840,
expresses his regret that no superior tribunal existed,
and that there were no judges <if first instance, adding
that the justices of the peace in the towns had begun
to exercise the judicial functions in the first instance.
The governor also informed tliat body that they liad
jiower by the act of July 15, 18,']1), to ai)point judges
lof the interior; but they failed to use their faculties
in this respect.

In the decree of the Mexican congress of March 2,
1 843, it is stated that in the ( 'alifornias there had been
no courts of second and third instance established;
and by act 28th, the governors of these departments
WHie ordered "to take care that justice is punctu-
ally and completely administered in first instance, by
judges of that giatle, if there be such, or by alcaldes,
or justices of tlie peace."

The supreme court of the United States, in the
casr of the United States against Castillero, held that
the alcalde in San Jose could not perform the func-
tions of judge of first instance, under the mining laws,
as provided by the Mexican decree of the 2d of l)e-
orniber, 1842; and that his acts relating to perfecting
title to the Almaden mines were void. The judicial
olHccTS then known at San Josi5 were first and second
alcaldes and justices of the peace.

Tlio alcalde's court had ai)peal to courts of first
instance, which had original jurisdiction in cases over
$100. If a single judge was in commission, he took

CRIMES AND COURTS.

cognizance of civil and criminal cases. If two were
appointed, their jurisdictions were divided, one judge
only constituting the court. The court of second in-
stance was an appellative tribunal, consisting of as
many judges, not exceeding three, as corresponded
witli the districts in the department. These judges
were the court of second instance for the districts
tliey represented, and they entertained appeals from
all judgments of the court of first instance in tliat
district. The court of third instance was the last
resort, except to the supreme tribunal at Mexico. All
the judges of second instance in the department, or a
majority, constituted this court. It entertained ap-
peals only in cases involving more than $4,000. Its
review of cases was general, not being confined to tlie
questions raised below, but it could not review thoh>e
on which the two inferior courts had concurred.

In a letter from Monterey, in May 1845, Larkiii
writes of the condition of the laws as follows : " In
California there is a large allowance of laws sent on
by the supreme government, and as the paper is not
very good to make paper segars, the law-books are
laid on the shelf To make a thousand-dollar obliga-
tion good, it is necessary to purchase from government
an $8 stamped paper; and I have never seen an al-
calde enforce the payment of the debt, although 88
was paid to make it legal. Sometimes the debtor
pleads too much rain for his crops, at other times the
Season is too dry, or he's too busy to attend to the
debt; as the alcalde has neither sheriff nor constable,
foes nor commission, and is forced to serve for one
vear, nolens volens, collectin(>; debts is at the lowest
stage. If a person with stolen property was brounjlit
forward, and said he purchased the article from an
Indian who had left for some other place, the trial
might be put off until the Indian returned, or the sup-
posed sheriff had time to look for him. Some people
dislike prosecuting a man for stealing his horse, for
fear he should be told that the man was only bringing

UNCOMFORTABLE JAILS.

S8S

him home by a roundabout road, and demand a dol-
lar for his trouble. If a person is really convicted of
a crime, he is ordered to some other town, and is sure
to go when he gets ready, and return when he has
occasion. As some of the jails are uncomfortable, the
prisoners are often kept outside; as the food is bad,
they go home to get better, and always return to the
prison door when ordered. There was one day a com-
j)laint made to the alcalde by the person who lost tlie
})roperty stolen, that the thief was every day out of
prison and every day passed his house. The alcalde
said he was very sorry, and in extenuation remarked
that he had told the prisoner to take his forenoon
and afternoon pasear on the other side of the town.
On another complaint of the prisoner, after his trial,
reaching the store where he had been stealing, before the
merchant, the alcalde said : To-day is Saturday, to-mor-
row is the sabbath, Monday is a feast-day, but on Tues-
day or Wednesday the man sliall be informed that he
is a prisoner, and dealt with accordingly. Sometimes
the alcalde puts a few of the Indian prisoners to work
on his own farm. When they become tired of the
fare, they run away on his worship's horses, if they
are fat; as the Indians eat these horses, they never
steal poor ones.

"The alcaldes pick up the drunken Indian cooks and
stewards in the afternoons of feast-days, and discharge
tliiin next morning in time to cook their masters'
breakfasts. Some of the Monterey prisoners are
lianished to San Diego; those of San Diego to Mon-
terey — that's fair. If they commit a second offence,
tli( V may be banished back again, and find their own
horses on the road, which are easily borrowed with a
lasso. So that the owners of a Monterey horse, which
lias been stolen near home and then again at Sau
Diego, may see the animal again, in bad condition it
is true, but then he gets his horse, by giving the
iiian who says he found him at San Diego a dollar or
two; and that's cheap for bringing a broken-down
horse 500 miles. "

i 1

686

CRIMES AND COURTS.

During Echeandfa's time, 1825-31, robberies were
frequent. His successor, Victoria, made a vow that
during his rule property should be safe left unguarded
on the public highway. He published an edict that
larceny to the value of two and a half dollars and
upwards would be punished with death. It was not
h >ng before he had occasion to put his sincerity to the
test. Two servants of the San Cdrlos mission ob-
tained the kej^s of the warehouse from an Indian boy
who acted as a page of the priests, and robbed it.
The men were convicted, and sentenced to deatli.
The missionary came to Monterey, threw himself at
Victoria's feet, and implored him to spare their lives;
but he was inflexible, and the two men were shot.
The boy was flogged almost to death.

A little later, an Indian boy, of less than 20 years
of age, stf)lc some buttons from the military stores,
wliicli he gambled away. They were picked up, and
valued at $2.50. The boy was tried, convicted, and shot.

In that same year, 1831, one evening, at about six
o'clock, an Indian entered the house of Venancio (ia-
llndo and his wife, Romana Sanchez, and seized tluir
two children, a boy and a girl. The former managed
to escape. The Indian ravished the girl, and after-
ward killed her. The little boy said that the coyote
had seized his sister. On the strength of this, tlic
soldier, Francisco Rubio, nicknamed Coyote, was ar-
rested, i ried by court-martial, and sentenced to death.
The evidence, it was alleged by many, did not justify
such a finding; nevertheless, Victoria approved the
sentence. The officers, M. G. Vallejo and Jose An-
tonio Sanchez, and several others, including the priest
who prepared him for the awful change, believiii*,'
Rubio innocent, exerted themselves to save him, l)ut
nothing availed, and he was shot. His innocence is
said to have, been made evident some time after. Tlie
Indian perpetrator of the crimes was captured, aiul
being in a miserable condition from venereal disease,
died in the prison before his trial was ended.

MEXICAN MISCREANTS.

A fellow named Mariano Duarte, whose mother or
grandmother was an Indian of the mission San An-
tonio, was placed in charge of the public school of the
town of San Jose. Some of the school-girls accused
him of having assaulted them. He was taken to San
Francisco, tried, and sentenced to hard labor in tlie
public works. He was accordingly kept fettered, and
put to breaking stones, sweeping the plaza, etc. At
the expiration of his sentence he was released, and
died shortly after.

Another man, named Cornelio Rosalcs, for violat-
ing his step-daughter, was kept a close prisoner in
hons at the guard-house in San Francisco, working as
a tailor, but he died after a little more than a year's
imprisonment.

An ex-soldier, named Diego Felix, who lived at the
Huerta Vieja, about half a mile from Monterey, in
IS 40, murdered his wife, inflictin<r most horrible
wounds on the head and body of his victim. The
most heartrending part of the case was that tlio wo-
man being enceinte, he cut her open, and dragged out
the child, which also exhibited evidences of having
been killed with blows. It seems that Ft31ix went to
the house of his mother-in-law, where his wife was,
and asked her to go home, as he wanted her. On the
way, he ke[)t pricking her in the back with a poniard.
After committing the nmrders, he coolly walked up
and down a distance of 70 paces outside of his house,
but when he saw a military guard coming to arrest
him, made an attempt to escape, which jiroved unsuc-
cessful. He was secured, and taken to Monterey.

A superstition prevailed at the time in California
that if a person killed another, and the corpse fell face
downwards, the slayer could not escape, but would
hover around the spot to his final undohig. Several
cases occurred to confirm this idea. The priscjner at
his trial pleaded that he had done his duty, as he
wi»uld not be a willing cuckold, or assent to infamies.
But the evidence proved that his wife's frailties had

589

CRIMES AND COXJRTS.

been with hia own knowledge and consent, and his
displeasure had been caused by her failing to give
him the amount of money she had formerly supplied
him with. It was true that he had unsuccessfully at-
tempted to kiL one of the men with whom she had
committed adultery. As martial law was then in
force, Governor Alvarado had the murderer tried by
court-martial, aided by the civil judge, and he was
sentenced to be shot at 7 p. m., just 12 hours from tlio
commission of the crimes. Just after the reading of
the sentence, an edict was published, embodying the
law prohibiting, under the penalty of death, that any
one should crave mercy for the criminal.

The body of an Indian woman being found eaten
by coyotes at San Gabriel, and a man accusing Ikt
husband of having murdered her, the matter was
duly investigated, and the charge proved to be a
calumny. Whereupon the false accuser was sentenced
to imprisonment, and to receive 35 lashes, twelve
lashes a day for the first two days, and eleven on the
third day.

One Albitre for having illicit intercourse with an
Indian married woman was put to hard labor for two
months at a presidio, after which he was forced to
live at a great distance from his home. The woman
was also exiled. Wives were not to be abused. One
Garcia was sentenced foi maltreating his wife, and
one Higuera likewise for cutting off his wife's hair
out of jealousy. A soldier who had ruined a girl,
and refused to make her his wife, was confined in a
fort in irons, and forced to pay her $50 out of his sav-
ings in the fondo de retencion. In March 1841 Uril)o
was fined $5 for challenging to a duel with a "bone,"
and Ibarra was fined $1.50 for accepting the chal-
lenge.

Pastoral California never had a hangman or pul)lic
executioner. An order of the Mexican government,
in 1835, to organize a force of from five to ten nun
in places where no executioner could be obtained, was

ESBHKai]

DEATH PENALTIES.

689

not carried out here, and the few executions that
oiturred were done by the regular tnjops.

Among the crimes connnittod in California, prior
to the American annexation, which were expiated
Nvitli the death penalty, were the following :

In 1840 a German named Fink, who owned a shop
ill Los Angeles, was assassinated and his goods stolen.
Tlio perpetrators left the corpse in a locked room, the
key of which they threw out on the hill, and carried
iiway the effects. The body remained four days in
the room, until, after some hesitation, the alcalde
foircd the street door. Inside everything betokenetl
violence and death. The body was found with a large
cut in the forehead, already in a state of putrifaction.

After some inquiry it was discovered, a few days
afttr, that Eugenia Valencia, mistress of Santiago
Linares, had carried a bundle to San Gabriel, and
was engaged in making for herself petticoats trinuned
with ijreen ribbons. She was forthwith arrested and
tlic goods were secured. Linares was also arrested at
tilt' same time. He confessed the crime and gave the
iiaiiK'S of his two accomplices. All three were secured,
convicted, sentenced to death, and shot on the spot
wtre the crimes were committed.

Antonio Valencia, in 1842, stabbed Aguila in the
l)iuk and killed him. The cause was that Aguila, a
1ai'j,(', [)owerfully built man, was beating Valencia's
siiiiiU brother. Valencia was tried and shot. This
fseeiiis somewhat severe.

Li 1842 Manuel Gonzalez, a Peruvian shoemaker,
while at work in the San Isidro rancho, was threat-
c'litd with violence by a drunken Englishman, who
liad a hatchet in his hand. Manuel had no means of
escape, and so he stabbed the Englishman in the
licait with his knife. The Englishman fell dead. The
slayer was tried in Monterey for nmrder, and sen-
tenced to be shot. While in the chapel he was
slirived by Father Antonio Anzar, who was noted for

his

Ignorance.

The prisoner complauied of the iu-

690

CRIMFS AND COURTS.

justice of his sentence, claiming that he had IcllL d
the man hi self-defence. Anzar wanted him to ac-
cept his fate with resignation, and as Manuel refused.
the priest burst out, "Be resigned, be resigned, you
beast, for whether you are or not you must di( .'"
Manuel still persisted in denying that he was a
criminal, "pues alld te las compongas," said Anz;ii\
The man was shot on the 27th of July 1842. Public
opinion very properly disapproved of this execution.
Alvarado was accused of permitting it because the
slain man was an Englishman, though the latter had
deliberately and from a spirit of jealousy gone to
assail the Peruvian at his house.

One Sunday in July 1845, three females, motlior.
daughter, and granddaughter, the latter a girl of
about eleven years, together with some small children
were bathing near the beach at Monterey, in a little
stream where there was a strove of willows. An
Indian rushed out of the grove armed with a knile.
and a club, seized the girl and tried to violate her in
the presence of the other women, who endeavored to
protect her. He struck with the club on the lieud
the elder woman, and felled her to the ground sense-
less. He then began to beat the other woman, neailv
killing her; the children ran away and reported what
was occurring. A friendly Indian named Sel)astian,
and other men rushed to the spot — the first to ri acli
the arroyo was Sebastian, who seized the malefactor,
but received a perpendicular stab from the shoulder.
The wretch was finally overpowered, disarmed, and
bound. Colonel Alvarado, connnanding at Monterey,
had the criminal forthwith shot without the formality
of a trial.

In pastoral days in California, it was customary te
take boys to see executions and public punishnu iits.
to Serve as a warning;. Rafael Pinto relates that he
was present at the execution of two robbers at ^loii-
terey. The minister of mission San C;lrlos addressed
the parents on the necessity of watching their

HOW TO FILL AN ORDER.

591

children. His brother-in-law, Bonifacio, an Italian
witli whom he lived, then held him tight with one
liaiul, and with the other gave him a severe flogging.
Pinto pleaded that he had done nothing to deserve
piinislnnent, but it did not avail him. Bonifacio an-
swered that it was true that he had done no wrong,
that lie was a good boy; but the flogging was in-
flicted so tliat he should remember that day tlirough-
oiit his life — and as Pinto said, "No se me ha olvi-
dado, por cierto."

It was related of a certain person who had occu-
jiied a prominent position in California, and was the
owner of a rancho in tlie district of Monterey, tliat
one day in the thirties he lacked a few liides to com-
plete a contract, and employed a man to furnish them
on that same day. Now, it was well known to all
that the man was a sort of vagrant vaquero, not over-
s('rni>ulous how he obtained his hides, and for this
reason, and l)ecause he nuist have them ((uickly. and
at no advanced price, that the contractor ap[)lied to
that particular man. "I cannot bring them in to-day,"
remonstrated the va(|uero.

"I said to day," the ranchero replied.
"But I have not the hides, and the nearest herd,
exce])t your own, is four or five k'agues away."

"Before 12 o'clock to-niiiht, bring me the hides I
need. Now go."

The job was done. The vaquero was praised and
paid. But next day when the ranchero's Indian went
for his master's cows, he found many of them missing.
A chilling suspicion crept upon the owner of the
raiieho. He mounted a hoi-se, rodi; forth, and after
due s(>arch found the carcasses of his cows in the
cha[)arral, in the upper end of a canon. }lv rode
slowly back, his wrath rising meanwhile.

"You villain, you slew my cows!" exclaimed the
now furious owner t)f the rancho.

"Certainly, sir, it was my only chance to fill your
peremptory order."

502

CRIMES AND COURTS.

The tricked ranchero was too shrewd not to know
that lie had himself laid the trap in which he was
causj;ht. He had to be content with cursiiiL^ aiul
kicking the wily vaquero, the latter being only t<»(»
hai)py to escape with such a mild punishment.

(lovernor Alvarado, who was in Angeles in 18.'?7,
fell in with a girl, and took a house for her use. Cas-
tro, on observing him enter, ordered artillery salvos
during his visit. Those who inquired why tln-o
salvos were fired, were answered: "In honor of tlu;
act of the governor." When this girl bore her Hist
child, there was a <xreat demonstration i.i the town:
a dnnking bout of fifteen days enssued, and a sum of
money was taken from the public funds and scatteicd
among the people, "The birth of this bastard cost
$5,000," growls the alcalde.

Thus we see that in niatters of morality, private or
political, it was among the pastoral Californians niudi
as it is with us to-day : vice in the high circles was
winked at. while the poor were severely punished, too
severely in many instances.

In going over the matter of the murder of Pailre
Quhitana, there is something to be learned of ciiiiiiiial
procedure. In the registry of deaths, at Santa C^ruz,
October 14, 1812, Padre Marquinez certifies to tlic
burial of Padre Andres Quintana, who was found
dead in his bed, having died a natural death, it was
said by Surgeon Manuel Quijano, who made a ]>ost-
mortem examination. There is a maririnal iiott' to
the entry, written by Padre Marquinez at some later
Jme, stating that the circumstances attending the
death were aijjain investiijated, when it was discovered
that he was murdered by Christian Indians ot tins
and Santa Clara missions. Inveigled into the gaidm
to administer the sacrament to a dying man, he was
thereupon smothered.

Writing to Padre Marquinez on the 15th of Octo-
ber, Don Josd Maria Estudillo says; "It is absolutely

THE AFFAIR OF PADRE QUINTANA.

593

essential that Surgeon Manuel Quijanci make a |)Ost-
iiitnteni examination of the body of J*atlre Quintana,
who, according to coinnion report, died on the morn-
ing of tlie 12th — the circumstances of his death Ite-
iiig very suspicious. Estudillo has been ordered by
Governor Arrillaga to make this inquiry, and be-
seeches and enjoins the padre to permit the exhuma-
tion of the body, which after examination sliall l)e
reiiiterred." On the same date Padre jSIarquincz
gives the desired permission.

Oil the 23d, Lieutenant Estudillo rei)orts to (iov-
triiur Arrillaga "that the j)ost-mortem examination of
the body, and the investigations in relation to the
death of Padre Quintana, were commenced on the
Utli and terminated on the 22d. No evidence of
violence was found. The padre was a valetudinarian,
and unable even to dress himself"

Time passes. In volume xliv. of the Provincial
State Papers, we find recorded, under date of March
10, IBIG, that Governor Sola orders the murderers of
Father Quintana, the Indians Lino, Antonino, Qufrico,
Julian, and Fulgencio, of Santa Cruz, to receive each
200 lashes, azotes, except the one last named. The
two Hrst are also to suffer ten years of presidio im-
prisonment, the two next six, the last seven. On the
2ytli it was determined that they should suffer their
sentence at Santa Bdrbara.

Ivelerring again to the State Papers, we find that
oil tlie 21st of March, 1820, at San Francisco, Ignacio
Martinez, juez fiscal, certifies, "that by order of Co-
inandante Arguello he took the declaration of the neo-
phyte Alberto, of the mission of Santa Cruz, accused of
Ijcing concerned, with seven other neophytes, in the
murder of Father Quintana in 1 8 1 2. Alberto, being
sworn, said that Qufrico invited him to join in the nmr-
dir. (Jne night about dark Quirico called him into
the garden, lie supposed to steal fruit, but was told by
Quirie( ) that they were going to kill the padre. Alberto
asked why. They went to the gardener's house and

Cal. Pait^T. 3S

CRIMES AND COURTS.

found the others outsldo in a groiij). Andres tlun
hpciko to Alberto, and told him they were going to
kill the |)jidre. Alherto said ho would have nothinj,' to
do with it; he left th(>ni at once, and went to his hoiiso
ami to hed. On the foljowiii}; dav he heard tliat tliu
padre was dead, and supposed that they killed liini.

Alherto confessed that ho had done wronj^" in not
jjjiviiiij^ notice to the guard or the luayordonio. He did
wrong in running away to the woods, he said, l)ut did
so Ijccause Jiis son told him that the others were Iniiig
taken. He knew nothing of the matter until Quirico
spoke to him as related.

After a long interval, wo find again a relation given
by Jjorenzo Asisara, ex-cantor of the mission of Santa
Cruz, given at Watsonville, July 10, 1877.

"The story I am about to tell," says the narrator.
"was told to mc in 1818 by my fiithcr, who was a
neophyte of Santa Cruz, one of its founders, and (Uic
of the first who were baptized. His name was W-
nancio Azar, and he was the gardener of the missidii.
He witnessed all that hap[)ened at the time of tlu;
death of Father Quintana.

"The Indians came to<;ethcr at the house of Julian,
also a gardener, and agreed to kill tlie padre. Doiiato.
who worked inside the mission, had by the })<i(lit">
onlcr been chastised with a dlsciplina, the thongs o\
which had wire points, each blow cutting into tlir
fiesli. Donato determined to revenge himself, and lie
it was who called together the party of fourteen iikii,
among them the padre's cook, Antonino, and his sir-
van ts, Vicente and Miguel Antonio.

"The fo'uteon Indians met at the house of Jul'ui,
to consider in what way they might avoid the cruil
punish mevii they suffered at the hand of Padre Quin-
tana. Lino, the brightest of all, said that in his ser-
mons the padre taught that God did not do that way.
He asked what should be dime with him, since he
could neither be driven away nor accused before^ the
judge. Andres, father of Lino, said: 'Let us kill the

fin(h-o,
•Julian
itf '
feign i
Jiiiii, a
wlieret
vnvvv ii
" J' a

tdgethc
Jiew ciKi

ef wire,

'light \V(

living.

two tree

must pa

\vli(» app(

and retu;

■'Jgi' tiiilec

'''Ilowed

-WitJ,

tin' pudi
lit'f t(» til
ing jior I
''lit tbuiK
'liin. II
ft the J

allowed ])
tin; coiispi;
Julian all(
^vith wl'ic

tJ'i' <"iuse (
^'"^'J' did n<.
"""lice tlie]
tlit-'i'e sJiou
["•'^■■>^t. Sh
'"'f'"inpaniei
terns precec

ASISARA'S STORY.

r.o:>

jiiulio, unknown to any oxcopt those lioro pivscnt.'
.lulian, the <i^ai<lener, then .said: *lIo\v can wv niana^r
it '.' This man's wife tlien suii^jjjestetl that lie should
fi it;n ilhiess, and that then tlie padre would come to
liiiii, and it could he done. Thi.s Lin(» appioxcd;
w lHieu[>on all asscntetl to the ph.tu, anil jijj^recd to
(•;uiv it into execution tlu' next Saturday ni<;ht.

" Father Quintana had proposed t() hrinj; tht' people
together in the }>laza on Sunday, in onler to tiy the
]\iW viiartahc had made, the })oints of the la.shcs hriui;'
of wire. Accordingly, ahout (5 o'clock on Satunlay
iiio'lit word was sent to the padre that the gardener >vns
(l\ iiiLj. The Indians wvn) already in ainhusii hrhiiid
two trees at tlie sides of the path hy which the padic
iiuist pass. The padre went to the house of Julian,
wlio apj)eared to he dyinuf, administered the .sacrament,
jiiid returned to tlie mission unharmed, for their cour-
age failed those in and)ush. The sup))osed dyini^ man
l'n|li)\ved close upon the heels of the [)i'iest.

■■ Within an hour the wile of .Julian went to sunmiou
tlie ])adre to her dying' hushand. lie accomjjanied
liei- to the house in the fjarden, she crying and wriiit;-
iiiu; her hands. The ])adre examined the man's pulse,
l)Ut found he had ap))arently nothing' the matter with
liim. However, he anointed him. When the jiadre
lift the house, Julian rose, and washing off the sacred
nil, followed the ])riest, but those in amhush again
allowed him to pass. Wliile tlu? ])adre sat at sui)per,
tilt! conspirators came togetlnT again at Julian's house,
Julian alleged that the padre had poisoned the oil
with which he had anointed him, 'echado yerha en
Insoleos,' and that their faint-heartedness woukl pi'ovo
tlio cause of his death. The wonian averred that if
they did not carry out their agreement, she would de-
nounce them. Thereupon, they all saiu that this time
there should be no failure, and bade her fetch the
priest. She found the padre at su{)j)er, and he at once
n'vonipanied her. This time three servants with lan-
terns preceded, and Lino came behind the priest. He

606

CRIMES AND COURTS.

found Julian apparently very fur gone, and speechless.
He recited the prayers for the dying, but did not aj>-
ply the sacrament, and said to the woman: *Thy hus-
band is now prepared to live or die; do not summon
mo again.' The priest left the house, Julian foUow-
minf I'.im.

"As the padre reached the two trees where tlie
cons[)irators were in hiding, Lino threw his anus
around him, and said, 'Stop, padre! thou must con-
verse a while.' The lantern-bearers turned around,
and seeing the people sallying from behind the trees,
turned and tied. The padre said to Lino, ' What art
thou about to do to me, my son?' Lino replied,
'Those who wish to kill thee will answer.' 'What
have I done to you, my children, that you should
murder me?' Andres said, 'Why hast thou had a
cuarta of iron made?' The priest said, 'My sons, un-
hand me, for I nmst go this moment.' Andres then
asked him why he had made the cuarta, and the priest
said it was for those who were bad. Then several
exclaimed, ' Well, thou art in the })ower of the !)ad
ones. Remember thy God I'

"Many of those present wept, and commiserated tlie
priest, but cr)uld do nothing for him, as they Averc
compromised. The padre begged for his life for some
time, promising to leave the mission. One said, 'Th(»u
art going to no part of the earth, padre; thou art i^o-
inu" to heaven.' This was tlie end of the coIUkiuv.

O It

Those who had not been able to seize the padre found
fault with the others, saying that the conversation
had gone far enough ; that he should be killed at onee.
They then umtiled the priest's head with his gown,
and after he was smothered, in order that no siuiis (tf
violence should be apparent, the}' squeezed one of liis
testicles until he had apparently expired. Then tluv
took him into his house and })ut him to bed. One of
the two lantern-bearers who had run away wanted to
inform the guard, but the other dissuaded him, say-
insjf that it would bo the cause of their own death.

all tilt
Andrt
savino
party

WaMt€'(

i\\^' st
took a
I know
"Th.
quarter
witJi ti
Tliose r

to the ]:

there t(

ASISARA'S STORY.

597

"When the priest was undrossetl and put to hvd,
all the evil-doers, indudinij; Julian's wife, were present.
Ainircs asked Lino for the kevs of the wareliouso,
saying that tluy wanted money and beads. In tlu'
party were three Indians from Santa Clara, who
wanted to know wliat money there was. Lino opened
the strong-box and showed tlieni. These Indians
took a considerable sum ; what they could want it for,
I know not. All the others took some of the moncv.

"They then demanded the keys of the single women's
(jiuuters, monjcrio, which Lino gave them, together
with the key of the single men's quarters, ayunte.
Tliose of both sexes went, without making any noise,
to the lower part of the garden, and passed the night
there together, until 2 o'clock in the morning. Lino
had a girl in the sala of the mission.

" During the night Lino went into the padre's
roiini, and found him coming to his senses. He called
his accomplices, and they destroyed the other testicle.
This was done by Donato, and had the desired ett'ect.
Dduato told Lino to close the chest containing the
plata colorada, as the Indians called gold, and eight of
tiiein, taking it to the garden, buried it there. The
(itluTS knew nothing of this. After the men and
women had retired to their quarters, the assassins
assembled in order to receive instructions from jjino
and Donato as to their future conduct. Some wanted
to run away, but were dissuaded by the rest, who held
tliat the matter would never come to light, as no one
knew of it save tb* mselves. As Donato proposed, in
order to be sure that the padre was dead the}' w«'nt
into his room, when they found him cold and stitK
Lino showed tliem the iron cuarta which was to liaxc
hi'cii tried the next day, and assured them that it
Would not now be used. Lino then <jave them some
suuar and panocha, and sent them to their houses,
bino arranged the padre's room, placed his l)ook at his
''(■dside, all as the priest himself was wont to do. He
.old the others that in the momiuLr he would not rin<r

698

CRIMES AND COURTS.

tlie bell, an omission wliicli would briny: the niavoi'-
donio and the corporal of the escort to see what was
the matter.

" It was Sunday iiiornin*^, and the bell was always
rung at 8 o'clock, because at that hour the Brancituitc
people began to come in to be present at mass. Tlir
mayordomo, noticing' this, went to in(juire into thf
matter. Lino was in the sala, and when ask d wliy
he luid not rung the bell, said that the padre was still
within, sleeping or praying, and that he, Lino, did not
like to disturb him. The mayordomo went away, and
the corporal of the cscolta came on a like errand. The
mavordomo returned, and they resolved to wait a lit-
tie while. At length Lino said that they being pres-
ent, ho would knock at the door, piovided that sh uild
the i)adre be angry they would shield him, i'lii i "V
agreed to, and Jjino knocked at the door anil < iil' ..t
tlie priest. There was no sound from within, ■,\V:[ Jie
other two wanted Lino to ring the bell, which he
ri'fused to do. They then retired, charging Lino tn
call the priest again presently, as it was very late. All
the servants were about their daily tasks as usual, mi
that no suspicion was created. At 10 o'clock tin
mayordomo returned, and asked Lino to call out to tlie
]>riest and leai'n what ailed him. Lini> calli'd loiully
but ineffectually, and the mayordomo, Carlos Ca^tin,
told him to o})en the door. Lino excused himself t'miu
entering. At this juncture the cori)oral, Xa/,; .le
( Jalindo, arrived, and they t»rdered liino to open tlh
door. Although he had the kiy in his j)ocket, ' iii"
went out to look lor a key; brought in a large hunt';,
none of whii'h would o[)en the door; pretended tli;u
the key he had belonged to the kitchen, and with it
o[)en(>d tlie door of the jiriest's room, which opeunl
into the plaza. l£e ojtem'cl the door into the sala ainl
( ame out sobbing, saying that the [irii-st was dead, ainl
that he would uo and toll the bell. Only the corimia!
and the mayordomo entered the room to satisfy t Imn-
selvos that the padre was dead. The otlicr nii>si( i

<e'!i'|(|()

ASISARA'S STORY.

> tn

All

1. >..

tlu'

t till'

uaiy

Volll

■..10

111.

■ llir

llluii
li it

■linl
UIl'l

ami
Itdial
liciu-

w.rc written to, and Father Marquinez, who was at
Montei(!y, was summoned. Some ot'the old neopliytes,
and others, who suspected nothing, wept bitterly;
Lino, within the house, bellowed above them all.

" The priests came from Santa Clara and other
missitms to bury Father Quintana. All believed that
he had died a natural death, but not until the body
had been opened anil the stomach examined with
ri'i^ard to poison. Finally, by chance some one noticed
tliac the testicles hud been destroyed, but though con-
vinced tliat their conditit)n had somethinij: to do with
the cause of his death, they ke[)t silence.

"Several years after Fatiier Quintana's death,
Kniiliana, wife of Lino, and Maria Tata, wife of An-
tonino, had a quarrel. These women were seamstresses
of the mission, and were at work behind a wall. The
inayordomo, (Jarlos Castro, passing by overheard
tluni, he understanding the Indian tongue. Each
accused the husband of the other of being concerned
ill the murder of the ])riest. Castro told Father
Olbcs, and he informed Father ^rarijuinez, who sent
liis servants to tell Julian and his accom[»lices to run
away, if not they would be taken. Father Olbes sent
for the two women, separately, and pretending that
lie wanted them to cut and make some clothing, shut
tliein nj) in separate rooms. The mayordonio, Castro,
was acting in unison with the priest. After dinner
tlu' jtriest examined each of the women si'[)arately,
Mid apparently without nmch questioning each ac-
ducd the husband of the other. The ])riest dismissed
tiieui with a present; and then onlered Corporal
(laiiMdo 1'> ai'rest the assassins, but without telling
'l.t'in why. The gardeners and the cook were taki'U,
Aiitonino first, lie, when asked, denounced one of his
comrades, who in turn denounced another, and so on.
Finally, all were taken except Lino.

" Lino, supposed to be viiy valiant as he was very
]Hi\verful, was taken by stratagem, by C;irlos ^ astro,
liis compadre. Castro gave Lino a knife, and told

CRIMES AND COURTS.

him to cut some hair from white mares and black
mares, in order to make a gay head-stall for tlio
padre's beast. Lino suspected something, and tlictc
were hidoed two soldiers hidden behhid the conal.
Lino said: 'Compadre, why are you deceiving iik f
I know you are going to take me prisoner. Take
j'our knife, compadre. What 1 thought would bo is
already done; I'll pay you for it. Had I so wished
on the night I killed the priest, I could have made an
end of mayordomo, soldiers, and all.' All the accused
and their accomplices were taken to San Francisco,
mv father being one. The actual assassins were sen-
tenced to receive each a novenario of 50 azotes, tliat
lashes a day for nine days in succession, and to
:.'■ n' on the public works ar. San Diego. The others,
ineluding my father, were set at liberty, for tliev
served as witnesses, and were not shown to have
taken part in the assassination."

But liowevcr lax may have been Echcandfa, or
howsoever to the other extreme may have gone Yictoi ia
and Alvarado, there was always present that gross
favoritism which usually attends the administration
of justice at the hands of the Lathi race. The juior
stood little chance against the rich. It will be no-
ticed that the severe and public examples were made
for the most part of Llie friendless and ignorant,
Indians, soldiers, and low trash of various shades
of color. Within certain bounds, and with due regard
to certain conventionalisms, the rich and intluential of
all times and nations may commit all the crimes of
the decalogue with impunity. As a rule, it was in
California as in Mexico, there was little real prineiiik',
little inherent honesty and integrity in high ])laees.

And however primitive may have been the eondi-
tion of Pastoral California down to the third decade
of the present century, from that time for a brief
period matters weie worse. Tho natives were in a
state of insubordination; robaeries and other crimes
were ])revalent, and little or nothing was done to

CLASS HATRED.

601

)i'ia

■OSS

"on
luiol"
Uli-
!uK'
lUlt,
.(l.'S

iud
lot"
of
ill

Ii\(li-

|)n(t'
n a

IllH'S

check them, there was ill-feeling between the people
of the north and south, and l)()th hated those from
Mexico. The worst cancer was the plundorin*; and
wasting of the public funds, until the bottom of the
treasury chest may be said to have dropped oif.

Eusebio Galindo, a pure white man born in California,
in 1802, and descended from the first founders of the
country, bewailing,in 1877,the sad conditi(m his country
had been brought to by disunion and misgovornmcnt
on the part of the men who ruled its destinies under
the Mexican flag, said, " This California during the
time she was ruled ')y the Spaniards was a perfect
paradise, where all lived in peace, and had tlu> where-
witlial r>r his or her support. Ho concluded with
tlie folio Vug quotation:

" Liiido })a(8, California,
Prinuipio fue de mi vida,
Herinoso paraiso ameno,
Jardia de gloria eacoiulida."

The animosity of the Hispano-Californians toward
their Mexican fellow-citizens reached a climax in 1844
when the former resorted to lampoons couched in
scurrilous language, and with obscene pictures, anony-
mously insulting the officers of the Mexican battalion,
stationed at Monterey, especially those who ha<l
wives Their authors thus manifested the spirit of
provincial ism prevailing among their countrymen.
The abiised officers, not knowing their op})onents,
vented their wrath upon all Californians in vulgar
and quixotic expressions, showing themselves to be
'ow-bred braggarts. This mutual abuse contniued
until even the most respectal)le fan'ilies of the
|)liU'e were not spaxed. The hostility became so in-
tensified that it showed itself at public and private
gatherings, and even at church. It nmst be said that
the conduct pursued by both sides was equally re))re-
heiisible. At last the Californians abandoned tliese
vile practices, and resorted to the more manly course
of opiMi rebellion against their ruler, who too often
I'ichiy deserved it.

bii

G02

CRIMES AND COURTS.

One Limon, in 1839, was accused of rape uu a ^nrl
at San Fernando mission. The case was sent to tlie
alcalde of Angeles, January 12th. A lengthy trial
ensued, owing to the circumstantial evidence. At one;
time it was proposed to send the case to the governor
for military trial, but it was concluded in Angeles
after all. A promotor fiscal was appointed ad hoc,
and a defensor. The latter delayed the case greatly
to bring in fresh evidence. It was passed or repassed
from fiscal to defensor for argument and answer, and
finally the alcalde pronounced sentence of two years in
the presidio on circumstantial evidence, the want of
proper medical care of the fatally injured girl being
taken into account. On Ma}' 2d the sentence was
read to the culprit in presence of the judge, fiscal, de-
fensor, and two chief witnesses for want of a notar\'.
All signed it, including the prisoner.

^lode of proceedings in the adultery case of Castu-
nares and Herrera, Monterey, June and July 18.")():
The written arguments of each was presented to tlio
alcalde of ^lonterey, in which place the parties resided.
The alcalde ordered the argument of the one party to
be presented to the other party for answer within a
certain number of days. This order was signed by
him and two others, one a secretary, and the other a
regidor. The same order was submitted to the party
who prepared the argument, and he signed his ap-
proval, the above trio signing as witnesses. This
order, with the argument, was submitted to tlic
party who had to ajiswer; he signed his name iii
acknowledgment, and this was countersigned by tlie
trio. The party who prepared the argument was
notified of the acknowledgment, and signatures again
affixed. The same fornmla was used in regard to the
answer.

Diego Lcyba was accused of having killed a cow
belon-riny to Rafaela Serrano at San Uieguito. Tin;
suit was begun July 11, 1839, at San Dieguito hy
Osuna, alcalde of San Diego. The head of the cuw

THE CASE OF SURGEON BAUJ.

G03

which had boen buried by Leyba was dug up and
found to bear the mark of Serrano. Tlie exiiuiination
of witnesses concluded July 15th. The results were
sent July IGth to the prefect, Tapia, at Los Angules.
July 2Gth, the prefect sent back the papers, and in-
formed Osuna that, according to article 181 of the
law of Maich 20, 1837, he must forward the accused
with sufficient guard, 'per Cordillera,' from mission to
mission to the first alcalde of Los Angeles, and also
tiic papers. August 1st, Osuna obeyed this order.
August 5th, Antonio Machado, senior regidor, in the
absence of the alcalde, sent back the papers ft )r some
corrections in form, and ordered several witnesses to
appear at Los Angeles. Two of the witnesses were
found to have gone to Los Angeles, and another, an
Indian alcalde, was sent up. August 'Jth, Osuna sent
buck the papers. Rafaela made a deposition August
7tli that Leyba had a right to kill the c(jw. He was
finrd $') for hiding the cow's 'remains,' the fine
to go to the nmnicipal fund. The pajjcrs were re-
turned to the alcalde at Sun Diego. Two additional
(iffirial comnmnications between the prefect and the
ulcalde are given, dated Xovember 2d and I4th. The
wliole record occupies about thirty ])ages of the records
(if San ])iego. Tliis almost parallels some cases oeeur-
riiig in English and American courts.

In the ease of Surgeon Bale, accused in 1840 of di-;-
rcspuet of civil authorities, the judge arrested Hale,
liut released him, as he enjoyed the 'fuei'o militar. '
Tilt' judge then laid the matter before the comun-
(lantt! de armas, who ordered tiie avudaiite de la
[ila/a to take cognizance as juez fiscal of the mattei',
wliicli he proceeded to do, up[)oiiiting a suert'tary for
tliat purpose. When sworn, Bale })la('ed his right
liaiid on the pommel of his sword, and being asked if
'liajoHU palabra de honor prometia il la nacion decir
Vddajl," answered, "Si' juro. " The judge and secre-
tary then went to Mrs Larkin's house to take her tes-

604

CRIMES AND COURTS.

timony. They also went to Bale's house, ho beiiior
there under arrest, in order to take his. Stokes,
another witness, was summoned to appear throuj^h the
civil authority. The sworn statement of the aeoused
was taken. The judg;e then sent the papers to the
comandante, who sent them to the comandante-gcii-
eral, who gave a decision to the effect that, althouL,di it
was impossible to prove that the civil authorities wei e
entitled to respect, yet they must be respected. Tiiis
decision was sent back to the comandante for execu-
tion. The pajiers were then to be returned to tli(^
comandante-general, in order to be placed in the
archives.

The wisdom of the Roman law-givers attracted the
attention of the world, but it pales beside that of the
California alcaldes. A man named Juan lodged n
complaint that ho had loaned Pedro a sum of moiicv
which the latter refused to pay, although he was rich
in horses and cattle.

Pedro was summoned before the alcalde, when
Juan stated the case, and appealed to Pedro for tlic
truth of what he said, which was readily acknowl-
edged.

"Then," said the alcalde, "since you owe this debt,
why do you not pay it?"

" Because, senor," re})lied Pedro, " I have no
money. "

"But," interrupted Juan, "thou hast a flock, horses,
oxen, and everything."

"Well said, Juan," exclaimed the alcalde; "and lie
shall sell them and pay the debt, or I will teach him
what law is, and what is justice."

•'Your worship is an honest and a wise man," said
Juan with a bow.

Pedro looked puzzled, and after a moment remarked,
" But, sir, a word by your leave;" then turning to Juan,
continued, "Well, Juan, didst thou lend the money to
me, or didst thou lend it to my oxen, or to my hoi.ses,
or to my flock ? "

PHENOMENAL WISDOM.

60S

"I lent it to you, Pedro."

" Thou sayest well ; if thou didst lend the money to
ine, then of course I am responsible, and I must pay ;
but if thou didst lend it to my oxen, or to my horses,
or to ni}'' flock, it is clear they are responsible, and
tluy must pay." And he looked triumphantly at ttie
alcalde.

The magistrate had listened attentively, then after
a pause drew himself up and said with nmcli gravity,
"Pedro, thou art right, and thy property cannot be
sold. "

" And what then am I to do?" asked Juan.

"Wait," said Pedro, "till I get money to pay you."

"That is all that can be done according to law in
the case," said the alcalde, and dismissed the parties.

The jurisdiction in civil suits of the comandantos
militares, also in criminal cases not purely infractions
of military discipline or violations of the military fuero,
liad by virtue of law ceased prior to 1832, although
(lining Victoria's time these officers continued arbi-
trarily to exercise such powers.

This is what Hastings told the inmiigrants of 184.3-6
ill regard to proceedings in alcalde's courts, in Cali-
fornia. One wishing to recover a demand applied to
tlu' alcalde, who instead of issuing a written summons,
<l('si)atched a servant to the residence of the defendant,
informing him that his attendance at the alcalde's
oflfice would be required on a certain day, to answer
till! complaint of the plaintiff"; and that if ho did not
appear at the time and place designated, the alcalde
would determine the case ex parte.

When the parties appeared, the alcalde interrogated
the defendant, whereupon the latter proceeded to otter
such excuses as might occur to him ; or he would curse
his opponent vociferously, declaring that he would not
pay. The plaintiff" would then take the floor, and reply
to the defendant, or hurled back his abuse, answering
his insults by stronger and more numerous insults, and

CRIMES AND COURTS.

more volioniont and profane cursing. If proceedinnfs
took tlio latter course, his honor had nothing to do
but to weigh the insult and profanity, and gi* o his
judgment according to the preponderance; if the for-
tner course was aclo]ited, the strength and validity of
the excuses were weighed against the justness of the
demand. Money, however, had more effect than
pleading or oaths, and was usually resorted to by one
party, or by both.

These reports of foreigners, however, who know
little or nothing of what they were saj'ing, were to a
<»reat extent cxagii^erated and false. Justice then was
plain and crude, but it differed not so much after all
from justice now, wliich neither in America nor Eu-
rope, nor yet in Asia, is often found wholly unadul-
terated.

The old form of oath by officers on rendering ac-
counts of public funds was still observed in IS.Ii!:
"I certify and swear by God, our Lord, and the sign
of the cross, that the amount of the foregoing account is
faithfully and lawfully expended for the articles therein
expressed." The oath of protestants was made 'poi'
Dios y la biblia.' Catholics were sworn on a cross,
and when none was at hand, the officer administerinn
the same held up the right hand with thumb and
forefinger crossed. In a certain matrimonial license,
an officer testified by his word of honor, with his hand on
his sword, and would be sworn in no other wav. Tiio
padre says that therefore he was fain to accept the
same.

The method of stamping the government seal on pul)-
lic documents at one time was bv greasing the seal and
holdintr it in the blaze of a candle until the soot served
as ink, and then the impression was made by hand.

In justices' courts, the plaintiff w^as called the parte
actora, and the defendant the parte demandada. Ac-
cording to the ordenanza, where several soldiers were
tried jointly for the same crime of robbery, each was
obliged to name a separate defensor.

ESCRIBANOS,

007

It was the practice tliat persons called to act in
judicial investigations as eserihanos, or as testigos de
iisistencia. were sworn liv the fiscal or iuez coniisiona-
do, to a faithful discharge of tlieir duties, one of wiiich
was to keep secret everything connected with the
case.

No officer in any way concerned as a party in a case
could act as fiscal or judge to investigate the same.
In whatever stage the proceedings might be, so soon
as he was named in any document or deposition as a
witness or party interested, his functions as such fiscal
luid to cease.

In suits before jueces do paz, for less amount than
$100, the judgment— el juicio— was verbal, v. ithout
the necessity of hombres buenos, although sometimes
these were brouLrht in, for the recoverv of $100 or
upwards; or in grave cnses of injury plaintiff and de-
fendant each a[)peared with their hombres bueniKs. If
the parties agreed, the case went no farther; in case of
iii)U-agreement,then testimony was taken, and a writ' en
judgment entered before a juez de primera instancia.

When creditors brought claims of less than ten
dollars before Judi^e Castanares, he would turn to
Ahrego, his clerk, and say, "Pay the claimants, so that
I may not have to listen to their talk."

Abel Stearns was addressing the old burly, rough,
l)ut <j;ood-natured Alcalde Antonio Machado, with one
loot on the round of a chair. The alcalde endured it
I'dfa while, and then exclaimed, "Senor, be kind enough
to al)andon the chair; this court objects to being ad-
(h'fssed by counsel standing on one foot, like a crane."

The old Spanish proceeding of making pi'isoners
kneel to hear their sentence when notified by the
judge and escribano was practised in Cal'' : 'ia, to
judge from the proceeding of fiscal Alfert!Z Sancliez
vvith the Indian Luis. In this case, it seems that the
]iiisoner had to kneel when notified of his acquittal— a
iiinre pertinent practice than the other.

Papel sellado, or stamped paper, was in Spanish

COS

CRIMES AND COURTS.

countries the source of considerable revenue, ^eeds
of sales of land, niort<(ages, notes — all docun jS re-
latin*; to money value above a certain amount, powers
of attorney, copies of marriage and baptism, nearly all
kinds of contracts — had to be written on such papt r.
In a lawsuit, the costs ran up enormously by reason of
the f^reut number of 'pliegos' of stamped paper which
the lawyer charged for.

Stamped pa[)er was issued in periods of two years.
That of the third class was worth two reales, and was
sufficient Wtr a power of attorney to collect soldiers' pay.

The stamped paper used in 1827 — in one instanci?
at least — bore the stamp of Carlos IV. for 1810 and
1811; that of Fernando VII. for 1814 and 1815; ami
the Mexican stamp for 1827 and 1828

The sentences in criminal cases were almost always
to labor on public works. Most of the offenders were
Indians, and the hi^^hest sentence in San I3ieoo in
]835-() was a year's labor for stealing a barrel of
aguardiente.

When not employed on public works, })' )n labor
was farmed out to private individuals. A re were;

no good jails, it was customary to Hog soui^ and fine
others. Occasionally, culprits were imprisoned and
worked in a chain-gang.

A case is cited of one Ramon Soto at San Jose,
charged by Juan Meresia of having pawned a seivipc
with him and then stealing it. The case was tried be-
fore John Burton, alcalde, who adjudged the defendant
guilty, and ordered him to pay a fine of $5, besides Si'>
for the scrape, and costs of court $1.75, or labor on the
public works. On another occasion, Thomas Joni.s
complained that Pedro Mesa had stolen his horse — the
defendant was fined $5, "and $9 for saddling the horse ;
and costs of court, taxed at $4.75; $2 for the guard. '

Pico, in 1845, ordered it published by bando that it
was connnon to see delinquents set at liberty, which
was a scandalous outrage on private interests, and the
right of the public to have crime punished — vindicta

WORKSHOPS RECOMMENDED.

fion

))ul»li('a — and was probably owing t(» the want of energy
oil the part of the local authorities. The government
jtn»|>(»se<l to put an end to it, and ordered the alcahle
t,» ste that crimes were punished in accordance with
tilt' laws.

in IH'.U) Cirovcrnor Gutierrez informed the alcalde
of Angeles that persons imprisoned for petty otlencis
iiiigiit go out and seek their food, others must ho main-
tiiiiicd at municii)al expense. To i)revent immorality
and misery in })risons, the g(»vernor recommendeil
wtiikshops to he established in the chief California
piisotis by means of private; contract which should
yield something to the prisoners.

Juan Malarin conn)laine(l to the judge of first
instance that an Indian was sentenced to the chain-
gang for having been drunk. The tribunal reproved
the judge, exi)ressing surprise at his conduct, the crime
buing one not subject to so severe a punishment.

To the j>iesident of the tribunal of justice, a com-
mission a[)[)ointed to visit the prisons of California
n'[iorted in 1842 : That the Monterey [nison contained
five persons, two dc razon and three neophytes. Tlu;
cuiiiniission j)ut the usual questions to the two, and tiiey
answered that from the time of their imprisomnent
they had been given no food; the authorities did not
know how they were to subsist. One of them during
tlie first days begged of certain persons, until tiu;
otlii'isat length jjave him some food that was brouirht
from their house. Often thev asked for water, and were
told there was no one to fetch it. From the situation
(if the prison the sun could not enter it; and there
Were other uiatters which the commission wished to
mention, but there was no space for them in the report.

Similar (piestions to tlie neopliytes elicited rei)lies
tliat they were sentenced to (juarry stones for the jetty ;
tliey were taken out to work at 8 a. m. and stoi)ped
at .") 1'. m; the only food they got in the twenty-four
iioui-s was a piece of raw meat at 9 a. m., and so small
a.s to leave nothiijg for su})[)er.

CVl.. I'AST. 3i)

filO

CRIMES AND COURTS.

Tlie commission then inspected tlie calabozo, and
were surprised at tlic picture it presented. It was
without any iioor but the bare earth, and ho wet tliat
a stick wouhl slide some distance into it. The walls
were black, and so dark that an object could not be
seen more than a yard ofF. There was neither liuht
nor ventilation, except through two small skylights;
it was very unhealthy, and the more so when many
peoj)le had to sleep there in. They had to use a barrel
as a privy, and the whole place was a sink-hole of iilth.
The connnission severely denounced the condition ot'
the prisons, and added that although criminals should
be punished, they should still be afforded the accom-
modations and comforts that reason and hunumity
dictate. Sii-ned by Jose Antonio Estudiho, Antonio
Maria Osio, and Jo ;e ^Earia Castanares.

In reply, Jose Fernandez, judge of first instance,
concerning the state of the i)ris(ms, ex])lains tliat the
causes complahied of arise from lack of funds to meet
expenses. The ])risoners can only be given meat suHi-
cient fer their subsistence. They are not, however, as
has been reprogonted, dying of hunger, or so wasteil
away as co be unable to work. The prison has no
jailer, nor any patio for the [uusoners to sun themstlvcs
in; and it has not been deemed prudent to take tliem
from the prison and ])lace them in tlu; plaza under
care of tlK> troops, I'rom which they could esca})e jukI
no one be I'esponsible. The meat is sup[)lied to tin in
raw, because there arc not a sufficient numbi'r to pay
for the cooking, neither is there a military escort to
take them to a place of labor.

CHAPTER XX.

A VERY HEALTHY COUNTRY.

Lasst, Vater, geniig seyn das grauaaiuo Spiel! — Scldller.

Said Charon to Mercury, to whom was due from the
Sty.x Kiver ferry-man certain monc}' for boat-tackle,
following Lucian : "I cannot give it you now, but if
war or pestilence should send souls iiither in paying
iiuuibers, you can make the amount and more by
clii'ating each one a little in tlie passage-money."
Considering that California never had a war, nor any
[K'stilcnce to speak of, there seems to have been con-
siderable sickness for such a very healthy country ; and
it is quite certain tb.at Charon found business better
after the introduction of civilization than before.

In physical appearance, the Californians were vastly
superior to the people of the other Mexican states.
Tall, muscular, and well favored, their complexion was
neither sallow like that of some, nor swarthy as is the
case of others. And they were probably as healthy
and athletic as any people in the world.

I'I'.ese characteristics were theirs by iidieritance;
for in the instructions of the viceroy to C'aptain Rivera,
it was ordered that the head of each family desiring
to (migrate to California should be a hale country
laborer, without blemish, physical or numd. Recruits
tor the presidios, selected with (^ven greater care,
Wire to bo of not less than eighteen nor more than
tliiity years of age, at least two varas in height, and
of In althy color and good presence, without marks of
any kind on body or face.

(«U1)

C12

A VERY HEALTHY COUNTRY.

Like Kentucky, Missouri, and all virgin lands
where there are present no counteracting causers,
California bred a fine race, notwithstanding the many
race intermixtures. Says Bayard Taylor in 184G:
"The Californians, as a race, are vastly suj)erior to the
Mexicans. Thev have laru;er frames, stronger muscle,
and a fresli, ruddy comple^^ion, entirely dift'erent from
the sallow skins of the tierra caliente, or the swarthy
features of those Bedouins of the west, the Sonorians.
The families of pure Castilian blood resemble in
features and build the descendants of the Valencians
in Chile and Mexico, whose original |)hy^ical superior-
ity over the natives of the other provinces of Spain
has not been obliterated by two hundred years of
transplanting,"

The first settlers were generally — with the excep-
tion t)f the governor, the missionaries, and a few of tlie
officers, who were Spaniards — from Sonora, Sinaloa,
and Xueva Vizcaya, and consequently of mixed race,
those of pure Spanish blood being comparatively few.

The child of Spanish blood born in America is a
criollo; the offspring of Si)aniard and Indian, i\ mestizo ;
that of Spaniard and negro, a mulato; that of free
negroes, a moreno, and of free mulatos, a pardo; that
of negro and Indian, a zamhahitjo, zamho, or camhujo;
that of Spaniard and mestizo, ficiiarteron; that of Span-
iard and nmlato, a In}>o. Coyote is a generic term a|)
})Iied, when human beings are referred to, to an Indian
born in New Spain.

Even the non-commissioned officers were, to a con-
siderable extent, of mixed lineage, and the wives of the
soldieis were in many cases Indinns. Single men on
arriving in the country took to themselves wives fnini
among the neophytes, in the absence of women (f
their own race, and their descendants continuing ti»
intermarry, most of the geiite de razon, or sentient
beinys -bv which liiuh-soundiniT desiu:nation tlit'^o
people of mixed lineage loved to distinguish tli'i'i
selves from their kinsmen among the neoph}'tes ami

SMALL WOMEN.

613

the unconverted savages, even in the third generation —
consisted of individuals of every conceivable gradation
of mingled Spanish and Indian blood, at the same time
taking great pride and comfort in considering them-
selves of pure Spanish descent.

Later, the class of immigrants from Mexico was, to a
great extent, compi>sed of men and women of mixed
race. About 1830 there began to arrive Americans
and Europeans, chiefly from Great Britain, who
married women of the country; the mixture of races
1)1 coming in this way still more complicated, although
the traces of Indian linea<;e jrraduallv became less,
until at the time of the American conquest they were
scarcely {)erceptible.

The women of California were rather small; they
were brunettes with fine black hair, good teeth, and
generally Avell favored. They were remarkably fecund,
and marrying as they did at an early age, at thirty a
woman was generally the mother of five or six ehil-
»hen, while families of twelve, or even twenty, were
not u iconimon, and in several instances this latter
number was exceeded. In 1828 the births were to
tlio dcatlis as three to one.

Why should it not be so ? All else was fecund, while
still the missionaries sanjjf "and onlv man is vile."
The mothers could usually count their children; with
tli(^ fathers the task was more difficult. Some essayed
to distinguish them all ; others a part. Igna<io Vallejo
"oimted 12 chikh-en; .Toaijuin Carrillo, 12; Jose de
la Guerra, 10; Jose Argiiello, 1.3; J. M. Pico, D; Fran-
cisco Sepulvetla, 1 1 ; J. M, Ortega, 1 1 ; J. Bandini, 10;
y H'rrevesa, 11: ^I. G. Vallejo, 12; Josefa Vallejo,
I 1 ; Fel. Sobcranes, 10; J. A. Castro, 20. Juana Cota
(lied leaving 500 <leseen<lants.

"A native was pointed out to mo one day," says
Taylor, "as the father of thirty-six children, twenty
of whom were the product of his fir.st marriage, and
sixteen of his last. Another, who had been married
twelve years, already counted as many heirs." Secun-

A VERY HEALTHY COUNTRY.

dino Robles got by one wife twenty-nine children.
Jose Maria Martin Ortega was the oldest of twenty-
one children, and himself the father of twentv-one.
One of his sisters had twenty-two. The wife of J. A.
Castro had twenty-six children; Mrs Hartnell had
twentv-five. Lieutenant Wise met at Monterey a
woman thirty-seven years old, the mother of nineteen
children, and apparently able to have as many more.
In the vicinity of Santa Bdrbara were a couple of
(jente del j)<^i^ ^^'ho in 1850 had seen before their
eightieth year 105 children, grandchildren, and great-
grandchildren. During the journey of the Hijar colo-
nists to San Juan Bautista, one of the carts contain-
ing women and children was at a certain point upset;
when righted, it was found that two more colonists
had been added to the number, apparently as well as
any of them. Since the conquest, the fecundity «>f
women not native to the soil has been the subject <»t'
frequent remark. In 1848 there were born in Sono
ma, then a hamlet consisting of some forty families,
no less than nine pairs of twins and one set of triplets.

This proliticness was by every one attributed to the
climate, or to the virtues of some particular spiing.
Women who for somt years had borne no childixMi
on coming to California regained their fecunditv, and
those hitherto childless became fruitful.

W^hen Mrs Benjamin Hayes, who was an invaliil,
came to Los Angeles in 1850, the native women ex-
pressed surprise that she had no children. "But
never mind," they said in their kind-hearted efforts to
comfort her, "California es muy fertil. " And so the
good woman soon found it to be.

But while the mixed race thus multiplied, the abo-
riginal lords of the land declined. Here as elsewhere
those twin gifts of civilization to the red man, disca-e
and di.stilled liquor, wrought their wonted ills; more-
over, the Indian women, naturally not very fecund,
sought to prevent childbirth by the use of the tlioi n-
appTe, this custom, perhaps, bein^' also of comparatively
recent introduction.

LONG LIVED PEOPLR

615

The Californians were moreover a long-lived people;
woll-authentioutid cases of great longevity were not
at all infrequent among the Indians as well as among
those of mixed race. Many individuals reached tlie
age of eight} or ninety, while the years of not a
few have excei'dod one hundred. Indeed, Father
Martinez of San Miguel wrote that there were at that
mission several Indian women of more tlian one hun-
dred years of age. At Angeles Antonio Valdes died
in 18j1) at the aire of ninetv-two, and in 1858 Guada-
liipe Romero aged one hundred and fifteen. Marfa
Iiiiuioia, an Indian woman, reached the asje of ninetv-
six; Fernando and Placido, Indians, were at tlie time
of their deatli, respectively, one hundred and two and
one hundred and thirty-seven years old. A short time
before his decease, the latter had danced at a fandango.
Crisostoino Galindo was livin«»; in 1875 at the aije of
one hundred and three. ^laria !Marcelina Dominguez,
on whose land the famous grape-vine of Santa Biir-
liuia grew, died in 1805 aged one hundred and seven.
Ursula Madariaga, who was twelve years old when in
1 7 (>7 the Jesuits were expelled from Mexico, died at
Monterey in 185G. Justiniano Roxas, an Indian who
died at Santa Cruz in 1875, was ba[)tized at that
mission in 179"J; and in the entry of his baptism, it is
noted by the ofHciating jiriest that he was then at least
forty years of age. Eulal a Perez, who died in 1878,
at the time of dictating her recollections in December
ls77, laid claim to one hundred and thirtv-nine vears,
but did not present any proofs. I saw her in 1874,
and she certaiidy did not appear so aged. From my
own observation, as well as from a careful consideration
of the evidence, I ain inclined to think that she was
born not before 17G0.

On the other hand, diseases of many kinds pre-
vented a correspontling increase of population among
the gente dt> razon, and ran riot among the neophytes.
Of all these diseases, syphilis, in its many varied mani-
testations, was the most wiiK'lv disseminated amonir

GIG

A VERY HEALTHY COUNTRY.

all (lasses and b^th races. It is inipossiblV> to deter-
mine whether or not in 17()i) the evil already existed
here; for it might well have been brought hither by
the sailors of Cabrillo and Vizcaino; its existence, at
sonic of the missions at h^ast, dates fr«»m the arrival
of Anza's expedition in 177(5. The disease sjmad
with frightful rapidity, and as early as 1805, sypliilis.
together with its legitimate offspring, scrofula and
consumption, yearly caused the death of hundreds at
the several missions, while the subsequent annual re-
ports of the friars almost invariably give these diseases
as the chief causes of death. "It is almost universal,
both among Spaniards and Indians," says Langsdm If,
"and occasions so much the greater devastation amoiitr
them as they themselves resolutely reject all medical
assistance for it." Karelv did a neophvte reach thf
age of sixteen without showing signs of the disease,
while frequently the symptoms were present at birth,
in such children as mothers did not, owing to tluir
own diseased condition, abort. Manv (»f the friars
themselves, notably those of the college of GuadahiiH'.
were contaminated, and many men of respectable jm^i-
tion died of the effects of a disease by some considered
incurable.

Other diseases, never entirely absent from the set-
tlements and the missions, and frequently vi'ry fatal
at the latter, were dvsenterv, catarrhal fevers, ami
pleurisy. These diseases, which seem to have hiiii
more prevalent at the begiiming of the rainy siasmi
and just after the rains ceased, were aggravati'd ly
the want of cleaidiness among the neojthytes, as well
as bv their gluttonv, added to a lack of care on tlio
]>art of their ignorant associates, and the dangerously
slight knt>wle(li'e of medicine in almost all instaiuvs
possessed by the friars, their only physicians.

Epidemic diseases, liovvever, were not infrequent;
and of these the most dreaded, although by no means
the most fatal, was the small-pox. which on several
occasions visited the country. In 1781 this disease is

ON THE ALERT.

617

Wild to have made its appoaranoo among tlu; fliildron
(if the immisjfrants who came with Captain Rivera I'rom
Lori'to. Tlie party encamped about a lea<:;iie distant
from the mission of San Gabriel, and remained tliere,
presumably, until the disappearance of the symptoms,
which, as they were confined to children, may have
been like those of chicken-pox. Certainly the disease
could not have been of an alarming type.

But early in 17i)8 the authorities were on the alert,
and on the i)th of ^fay the ship (\»i('ej)cio>i, with
several cases of small-pox on board, arrived at Santa
liiirbara. The governor immediately ordered the ves-
sel to be disinfected, and the passengers placed in
(juarantine for fort}' days. As the five sick ])ersons
recovered, and the infection did not spread, the com-
iiKiiidant of the town, some three weeks after the ves-
srl's arrival, in disregard of the governor's onh-rs,
released the passengers from quarantine. The gov-
ernor was furious, and swore tliat shoukl the disease
gain footing in the country the commandant shouM
hang for it, and that the representation which, signed
Ity tiie friars and others who had landed from the sliip
as wtll as by the ofticers of the garrison, had been for-
warded to the capital, would not suftice to shield him.
llap|)ily for rJl, the infection did not spread.

Kaily in May 1838, the small-pox, the appearance
of wliieh had been for months anticipated with chead,
wa-^ i»rought from Ross to Sonoma by one Miramontes,
a negro corporal of cavalry, and spread with friglitful
rajtidity among the wihl Indians, thousands of whom
cru'i. It is estimated that fullv three fifths of tin;
savage population of the Sacramento Valley were
swipt awav. The infection does not seem to havi?
«pnad south of Monterev, but evervwhere it was verv
fatal among the Indians, while sparing the gente de
razon.

Again, in May 1844, the same scourge made its
apinarance, brought from San l^las by the kanaka
n\w of the California. One man was put ashore at

CIS

A VKRY HEALTHY COUNTUY.

Capo Sail Lucas and died there; another died wliIlc
tlie vessel lay at San Pedro, and a third died ut sea
before reachintj ^Monterey. The other kanakas wtiv
nearly well when the schooner arrived at tiie latter
place, and no one of her many passengers caujjjht the
infection. But the disease spread among the Indians
at Monterey, it is said, from the clothing which Lai-
kin, one of the passengers, gave to his servant to l)t'
washed. Ahout one hundred Indians died, but only
one ])erson de razon. Considerable alarm was felt
throughout the southern country, particularly at San
Gabriel, owing to a venereal eruption, and at other
places because of a kind of itch; but the disease was
confined to Monterey.

A curious disease was that which afflicted many of
the carlv missionaries. It was characterized by niel-
ancholy, nervous prostration, and finally perturbatieii
of the intellect. In 1799 two insane friars were
allowed to retire to their college; and within a few
years previous to that time there had been S("\< i;il
similar cases. / ' sence from the country invariahly
worked a cure.

As late as 1830 the Californians regard' d consump-
tion as contagious. When a person tlied of that (lis
ease, his clothing and effects were burned, and the
walls of the room scraped and whitewashed. On one
occasion, while governor Pablo Vicente de Sola riileil
the Californians, a wealthy Sj^aniard died, leaviuL;' tin-
whole of his property to the fondo piad<*so do las Cali-
fornias; but as he had been a consuujj)tive, his i'uriii-
ture and clothing were consigned to the flames, and in
the excitement the iewclry and nionev which he had
will(>d to the fondo piadoso were lost or stolen. WIuii
the case was re[)orted to Mexico, the president of tin
college of San Fernando, who had been made adminis-
trator of the property, began suit against tiic autiiori-
ties of the then province of the Californias, from whom
he claimed the full value of the property destroyed
and stolen. The lawsuit lasted nearly twenty years,

THK 1)I.SEASE LATIDO.

CIO

Uiicl was finally decided auj'aitist tho priesthood i;i 1843
liy (jiovtrnor Micheltorena, who impiovrd tlio oppor-
tunity for the purpose of giving to Bisliop Garcia
Diego, the first ecclesiastic who held that high office
in this country, a lesson as to the loose manner in
Avhicli the ministers of the altar .attended to their
duties.

In IS02, ahout the close of the rainy season, there
ni)[)eared, notably at Montere}*, La Soledad, and San
Luis Obispo, an epidemic, of whicli tiie symptoms were
a cough, pains in various parts of the body, and later
fover, accompanied in the majority of cases by a stric-
ture of the throat. This disease, very fiital at La
Siiledad but less so at other places, was attributed to
a eiumge of temperature, and in the opinion of eccle-
siastics and laymen alike, yielded to prayer rather
than to human remedies. It is a ])ity that all di;;-
lases will not yield to prayer, and death also, and all
otlitr infelicities; but how then would heaven be
peopled ?

Langsdorff heard of a disease at San Jose called the
hitldo, wliich was confined to adults. It bctjan bv a
]iulsation in the lower belly, which constantly in-
civascd; pains were fi>lt in that region, and in the
neck, as thouHi a strinsj were drawn ti<j:htlv over those
parts; loss of appetite was attended by sickness and
uu indurated condition of the belly; cram])s were fre-
quent, and even in male patients hysterical afierlions.
The sulierer misfht liiiLier, but iiraduallv wasted awav

and tlied. No satisfactory cause was assiy;ned to this

r "

disease.

In 1819, no supplies having arrived from Mexico
during a period of several months, a ])lague of lico
came upoti the troops at San Francisco, who were put
ti) great shift for Wiint of clothing, and were in conse-
quence unable to keep themselves clean. Any one
pfssincr the door of the guard-house was immediately
<"v. led by these insects, for the wind eirried them
liitlicr and thither. Bathing in the sea and boiling

620

A VERY HEALTHY COUNTRY.

their g.arinonts gave somo relief, or ratlier a respite;
but the annovaiu'e continued until in 1820 trade Mith
the Ilussiuns op»'ned.

Toward the close of Xovomher 1802, an epidemic, the
nature of whicli is not specified, a[>peared at Anj^i l( s.
and although not fatal, was so prevalent tliat it wa;
necessary to postpone for simio three weeks a priiiiaiv
election ordered to be held on the first Sunday in
December; for meanwhile not only were the Imu'
judj]jes of election unable to serve, but scarcely a vdti.r
could leave his house. A person signing hiiiisrlf
Trapper says that lie was in the Sacramento and San
Joa(iuin valleys in 1832, when they were crowdid
with Indians, and again in the following year, win ii a
fearful visitation of remittent fever, more violent than
anv^ recorded in their traditions, had caused the alnntst
utter annihilation of these people.

At the missions, and sometimes among the geutc dr
razon, the greatest devastation was caused hy tin
nuasles. In 180G this disease, hitherto unknown in
the country, raged for many montiis, and carried dtl
the neophytes by scores. Almost all the pregnant
women affected by it miscarried, and nearly all tlio
children at the more northern missions died. Tlir
gento de razon who fell ill on this occasion alnmst
invariably recovered, while the disease did not sjiitad
among the gentiles. In 1827-8, however, the havoc
wrought by this disease was more wide-spread, thonuh
not as great. On this occasion many childri ii tie
razon also were victims.

At tlie missions, a variety of causes contributed t'
a mortality among the Indians about this tiiin , pn-
hapa unecjualled in any country. The followin;^ taUo
of the death-rate among the neophytes, from the
first occupation of the country until the secular! /.a timi
of the missions, has been carefully made up fnun
the statistical tables printed iu another part v( this
series;

V.ar Ad'lt

iTiiii r>.rtr>

177n (J.l_>
1771 8.11
I77l' 8.0J
I77;i (i.M
1771 7.03
177.". 0.1)7
177ii,'4.7L'
1777, (I.G.'i
177s ().!>:»
J77li,().J.-)
17 so .j.L'.'J
17>si r>.84
I7VJ 4.4-t
17.S;i'4.46|
17m 4.24
17s.-> .•{..•}<)

17m; .■).l'o

1787 .'{.85

17vs .-».(>;}

17.S1I (!.02

I7!N) s.isl

Fur GO ye

^Ttii a;

tilt' India

less genei

sily 1)0 re

<d' (juasi i

mission n

tiling les

it'ehli'd ali

at tinic's i

tlicjr uid):

aile(|uateh

tluy fell a

liitliorto 1<

urally fijtii

dvvvd tlie

I'/»lt of UK

times becc
t'i'ea.sc tht
tliei'o was,
taldc wani
wliefc ther

THE DEATH RATE.

021

Y.ar'Aint<.

ClilM.

Both

lYear

Ad'lU

ihlUl.

Hoth

! Year

AillLs

Cl'iWi.

lioth

1 %

~ir

ITilli .-..Tm

20. 0()

8.»)9

1 791

5.84

10.00

7.39

1813

r>.32

14.80

7.08

177n (J. I-'

14.28

7.21

IT'.hJ

0.42

10.01

7.85

1814

5.43

13.15 0.82

1771 8.U

V.i.Vd

9.08

1793

3.99

12.77

0.77

1815

7.02

15.77

8.54

177J;8.0J

12.95

9.48

'1794

4.20

14.44

0.5(1

,1810

0.10

10. 00

8.28

177:'. (5.11

10. G2

7.53

1795

5.18

19.41

8.44

,1817

0.37

14.98

8.03

1771 7.0J

8.87

7.01

I7'.>0

0.27

19.74

9.10

1818

0.28

15.40

8.00

i:7.-. CUT

10. 57

8.09

1797

4.97

14.15

7.05

;1819

5.37

14.10

7.13

177i;:4.72

0.13

5.17

1798

5.40

15.77

7.80

1820

5.50

12.07

0.98

1777 •>.(».">

14.25

8.0()

;i799

5.15

20.81

9.05

1821

5.31

14.23

7.00

177> (l.'JL'

i!).:i8

7.52

1800

7.12

l;i.82

9.13

1822

0.17

17.40

8.39

17711 »>.).■>

10.19

7.45

|18;)I

7.02

14.0.1

8.87

11823

5.01

15.0)

0.95

17 so r).'2;j

9.12

0.00

1802

8.97

15.00

10.45

1824

5.81

11.18

0.87

17s 1 ->.84

11.71

7.79

1803

5.71

15.46

7.84

1825

0.83

12.8.-.

7.97

17 v.- 4.44

10. (M

0.31

;i804

0.28

20.00

9.01

1820

5.70

9.55

0.57

17«:i'4.4G

9.0?

0.10

il805

5.53

10.09

7.01

1827

0.05

15.50

7.95

17>si 4.24

7.12

5.10

,18;h>

13.50

32.34

17.02

1828

7.17

21.37

9.87

17S.-. .S.3»

0.74

4.40

1807

5.91

14.01

7.54

1829

5.37

9.08

0.23

17Ni .■>.20

9.2(i

0.55

1808

5.05

14.53

7.31

1830

4.18

7.54

4.79

17S7 .-{.SS

8.14

5.31

1809

4.90

14.74

0.70

1831

5.38

7.48

5.79

17sN .">.<)3

9.41

0.07

;1810

5.30

12.41

0.05

1832

7.10

7.70

7.23

17S'.I ti.O'J

8.93

7.05

l.Sll

5.92

15.57

7.04

18.33

0.01

10.93

7.07

17'.H) H.IS

7.97

8.09

1812

0.(H>

14.59

7.08

1834

5.02

9.37

5.98

For 00 years, average, adults 5.93%, c-liildruu 13.29%, both 7.00%.

^[eii and women, even of a people so aUjt^ct as were
tilt' Indians of ( iilifornla, born to a freedom for count-
lis.s L;'enerations enjoyed by their kindred, eannot ea-
sily l)e reduced, without sufteriny; by it, to a eoiulition
(if (juasi shivery, such as was in eH'ect tlie lot of the
mission neophytes, whose very children were some-
tliiiiL;' less than their kinsmen t)f the woods. En-
ftcl tied also by unaccustomed labor and unwonted diet,
at times insutticient, but not infre(|uently, because of
till ir unbriilled gluttony, exces.sive, as well as by in-
a(l(i|uately ventilated and unclean sU'i'[)ing apartnu'iits,
tlicy fell an easy prey to di.seascs more fatal than any
liitliorto known amtiHg them, and to which their nat-
urally filthy personal hal)its and mode of living ren-
iKii'd them highly susce[)til>le. Ign.>rance on the
jKiit of mothers, added to a want of pro[H'r cure, at
times becoming criminal inhumanity, tended to in-
civase the mortality among children. Moreover,
tlirio was, throughout the entire country, a lamen-
taiilt' waiiL of medical aid, especially at the missions,
while there was available only the empiric skill of the

622

A VERY HEALTHY COUNTRY.

fiiars, or the equally daiit^orous practice of the nativ*^
iiU!dit'ine-ineii. Anioiig the iieophytt'S there Sfoiiis to
have been a marked failure of female ottfs[)riiig, dui- t<<
some natural law, or possibly, in great part, to the de-
liberate intention of infanticidal mothers. At all tht-
missions, the number of males was excessive, and raids
similar to that recorded in Koman history were en-
couraged by the ministers themselves for the purpose
of su}>plying the needed wives. From the earliest
times, the frightful mortality at the missions, esjK -
cially those of the north, and notably San Francisco
and Santa Clara, attracted the attention of.the author-
ities, civil and ecclesiastic. The excess of deaths o> < r
births was always great, and, as I have said, the (U li-
cit was made good byconversions, sometimes by I'oici-
ble abduction, among the neighboring free Indians.

It is true that a surgeon accompanied an early
expedition to Monterey; but he became demented on
arriving, and was unable even to put proper labels on
the packages of medicines which had been brought
for di.stribution to the jifferent missions. Later tin i
was a surgeon almost constantly under pa}', as < II
as a phlebotomist, but they were attached to iIk
Monteiey presidial company, and rarely absented
themselves from the capital, at times absolutely it

fusing to do so.

Herewith I give a list of surgeons:

Name.

Uank.

Term of
Service

l-f.9-1771

Pay.

Kemark.-i.

Pedro Prat

.Surgeon

Demented in 1770; died in Jltx.

Poflro Castan.

.Surtieon .

177;M774

Ad interim.

Jdm'- liavila

Suriteon ..

1774-17«3

Iti.-eharued.

Klaniu'l Moreno

Suriieon

178."i

Ordered to Cnl. ; did not rdiiiiv

J'eiiro Curbajal

Surseou

17NV1787

.\<'ting at variouii time^.

Pablo SoIiT.

Surtjeoii

171.1-lNOO

11840

i!;{tio

Uesigued.

Josi' Ca.itillo

Phlebotomist.

17^'J-1W8

Juan de l>io8 Moreluii.

Surgeon

180()-1.S02

Kelieved.

Manuel lorres

surseon

IWl'J-l.HOJi

Ifti.'H)
* iJlVH)

Iiesi*;ned.

Jose? Maria Itenites

Surtreon .

1,S0:<-1807

Kxelianged with Quijano.

Manuel ijuijano

Surtieon.

1S07-1824

ifil.OOO
l|(l,.')00

J. hvan. Perez de ',eon

Surtreon .

IH'iU

A. Uonz. del Castillo

Surueon

18;i0

Ordered to Cal.; did noi iniiu"

Manuel de Alva. .

Surgeon .

IMl-1840

Ijil.nOO

Retired ou sick certifieaio.

tianuel Crespo

I'lilebiitomitit

l'^12

1 !*;o

11840

Kdward hale

Surgeon

1840-1843

Kesigned.

Fuuatiuo Muro

1844

4;i,4i3

* In 1S04 was increased to ,f l.OOO per annum. From 1771 until 1773, and acain from
1783 to 178:> there wua uo surgeon iu the service.

NEED OF PHYSICIANS.

623

In 1804 tlic vicoroy, in view of the alarnrm«jf nior-
tiility at the missions, increased tlie pay of tiie sur-
ufon, with the understanding^ tliat he should each
year make a tour of tiie country for the purpose of
s('ii(iin'^ to Mexico a report concerning the diseases of
the gente de razon, as well as those of the neophytes,
tluir causes and treatment. These orders were re-
jKtited in the follo\vin«( year, the bishop of Sonora
also interesting himself in the matter, and Surgeon
l^enitez made a tour of inspection to the northward of
Monterey, and to the southward as far as San Luis
Obispo. The results of his observations he eiid)odied
ill ;i long and able report. No other extended tour
stcius to have been made, cither by him or by his
siuct'ssors; after two or three years, the custom ap-
jit ars to h tve fallen into abeyance, and was never
revived by the Mexican government, except on one
occasion. Indeed, with the single exception of IJenitez,
tlic surgeons appear to have possessed but little pro-
fessional skill, while some of them lacked jn-oper
liKilcssional titles. No man of parts seemed t») be
williiio; to come to California, notwithstanding the
jj^ovcinment's oft'er of additional pay, while not even
nil increase of pay, amounting to more than fifty per
cent, proved an inducement sufficient to retain compe-
tent men. These men, moreover, constantly complained
<if the denial of perquisites and privileges which they
(leciiicd their due.

Later, the country was still without medical men,
and ill l(S29, Echeandia reporteil that there were none
ill the territoiy, uidess twi) or three (juacks migl.t be
se. coiisiilered. Afterward, and previous to 1 4^5, a
liiniti'd mnnber of quasi jthysicians, chiefly foreigners,
piiK ti->ed at various i)laces, and the surgeons of for-
eign war vessels were frequently called upon. Fr.n-
cisco Torres, a Mexican, was in practice at Monterey
ill ' S;15 ; John Marsh obtahied a license to practise
iiKihcineat Angeles, February 25, 183G; Nicholas Den
was practising at Santa Barbara; Edward Bale, an
Kiiglishman, came before 1837; Robert Mouey, a

esA

A VERY HEALTHY COUNTRY.

Scdtohman, with no diploma or medical knowlodofo,
pnu^tised medicine at Angeles in 1844. Hartnell, in
a letter to Wyllie, 1844, says that a young Irish sur-
geon had just settled at Angeles, and that a surgeon
for the troops was about to arrive from Mexico, luit
that tliere were no physicians or even apothecaries in
tlie country. At Monterey, in March 184G, John
Townsi'ud and Andres Castillero, the latter not a med-
ical man, signed a certificate of ill health as 'profesons
de medicina.' In June 184(5, Francisco de la Gueria
writes from Santa Bilrbara to the governor, that for
want of good medical men in the country he has been
obliged to employ the surgeon of a British war vessel.

The results of the practice of the frii rsat their mis-
sions gave greater force to the time-honored cus-
tom of the Indians, who almost invariably preferird
their own medicine-men; so that not infrequently tlu'
missionaries, with politic shrewdness, comprehendiiii;
their own wtxikness, wisely abandoned their field to
tlieir more successful fellow-practitioners whenover
the treatment consisted in the employment of simjdcs,
as was usually the case, severely punishing neverthe-
less all cases of sorcery that came within tiioir
knowledge.

As late as 1828 the corporal of the guard at Santa
Ines reported to his counnanding otticor at Santii
liiirbara that three of the neo{)hytes of that mission
mad(! a practice of danciiigin one of the houses ottho
ranchen'a, and t)f bringing thither tho.se of their com
radcs who were dangeriRisly sick; the latter Ikmml; in-
formed that each one \vlu» had danced should contiihute
beads or some other ottering, in order tluit the (huuv
mi«'Iit find favor in the eves of the devil, and thrv in
conse(pience be healed. The culprits were injpnsoned
on a charge of sorcery, and admitting the cliaiyv,
were S'Mitenced by their minister to be whipped and
remolded to prison. The commandant onh'riiig an
Investigation, it aj)peared that the dancing took |ihur
on two several occasions, and that the sorcery co!isi>t»il
in touching the sick witii feathers as our [>riests toncli

SIMPLE REMEDIES.

623

persons with holy water, the medicine-men meanwliilo
(lancing. On the second occasion, some of tlie by-
standers ridiculed the proceed injjf.s, and one of the
prisoners threatened to bring about the deatli of the
sko[)tic8 by means of a coni[)osition of herbs. The
prisoners were kept closely confined for some fourteen
months, when it was ordered l)y the connnandant-
gciicral, to whom the matter had been refenvd, that
ill consideration of this fact, one of theni .should be
released, while the others should, in the presence of
the assembled neophytes, receive twenty-five blows
each.

In certain ca.ses, especially for the treatment of
arrow- wounds, the gente de lazon depended almost
entirely upon the skill of tluir Indian dependents.
These men, conscious of their power, at times giving
tluMr services only after n.uch entreaty, cured or
kilK'd as it happened. Even as late as 1844 these
Indian practitioners were 'k great demand, and were,
no (h)ubt, for the most part as good as any.

Drugs of various kindt^ for distribution amoni; the
uiissions were brought by the surgeon who accom-
piiiiied the first expedition, and afterward a fresh
sui)ply was from time to time sent from Mexico ; some-
times the stock on hand was excessive, but much more
hvijuently there were scant supplies or none at all,
wiiiio generally their quality was none of the best.

The remedies most in vogue were the simples which
grow in every garden in tlie land. Upon these they
depended rather than upon the drugs of which the use
was not well understood. A decoction of borage
leaves was very efficacious in catarrh, inHuenza, and
the like. In 1814 a tree resembling the cinchona was
touiul in abundance at Quiniado, near San Antonio;
the bark was used as a febrifuge, but being sent to
Spain for examination, was found not to contain (pii-
nino sufficient to make it valuable. For the itch, baths
were given. The thermal waters of San Diego, Santa
Hilrbara, and San Juan Capistrano w-jre frequently

Cal. Past. 40

626

A VERY TfEALTHY COUNTRY.

resorted to. Until they saw the Spaniards use these
baths tlie Indians would not do so; for having seen in
them dead birds and the like, they feared their effect.
The virtues attributed to the water of the sprin;^
called Polin have already been alluded to, and are also
spoken of by Sanchez. In various diseases, mint was
a favorite remedy. Plenty of vegetable food was
recommended by Surgeon Benites, In 1802, after an
epidemic had raged unchecked for three months at
Monterey, prayer proved an eftective remedy. In
1 8 GO a clove of garlic, applied by Mrs Estudillo to
the third finger of the left hand of Judge Hayes,
while causing pain and raising a blister, cured tlie
toothach€\ In 1817 Father Suner had satisfied him-
self that the chief cause of death among the neophytes
was the weaving of woollen garments, for the sweat of
these people, being very viscid, was with difficulty
washed from them, and that the remedy lay in the
cultivation of hem[) and flax. In 1823 Father Oil
opined, with considerable reason, if the reports touch-
ing his own condition were true, that for galico there
was no other remedy than the providence of God.
This opinion Father Abella supplemented by sayiiii^
that the Indians did not care for their health, but like
every son of Adam, pined for freedom and women.
Bleeding was resorted to in cases of pleurisy.

The most extrat)rdinary remedies are those men-
tioned in a little book called Jiotica General dc los
I\C)H((h'os Kjrpcrimoitmlini, reprinted from the Ci'uliz
eilition, and publi.shed, in all seriousness, by M. d.
ValK'jo at Sonoma in 1838. Each remedy h.ad luon
catefnlly tested by experience, many of them briiiui"g
to mind those of the Chinese pharmacopa'ia, ^vili^'
some apjuar to have been in vogue among birds, Tlif
date of the publication is a sufficient comment on the
condition of medical science in California at thattiiiK'.
The last remedy of the li.st is not the least curious. It
reads thus: For impaired eye-sight, do as the swallow
does — bruise the leaves of swallow-wort and anoint tin'

RED WINE AND ROSEMARY.

627

2se
I ill

3Ct.

in;j;

[ilso

was

r an

.8 at
111

lo to

ayes,

I "the
bim-

hytes

cat of

[iculty

ill the

cr Oil

itouch-

► there
(;o(l.
ayiuii;
ut like
^ouieii.

mcn-

dc y

CiUliz

lI in'on
riiviiiig

\vhiK'
Tho

on tlio
lit tiuH".
lus. It
l\vall"«'

hint til'-

eyes with the juice. For earache, fill the ears with

'orines propios calientes. ' For constipation, imitate

the ibis, and use a clyster of salt water. An agreeable

renied}'^ was a decoction of red wine and rosemary,

which was prescribed for weakness, and was said to be

very comforting, while as a wash, it preserved beauty

and banished wrinkles. A glassful of sugar water,

with the unimportant addition of a like quantity of

aguardiente, whenever one felt inclined, gladdened the

heart, purified the blood, was exceedingly good for

the head and stomach, cleansed the spleen, and opened

the appetite. The toothache was cured by canying

ill the mouth the eye-tooth of a man, or that of a

black dog. Cancer yielded to a wash distilled from

wine in which rosemary leaves and flowers had been

boiled. Pleurisy was cured by 'excremento del ca-

ballo reciente,' dissolved in wine, and well strained :

and the same liquor taken internally aided difficult

j)arturition. A reme*^}' that should be recorded in

letters of gold was the foHowing: Take a ra<lisli cut

in four pieces, and two drams of powdered broom

sec>d; put them in half a pint of white wine to which

a few drops of lime-juice had been added, and leave

tlicni there for twenty-four hours. This draught

would dissolve a stone in the bladder, though it were

as big as a lemon. Chicken stewed in wine cured

catarrh, and CLTiis boiled in vinegar the dvsentcrv.

That the colic may never return, drink for several

successive davs a decoction of mint, and 1)0 l>hd at

the wane of the moon in Mav, or drink dailv simie

aguardiente with a fresh v<^[X in it. For the bh»<i(Iv

m\\, use a clyster of the blood of a sucking j)ig. For

kidney complaints, eat four ounces of fresh butter, and

iuuiicdiatcly afterward drink half a jiint of white wine.

Scorbutic tumors were dissolved by the a})|»lication of

cluths moistened in a liqt")r distilled from vipers. For

erysipelas, sprinkle the face with the fresh blood of a

Mack hen, and tie to the neck a twig of broom. For

jiiundice, eat radishes and sugar, and place over the

628

A VERY HEALTHY COUNTRY.

lieart a poultice of the same in a cloth dyed with coclii-
Ileal ; this is also a cure for melancholy. For excessive
vomiting apply to the pit of the stomach a cataplasm
of roast pork and veal. Wasli the swellings produced
by chilblains with water in which sardines have been
cooked. Powdered s(K)t, sage, and salt, mixed with
the white of an egg, and bound around tlie wrists, will
prevent a continuance of fever and ague. Powdered
nmstard seed, well sifted and used as snuff — in mod-
eration tliough, for the habit grows upon one — will
enable one t<^ comprehend more in an hour than others
who do not know the remedy can in a day.

As may readily be supposed, no judicious system
<»f treatment was p<issible among a rude people abhor-
ring national cures, and whose diseases, when n<»t
inevitable, seemed almost to be sought. And as to
the practitioners of medicine themselves, there seemtd
to he exercised but little supervision. In early times,
milittjry surgeons were by royal edict compelled to
give immediate notice to the civil authorities of any
ease wherein tlieir services were required. The fii>t
• Moission to do so was punished by a fine of twenty-
five dollars; a second offence by a fine of double that
amount, and banishment for two years to a distance
of twenty leagues; a third transgression by a fine of
one hundred dollars, and four years in the chain-gaiiLf.
But this regulation fell into disuse. In fact, it seenicci
to be the general (►pinion that the use of medicines
was injurious rather than useful, their abuse tending
I'Vcn to retard tlie desired increase of population. Tlic
alcalde of Santa Barbara, in a report made to the gov-
ernor, in July l.S;]4, thought that the empirical prac-
tice of such physicians as were then in the country
had shown that they were not i)nly unnecessary, hut
prejudicial to the propagation of the human race.

As is to this day generally the case in Spanish Anicr-
ica, to be of Anglo-Saxon race was tantamount to l/ciiiLT
a physician, and much evil was wrought in Califrouia
by American and British prctendeis.

A CRYING EVIL.

C29

So prylnp^ an evil had tlie quackery of these men
become, that in 1844 the governor decreed that any
one pretending to practice medicine or surgery should,
previous to receiving a license from an ayuntamiento
or judge, produce documentary proof that he was what
lie claimed to 1k'. The decree also regulated the price
of the medicines furnished, and the amount of the fee
which might be demanded. ])isobedience wns pun-
ished b}^ fine, and continued transgression by ex[)ul-
sion from the place where the culprit resided.

From the earliest times the neophytes, seeing that
tlie gente do razon possessed no knowl(>dge even of
the diseases introduced by themselves, manifested
great repugnance to the treatment prescribed at the
missions, and in these eases, refusing to submit thereto,
held to their ow!i traditional remedies in all coini)iaints
of which they had a knowleilge. Their chief remedy
for all ills was the temeseal, to the use of which
the most strenuous objection was made b}- the civil
authorities, as well as the missionarii'S, who often
ordered the temescales to bi> destroyed; but the in-
<hans as frequently reconstructed them in out-ot'-tlie-
way ]»laces, so that finally a compromise was elKcted,
by which the neophytes were allowed to use the te-
mescal in the presence of a watchman, who prevented
the subsequent bathing in cold water. The friars also
generally adopted the use of the simples en)j)loved by
tlie Indians, from motives of policy, or because e.\j)i'-
rieiice showed them that such reme«lies were really
serviceable. In cases of arnnv-wounds, the gente de
raz(»n gladly submittcKl to the Indian treatment.

Jose Maria Amador, a noted hidian-fighter. had dur-
ing a certain exjiedition received four arrow-wounds,
which were both dangerous an<l painful, and received
treatment at the hands of an Indian, who brought
from the woods a root, red in coloi- and some eight
inches long, <-alled yerba de jarazo; another of about
the same size, and althouuh of a vellowish coloi\ !)«•-
heved to be of the same I'aniilv ; and a third root which

630

A VERY HEALTHY COUNTRY.

was long, delicate, and fragile. After chewing the
red root, the Indian applied it to the wounds, at the
same time giving to Amador the third root, with orders
to chew it and swallow the juice. He did so, and the
blood flowed very freely from the wounds, which
had been opened and enlarged by the application re-
ferred to. The Indian, with wooden pinchers, thcii
removed the arrow-heads, which had remained in tlu-
flesh, an extremely painful operation, causing the
wounded man to swoon. The yellow root was then
applied as the yerba de jarazo had been. Amador
was then carried to his home, and receiving no furtlur
treatment, was within a month well of his wounds,
and entirely sound. Perhaps if left alone, he might
have been well in a fortnight. Palomares, in like
circumstances, experienced similar treatment at the
hands of an Indian, who moreover, in order to aid iii
cleansing the wounds, sucked from them the coagu-
lated blood.

Sanitary precautions were from time to time ordered
b}" the home government, and later by the local
auth(»rities. In 1785 the viceregal government trans-
mitted to Monterey twenty copies of a treatise ou
small-pox, which had been sent from Spain, and or-
dered their distribution among the people of Cali-
fornia, and in 1797 the viceroy ordered that precau-
tions against that disease, then i)revailing in Oajaca,
should be enforced.

These instructions were of the following tenor: Each
settlenjent should have a pest-house at a sutticient dis-
tance from all dwellings, and taking into consideration
the prevailing winds, to leeward. Immediate notice
of any case of disease to be given t(j the nearest magis-
trate. Magistrates were to divide the settlements into
districts, a strict quarantine to be maintained as to those
infected. In the event of a pest-house being occupied,
the atmospliere in its neighborhood was to be j)uritic(.l
by means of bonfires. Letters from such a district were

SMAIX-POX.

631

to be tlisinfcctod with fumes of sulpliur, and the inail-
rarrier was to wear Hiieii clothing, which he should re-
move before enterin<^ a ])lace nr)t infected. When it
hud been found impossible to jircvent infection by other
jiicans, then vacchiation was to be resorted to. If the
disease became general, charitable societit;s were to
be formed. Th();;e win) died of small-]X)x were to be
buried in retired places, and under no circumstances in
tlie usual cemeteries. Prayers, the most efficacious of
all remedies, were to be addressed to God, to his most
lioly mother, ami to his saints, if haply all of them
together might successfully cope with Satan in this
matter, in case of any emergency, justices might for
necessary expenses have recourse to the public funds.
Finally, clergymen, magistrates, and others in author-
ity were to adopt such further sanitary measures as
under the circumstances should seem proper.

When in the year following the (^oncepcion brought
the sn)all-j)ox to California, these precautions were,
to tiie extent that was necessary, adopted. Again, in
1S40, the government sent instructions for the treat-
ment of small-pox, which were put in practice four
yurs later.

In June 1844, a committee of citizens requested
tlie avuntamiento »)f Los An^jeles to issue a decree on
the suhject, and early in the following month the
asked for action was taken. The number of watch-
liK'U was increased. These men were to see that
uutir f(>r drinking was clean; that only healthy cat-
tK" were slaughtered for food; that all offal was re-
moved from the precincts of the town, and that meat
was kept in well- ventilated places; that no tavern-
keeper should permit the assemblage of drunkards
and vagabonds, under penalty of five dollars ibr the
first ofllence, and double that amount for the second,
while for the third his ))lace should be closed by the
alcalde; that unripe fruit was not sold; that vessels
arriving at San Pedro from infected places should be
quarantined; that no infected person should come

632

A VERY HEALTHY COUNTRY.

witliin four loajrucs of the town, and that other [ur-
sons coming from infected places should be detained
at a like distance for three days, and compelled to wasli
their clothing; that citizens should be recommended to
bathe frequently and keep their houses clean, to al»-
stain from the use of chile and other stinmlating food,
and to thoroughly wash corned beef before cookiiin'
it; that all dwellings should be daily fumigated with
sulphur or sprinkled with vinegar. This decrcu
should be read at every dwelling in tlie place.

Early in 1805 the president of the missions re-
ceived from the bishop of Sonora an intimation to the
effect that the king had sent to New Spain an expedi-
tion under his physician, Balmis, for the purpose of
introducing vaccination, and the friars were instructed
to allay any unfounded prejudice against its use, hut
no vac(;ine matter was sent to California. In ISOO
cow-pox appeared in the cattle, and inoculation wa><
at first practised with considerable success, but exeiii|>-
tion from danger soon produced carelessness. Yaeciiui-
tion pro' ler does not seem to have been introduced until
1817, when some lymph was brought by a Spaniard
named Jose Verdia, and a little later by the surgeon
of a Russian war vessel. Again, in 1821, the surgeon
of a Russian war vessel, the Kuiusoff, presented the
governor with some vaccine matter which he had
brought from Lima; but it had lost its virtue. In

1828 orders were sent from Mexico that vaccine
lymph should be ])roperly preserved in vials, or that
a constant succession of matter should at public ex-
pense be maintained in hefilthy children. This decree,
however, seems to have been inoperative, and a few-
years later the governor ordered the commandants of
the presidios to use every endeavor for the procure-
ment of good matter, and wrote to the authorities of
Tepic requesting that some might be sent to him. in

1829 the Russians, for the third time*, acted a neigh-
borly part, and left at San Diego and Monterey some
vials of lymph, which proved a timely gift. In later

SANITARY MEASURES.

033

years there were periodical flutters of apprehension,
as in 1840 and in 1844, regardin<( the sniall-pox, but
there seems to have been no lack of vaccine matter.
Sanitary mea.sures were taken also in 1833, when
<(>nsiderable alarm was felt lest cholera-inorbus, which
jiad appeared at Chiapas, should visit the territory.
Ill December of that year the governor jmblishcd a
circular issued l)y the secretary of state, which advo-
< ated tlie wearing of a small plate or nudal of copper
in'xt the skin as a guard against infection, and ordered
that the precautions indicated by Surgeon Alva should
he ()bserv(>d. Certain additional precautions were tle-
cieed by the governor himself Cleanliness of houses,
streets, and public buildings was made obligatory.
( emeteries were to bo established when necessary. At
the missions the friars were to see that the order was
ohi'ved. No one was to be out of doors after eit,dit
o'clock at night, save in case of necessity; and tlK)se
found at balls, or fn-quonting taverns and like resorts,
should be condemned to four days' labor on the public
works. Under a penalty of six dollars for disobedi-
ence, liijuor could be sold (mly between the lumrs
of eleven in the morning and three in the afternoon.
Houses were to be fumigated, and bonfires lighted.
Corpses were to be buried within twenty-four hours
after death, but at the same tiiiie precautions against
jinniature burial were to be observed. Graves were
to l»e at least two varas and a half in depth. On the
(It'cease of a person, no tolling of bells was to be
allowed, nor any other noisy demonstrations. The
use of fat meats and watery vegetables was prohib-
iti'd. In Monterey patients who had no facilities for
hcing treated at home were to l»e removed to the hos-
liital. At Los Angeles the ayuntamiento was directed
to take the necessary steps. The foll(>wing precau-
tions ''ore adopted at the presidios: Cleanliness was
ordered; floors when swept were to be but slightly
sprinkled; the men were to be well protected by
clothing; the sale of liquor and fruit at or near the

G34

A VERY H£ALTHY COUNTRY.

barracks was prohibited; food was to bo st-rvcd lit
vessi'ls of clay; the rations were to b<< of rici-, btaiis,
vcrmit'clh, inuttun, and veal; liino or chaii'oal to Im-
tlirowii into the fc>inks; every ni^ht tlie ((uart»'rs to Itu
funiiirated by burninij a mixture of sidt and ' inegai ;
the men were warnetl a<{ainHt Hquor and worn -n.

la 1844, when similar alarm was felt, thecouimaiwl-
ant of Monterey caused some guns to be fired, then Ky
meriting a reproof from the governor, who thouniit
that, as the cholera did not actually exist in the coun-
try, the precaution was needless. In 1847 the nyuii-
tamienti} of Angeles ordered, as a sanitary measun ,
that all otial should be burned.

Extraordinary sanitary precautions were practisnl
at Monterey after the death of Commandant Sal in
1800. He died of phthisis, believed to be very ini'tM-
tious; and by direction of Surgeon Morelos, steps
were taken t() guard against any spreading of the dis-
ease. The roof, doors, and windows of the house in
which he died were burned; the bricks of the floor
were removed, and the surface of the walls was cut
awav. Four months after Sal's death the buildinLf

*■' ._

was still in this condition. The greater part of the
furniture and all clothing used by him were also
burned.

This does not seem, however, to have been at all
an exceptional case, for a few months later, two
women having died of phthisis at Santa Bdrbara, tlio
governor directed that their clothing should be burnid,
the walls picked, the lock and key of the door cleanxd
by fire, and the places where they had slept fumigatrd.

From time to time quarantines were established t'nr
certain specific purposes. In 1781 Rivera's expeditinii
from Loreto was compelled to remain for some time
encamped at the distance of a league from t\w niissimi
of San Gabriel, as it was feared that it might lia\e
brought small-pox from Lower California. In this
case, there seems to have been no cause for alunn.
In May 1797, thirty-four persons sufl*ering from scurvy

landed
altlioug
tinUs, t
ethers, I
initted.
fVuiu M(

.'IS to veg
ff>ll(i\vin^pital si
I'liise of t
t;uT hospii

<»'' tlie pi-
^'•••'Mid ela!
pointed in
t'» Iiave t\

llUI'ses was

<'C(U/iii'd,
ill May

tvvry. (j„

•■''t'lhlish a

^"■'■dth c()ni

"I' lilies for

•'^"'"nitted i

<"'"ii|)<)sed (>

'«"ii. and tl

''}• wJiieJi th

•^■•»ii.si.sted of

sidrd over b

^^^'•n at a ni

l»^'r«on was t

HOSPITALS ESLVBUSHEa

landed from the Princcsa at Santa Bdrbara, and
ultliougli this disease is nt'ith(!r (Mintajjfious nor int'cc-
tiims, tliey were lodged in a building apart from
others, and no intercourse with the inhabitants pcr-
iiiitted. In the autumn of that year, orders were sent
from Mexico requiring a ((uarantine to be established
its to vessels infected with small-pox, and early in the
following year the Concepcion, which with small-pox
on l»oard arrived at Santa lidrbara, was quarantined.
At the missions hospitals for the use of the neo-
jiliytes were early estaljlished, but do m»t apjtear to
have answered the pur|M)se for which they were in-
Uiided. Until 183;i there seem to have been no pub-
lic hospitals in the country; but toward the close (jf
that year, when it was fearetl that cholera morbus
iiiii;Iit become epidemic, the governor, in accordance
with orders from Mexico, decreed that a provisional
liospital should be established at Montere}' at the ex-
])t use of the general government. In IH.')7 the mili-
tary hospital at Monterey was reorganized by a decree
of the president. This hospital was rated as of the
stcond class. Its director was to be the surgeon ap-
jioiiited in accordance with the law of 1H'J>, wlio was
ti> have two assistant practitioners; the number of
muses was to be proportionate to that of the beds
occupied.

Ill May 1844, the small-pox was brought to Mon-
terey. ()ii the '2Hth the ayuntamiento determined to
c>t,il»lish a hospital for poor patients. A boai\l of
health composed of prominent citizens met and diew
ii|» rules f(jr its government, which the nt.'xt day wiTo
suhiiiitted to a meeting, called by the governor, and
c'iiii|)(»sed of the ayuntixnuento, the officers of the gar-
isuii, and the heads of families residing at the capital,
hy which they were approved. This board of health
ctiiisisted of Larkin, Spenee, Watson, and (^sio, pre-
sided over by Serrano. A house in the outskirts was
taken at a nunthly rental of eight dollars. Any poor
person was to be admitted, and food and medicine to

636

A VERY HEALTHY COUNTRY.

be distributed to those for whom there was no room.
The caro ot" sailors who tni^iit be admitted was to he
paid for by the master of the vessel or the respectivt;
consul. Two nurses were appointed, and a corpoial
and four men were to gfive burial to such patients as
should die. There bein^ no physician, a ctmimittce
was empowered to establish a rational mode of treat-
ment. On motion of the governor, another committee
was appointed to solicit pecuniary aid. The ayuiita-
miento resolved to pay for the lighting of the Imiltl-
ing, and to give boards and hides, no oetter mateiial
being available, for beds. A committee appointed at
the meeting referred to collected funds. The goveiii-
ment agreed to give $125 monthly during the contin-
uance of the epidemic; IMicheltorena individually gave
twenty-five; the bishop, twenty-five; Larkin, tivf;
anil twenty-eight others from one to four dollars (aeli
— all on the same condition. Tiie total monthly
amount promised was !?249. The residents of Mon-
terey gave what betiding they were able to spare
Tills hospital was visited at least twice a day lt\ u
member of the board of health, and visits were al.st
made by the governor and his wife. About tiiis same
time a hospital had been established at Angeles, hut
was soon found to be unnecessary.

In 1845 the general government decreed that two
per cent of the net yield of fines imposed upon sniu;.,'-
glers, and of the amounts accruing fiom the sale of
snmggled goods that were confiscated, should be set
aside for ho.spitals of charity.

After the death of an individual, whatever niii^lit
have been his posliion, for a shroud the cor])se \va>
clothed in a Franciscan habit — of greater merit were
it an old one of one of the padre missionaries. While
the patient was dying, this was spread over him as a
coverlet, for it was believed that thus the mattd' I't
indulgences would be facilitated. The relatives ainl
friends of the dying man were, in great nunilitr!?.
assembled in or near the house, and prayers were con-
tinuous.

.Shoi

DISPOSITION OF THE CORPSE.

037

ftliortly after death the corpse was clotlicd in the
Fraiicisean hahit, and laid on the floor witli a stone
utidor tlu) head, and with four candles about it. Then
ul! tlie town, with few exceptions, were obliged to pay
a vi.sit to the corpse and take part in the players,
wliich were continued at short intervals until the
liurial took jtiaco, being also accompanied with sundry
mournful alabudos shouted in chorus, which were
ali>iie sufficient to inspire melancholy.

The corpse was at the proper time placed on a
till ill! covered with a black cloth, which was biaiie by
four persons, who were from time to time relieved.
The priest and his acolytes preceded the corpse, and
at certain distances paused in order to chant the proper
piirtions of the ritual.

On reachuig the church, the proper mass was said
or sung, according to the sum which the family chose
to spend. This ceremony concluded, the cortege pro-
ceeded, in the same order, to the cemetery, where thti
hody was cncoffined, the coffin having hitherto beei.'
(allied on in the rear. The padre recited the final
jiiayers for the dead, and the coffin was placed in tiie
srjmlchre. As the family of the deceased, as well as
every miio else, including wonuui and children, accom-
laiiied the deceased to his grave, the weeping and
anienting was great.

When the liead of a family died, its members, even
those living at a distance, were obliged to take part
ill tlu' ol)se(juie8. Occasionally, in order to await their
arrival, the corpse was kept unburicd for two or three
(lays. The death of a small child was an occasion for
rrjoicing rather than one of mourning, and there was
a l)all, accomi)anied by eating and drinking, rockets,
and the firing of muskets; for it was thought that the
souls of young children went directly to heaven. The
little C(jrpse was dressed to represent an angel, usually
tlie patron saint of the child.

Jose de Jesus Vallcjo, dictating to Cemiti, says:
" NVith reference to the appointment of Doctor Bale,

G38

A VERY HEALTHY COUNTRY.

chief physician of the Cahforiiian arniv, I will say
that those who criticised it showocl bad taste, becnusi}
tlie northern part of New California was continually
exposed to the attacks of the Indians, and wo had no
other physician than the Indian Petronfo, who cured
his friends and killed liis enemies. The scarcity of
dtK'tors among us was so groat that, as far back as
1H44, when near my estate, a soldier named Francisco
Soto accidentally shot himself, I sent two Indians to
Sonoma to es(M)rt Doctor Petronio to San Jose; hut
the proud infidel refusetl to acci'de to my request, and
sent me word that he would not move one inch unKss
Castro should come in person to solicit his assistaiu^ ,
Afy emissaries returned to San Jose, reported to Castro
what l\'tronio had .said, atwl that officer without di-
lay numjited his horse and rode to Sonoma to i»eg the
Indian to come and cure his wounded soldier nnd
rrlative. IVtronio at first refused, but after a wliilo
he a(('0«led to his petition, and returned with him to
San .Fost', where he restorcMJ his health to the wounded
man by means of herbs whose virtue to him oidy was
known."

llijar states that when an adult <li<'d the body was
placed on a table or on tlu' vj^roinid. with four liiLjiit-.
There were fires outside —at which th<' watchers w< ic
eatiiiir and drinkin«_r l»randv. Some remained with the
dead telling their beads, who were reliisved by otlu is,
so tli;»t the praying was ke}>t up the whole niijlit.
In due time the* IkkIv was placed in a cotfin, and bonn'
on the shouide'i's of nn-n to the church. ( )n placing
the corpse in the grave, the priest took a handful '4'
earth and threw it upon the coffin, an act which tlif
neari'st relatives, and then the friends, followed. Tin-
sexton thereupon filled up th(! grave.

If the family had means, an old r(d»e was bought "f
the patlres, at more than twice the price of a new out',
and in this the body was envelo[)etl. Under otlitr
circumstances, a rol)e of blue stufl* was made, it
pinerty was extreme, the bod\' was interred without

A CEMKTERY PRESENTED.

V \v:i!<

lo-llt^.

\Vi IV

;h tli<'

tluiS

U-^\:\.

Itollh'

Mcin.;

Till "\

Ii til.'

II 111'

lit -t

' Hill',

itlii'V

llMllt

shroud or coffin. T!)o responses of the padre over the
hndy had to ho paid tor, hence the poor received no

prayers,

Tlie city of T^os Anijele.s had constructed a cenu'tery
at its own expi-nse, and presented it to tlie diurcli on
the 2d of November, 1S44, on condition that tliero
.slionld ho no charge for burial from AnL,'eIi's peopK'.
Tlu' biali >p objected to a hamperinij clause, and
claimed th.-it the property fell to the church by the act
(if consecration. This was referred tcj the coniniitteo
on i)olice, which said that it considered it wron;^ to
(1« j»rive an owner of his pn pi-rty merely becaust> a
i( liyittus rite is performed ov» i it. The bishojKS per-
mission to erect the cemetery was not called for; it
was a needc'd public measure. The ground and build-
iii'fs havhij; been erected bvthe Angeleans, thev could
fi\ a condition of exenn»ti(Mi fiom tax. What bad the
(liiucli contributed i

Tlie ayuntamiento of ATonteny in 1835 ap])oiiit<Ml
;i conmiission to select a burial gn)und for foreigners
,-< [larate from that for resident catholics. Tlie ab'able
Sdbiraiies of M»)nteri'V one d.iv received notice that
tliffe was a man lying dead in the housi' of Joaijtiin
(iomez. The cor|»sr was that of llilai'io ()rtiz, and
Ihr alcalde sent notice t(» Padre Heal to bury it.
The good father, learning that ( )i'ti/ dietl of ixcess of
(hink. »»i'dered his carcas-; to l)e buried in the WMid.-'i.

( >n ;Ust of July, IS.'!'.), the cemetery at Mont<'rey
wa-ronseera*^ 'd, having been in unc since I 77t>. It was
ilii varas ^quat';; the wall was built by the convicts,
ini(U'r till-' auspices of AKarado, and tlu' nmre im-
111 'cliati direction of Speiice, who obtained jterinission
til scject a spot tor his tamily, and improve it, and it
.siiould alwa\s \>v known as belomriunr to him.

Tlie unventilated sl(>eping halls at tlie missions was
<'iic «»f the causes of the enormous death rato. and
thire were no remedies. One thi)*(| of the population
ili'! in infancy, one third before jmberty, the last
tiiird was lett in bad health.

040

A VERY HEALTHY COUNIUY.

I saw a letter from J. Carrillo to JostS tie la Guerra,
iiiforining liim when his wife's fui:eral was to take
place. (Jii the margin of the letter was a narrow
piece of black rihlxin, fastened with a wafer, signify-
ing that the writer was in mourning. Red and black
are the colors of the Devil and Death ; yet Death
himself is white, and the Devil is not always so fiery
red as he is painted.

«L;iiiiist

lllitugli

l'"lite in

«fx. fait)

Jiis contj

|'"<»r. pio

»ii afK'c

iiniiibcr '

i''(iii,.(J IX

I'lisoii i.s

;:""<l mci

li.ivc in c(

This i

tlifnUuJioi

\\lii<h pc(

t)llr\-,.iy t

<li"'at in (»i
'ii'iii; to
''I'll a iici

|'.'!|M'r. it,
'"•llic; to <
^'i' |HM)r |i
" iiilnwid \

CHAPTER XXI.

BAN I urn.

Threo tm-rry lioy.s, anil three merry hoys,
And three merry hoys iire we,

A.i ever iliil sinu in a hemiieit string
Under tlie giulows-tree.

-FlHchir.

Thkrk scH'ins to 1)0 a prcjutlioo in somo (juurtcrs
auaiiist the profV'ssioii ol liiLjliwavman. It is iu>t
(■iii>uil;1i tliat tlu! knit^lit of the rt)a(l he wtH-lnrd.
|M>Hti' in his (U'aHni^H witli men, diivalrons t«> the fair
sex, faitiiful to liis associates in husinrss, tiiu' to all
ills compacts with his customers, heiievoleiit to tin-
]iMuf, |)i(»usan(l penitent on all static 1 church occasions,
an aiU'ctionate hushanil, kind father, ami useful
iiiciiilK'r of society. It has lu-come the custom of oui'
I vtiiifd and discrimlnatiiii^ civilization, when such a
)Mrson is caught to kill him; for which I'easoii many
.:""d men have heen kept out of the profession, an«l
lia\c in consc(|Ui'n<'e fallen into evil ways.

This is all the more singular whm there are
tliii>U''hout the land so manv m«aner kinds of thi< \crv
wliiih piopl(> seem to think little of It is nnan» r
tlihvcry to hetrayatrust in friendship or husim ss ; to
cli' at in (»nc's di'alin^s; to huy ^oods and not pay for
tiMiii; to adulterate food, diink, or medieints; to
till li a nei>4 hi tor's n'ood name; to hla«-kmail for pui-
l"'>i s of i^ain or to Increase tin; ciri'ulation <»f a iicws-

p.-qHT,

IS nu'aner thievery to «iive or at i cpt a

ililir; to «iet control of the food supply and niakt

llii poor pay an exorhitant piice for l>read : tt> Wuild
it iJiilroad with tlu; peo[tlc's money, and then lun it

(■ \i.. I'v«r. 41

(•41)

ri2

BANDITTI.

t I fiirtlicr ])1('('(1 the |»('(»|»1(', unjustly <llscriminatiii:Li',
l)uviii«jf ort' li<>altli\' (•••iMiKstition, and rlosiiMj; all (»tli( r
avi'iiurs (if a|>]troach. It is inraucr tliii^vory Wn-
iiiani|nilat()rs of stocks to extract money tVotn people's
pockets tlirout;li falst; re[)resentations and oliicanei'\ ;
or for lawvei's to sell tlieir st-rvices to defeat the ends
of just

le<'

r for administrators to defraud widnw;

and «>rplians hy means or the machnierv ot tlu'
prohate court; or ft»r a judj^'c t(» he intluenced hy a
<lesire for popularity or reelection. Commnce. poli-
tics, an<l conventional st»cii'ty Jiave tlu'ir hiin«h!ti,
scouruint^ all who fall within tlieir rea,c]i; and while
these i;o indian^ed tlu; ]>unishment of the h-sser vil-
lain should he li<j;ht. There are a thou.sand worse
kinds of wickedness than tlu^ highwayman's, which
ilie law never thinks of touchin«j; or society of coii-
dehutiuL;. On the contrary, he who IcL^'aliy cheats,
swindles, steals, or h-eti-ays a friend, and does it sur-
cesst'ully, niakm'jj suliici* nt money or fatue therei'V, i.s
.1 isjfood and ei'eiit mai, whonj men praise and woni.ii
adore. Beside mair,' of our so-calhd risitectalile
nieiuheis of SDcietv the hi-jchwav rohher is a noMc-
man, as Illustrated hy the very pleasant tieti.)ii n\'
iiohin Ifood, In his forest of Shi'fwood, w«io stolu
only from fat priests, pt><ulatin!j; otticials. and tlmsc
avaricious nioney-uiinds who pnyed upon the v.e.ik
uikK'!' <o\(>r of the law, heiihjr too cowai'dU to t.ikc
the risk of la-eakinij^ it. And were it p»»ssihle to-il.iy

to si-nd o;".t up<'U thekiUL^s }u_i;hway, tiieie to nitet
their \ iitims and openly pro.secute their cailin<:s, all
those who thus leL;iLima!ely ciieat their nei^hhors liy
superior cunninj^ and jieiveithiu^ the rijj^hteous aetiui
of the law. or who resort to the tlu)usand j^raiid .ind
]>etty ini'amics (ommoii in the s^reat and univer.i!
sti'u^'^ie for riches, ther<f would not he enouij^h ••• us
left in tout) to till athii'd I'atc church on Sunday.

J^ut neither doaipiin Afurieta nor Tihurcio \'a/(jM(Z
wore llohin Hoods, tliou^li vvith sixorciiiht ci'iitniif
of histuiic truth-stretch in'jf and rou.iauciu'>" the\ may

'it come

f'liiian

\\ayme?

tlic past

posed (»

w ' re to

' ^tendii

ti;ld aft

the com

>'>]\»\v t

America

"f sn(ith<'

rapidly a

l>rii;an

>■''•-;■ .'Hid h

<lM\aInc

l'i>^pano-(

'iJitiuvs at

sadin.r^ aj

sliarj. pra,

iii)!!stico o

Ti... Cai

toc;dl tliei

-^h\ican ,':■
ti.Ji. .1,1 1
■^viiipafjiy

tn U>i\v nu

"I/' rtahicd
ti'i-'iutiiiii' .•]

'■';"|<-il.'tJ|e

'ni;nsters
'•'■^ih- M-asI)(
^'■'■i"llsj'enp,
'■'""■■•IVc de,
M'!. d tears

'''•■II' achnira
I'N'l-'iy pr,,v
' ••> darhiu;-
^■'lUcuccs ill

THE IDKAL IIT(!H\VAY>rAN.

licoomo such, an<l, iinlood, to many a Pastoral Cali-
t'oiiiian wi'iv siu'li in tlicir day. Tlu> (IcimIs (if lii<j;li-
\\;iynu'n, as licnin dcjilctt'd, cxtiMid sonu^ time ]>ast
tlif pastoral days i>j'o|»rr; Imt tlii'V were lai-j^dy com-
|"is{>d of .Hispano-Calif(»niians, and tlicir advcntui'cs
were to a ^rcat t'xtcnt in soutlwrn California, though
. \t('ndi!i«_c to the mines, which alfoi'ded them a rich
tit'ld after t\\c discovery of ijjoid, and where, for
the ronii)l«'tiou of the narrative, we are ohli<;'ed to
tMlow them. Nor with the advent of <j;o|d niid
American domination did thi' character and condition
<<r southern California chanLjo fr(»m the ohi regime as
lajtidly as was t\\v c;)st> in the nortlurn rei^ions.

Ihii^.amla'L^e, wlien direrti'd aL!;ainst that encroacli-
iii,;' and heretical nei;j;hl>o}', tlie insolent j4rin<.;"o, was a
chivalric ideal <»f the ^Mexican, aiul >io less so of liis
Hispano-Californian felhtw-citizen. It partook of tiie
tiii'es at once of jiolitical ])rivate(^rin'j;', religious e!'u-
hti«r, a)\d race reven''*'. Pecuiiiai-ilv it was th«'

m:i

Ml(

«r

sharp practice of the stttck operator, and the crusliin
injustice of tho railway monopolist, comhined.

Th(! (^difornios, as the ]lispano-Calif(»rnians loved
til call thrmselves, like the cittv;«'ns of the oth^r Xorth-
M'xican States, were peculiarly fitted for tliis vi»ca-
ti 111. In the first jdace. liny fltcertaiM of the m'eded
svDipatiiy of a considerahh^ jiortion of tliose helonn'in'^
til their race, which uavo tiiem assui'ance. They also
niti itained the idea, however eri'oneous. that l»y con-
trihutinii" a shai-e of their ill-gotten ^ains to the
il'.urch, their nialofjietions would he dealt, with liy its
'iiiaisters as niei-e iirei(id;;rities, oj- as \ciiial sins

The soul was n(»t, thelefol-e. in

I'iisilv wa

slu'd

awav

stiiiius jeopardy. Pri^iit eyes wort^ not lacking- to on-
<iiura<^<'e deeds of valor and smile upon success, or
>iii (I tears of sorrow if reverses l)(>fell the (ilijeets of
tlit'ii' admiration and love. A passionate f mdness for
ili^jilay |>r'ove(l an inrportant factttr; pride lent a reek-
I'ss daiui!:;' : and superstition raised every tearofeon-
>^^''[Uences into heroic stoicism. Unliridled [missions

BANDITTI.

fi'd iiicri il«'ss s<n'(>rity, and no traninidod ronsoiciK c
tin-'i'd i\u' tnud cniovnu'nt of illii'it cliasf. Add t.)
tlu'«o, perfect liorscniaiisliip, tlic skilful use of aiiii.>,
and an easy retreat, and we liavt; players in this i^iii;;.'
of life and death uinnatelied hy any plaee or prop!,.
Stune few of Aipjjlo-Saxon lineat^i' attemptt-tl tin
prt)fessl()n of hij^lnvaynuin in Calilornia. i>ut tlnir
1 Iforts proved failures. It is not their proper v
tion. T^'l't'y hu\i tlie re<piisite (jualili<';itions; and tl
tlio hurd«n of opprohriuni pnssrs too lieavily u|inii

'(•it-

ii'ti

lem.

lU one sense they fli'e nc

ut el

ever enou''

h t;

classic villainy ; in another sense they are too ehvir
for it. llather let tlulr deeper eunninj^^ keep tin ii
indinetlons within the limits of law, and out of thf
duplit-ities of husincss l)rJnL;" wt idth and honor. TIm \
with their wits are stroiitn-i': for with their wits liny
pipe for the law to dane*'. and I'lay conventionali-iu
»i;ainst lionorahle ethics to the swelliniuj of their pin>r.
JJrfore ent» linji; theh' earet-r tluy wri^^h jiioh.'diihtic-.
never afterward stt»|>j>iiit^ to tinu^ their speed (ow.inl
the death !L;oaI. For their month or year of iiii;litrinus

fame

an(

1 riches many or few, they ilive that wIik

thousands s^ive foi' twelve (»r twenty dollars Ji nmutl
without the jxlorv, without even the i'j;nominious t';iiiii
of tlu- I'ohher, n;nnely their life. In tli<' case of tin
hiL!;hway rohl>er. in liis infernal eiiii()iii/.;iti'.>n, with t!,i
atlvocatus diaholi Jippear-inL? on one si<le, and the jul
voeatus (lei on the other. We lind tlu^ e\ il and the <j::inu\
in them not so uneijually halaiieed as popular o[tiiii"ii

niehnes

to ]

M'onounee

lli-l

iway rohhery is

p.., I

tie .SUV

Jt is hettei- not to steal at all ; hut

!ll<

■(III

will steal; all nu-n will steal a little, and women. I'
and ehildieii. At least; there is soniethin;^ eoura-.
in sto|»|tin<4 a sta^je. two men a^'ainst ten sometiii
as Falstair woiild say; l>ut in le^ali/ed stealinii; tl
isjiothin^' maidv, notirm;.H)ut eowai'diee and nieai

lis.

ifiv

III'

Ijet me introduce .some of our most famous eetill
men of the road, .>urel\ as much entitled to .1 I'lii"

on tlio
rohhini
of all.'
hoy, ,I(
a na th-
in Is-ii
twenty
hril)i;mi
_\e;trs.
terms h
Jn tlio ,
^vas ill t
fl.at ]|,-
'h'a((uin
iii.indiiio
^1 "Uriiiii-
< »!' n7.
Il ■• was
'-'laecfiii
lii;^h for*

|'l<>\c(l I
••■|><e: l;i

l"'>e, kilK

•'•llection,
\vliile M \\
''•M(| seiisi

tl II on hi.v.
•"^ilKV niou
>lia\ (■(!.

\eic(. sjly,

><> youth fi
^^liieh miH

i"i|'res.sed

IVs|„.,.t.

Aiii;v|(.s, a
'li-^ hro|||,.|
''le murdf

Sf.ltr.l tj,.,t

■'I'l'l others

JOAQUIN MUHIKTA.

MTi

on tho panjos of liistory, as tlioso who horonio famous
i(>ltViiii<r v/itliiti tlic I)ouii(1h of convcntioiialitA'. Fiist
of' ;ill, .'IS kitiijj of (,\*ilifoniia cut-tliroats, stands tlic
li(i\ , .It>a(]uiii ^^ul•iL'ta, the Fia Diavoloof I*]) Dorado,
a iiatlvt,' of Sonoi-ji, ^Vrcxico, wlio came to (.'ulifoniia
ill 1S4'.). He was ])ut a few montlis monr tlian

t\v»'iitv-oiie vcai's of h'W

icn

ho died, aii<l his

liiilliaiit cajTcr of crime! occupied less than thrt'c
\(ais. What raiKva\' uiaLTnatc can savas much !* The
1( riiis l)rave, «lariiiLr, ahh-, faintly exj>ress his ((ualities.
Ill tlic cauoiis of California lie was what Napoleon
w IS ill the citii's of I'^urope; un<l it is hut fair to say
fl.it he as visihly displayed a hi'Ljh order t>f i^cnius.
.h>ii(|uiii would have hecn no more out of place com-
iiKiiidiii<jf at 'I'ouloii, tlian I>onapart»' would iiavo hceii
s. ouriiij^ the Salinas plains.

( M' medium height, and somewhat slender in fi^ur(\
he was extremely active and athletic, an<l no less
'jiacefid ill movement than handsome hi person. A
liiili I'oi'eliead jM^ave his features, which wi'i'e not Im-
pKAed hy promhieiit cheek-hoiies, an intellectual
(•:i>te; l;il'4-e hlack eyes hla/in;jj with vindicti\«' pur-
pnse, kindled with eiithus'iasm. or nieltiii;^ in tender
iiileetion, «lis|i!ayed tlie earnestness t\\' his nature,
while a well shaped mouth showed at once firmness
iiiiil sensuality, lioni^ Howini.>' hah" of flossy hlack
till on his shouldei's, and on his up|>er lip was a thin

MlKN' nious

tael

le, as

helon^i

m>jf to one who had iie\ei'

slias e(

I. II

IS manner was fran

and coniia

I: 1

lis

\nice silvery and of generous utterance; and though
SH y,,utliful ill appearance there was that ahout him
whirhmade hhii Imth Iwxcd aii<l feared, and which
iiii|iressed friend and stranger alike with |iro|(imid

^I'ect,

las heen s

lid that he li\(-d in Los

Aii-eles, and had a fair reputation up to is."")!', when
liis l>rotlier-in-law was anai^^iied with some others for
tin murdei' of (Jeiieral IJean. and in his confession
^t.ited that the year hefore Nfurii ta had jnined him
and others in a horse-stealing expl«»it, the hoi'ses

(^o

nAXMTTI,

hfiriLr rrtakcn by a Ti'Jom cliicP. ^runcta on lioarin-
this tied uikI bccaino an outlaw an<l a t(rr<»r.

^ruricta had liitjfln'r aims tliau iiicro n-vi'iiiic ami
itilla-'c. }Iis ('oiitimums »'oiifli<-ts with inilitarv ami
rivii authorities, and aniit'd populan-, wouhl in aii\
other (•••untrv in Ainerica liave h»vu di<>iii(ied with
tin? trnn r«'V()lutioii. lie had h«M'ii educated in the
seliool of revohition in Mexie(», wiien^ the line h( -
tweeii rrlirl, rohhrr, ))illaj4er, and i)atriot had Ix-en t«i
a iireat »xtent ol>literati'tl. It is i-asv to see that lir
rcLjarded himself ratlier as a ('hann»ion of hiscounliy
than as an outlaw.

Joa<|uin, when in liis seventeentli yoar, bceanic
enamoured of the heautiful tiark-tyed liosita FeH\,
who Mas of (Aistilian descent, and sweet Hixti-en; sin-
n-'turned his j)assion with all the ardor of her >iatui( .
Iler hard-i^rained old father on discoverin|L( this anmiii
Hew Into a ra^'e, and would have vented it upon tin
hoy had he not taken to tli'^ht. Jiosita f<»llowed In r
lover to the northern wildei'iiess. assisted liim in Ins
ellorts at honi'st livln«jf, attended him through all tin
lietlls of his unlawful achievements, and finally, wlnii
death so caily si-vered them, returneil to the land <>[
lur cliildhitod, and under the roof of Ids jiaiiiit>
mouined her well-hcloxcd thiourili lon<^ drejiry yeais.
liesides Ilosita there Were manv other female n

ifiii-

hcrs o

f tl

lis unnolv

frati

I'rintv wli(» waited on tlun'

itrds with lovinii heai-ts.

(

arm*

•lit

I. a vo

hipti

lulls

heauty. the fascinatiiiLj l\*eyes l'\'li\ won from a jiack. i,
and, hrinnin^ her on his hovse hehind him into
camp oiK- eveiiin*^, tlrt)pped her in the midst of lii>
associates with tlu^ laconic introduction "there is mv

wif»

And when later lirisei

S e'ocs.

Achill

es WuepS,

hut not for Hrlstis; rage wrin;j,s from him tears

|{i>sita had h-ft a little hrother at her honn' in
Sonora. Heyes Felix, who, when the fameof tlu' diisli-
in»; hiiijfand reaclu'tl his oai", hurned with romniitii
passion to join him. Not loip.j afterward his father
died, and the liberated boy, th';ii liilccli years of a^i'.

immcdi

of ills I

lants ol

liaiiLjin*

^ ()ne'

(Jarci'a

finufcred

diirlnLf ]

hly he V

tation w

hraverv

eus. if

Mild po\v
appejiraii
societv".
trank jr*
f"»i-m froi
iiis love <
siiiii'c,.^ m

uliat was

nAnriA, rT.Aunio, and ooxzalez.

(M7

iiiinictliatily souijlit tlic r()l)lH>r chu'f, aiul bccnnu' ono
of Ills most ilt'vott'd followta's. Jiut alasl tlu- vi;j;i-
lauts of Los Auiiclc's Hnallv nswardod liis iiitiits l>v
liaMi;iM!4 lilm.

()ii(^ monster tluTc wjis in Joaquin's IkiikI, Manuel
( lareia liv name, tliou<'li conuaonlv known as Three-
tin;j;eie(l Jack, from liavinsjf lia<l one finecr sliot otl*

tluiin''; ^fexieo's war witli tlio ITnited Stal

es.

roha-

l>Iy lie was the most sani^uinary of tliem all; liis re|)u-
tiition was no less conspicuous for cruelty than for
hiiiNcry ; eiuel men are not usually tin; most<<>uia;4e-
ous. Iff was as ruiXu'ed in features as he was Ijiryc
anil powerful in frame, and was so feroc'ious in his
<i|i|>earan('i': that few of his assoi-iates enjoyed his
society. His <lis|)osition was as <liirerent from the
fiauk jrenerosity of fFoaciuin, as was his repulsivo
form frt>m the lithe ijraee of his master. To <>iatifv
Ills love of human butchery he chose tlio most jnolllic
soui'ce. and ado|»ted as a specialty of the profession
what was known as stickinjj; Chinamen. How he i\o-
li'^hted in seein<jj them scatter, as with a wlnMip he,
always well attended, dashed amono; them! \\'liat
fun it was to catch them and cut their throats 1 Some
limes lu' shot the contents of his |)ist()l into them, l»ut
that was too t.'ime; Jack love<l to see the llowhr^
ciiuison, and a knif(^ was the only weapon for that.
So expert l»y practi<'(! he heciime — catchiii'L!; them l>y
till' tail and with a peculiar twist of his own iiiven-

th'u throwm«j; up the chm so as to prese.it an iniol>-
stnicted mark — that out of evtM'v ten, he us»(l to
lioast. not more than five escaped. If there were
iiioio than ton, of ccjurse the proportion was against
I

mil.

Vet in all this, Garcia add(>d little to the iv^mta-
tiou achieved while; Joa(|uin was yet at school in
Soiiora. As far hack as 1 SKI we liiid him at t he head
"f a hand Ixtween Sonora and l^odeoa with the two
Americans. (\»wie and Fowler, stripped and hound to
a Uee, while (Jarciu and Win associates were torturinL!"

018

KANDIiTI.

tlM'in by tlirowiuiLj kiiivrH at tlu'ir bodies as at a
tar<j;('t. It is vwu said that as tliis pastime i»e«jiiiie
tiresome b'' resorted to other outraj^'ca too liorriil and
indecent for reeital.

The (hirinjj; Chiudio was at one time tin- associate
of Joai|uin, and at another captain of liis own (nm
pany, Hcatt<'nn«^ terror aloni^ the footbills. The year
IH;V2ranLf witli bis renown. Of all those wlio il'-
lil^lited in darin*^, and who remcirsehssly wasiu-d away
ol>structionH with blo(MJ,nono were more forward tliaii
Captain (Mau<lio. He was the lean an«l restless Cas-
sius of the band. Thirty -live years of aj^c, slight
but vii^'onms in ])hysical constructicui, with a liv< ly
play of passii)!! behind his dusky features, was tli<(
cautious C'laudio. That he was bravt; was undispiita-
h\v, but yet more prominent were his faculties fur
sch<'min<;. Witb consunnnat«! cunniui; he could hoth
plan an«l execute. Never did scoundrel m()re Httiii'^iy
wear the j^arb of honest man than Captain Claud'u*.
wIk'U there was a ccmsideration. Beneath the m !•-
satile exterior, however, the deeper current of liis
nature; flowed without a ripple, and its burden was
bate, reven«^e. So much had Captain Claudio to lu'
foriiivi'ii; and vet lu; never for<_'<>t or for«j:av(! !

IN'dn) GonzaK'Z was |)rominent in Joacjuin's ass(»(ia-
tion as an expert hors< '-thief; and wheri; a constant
supply of fresh and fast horses was of sucb vital iin-
poitance, he proved an invaluable adjunct. He did
not delight in human blood likt; (larci'a, nor was lir a
good counsellor such as Valenzuela, nor yet so dasli'mi;
an<i darinv^ as Claudio; but besides his talents in the
acquisition of fine horses, lie was a skilful spy; and
so we may write bim down, sine inv'tdia, a nmst
worshipful robber.

Alm«»st a counter|iart of the cbieftain, thouijjh ninth
older than his lea<ler, was a pronnnent mend>er of liis
band, called also, sometimes. .roatjuin, but never, unli ss
bv mistake, Murieta. He was known also as Canilln,
Botiller, and other aliasen. His true name was J > 'U-

f|Min Vi
j»(rs(»n,
,^'ive to
in tlie n
Tt wa
"ihn ill

^^Inn'eta
^vitIl u-re,
^ 'denzu,
da-^-e ill

Cliief. w)

C.frh'st ii
mark able
;r'»ve|-|||||e
]»'ditions

Claiice
« l.'iw-ahjd
liini. Jfa

'"•••ists. J
» f.'dl, stra,
inn- eyes,
■sli'MjIders.
'^|"niishc(ti|
s' if Was
'<iii'4litjy a

l"lt(J|,.ivd

j'li'asMr<\
•'"•■"luin ]\I
liMinan \u\,

lijuiMvd f;„.

itirnto in^r
"ial<(>rs ,r.|\

^'h'seus on

T<'Mij(s M
l.iUi,|,.,| Cai;
Andres Ai
'^"''•dad iiiH

HAIlllY I-OVK. TIIIKF lATCIIKR.

fHiifi Valciizucla. It was tliis aiiMllaritv in naino and
|M rsuii, as iiiucli as any otluT oircuinstaiu*', which
<j:n\ii to Muricta a roputation wcll-iiigh supernatural,
in tiie minds of sonio, for uhi(|uity.

It was unarcountahK; how one person appeared so
often in (lilVercnt places at tlie same time; and when
Murieta's (h-atli was announced, there w«'re those who
with LMeat pertinacity insisted that he was yet ahve.
Aiileiizuela luid served an apprentices! lip at l)ri<4an-
(lii'jfe in ^fexico, under Jareinta, a famous jjfuerrilla
diief, wlio ha<l in former years been a friar, and a
C'.ulist in Spain. His experience, add<'d to his re-
iiiiirkahle alulity, <;av(; him a prominent place in the
jrovenunent of tlie or«;ani/ation, and important ex-
peditions were often entrusted to his leadership.

(Jlance now at a rohher-hunter. Harry Ijovo was
n l.'iw-ahidinjj^ desperado. Here is a suLjar-plum for
liini. JIany delii^hted to kill wild men and wild
hr.ists. He was R kUlcr of the Cteur de Ijiou order;
a tall, strai'^ht, Black Kni»^htfi;4ure, with l>ri;^ht hurn-
iii'^' (>ves, anrl lon«.^ glftss^y ringlets fallinu^ over his
sli<iul(lers. He ustid t<» wear a sword <jfiven him l>y a
Sjiiuiish count wh(tm he had rescu<Ml from the savaj^es,
s» it was said; and the way and walk of hhn were
knightly as of ancu'nt cavalier. Savaj^es he had
liiifi hcred until th«' l)usin«>ss aHonh'd him no further
]i|i;isure. Jle thouj^ht now he would like to kill
.In.iiiu'm Murieta. Harry gn .atly enjoyed slaying
liuni.ui Ixlngs, but he did 7t'> lik(> so well to be
]iiiii'4(Ml for it; so lie asked t'>' legislature at Sacra-
iiiiiito if he might go out and kill Joa(|uin. The law-
iiijikcrs ga\(' him permission; and, as doughty as
Tluseus on his first journey to Athens, he set out.

Toniils Marfa Carrillo, a soldier of the lately dis-
l>aii(|i'(l Callfornian army, headed a ruttian gang, and
Aidres Armijo, another. The coutitrv hctwcen
Suli (lad and JSan Miguel in 1849 was infested by

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

.J"

1.0

I.I

IlilM

2.2

1.8

1.25 1.4

1.6

^ 6"

►

PhotogK^hic

Sciences
Corporation

L1>'

<■«

23 WEST MAIN STREET

rVEBSTER, NY. 14580

(716) 872-4503

650

BANDITTI.

roving bands of Sonorans and Californians, wlio
sacked ranchos, and waylaid travellers. Tlie })()\vor
of the alcaldes — the Mexican system still existiao' —
backed by the provisional government under (jloncii.l
Riley, was utterly inadequate to meet the present
emergency.

Salomon Pico, — whose near companions, Cccllco
Mesa and William Otis held prominent positions, —
was captain of a well-organized and formidable band
of malefactors roaming: round Monterey duriiiix the
spring of 1851. Little fear had Captain Pico of
capture, in a region where the friends of his youtJi,
and of his numerous relatives dwelt, and wluic,
indeed, the very adobes of the ancient capitol trem-
bled at the mention of his name. Among the ranch-
eros, there were, however, foes, as well as friends.
From the latter he received voluntary aid; from tlie
former he took what he pleased of their goods.
Neverth(}less, but for treachery, the inept town's ]k'(_)[i]o
never would have dared to assail him. The Escohar
rancho, situated six miles from Monterey, was tlnii
in charge of an American named Josiah Swain, whoso
death Salomon Pico and his com[)any had decided
upon. But one of the band who would take no part
in the proposed murder, fled to Monterey, exposed
his confederates, and directed the citizens to tin ir
capture. This was about the middle of April l^ol.
Of the five brought into town, three, Pico, Mesa, and
Otis, were tried by the people and sentenced to Ite
hanged, but were lescued by the authorities. Tlie
fate of Otis is given elsewhere. Mesa was discharged.
Pico was bailed out, and he escaped from the coiintiy.
He finally went to live in Lower California, near our
frontier, and some years after for his share in some
political squabble, was shot by order of local authoi Ity.

Doctor Thomas J. Bell, from Alabama, by pi-ofes-
sion physician, miner, gambler, and robber-capliin,
was by far the most intelligent, acconi|)li.she(h and
kind-hearted American geutleu^an who ever took the

TOM BELL AND VAZQUEZ.

651

road in California. He flourished in the region of
the San Joaquin, and north of it, during the summer
of 1856. As compared wich Joaquin he was older,
more intellectual, more humane, and fitted better to
tliievc within the limits of the law; the Sonoran chief
was of keener instincts, quicker movements, and pos-
sessed of far greater administrative ability.

Second only in name and achievements to Joaquin
]\rurieta, in the history of California highwaymen,
stands Tiburcio Vazquez; but except in skill of horse-
manship, and dexterity in catching and killing men,
one was the o])i)oslte of the other. Joaquin was of
Liciitle blood, and as handsome, and <;av, and chival-
rous as any youthful knight-errant; Vazquez was a
liybrid, half Indian, coarse, treacherous, brutish.
His boyhood was spent in taming wild mustangs,
(•uttiui»: flesh W'ith bowie-knives, and shootinu:, danchiij
tlie bt)lero and fandango, and betraying young
damsels. Indeed, he was a bedeviled Don Juan at
love. Repulsive monster though he was, the dear
creatures could not help following him.

Tiburcio with difficulty finds an excuse for taking
U]) tlie hatchet. " The Americans came hi and elbowed
me at the dance," he complains. "They drew after
tlicm the prettiest girls, so I killed them." Ol^taln-
iiig his mother's blessing, and conniiendiug himself to
the protection of the saints, he set out upon his pious
pur])ose.

Tliere were twenty years and more between the
n'igns of Joaquin and Tiburcio, though tliere w^ere
twenty years intervening between Til)urcio's first
iimnler and his last. To realize h<nv the boyish heart
of V^azquez burned within him as he heard ringing
the praises of the matchless Joaquin, we have only to
note the circumstance that almost within the year
after Joaquin's exit, Tiburcio slew his first man. It
was a brave be<j:inning; Tiburcio was then at the ten-
(ler age of fifteen. Ct)uld he but see Joa(|uin after
that, as his eyes had previously been permitted to

i ,il
I '1,

1 ' H I

652

BANDITTI.

feast themselves on the shining face, the gracoful
form, and the glittering adornments of the gnat
leader, perhaps Joaquin might deign to take liim
by the hand, and smile on him encouragement.

Tiburcio's most devoted follower was his cousin.
Leiva, and most devotedly he stole Leiva's wife. Yt t
Leiva remained true to him. What was a wife besi<lo
glory and friendship? Poltes, king of Thrace, thou^lit
it hard for Menelaus to lose a wife ; yet probably I'ai is
wanted one, he said, when applied to for assistance to
recover the fair Helen. This king was more accom-
modating, if possible, than Leiva, for to preserve })(aco
and good-fellowship he proposed to give his own wivrs,
of whom he had two, one to Menelaus and one to
Paris, and so all should be content. Rosalia was tlio
name of Leiva's stolen wife. She loved Leiva W( !1
enough, but who could resist Captain Yazqu<^z, i\\e
adored of all, he who never siglied to senorita oi-
senora in vain, the fleet of foot, the untiring daiK( r.
the fearless rider, the bold brigand. Who so pleasiii;4
to her woman's eye, so gratifying to her wonians
pride? All articles standing on shop shelf, or glittt i-
ing as personal adornment among the multitude, air
his, and hers, whenever he chooses to take tliciii.
Since the time when Camilla, attracted by the bril-
liant accoutrement of the priest, Chlorus, chased liiiii
round tlie battle-field until a Tuscan spear laid Ik r
lifeless, full many a woman has sacrified herself to or-
nament.

Cai>tain Juan Soto, mustang stealer, and tutor to
the apt sc-holar Til)urcio, and who sul)sequently served
under his pupil, was a dashing horseman, wiio could
hide bidiind his horse at full speed. Soto was a fa-
vorite with the ladies. Brave deeds make dark c\ is
sparkle. Then the horses he stole 1 The brass steal
of Cambuscan, whicli in one day would carry its rider
to any spot of earth by simply whispering the naiiio
of the place in its ear and turning a pin, was scarce ly
more fleet of foot.

SANATE, MORENO, CHAVEZ.

653

Captain Sanate, with Moreno acting as lieutenant,
roamed round Los Angeles. Sanate with his entire
cf)ni[)any attended unbidden a ball once given in Los
Angeles. Dashing up to the house, some stood guard
while others entered, robbed the men, danced with
tlie women wliether they would or no, ate ihe sup})er,
drank the wine, and with a polite adieu vanished.
Lucifer was alive hi them ; after attending this pleas-
ure-party, they plundered some houses and captured
a bevy of sehoritas, v.hich raised the town. The
marshal pursuing, Sauate shot him dead.

Moreno was a traitor. The night of the stolen
dance he had secured, among other plunder, a valuable
watch. A reward of ^1,500 having been offered for
Sanate's head, Moreno shot him, killed Bulvia, who
liad detected hhn, and carting both bodies to the jailer
at Los Angeles, told a story of heroic daring, how he
had been taken captive, and how he had killed his
captors and carted them thither. Moreno was the
idol of the hour; the brigands were such a boMier.
Unfortunately, he showed the stolen watch to a jew-
clli.'r, who recognized it, and Moreno was sent to San
Quentin for fourteen years. The authorities deemed
the .i? 1,500 sufficient payment for the nmrder, without
the further expense of a hanghig.

Clod(miiro Chavez was tlie tool of Vazquez. Before
he knew the bandit chief, he lived an hone.st life in
tlie vicinity of San Juan, where his younger days
were s})ent. Shortly before the Tres Pinos tragedy,
lie was in the service of Eatanislao Hernandez. Se-
iluced by Vazquez, it S(H)n was his ambition to be a
r()l)ber chief. But he lacked the cjualities of liis mas-
ter. Physically he was a splendid specimen of a man,
being over six feet in heiglit, weighing 250 jxtunds, iuid
yet as lithe and strong as a tiger. His qualitications,
for the career of a leader -of banditti stopped here.

Vazquez was cumiing aiul reckless, and had always
r('ad\', convlvialitv for his comrades, mo.iev for tliose
111 want, and a smile for everybody. His persoiial

v.f

..*

654

BANDITTI.

masjnctism and influonco over others was somctliii'.jf
woiidortul. Chavez, on the other hand, was intellect-
ually dull, with a cold-blooded, lymphatic tenijiiia-
nient, repelling rather than inviting friendship. Foj.
lowers joined Vazquez because they could not stav
away from lum. Chavez' band was composed of
those wlio became robbers from necessity, and not lie-
cause they h)ved their leader. Chavez was killid
near Texas Hill, hi Arizona, in November 187;"),
$2,000 having been oftered for his head.

In the manuscripts of J. J. Vallejo and others, I
find mentioned a Mexican Fra Diavolo, Vicente
Gomez, who toward the close of the M<'xican vow
for independence, connnanded a.banil of guerrilleins
in the service of the republic. And of such weie
hundreds. This man was noted for the savagery of
his instincts. The Spaniard wlio fell into his clutches
was castrated; this practice gaining for Gomez the
title of El Capador, which was invariably appended
to bis name. The victim was then usually sewn up
in a fresh ox hide placed in the sun, and left to i)eris]i,
attended by the most horrible sufferings, caused liy
the contraction of the hide as it dried up. S[)anisli
women met a still more horrible fate. The iidiumuni-
ties of the monster shocked even his ruffian followers,
who, incited thereto by their queridas, remonstrated
ati^ainst such sanijuinarv measures.

"Sanguinary 1" exclaimed Gomez. "You surely do
not call me sanguhiary. Show me the man who, with
as artistic torturings as mine, puts out life with less
bloodshed." Gomez, for having taken part in a re-
bellion, was sent by the Mexican governmentas an exilo
to the Californias, and was shot dead by a lieutenant
named llamirez, who, pleading that the deed had been
accidental, was ac(|uitted at his trial. Gomez con-
ducted himself quietly while in California.

The unsettled condition of society in California,
the abundance of money, the amount of travel, mostly

THE ninilWAYMAX'S HEAVEN.

655

1)V troasurc-ladeii miners, on the lonely roads of the
mountains and plains, the herds of fine horses graz-
iii'j; everywhere within easy reach of the rohber, and
tiiially, tlie soft and genial climate of the country,
ivndered possible, developed, and conduci'd to the
] rosperity of the guild of highwaymen, mIio had for
tlu ir field of operations a territory quite as extensive,
and as I'ich in booty and stirring hazard as was the
Spanish Main to the dreaded buccaneers, self-
styled the ]^rotherhood of the Coast.

Having briefly alluded to the chief men who won
for tlieniselves a name in the career of crime, I will
now proceed to relate some of the ex})l()its of him
who deservedly stood head and shoulders over all
other knights of the road in California, if not, indeed,
siqu'rior to the most famous leaders of highwaymen
recorded in the annals of other countries.

Joa(|uin Murieta, the terror of the Stanislaus, has
aliistorv, which thouoli crimson with nnirder, abounds
ii\ chamatic interest. He Avas a Mexican of good
Mootl, as I have said, born in the department of
8onora, and received an ordinary education in the
scliools of his native country. In his youth he is
snid to have been mild, affectionate, and genial In dis-
position, the pet of the maestro, and a favorite among
his fellows of the play-ground. Yet, while acknowl-
edging the pulp3' sweetness of his boyhood, it is safe
to pn'sume that there was a dash of bandit blood in
tlie veins of Joaquin, which was eventually to fire his
liciut with the madness for an outlaw life. As Joa-
<iuin and his Rosita reached the new El Dorado, the
first flash of the great gold fe>ver was then spreading
oviT its wild ranges. Iri the memorable s})ring of
IBoO we find him engaged as an honest miner anu/ng
the Stanislaus placers, where he had a rich clah)i, and
was fast amassing a competency, w^hen, one e\ ening,
a party of some half dozen American desperadoes
swaogrred into his little cabin where with liosita he
was Hbting after a hard (lav's work.

056

BANPITT

"You don't know, I suppose, that groasors aro. not
allowed to take gold from Aniericaii ground," Ixouu
the leader insolently.

"If you mean that 1 have no right to my elaiiii, in
obtainhig wliich I have conformed to all tlie laws uf
the district, I certahdy did not know it," answiird
Joatjuin with quiet dignity.

" Well, you may know it now. And you have not
to go; so vamouse, git, and that instanter, and take
that trumpery with you," jerking his thumh towanl
Ilosita. "The women if anything are worse than the
men."

Joaquin stepped forward with clinched hand, wliile
the hot blood mantled his face: " I will leave tluse
parts if such be your wish, but speak one word
against that woman, and though you were ten times
an American, you shall rue it."

Scarctdy were tliese words uttered when anotlier
of the party reached over and struck Joa(]uin a severe
blow in the face. The latter sprang for his bowie-
knife, which he had thrown upon the bed on return-
ing from his work, when Rosita, instinct with the
danger such rashness threatened, threw herself befnre
him, and seizing him in her arms, frantically luld
him. For the intruders to thrust aside the woman
and strike the unarmed man senseless was the work
of a moment. When Joaquhi awoke to consciousnrss,
it was to find Rosita prostrate, her face buried in lier
clotlies, sobbing hysterically. Then he knew the
worst.

Fleeingf from liis outraged home on the Stanislaas.
Joaquin and his devoted companion sought refuu*' on
a modest little rancho, hid away hi the rugged sechi-
sion of the Calaveras mountains. II's cream of peace
was goon broken, however, by the sudden a[)i)arilion
of two bearded missionaries, whose monosylhiliie
warning, "Gitl" threw down hishop^sand household
gods once more hito the dust. The hapless twain
were driven out from the shadows of Calaveras, and

once mn
'liid Joa
.icings; b
he finalh
tioi) of ni
time dec
^<\v of th(
<'uts," am

<'Ustoniers
Tlie no
young So
'"■friend ]i
into J J is e\
destined U
wt^'ars. M
horrowed
a lanclio i
fliiiining tl
^lurieta p]
Tills, l](nv
that tJie c
Was diaro'e
'It'atJi. A
and Murieti
iiioney for
^""ling to J)
ivgarcied.
amid cries o
'lUiTJedJy ea
^^Iioin tiicy
tlie branch
^tnpped, bou
tilt) Jieavy h
expression aj
'■"1^' stamped
tutors on the
J'utionors ha(
leaving him v
J'lurieta regis

CAL. i'Asl

EVOLUTION OF A DEMON.

657

once more became fu-jritivos in tlie land. We next
find Joacjuin working as a miner at Murpliy Dig-
!j;in<ijs; but luck was against liini in the placers, and
lie finally assumed the jjav and remunerative occupa-
tion of monte-dealer, a de})artment of industry at the
time deemed respectable, even for Americans, not a
few of them being thorough adepts in the art <»f "lay-
dutsi," and both swift and relentless in catching their
lUHtomers "in the door."

The new vocation was well-suited to the suave
vountj Sonorense, and fortune for awhile seemed to
lirfriend him, the uncohied gold of tlie miners rolling
into his ever thickening purse. But his j)athway was
(K stined to blush with redder Lues than rosy fortune
wears. While riding into town a horse that he had
borrowed from a half-brother of his who lived on
a rancho near by, he was accosted by an American
claiming the animal to have been stolen from him.
ilurieta pleaded that it was not his, but borrowed.
This, lu>wever, availed him not. Indeed, it seems
that the claim was a well-founded one, and jSIurieta
was charged with the theft, tlie penalty whereof was
(Katli. A half-drunken crowd soon gathered around,
and Murieta's protestations of innocence, and offers of
money for a respite until witnesses could be forth-
coming to prove the truth of his statement, were dis-
rc;j;arded. He was pulled down fr()m the saddle, and
amid cries of " kill the thief 1 hang the greaser 1 " they
hurriedly carried him to the rancJio of his brother,
whom tliey summarily launched into eternity from
the branch of a neighboring tree. Joacjuin was
stri|)[)ed, bound to the same tree, and flogged. While
the heavy lash was lacerating his back, a demoniac
exjiression appeared upon his face; he looked around
and stamped the features of each of his perse-
cutors on the tal)lets of his memory. When the exe-
cutioners had finished their work, they departed,
loa\ ing him with his dead. It was then that Joaquin
Murieta registered his oath of vengeance which he so

i>" i

Cal. Vast. 42

,-♦'

658

B.\XT>irr:.

rolontlcssly kept, rarely sparino^ oven tlio innocent.
From tliat liour lie was the iniplaralde fue of eviiv
American, and evenof every beinuj tliat bore the res< m-
blanco of a grinujo. Lucifer had him now for jiis « w ii.
Words have Ix-en put in ^lurieta's lips to the etl< < t
that he had atone time felt a great a<!rairation f(ir
Americans and their institutions; and only after ex-
periencing unjust f»ersecution and brutality at tin ir
hands, had the scales fallen from his eyes, and a
deadly hatred seized him. To avenge the wrongs in-
flicted on himself and his countrymen, who were con-
stantly kicked, and cuffed, and robbed, was now tlie
purpose of his life. To kill, destrov , marking his swift
trail with blood, was now his dream; for every stiijio
that had been laid upon his yet unhealed ba( k t< n
Yaidcee lives should be forfeited, and these ruttijinly
Anglo-Saxons be made to understand that the free
citizens of the sister republic had not wholly punk
their origin, nor lost their manhood. Lettinir all this
pass, however, the fact stands that not long after the
infliction of the flogging, an American was found (had
near Murphy Diggings, literally hacked to pi< c cs
with a knife. The body turned out to be that of one
of tliose who had flogged Joaquin, and hanged liis
brother. Suspicion was not long at fault re.icl,ing
tlie author of the bloody act. Other murders fol-
lowed in swift succession, robbing being one of the
incidents of each case. It then began to lie whispt ihI
tliat the younj' victim of Yankte brutalitv wius

€.'0 ^ w

wreaking his vengeance. Joa<juin's blood}' dttds
were in everybody's mind, and his name becanit a
terror. Within a few months the dashing bo\ wps
at the head of an organized band of highwa\n>n,
which ravaged the country in everv direction, ll.is
band consisted sometimes of twenty, and at other
times of as many as eighty. The boy leader 'jave
proof ever}"" day of possessing a peculiar genius for ( on-
trolling the most accomplished scoundrels that had
ever congregated in Christendom, He was th^ir

PvULE.^ OF TilE R()imi:i<8. 650

master; his word was tlioir law, and woc^ bctldf liiiii
\\\\n dared to disohi-y, wliilc to break faitli NvUli a
li;llo\v-robl)er was (juiek deatli. A ineinl>er of tlio
liand, perforated l>y four l»ull<'ts, was raptured iu
l'\l)ruary 18r)3, at Los Muertos, near Los Anodes,
lirou-'lit to San Andreas, tried, and haiii^ed hv tlio
jieople. Ho was but an liund)le member of the ]»r<)fes-
Miiii, and when he saw that d«'ath was certain, lie was
iii(hieedto talk a Httle. He siiid tliatiu/ nuMnber of tlio
fraternity was much res})ected who liad not killed h.is
man, and each ranked in importance according" to tlio
number that he liad slain. This was something- as it
i; i:i the army. Every niend»er was bound uiidi'r
iii')st solenni oaths, first, to obey liis superiors. ])is-
(.'it'dience was punished with death. There was
hardly one chance in a liundre<l that a traitor could
escape; for it was the duty and pleasurt; of the be-
trayed wlioso lives were jeo[»ardiz«.'d by tin; tre.'uhery
to hunt and slay the informer. It was well under-
stood by all, even the .stu[)idest o^ them, that good
fa'.tJi unto one another, union and (.;isci[>line, were es-
S'litial as well to their })er.sonal safety as to p(^cun'iary
^^u<■('ess. This Completeness of organization, coujiled
wiih the awful power wielded by the header, enabled
the band during; nearlv three vcars to carrv on its
I I'll 'rations, and its boyish chief to Hit between towns
and country. Hipping his fingers hi the face of pol'ce
aixl peo[)le, while throughout th(; length and breadtli
of tlie Californian valky, from Shasta to Tulare, and
along the coast line of missions the country was wail-
ing its dead and ringing with rewards. The modus
ojtirandi to accompli.sh the purposes of the organiza-
tion was as follows: Each sul^altern was restrictid
ti) certain limits beyond which he tlare not step. He
had to be at all time.« ready to receive an order from
any captain or lieutenant of the band. His eyes and
ear> were to be always open, and his mouth closed;
passing events were to be narrowly observed, sucli as
the yield of the various mining claims, the drift of

I-

Eli

'v\

(U'lO

BANDITTI.

tho mold (lust, wlu'io a coinpany k«'pt tlulr inonov. or
i'l'itaiii Cliiiiaiiu'ii liiul irukltn tln'irs. It was, iiioic-
<»vt'r. liis tlutv t«> slu'ltiT aiul piottct anv of tlic
liiotlu'iluMKl iH'cdiijt^ liis as.sistaiicf; to wjini tliciii of
Waller, aiul jirovuli! horses ami aid to cscaiH": and ir,.|i.
t'lallv, to assist tlirm in all their undertakliiirs.

Joa<juin was alwa.s spK-ndidly mounted; in thft
much of his su(('«'ss depended on his hoises. It Wiis
the special business of a certain ])ortion of the hrotlin-
hood to keej» the conii>any well supplied with the host
horses in the country. There were, also, nieiiihcis
livin«; in towns, and amouj^ the peaceable inhabitants,
pursuiiii; honest oceui>ations, wlio wire spies, and kept
the ofHeers <»f the band advised of matters they wtie
desirous of knowinj;.

To relate the hundred of incidents in which Joa-
<juin and ]\\.i chief captains and lieutenants personally
disjrlaycil their skill and couraij^o, would oceujn' more
space than I can devote to the matter, I will, liow-
over, narrate some of the most daring deeds of the
voun«; leader.

In I 8.')! while sojourmng in a secluded part of Saii
Jose, he atteiuled a fasidango, whi'rc he became iii-
volvi'd in a f icas, for which he was arrested and liiitd
s\-2 bv the maijistrate. Beinu: in chartje of Dejjutv
Sheriff Clark, who was not aware of his being the
robber chief, he hivited the latter to go with hiiu to
his house ft)r the money. Clark had become obji()xit)US
to ^lurieta f«»r his vigorous pursuit of the band. Cii
reaching an unfrecjuented place tho robber suddenly
turned upon the oliicer, and with a snnle said, "Acct pt
the compliments of Joaquin," and drove his jowelltd
poignard to the hilt in his breast. In the autumn of
the same vear !Murieta and his band wore at the
Sonoran camp near Marysville, where they committed
a numl)er of robberies, and five murders, every one «if
the nmrdered men bcarinj' on his neck thefiital maik of
the flvin*' noose. All had been lassoed, and drao;*'('<l at
the saddle bow by the lariat. In the wild region w est

••ftJM.M

nioMtlis

-I Miurdt

iiig Meai

them h<i

fine stee

secured .

by tlie I..

distracMi

'•ut Jittj.

\\'as only

iind that

iM'stort

Joacjuin >

< )ne ev

' '"LT at a

liver, wl

>;.'<)() tliat

first time

(lari'-devil

•nid thrusi

take tJie I

the corfk-r

<'"wn, sti-o

lode away

lii the f

hnrses tJiro

his retlB-u {

Arroyode (

«iid the Tu

I'lcvious to

Los Angele

111(11 toward

^',^J't, iAfurie

s<'l\(xl to roj

victim happt

1II(;il\VAYMAX OALLANTUY,

eei

oftlu' white |»yraml»l ot'Sliastn, tlic IkukI nuiinod tiiany
iiioiitlis rni;a'4r«l ill liorse-.st«'alin<4'. with now and tlicn
u iiiuidti'. Oiirt' while two of the hainl wt'ic

t;allo|)-

iti;^ near tlie town of llaniiUon, an elk inslied past
them hotiv pmsned hv ji heautiful <j:irl mounted on a
fino steed. Slie htnled lier lasso at the animal and
seeund it, (»idy to find liersidf in her turn lield fast
hy the lariats of the two handitti. Her terroi- was
distraetin;j,'. She im])lon>d tln-m not to harm her,
hut little <li«l tliev care for her ontrcatics. There
was only <»no voici" on oaiih whicli ihey would heed,
and that came miexiu'ctt'dly as If from another woild.
" Ih'store that «jirl to her horse instantly." It was

.)na(

urn

lo siioK*'

( )ne evenin^i; not lonuj afterwanl, J^nquin was sit-
'''}\'^ at a nionte' tahle in a small town mi the Feather
liver, when an Ann-rican hoastiuily oU'ercil to het
s,)0() that he would kill the sjoundrel Joa<iuin tlie

Hist time he met him.

UTiecl away ))y om

'? 1

lis

(l.ue-devil impulses, Joacpiin spranji^ uj)on the tahle,
inid thrusting his ])istol in tho man's face cried, "I
titke the bet; Joacjuin is before you;" then tossiiijj;
the corner of his scrape over his shoulder, lie jumjied
down, strode nut of the r<»om, mounted his horse and
lode away with some of his henchmen at his heels.
In the spriii|4 of I8.')2 ^Turieta drove 800 stolen
liorses throU'Ljh southern California into Sonora. On
his n-tmu aftt-r a few weeks, he was (luartered at tl

lie

Arroyo de Canti'ia, situated Ixtweeii the Coast Ihinge
and the Tuhire lake. It is possible that it was ju>t
I>ivvious to this that thoy sojourned for a wliile in
Los Aiiijcles ami vicinitv. Hidin«^ with some of his
nun toward Sari Luis (ionzaga, and his ])Uise Icing
lii;lit, IVEurii'ta, after the manner of Kobin Hood, re-
siilvixl to r(»b the first man that came aloiiir

victim happened to be a young fellow named Albert
Kudille, who was driving a wagon loaded with gro-
ceries. Joafjuin requested the loa;> of what money
lie had, promising to return it at an early opportunity.

f-fi

BANDITTI.

Ruddle made a movement as if to draw a weapon.
Ho was told to keep quiet or he would be killed, l)iit
as he persisted, Joaquin witli a muttered impreoatioii,
slashed him across the neck with his knife, almost
severimx the head from the body. After riflino- the
dead man's pockets tlie robbers rode off.

While in Los Angeles for a few days, he lieard that
Deputy Sheriff Wilscm of Santa Bjirbara was on liis
trail, witli the avowed intention of taking him dead
or alive. Hi' got up a sham fight between two Indians
in fnmt of tlie hotel were Wilson was staying. The
latter came <;ut to see the fight, when Joaquin ro(l(^
swiftly to him, and hissing his own terrible name in lils
ear, drove a bullet throu«j;h his head and drove awav.

Riding one day alone toward the town of ]^os
H(n'nitos, the chief met young Joe Lake, a playmate
of his boyhood. - In the course of their conversatinn
Joacjuin revealed his present mode of living, and siiid,
"Joe, you are the only American whose good oj)ini()ii
I crave. Believe me my friend, I was driven to this
by hellish wrongs." "Why don't you leave the conn-
trv, and abandon vour criminal life ?" answered Jne.
" Too late, Joe, I n\ust die now as I live, pistol in
hand. Do not l)etray me; do not divulge having nut
:nc here. If you do, I shall be very sorry," signifi-
cantly tapping the stock of his revolver. Lake
deemed it his duty to appraise the authoritiis of
Murieta's presence, and the usual persecution l»('uaii.
The next morning a portly ranchero came up to Lake,
and saying, "You betrayed me, Joel" })lunged a knife
into his breast, and rode away unharmed.

One evenhig Joaquhi rode int(j a camp where abdut
'25 mhiers were at supper, and sitting sideways on his
horse entered hito conversation with them. It so
liappened that a man who knew him by sight s(mii
after came from the creek, and on seehig him ealit<l
out, "That is Joaquin, why, in the name of God doii t
you kill him?" Putting s])urs to his horse with nnc
bound he cleared the camp and dashed down the

DARING DEEDS.

COS

cafion. Finding his way blocked there he returned
toward the camp, to avail himself of a narrow coyote
trail around the brow of a precipice that overhung
tl>o awful depths of the cafion below. A shower of
bullets greeted liis reappearance, but none touched
liini, as he daslied up and along that dizzy path, wav-
ing his dagoer and shouting defiance.

In the early part of March, 1853, Joaquin, un-
attended, visited a large Mexican camp on Burns
creek, about twenty miles from the town of Mariposa.
Ife presented the appearance of a dashing cavalier,
with plumed sombrero, gold laced cloak, and gayly
(•a[)ans()ned steed, as he slowly rode down the principal
thoroughfare of the camp, tinkling his spurs to the
iiuasures of some livelv fandan<;o, and was the cvno-
isurc of many admiring glances from the eyes of the
seuoritas. Passing in front of a saloon he called for
ji <irink, and was just lifting it to his lips, when an
Anitiican, one of two who were standing together
and had recognized him, drew his revolver and fired
a shot that cut the plume of the brigand's hat. The
di'uik was never taken, but Joaquin, after having
wounded one of the Americans hi the arm and the
other in the abdomen, galloped away without a
scratch.

Later in the same month, Murieta and three or
four of his men robbjd a Chinese camp at Rich gulch,
not far from San Andreas, of about $10,000, leaving
three dead and five wounded. The next morning
tliey entered another Chinese camj) at the foot of the
mountains, gashed the throats of three of the China-
iiun, mortally wounded five others, and carried off
.some $;3,000 in gold. They next visited several otlier
C'hinc>se canip.s, all of wliicli they desolated, the cries
of their victims beinuf heard at Ion*; distances. Find-
iiig themselves pursued by a party of Americans, they
cahaly conthiued their devastation, until the pursuers
Wort! within half a mile of them, when they mounted
their steeds, and rode away with the speed of tlie wind.

■ >

664

BANDITTI.

On one occasion, Murieta riding leisurely in disguise
throu5/li Stockton, he saw tlie hand-bills otiLiin"'
$1,000 for his capture. Taking from his pocket a
pencil, he wrote on the margin beneath one of them,
"I will give $5,000. Joaquhi," and quietly rode
away.

One night a cattle-dealer, whose name was Cocail-
ouris, was camping with one Companion on the San
Joaquin, when they were visited by several IMcxicaiis,
splendidly mounted and gaily attired, wlio asked for
supper and a place to sleep. Their occupation being
quits evident, they were treated with much politeness,
and their requests promptly complied with. In the
morning the robber was cordially greeted by the cat-
tle dealer :

"And how does Senor Joaquin this morning?"

"You know me, then," replied the robber.

" I knew you the moment I saw you," said Cuca-
riouris.

"And why did you not kill me last night when I
slept, and secure the reward?" demanded Joaquin.

"I do not like to kill men: I do not care for tlic
reward," replied the host. "Besides, you never in-
jured me; you asked for food ; if every man deserving'
to be hanged went supperless, there would be many
an empty chair at more tables than mine."

"True," replied Joaquin, meditatively, "and I will
see that you lose nothing by your broad philosopliy."

Cocariouris was often on the road with large lienls
of stock, not one head of which was ever, to his
knowledge, touched by any of Murieta's band.

The audacity of this chief, united to his celerity of
movement, at a time when the country had no eoni-
munication by railway or telegra|»h, enabled liini and
his men to effect the most remarkable escapes, as we
have seen. He would show himself now here, now
there, like an impish apparition which vanished at the
approach of danger.

In February 1853, Joaquin and his band swept

througl:
went,
tlie gov(
unme H
ncss of •
many tj
scourge
One e
death, tl
the Salii
tliemselv
J'olitely
host that
way to Si
asked if i
he repliet
1110 alive.'
of the wr
his. Ill

lodging ai
departed .'
^-■iras tJio
'•ara, and
^^lurieta's
nnd it was
California.
I have 1
tl)is faniouf
the nnnied
it sliould b<
i^i'd fraten
<^'ial liouten
("•I'c the to
ill widely
oanie so re
^vliilo over

LOVE AND HATE.

680

through Calaveras, robbinir and slaughtering as tlioy
wont. Again was a reward of a $1,000 offered by
the governor for his capture. The people of !Mokel-
unnie Hill and elsewhere were indiixnant at the small-
ness of the amount, when they themselves liad spent
many thousands in their fruitless attempts. The
scourge continued, and gloom overspread the foothills.

One evening in April 1853, shortly before Joa(|uin's
death, three men rode up to the house of a ranclio on
the Salinas plains and demanded refreshments for
themselves and their horses, which were rcadilv and
])()litely served. After supper they informed tlieir
host that they were from the upper country on tiicir
way t<j Sonora to buy cattle. Their spokesman being
asked if they had seen or heard of the famous Joaquin.
lie replied, "I am that Joaquin, and no man shall take
1110 alive." He then gave his oft-repeated luirrative
of the wronojs which had been inflicted on him and
his. In the mornmg, after payhig for the night's
lodging and refreshments, Joaquin and his companions
(]e})arted southward, as he had said, but only went as
far as the region of San Luis Obispo and Santa B;ir-
hara, and the cattle they took they seldom ])ai(l for.
]\[uriota's movements wore now vi'rv closolv watched,
mid it was thought that his destination was Lower
California.

I have merely referred to a few of the doings of
tliis famous band of marauders, or a portion of it un<ler
the immediate directitui of Murieta in jjorson. But
it should be borne in mind that the excellently organ-
ized fraternity was often divided, and under his sev-
eral lieutenants, Garcia, Claudio, Kuiz, and others,
hole the terror of their chiefs name simultaneously
ill widely different directions. Their operations bo-
caiiie so repeated and destructive, extending moan-
Avhile over such a great extent of country, that no
communitv felt safe.

At last, the people throughout the state were
aroused to the hiq)ortanco of suppressing this over-

f|:|

■' M*

66G

BANDITTI.

whelming evil. For three years this bloody woik
had been going on — a long time in that rushing epoi li
— and it was a reflection on the manhood of Calitbniia
that the robbers should yjo so louif uncauurht. At
length, on the l7th of May, 1853^ the legislatun; of
California passed an act authorizing Harry Love to
bring his mountaineer's experience, bravery, and
testcrl nerve into action, with a well-organized and
equipped body of twenty mounted rangers, to hunt
the marauders down. Love was soon in tlie field,
and lost no time in getting upon the track of the bri-

gands.

Poor Joaquin! Love encompassed him without
and within. For his girl, Antonia la Molinera, wlio
went about with him dressed in men's clothes, i)rov(d
false, having run away with a traitorous mend)er of
the band, Panclio Daniel. ISIurieta swore ho would
kill both of them; and Antonia when she heard of it,
and knowing him so well, and realizing that Iier life
was not safe for a moment as long as he was at lib-
erty, resolved to betray him into the hands of justice.

Murieta sent first Ver-jara to kill her, but Vereaia
proved false, and let the girl live, abandoning the
banditti, and o()hiQr to work on the rancho of Palos
A'^erdes, where was later Wilmington. Murieta sent
another mend)er of his band to brhig back Vergiira,
but a few days thereafter the messenger was found
nmrdered in the street in Los Angeles. Likewise,
others of Joaquin's girls were giving him trouhle.
Thus discord was in the camp, men proving traitor-
ous and women false, which shows that the life of a
robber is not always a happy one.

Stealthily enough Harry Love with his fierce e} es
and flowing hair, followed up(m the trail of Joa(iiiiii,
spying upon him by night, and keephig untler close
cover by day, thirsting for the blood-money, thirsting;
both for the blood and the money, eager to slay the
slayer and rob the robber.

Thu

later ei
In tlie
Love c
tI)o Te
small fi'
f< >r\vard

Mack hi
m the ]
i'lg dow
the fire,
Joa(]uin
into tlie
f •ceded i]
Captain
borse, an
"To L
Turnin
sajne que
returned.
"I conni
tlien niovi
J''.v tJie sa
'^^as order
f'x'ked ]\h
cr ]je Avot
•scornfully
of Ills wra
'•y tlie sic
resting li^
';f'»"d a litt
'"r his ch
J >y riles, Av
"loved up,
"p. called
'"•st tJiey (
Ids cliargei
tlie niounti

CAPTURE OF THE BAND,

CO"

Thus tne toils which must inevitably sooner or
later end such a career v/ere closiiig round Joa(ju'in.
In the latter part of July, with eight of his rangers,
Love came upon a party of Mexicans in camp iirar
tlie Tejon pass. Six of them were seated round a
small fire, where preparations for breakfast were going
forward, while the seventh, he of the slender iigure,
and graceful limbs, and larixe black eves, and 1( n'>-
black hair, a perfect Apollo, richly dressed, blooming
in the pride of health and manly beauty, was wasli-
iiig down a superb bay horse, at a little distance from
tlie fire, with some water which he held in a i)an.
Joacpin was unknown to the rangers, who dashed
into tlie camp before they were discovered, and suc-
ceeded in cutting the robbers oft' from thtir horses.
Captain Love rode up to the one standing by his
horse, and encpiired whither they were going.

"To Los Angeles," the chief replied.

Turning to one of the others, the captain put the
same question when an entirely dift'erent answer was
rt turned. Joaquin bit his lip and sj)oke up angrily,
"I connnand here; address yourself to me." He
tlien moved a few steps toward the fire, around which
lay the saddles, blankets, and arms of the party. He
was ordered to stop, and when he did not heed, Love
cocked his revolver upon him and told him to stand
or he would shoot. The cliief tossed his hair back
scornfully while his eyes blazed with the lightnings
of his wrath, and stepping backward he stood a^ain
l>y the sitle of his haiK.lsome steed, his jewelled liand
restinu" liuhtlv on its mane. Three-Fino;ered .lack
';tood a little distance away, fully armed and waiting
tor his chief. At this critii'al moment Lieut( nant
]>yrnes, with whom J()a(|uin was well ac(pi;iintcd,
moved up, and Joaquin realizing that the game was
ii]*, called out to his followers to save themseKcs tlie
hest they could, and threw himsi>lf u[)on the back of
ills charger without saddle or bridle, and s}»ed <lown
tin; mountain like a tempest. He leaped his horse

6G8

BANDITTI.

over a precipice, when he fell, but was on his fcrt
again in a moment, and remounting, the daring ridt r
dashed on. Close at his heels came the rang* is,
firing as they rode, and soon the gallant steed, struck
in the side, fell to the earth, and Joaquin ran (ni
afoot. Three halls had pierced his body, when lie
turned with a lifted hand toward his pursuers, and
called out: "It is enough; the work is down," —
reeled, fell upon his right arm, and, sinking slowly
down before his pursuers, gave up the ghost without

a groan.

Three-Fingered Jack, cornered, fought like a tiger,
but the end was at hand. And so with others of tin-
company. Claudio had fallen some time before
The bandits, now left without an efficient leader, and
admonished by the swift and sorrowful fate of Joacjuiii,
brnke up the organization, and stole away from tlir
theatre of their crimes. For purposes of identifica-
tion, the head of Joaquin, and the nmtilated hand of
ThriH!-Fingered Jack, were severed from the bodii s,
and, preserved in s[)irits, were brought to San Fran-
cisco in Auofust 1853, bv Black and Nuttall, two of

~ *■' ■

Harrv Love's rangers. The head was ])laced on r.\-
hibition, as the following notice, which ap})eared iii
the papers of the city on the 18th of August, and f v
several days following, will show: " Joaijuin's Head!
is to be seen at Kiuij's, corner of Halleck and San-
some streets. Admissi(m one dollar." Then followed
certificates of persons who had known Joaciuin, as to
the identity of the head. No money was recovered,
though one of the prisoners declared that Jack liad
thrown away a heavy purse of gold during the chase.
It is jirobable tluit others did the same, as the heavy
operations of the band nmst have kept them well siq'-
])lie<l with dust and coin. The growth, after deatli,
of the hair on the head of Joaquin, and the fiiigt r-
nails of Jack's hand, caused quite a sensation anion;,'
those not accustomed to such phenomena.

The immber of murders committed by Joaquin and

CLAUDIO CAUGHT.

Ills mon during the comparatively brief period in vliich
lliey were abioatl is truly astonishing. They wire
jiarticularly hard on the Chinamen, literally strewing
llie highways with their careasses, like slaugliteit d
ii'iLiS, and robbing them at every turn. Several rcne-
gade Americans were among the robbers who won
the respect of the bandit chief by deeds as V)loo(ly and
lieartless as ever stahied the annals of human wrontr.
Claudio, as I have said, met his fate some time
before the tragic scene at the Tcjon pass. In the
early part of 1853, attended by six of his mon, Claudio
^vas ravaging the country between Salinas and Mon-
ttrev, robbin*; and slaving with a reckless hand.
One Cocks, a justice of the peace at Salinas, and,
withal a fearless man, sunnnoned a party of eight and
started in pursuit of the brigands. On the Salinas
river, near Cooper's crossing, stood the adobe cabiji
of a man named Balder, whose re})utation was very
bad. Cocks and his party sur'-ounded this house at
night, and there, as they expected, found the robbers.
A watch dog jjave the alarm: but the Americans had
already dismounted, and taking off their spurs, rushed
in close to the walls. There was l)ut one thing to ilo,
fur Claudio was not the kind of villain tamely to die
in a kennel; bidding his men to follow, he threw the
door open, and boldly led the way into the darkntss,
firuig as he went. Unfortunately for the bandit he
ran into the arms of Squire Cocks, who, being a j)ow-
ciful and determined man, held him with a grip of
steel, until the robber tlropping his revolver, ex-
claimed, "Estoy dado, senor; no tengo armas." I
survender sir : I have nt) arms. The lie was scarcely
sjiokeri when sometiiing was seen to glitter in the
liaiid of Claudio. It was a nmrderous dirk which he
liad drawn from his legging; but a bullet from
the pistol of an American stretched him lifeless before
lie could use it. With a single exception the brigands
Were all shot dead in the fight that ejisued ; tlu> one
inaklng his escape being wounded, and was captured

•It

til

670

BANDITTI.

next da}'. Ho was scut to San Quentin for a tenu
of years and afterward hanjxed.

Second only to Joafjuiu Murieta's liand during the
earlier days of higjiway robbery in California was
that of Tom B(;ll, or Thomas J. Bell, as he subscrihrd
his name. He was a native of Alabama, where In;
received a medical education, came to California iu
1850, and at first worked honestly enough as aiiTnur,
but finally took to gambling. Having unsuccessfully
wooed the fickle goddess at the card-table, he became
desperate, and going out upon the highway, he took
her by the throat. Bell was six feet high, lithe, sin-
ewy, sanguine in temperament, and quick inaction; of
a sandy comj)lexion, with a light blue eye, wliicli,
though ordinarily mild, would, when aroused by op-
position, blaze with the intensity of his wrath. Ho
had six or eight followers, and in the summer of 1 S,")0
they roamed the foothills from the Yubas to Granite
cit}'. He was kind-hearted and magnanimous for a
robb(T and nmrderer, and sometimes disgraced liis
calling by acts that proved him to be possessed of a
human heart.

A traveller carrying a large sum of money was oiio
afternoon riding along a shady mountahi road that Ird
down to the valley, beguiled, maybe, by beautiful
visions of the far-off home to which he was return in:;',
and was just throwing back his head to attack tlie
high part of ''The Girl I Left behind Me," a plaintive
melody he had been devotedly whistling for half an
hour, when he heard the clatter of horses' feet on the
road behind him. Turning in his saddle, he saw
three horsemen galloping rapidly after him, some fifty
yards away, one of whom called to liim to stop. Beal-
izing the true character and hnport of the invitation,
the traveller put spurs to his horse, and soon pursuers
and pursued were racing like the wind down tlie
mountain. A shot from Bell's pistol struck the fugi-
tive in the leg, and Ijrought him down. Having le-

ADVENTURES OF BELL.

liovcd the man of his moncj', instead of (lcspatrhin|r
liini with a knife, or leaving him to dit^ in tlie iojkI. of
lieinorrhaire, tlie handit doetor in-occeded skilfullv and
tend(!i'ly to take up tlie severed artery, and hind the
wound. Just as he was finishin<j;, he heard a wai^on
j)assin<jf on the road, and dinjoted one of his nun to
wait upon the teamster. This was prom)>tly done,
the astonished individual hrought to a stand, ami dis-
eiioumhered of his money. A hed was then hastily
made in the hottom (jf the wagon, the woundrd man
placed upon it, and the driver told to proceed, hut to
(liiv(^ slowly and avoid the ruts. In aiiswer to the
request of the traveller to tie his horse to the wagon,
j^oll declined, but promised to turn it loost^ at that
spot after strip})ing it of its gear, which he did.

A singular tragedy occurred in connection with the
attempted recapture of three of Bell's hand who had
escaped from the Xevada.jail. Just afti'r dark. < >n the
night of the 3d of November, 185C, the slieritf re-
ceived intelli<rence that the hi«j;hwavmen lav concealed
ill a cabin at (iiold Flat. Taking with him four men,
tlie sheriff set out to effect a capture. Crossing a dark
ravine on his wav, lie found four horses tied, and sus-
]>octing s<«nething wrong, hcdetermnied to wait there
until the owner.s, whom he believed to be robbt^rs,
should make their appearance. Presently the sheriff
lieard a noise in the i)ushes near by.

" Wh t's there?" he called out.

"MonI^ and I'll shoot you," was the reply.

Instantly there came a shot from the darkness, then
two other shots, which were quirkly returned by tlic
sheriff's party. The sherifl' was killed at the first fire,
iind one of his men mortallv wounded. The men in
the thicket then rushed up, and to tlie hcn-ror of all
pn^sent learned that they had been firing on friends.
It appears that two parties, each uid^nown to the other,
had started out at the same time, from difi'erent places,
in search of the robbers, who were evini then not far
distant, whcu this calamitous encounter occurred.

672

BANDITTI.

Five of Tom Boll's band wero captured and lodu'" <1
in Calaveras jail about the first of October. Bell was
at that time of the party, but made his e.scape. In
order to throw the otticers off tiie scent, one of tlio
confederates reported that his chief was at a spot 200
miles distant, which rase ^ave him time to escape.
Bell, however, was caught and executed on the uppi r
San Joa(juin the 4th of October, 185G.

Holcombe vallev, in Auijust 1851, was infested In*
a band of desperadoes, havinij; as their leader one
Johnson. Thev stole from Bear Vallev all the mildi
cows and beef cattle, also horses, and whatever tlit v
wanted. One dav Johnson entered a cl<jthin<_j store,
made several purcha.ses, received his bill, and tli»n
ordered tlie storekeeper to receipt it. This he refund
to do until he had received the money; whereupon
Johnson drew his revolver, and told him that he
sliould not only receipt the bill but o;ive him five dol-
lars besides. The storekeeper comjiiied, but had the
fellow arrested. The robber submitted to a trial,
partly for the fun of it, as he had his fellows in the
court-room and openly defied the law. It all did ix-t
avail him nmcli, however, for he met a tragic death
soon after. On election day there was a general fi^ht
in Holcombe vallev, in which Johnson took a haii<l.
He knocked an American down, and drawinuj his re-
volver wasalxmt to use it when ofiicer St John sliot
him. The wound proved fatal within a few hour.s.

In 1851, Jim Irvin passed via Angeles to Mexico
with a band of twenty-five or thirty desperado. >.
They stopped at Coyote rancho, where Ricardo \v;h
in charge, and bound him, compelling a surrender uf
the best horses, food, etc. Ricardo complied; but <•:!
being released next morning he got a band of Cahulhis
to join him in an ambush, whence they slaughter.il
every one of the robbers. The Indians remained iu
ambush, while Ricardo rushed forward and became tlie
avenger of his own wrongs. Ricardo wps no robh. r
or gambler, but au honest fellow who loved fighting.

In IS

^Vngeles

• haraete

'Kiir th(!

••iikI M(>\

o(i C(if>iiii

ti'UgJit, u

tile Mvx

h was a

how niai;

mortality

niie a day

miiiiber ol

;iii(| a *>-i-(.,.

"f CalTfoj-

Jilea.sure ;

.SMMXK) a

killed M-itli

^'looked

i" tlie upj

itiid here J

•^Iioot a gi,.

Ik' iiiUst'ke

•^ix CJiHeiK

••^lashed fr.)

ti.uhtei-, was

tlir lowest

way out wit

■^t<"ie(l, and

■"'"•■ft J 10 ga'

\vJiere first a

tlie eniptv r

tuin(>d to "be

""•' \vas staL

•'"•1 down tJ

l'"Ii<'e toarre

raiicho.

<''ie of tl]
and tried by

UNHAPPY AN(;ELF,S.

G73

111 1851-3 tluTo were more (h-sporadocs in Los
Anu,(li'S tliaii in any place on tlu' coast. All had
cliai-actcrs di*iv»n from tlio mines went tlien; to he
mar the Mexican l)or<li'r if forced to move farther;
iiiid ^Texican outlaws stopprd in thi' city or vicinity
en ccfininij" to the mines. Tlu; two sets met and
feuj^ht, usin!^ knife or hullet on the least prosocation,
tiie Mi'xican preferring the knife, at close ((uarters.
It was a connnon question in the morniii'L;" : "Well,
liow nianv were killed last ni*iht .'"' The avera>'e
lilt »rtal it V from fi<»lits and assassinatiitns in 18;)3 was
(iiio a (lay. In this year California showed a greater
munher of murders than all the Ignited States hesides,
and a <.:;reater number in Angeles than in all the rest
of California. SheriH's and marshals weri' killed at
jilcasure ; and at one time the otlice of sheritf, worth
SI (1.000 a yi'ar, went a begging. Twt) had been
killed within the year.

Crooked-nose Smith had killed his half dozen men
ill the ui>})er country before he came to Angt^les,
and here he promised n»)t to kill any one. but did
.■^lioot a gi>.id)ler the day before leaving, pleading that
lie must keep his hand in. Cherokee- Jjob had killed
six Ch'ilenos in one tiiiht, ('(^mhit; out riddled and
slashed from tlie conflict, llicardo Urivis, a noted
tighter, was beset by a crowd in Calle de los Xegros,
the lowest locality hi Los Angeles. He fout-ht his
wav out with revolver and bowie knife altlioUL:]i shot,
f^tiiiied, and slashed all over. At the end of the
street he gained his horse and rode back to the sjiot
where first attacked to fire his last shot. Armed with
the emj)ty revolver he scatt^-red the peojile and re-
turned to be bandaged. He had three bullet W(»unds,
iiiKJ was stabbed in many })laces. He then rode up
and down the main street for an hour, tiariiig the
]te!iee to arrest him, and then trotted off to his sisters'
raiieho.

Une of the Smiths was arrested at San Cabric
and tried by a hastily constituted Ivnch-court for

C.VL. r.vsT. 13

BANDITTT.

some crime. The sontonro was uistant lianf^innr; l.ut
at tin' final nionicnt a man iiitorfiTcd and lie wjis
j^dvon up to the constable. The lynch-court a«,'?iiii
met an<l rrsolved to sjive expense by a ((uick hut t'nir
trial. The nioh compelled the jailer to surrender the
kevs. ate' Smith was released h'^m\ the pine lou to
which lif and a number of others had been chained.
Nothing could Ik? pr(»ved against liim, and the eeni-
mitttc i< ported accordin<ijly to the niol), asking \\]\i\t
was to ],i' d<»ne. A ft'll«»w rose to propose fift\- l.islics,
])ut tlii^; wa.s voted down. Innnediately after, anotlicr
man proposed ei»^hty-five lashes, and the surreiidtr of
Smith to the military as a deserter. This was unani-
mously carried.

At the sjunc time a ^Mexican was broujiht in for
stabbin;^ a pie-vender, and sentenced at first to han;^-
ing, but finally to eighty-five lashes. On his pita
tliat he was no thief, but a man of honor, he was
allowed to receive his lashi'S first. Smith now pl( jidtd
that as an American he should not be lashed by an
Indian. A purse of sixteen dtdlars was accordingly
made up for a wliite whlp[ier. A young man, n nt w
arrival, accepted the task, and did it with a will.
lM«anwhile the iiand)lers became inccMised aiiainst a
man who would do such service for money, an<l ;■( iz-
ing th«' whipper they began to toss him in a blanket
till hf finallv came down so hard that he broke liis
neek, as was believed at the time. He was restored
in a drug store, and paid his hard-earned sixteen dol-
lars f(tr the treatment.

Jack Powers, the lord amon<j the 400 orambkrs of
Angeles, and ownitig a rancho, hounds, and horses,
IxM-ame involved, and was to be ejected by the slierit)'.
Escaping an attempt to arrest him at Santa Bailiara.
Jack seized the oidy piece of artiller}' in th(> town
and marched with his friends to his rancho. Sluritf
Twiss i)ursued, but was defeated with the loss of two
or three persons. Jack reached his rancho, fortified it.
and nutunted a stove-pipe from his kitchen as a cannon.

•lefvinjjf
t lie sieg(
time aft(
lotainen
finallv w
iio had t

There

Angeles

a 1 tout th

after he 1

F'inte.s, C

nino, and

liad esca

i'lrty stai

wage in fr

l''<»rtunat(

'•lit the

They visit

b*ussian-l

dered the

liorses, anc

tlie next

^'iughardt,

the street

^vith them

t'» Krasze\

many thin

wherever i

ahnut two i:

I'obbers dei

Fi )rster's a

l^os Angele

f^cndier 185

^ix men, th(

to go fartlu

1*^ miles fro

ini>n — the o1

Iliad — going

SOME VERY BAD MF.N.

ATS

<l(fvinjx the sluritK. wlio was ut last obliy^oil to raiso
the sii'ije. This was in Jauuarv 1853. For a hniix
lime at'terwanl, Jack wouhl be attended by a tn)o|» of
it'tainers, who assured his fiiedoni from arnst. Ho
(iiially went away to Ai'izuna, and died upon a ranelio
lio had there.

|4 '

There liad been a party of malefactors in Los
Aiii/eles re<iion known as the Manilas, immlu'rin*'
about thirteen, am«)niLf whom were l*an('ho J)aniel,
after ho left ^Furieta, Juan Flores, Espinosa, Ambea
Fontes, ChinoVarelas.tlienonlv abov, ()ne-evedlM''ui-
iiiiio, and Faustino (iarei'a. Flores and some others
had escaped irom the state's prison. One day the
I arty started in jmrsuit of a man who was j;<»in}jj in a
nation from Los Ani^eles t(> San Juan C\i[>istrano.
Fortunately for the man thev missed him on the road:
Itiit the robbers c<>ntinued their way to Capistrano.
Tliey visited the shop of one Miejiael Kraszi'wski. a
l\ussian-Pole, wounded the owner's assistant, [)lun-
(Icred the shop, and carried away the snoods on two
liorses, and jiromised to return soon, wlTich they did
the next day. They r()bbed the shop of (jreors^e
Flu^'hardt, whom thev murdered, and threw into
the street what thi'V iHd not care to take away
with them. After that they made a second visit
to Kraszewski's place, robbing it, and throwuig out
many things. They also took horses and nmles
wlicrever they found them. This affair lasted till
about two in the morning. Two Americans, whom the
lubbers demanded of John Forstir to kill them, with
For.ster's aid escaped, and reported the niatter at
Los An<'eles. All this was toward the end of De-
C(inl>or 1856. Sheriff Barton came with a party of
six men, though ho had been warned on tlu^ way not
to go farther with so small a force. About 16 or
IS miles from San Juan. Barton at the head of four
men — the other two being from 50 to 100 yards be-
liiud — going along on the road behind a knoll, was

676

BANDITTI.

attacked by the highwaymen, the two men who wore
behind ran away, gave information at Jose Sopiilvoda's
rancho, and pursued their way to Los AngtKs.
Barton and his four men were killed. The iiiiir-
derers returned' to San Juan, wliere they talktd
bravely, s-aying that they belonged to an organization
of five hundred, and that the same night the principal
houses of Los Angeles had been plundered, one nf
them being that of W. Childs, wliose safe had been
broken open. They stayed some hours, took ])r()vls-
ions out of the shop of a Portuguese without l>ayiiig
for them, ami departed. Another prfrty started uiidt r
Tonuls Sanchez, from Los Angeles, against the male-
factors, and saw them, but they did not C(jme to
blows. Andres Pico also came out with anotlit r
party of native Californians. Both parties liotly
})ursued the robbers. Flores and two t)thers wt re
cauLjht in a narrow canon. Juan Cai-tabo and anotlu r
were finally taken and strung up on the spot now-
known as the Canada de la Horca. Flores managed
to get away, the other two were taken to Santa Ana,
to the house of Teodosio Yorva, tied, laid down on
the ground, and watched ; but they escaped. AfUr
that a continual search was kept up by the people
until Flores was recaptured, and taken to the jail from
which he was removed only to be hanged. The re.st
of the Manilas were captured at different places and
killed, exce})ting the Chino Varelas, who was spared
on account of his youth; and one who escaped to
Lower California, and was killed there in some })oliti-
cal emeute. The chief men of the Manilas had been
Pancho Daniel and Flores. The former rare ly
sliowed himself except during the ni*jht. VVlien
Barton was killed a boot was found with a pistol Imle
throufxh its leg, which was recognized as Dainels.
It was proved against him afterward in Los Angelt s,
and made part of the evidence which led to his Iteir,;,'
hanged. The Manilas had a countersign, Tluv
were accustomed to post guards who challenged per-

sons api

•• Jsia," i

^b'xican

'^'cond c

" ^fanila

Tiie c

i'< dated t

z^'wski ]ii

l')aced tai

"iicJ, one

<d Gen en

Sheriff I

f'liininaJs.

}'"I»u]arity

'111 active j

«11 tJie thn

hy iiim.self

^\ere diffic

^v<»uid ]iav€

suspected

•-^ven of r(

Aineriran I
i^i-^ut, wlio
•''V^t'd as tin
^lis wise Col
^i> Augi
^"g<> to til
'^"<1 pil]ag(Mj
outlaws wJk
*'■""! tl- ) std
^yjta VnVit'ox
Siin Luis H(
l^"''! attemj.
^'"' ivnort b(
^'"' wildest
I'l'cfino- ^v-jg

^^";'i-d.s, and
^vhich Were J
^vas never m{

S.\N DIEGO FRKiHTENED.

C77

pons approaching. "Quicii Vive ? " the answer being
• Isla," alludhig, probably, to San Quentin, whicli the
Mexicans and Californians often called La Isla. The
second challenge was " Que gente ? " and the answer,
" Manila."

The occurrences at San Juan Capistrano were

related to me together with many details by Kras-

zt wski himself. For events in Los Anijeles I have

placed faith on the narrative of Antonio Franco Cor-

(>acl, one of the investigating committee in the matter

of (jroneral Bean's murder. Much credit was due to

Sheritt* Tomiis Sanchez for clearing the country of

ciiminals. Being a man of ample means, and of great

I'opularity among the Californians, he not only took

an active part personally in the persecution, but had

all the time at his command a force of n>en supported

by hhuself, which he kept in co!istant motion. ThoSe

wore difficult tunes, and Mexicans and Californians

would have fared badly, because they were all unjustly

suspected of sympathizing with the banditti, and

ovon of riMidering them aid. Fortunatelv, a vounij

American lawyer, of ability and uprightness, Joseph

]hont, who was esteemed by the whole community,

acted as the mediator of the native Californians, and

his wise counsels and offices averted many difficulties.

In August 1858, a rumor was set afloat in San

Dio^o to the c>ffect that the town was to be attacked

and i)illaired bv the horde of fugitive niarauders and

outlaws who had taken refuge on the southern border

from tl- :; storm that had been raised aixainst them in

Alta California. The week of the amuial feast at

San Jjuis Key was designated as the time wlu'U the

bold attempt was to be made, and, on investigation,

tlio r(>port being found to be based on reliable data,

tl;o wildest excitement prevailed in the town. A

iiuctinu: was called at the armory of the San Diej^o

(hiards, and measures taken to protect the town,

wliich were kept up for many nights, but tlu^ attack

was never made. The incident, however, aptly illus-

■ I*

■In

678

BANDITTI.

trates the anarchical condition of affairs in certain
portions of the state at that time.

Two years after the fall of Joaquin Murieta, Ti-
burcio Vazquez began his career of crime. He was
born at Monterey in 1839, and received a fair English
education. He was of mixed Indian and Mexican
blood, bold and cruel, alert and cautious. One night
in 1854, young Yazquez attended a fandango in Mon-
terey, and became involved in a quarrel with another
Mexican about one of the girls in tlie room. A con-
stable interfered to quiet the disturbance, when A^az-
quez stabbed him to the heart. He becan;e an outhiw
for a time, but the matter was misrepresented to the
court, and the excitement blew over. In 1857, lie
was convicted of horse-stealing, and sentenced tc> the
stiite prison. He escaped from San Quentin in Juno
1859, but was ajjain convicted of horse-stcalinf; tlii!
August following, and returned. Both terms expiivil
in 1863, August 13th, and Vaz([uez walked forth a
free but not a reformed man. In the latter i)art of
1804, an Italian butcher was nmrdered and robbeil at
Enriquita. Vazquez acted as interpreter at the coro-
ner's in(|uest. It was afterward discovered that he
and a Mexican, named Fau.->lino Lorenzana, had com-
mitted the deed; but they had in the meanwhile dis-
appeared from that district.

In 18G5, Vazquez elo[)ed with a young daughter of
a ranchero living near the base of Blount Diablo, and
took the road for Llvermore. Her fatlier overtook
them, however, early next day, and a pistol figlit be-
gan. Vazquez received a shot in the arm, and lied,
while the daughter, also wounded, was left swooning
in her father's arms.

In 1867, for stealing cattle in Sonoma county, A az-
quez was again thrust into San Qucjuthi, whenci' ho
was discharged June 4, 1870. In the following au-
tumn he united himself with two others, Procoplo. <ir
Red-handed Dick, and Juan Soto, and together tiny
ravaged the counties of Santa Clara, ^Monterey, Fresuu,

TJiese o
stable of I
Vaz(juez,
>v]iic]i hot
si lot, Vazq
^anti'ia cai
Weary (
.)V;ct of roj
him a few c
Oilroy and
They Were
ten minute!
foi'c they w
Selves.

About 7
two Mexico
mines, rode
dismounting,
l^tzerath, i
lode up ant
Vazquez, i-e

EXPLOITS OF VAZQUEZ.

679

and Alameda, stages being robbed, ranches plundered,
and horses run off, in swift and startling succession.
Juan Soto was soon afterward shot dead in a hand-to-
hand battle with Sheriff Morse of Alameda, and the
others fled to Mexico, but in a sliort time returned to
San Francisco, where Procopio was arrested. Vaz-
quez then, in company with two or three other despe-
radoes, selected Cantija canon, a narrow defile in the
mountains near the New Idria mines, as his retreat,
and thence descended upon the neighboring regions.
Tliey stopped the Visalia stage near Soap lake, robbed
the passengers of everything, tied them, and laid them
on their backs in a field, and drove the stage round
the point of a hill, out of tlie view of passing teams.
They then robbed three or four teamsters on the road
to Hollister, and later the same day, Vazquez, being
alone, stopped and robbed Thomas McMahon, later a
leading merchant t)f Hollister, of $750 in gold.

These outrages stirred up the country, and the con-
stable of Santa Cruz, following hotly on the trail of
Vaz(|uez, overtook him, and a fight took place, in
.wliidi both were severely wounded. After he was
si lot, Vazquez rode sixty miles to his hiding-jjlace hi
Canti'ia canon, and nearly died from loss of blood.

Weary of small game, Vazquez conceived the pro-
ject of robbing a railway pay -car. Associating with
liim a few determined men, he selected a point between
(jiilroy and San Josd, and began to tear up the track.
They were rather slow in their work, and the train,
teu minutes ahead of time, came down upon them be-
fore they were ready, whereupon they scattered them-
selves.

About 7 o'clock in the evening of August 20, 1873,
two Mexicans, from the directit)n of the New Idria
mines, rode up to Snyiler's store at Tres Pinos, and
dismounting entered, and engaged the clerk, John
Utzerath, m conversation. Presently, five otluirs
rode up and dismounted. Three of them, one being
^'az(^uez, remained outside, while the four others eu-

oiilll

BANDITTI.

tered the store, levelled their pistols at the inmates,
six or seven in number, and compelled them to lie
down on the floor, in which position they were tied,
and robbed. The brigands then ransacked the store,
taking all the cash, and considerable clothing, provi-
sions, and tobacco. While these things were trans-
piring within, Vazquez was holding a bloody carnival
without. A Portuguese sheep-herder, who had just
put up his flock, was entering the store, unconscious
of what was going on, when Vazquez ordered hhn to
stop. Not understanding him, he paid no attention
to the command, whereupon Vazquez fired upon him,
the ball taking efifect in his mouth, caushig him to
fall, and as he attempted to rise, the robber fired
again, killing him outright. Haley, a teamster who
was on the road, was ordered to lie down, and on at-
tempting to discuss the question, was knocked sense-
less by a blow from Vazquez' pistol, in which condition
he remained for some time. George Redford, a team-
ster, was attending to his team, which stood in front
of the store, when the shooting began. Vazquez or-
dered him to lie down, but the poor fellow, hvm^
quite deaf, could only understand that he was in
danger, turned and ran toward the stable, but was
shot dead by Vazquez before he had reached the d( »or.
Seller .^r, a blacksmith, was out in the road when tlie
afffilr began, and ran toward Davidson's hotel, near
the store. A shot from Vazquez' pistol whistled over
his head as he gained the building, and rushed on up
stairs. Davidson, his wife, and brother-in-law, were
in the hotel, and Mrs Davidson coming forward to
close the door, one of the robbers called out, "Close
the door and keep it closed, and you shall not l)e
harmed." She had nearly complied, when Vaz<iuez
rushed up and fired through the door, the shot [inss-
ing through the heart of Mr Davidson, and ho fell
dead into the arms of his wife. Having finished tlieir
work of murder and pillage, the robbers took seven
horses from the stable, and escaped to the mountai

IS.

CAPTURE 'OF VAZQUEZ.

One niofht in December, Vazquez, with eiglit native
Califoiiiiuns, two Americans, and a neoro, tied their
liorses on the bank of the river opposite Kingston,
Fresno county, crossed a bridge on foot, and took pos-
sess on of a hotel and two stores on tlie main street.
They bound and robbed thirty -five men, in addition
to the hotel and stores, getting a considerable booty,
and having successfully given battle to tlie citizens,
who had collected under arms, made good their escape.

The sheriffs of half a dozen counties then began to
camp on the trail of the robber, and it was not long
before the hitherto lucky villain was in the grasp of
the law. On the 14th of May, 1874, the plan for his
capture having been perfected with the utmost secrecy
and skill, a party of eight men under the leadersliip
of a sheriff's officer, suddenly made a descent on the
house of Greek George, near Los Angeles, wliere
Vazquez was known to be, and surprised him at the
dinner table. He had disencumbered himself of his
nrms, four revolvers and a Henry ritle, and was in no
condition to face his foes. Leaping through a back
window with the agility of a cat, Vazquez stood for
moment undecided, rushed for his horse, but was
struck by a rifle ball. Turning, he was struck again;
and thus shot after shot told him that his game of
life was played to the end, whereupon he threw up
liis hands, walked toward his captors, the blood
streaming from his wounds, avA said, with a faint
smile:

" Boys you have done well ; I have been a damned
fi)ol." He was hanged at San Jose on the I'Jth of
Alarch, 1875.

Santo Sotelo, half brother of Chico Lugo, and
companion of Jose Tapia, the last of a band infesting
southern California for a year previous, was caught in
July 1877. After the capture and conviction of
Lugo and Tapia, Sotelo was left alone. He was
tracked to a canon in the San Bernardino mountains.
To escape detection he shaved his face of its shaggy

682

BANDITTL

beard. The capture of Sotelo was in this wise:
While riding near Lake EUzabeth, a young Calit'or-
nian, Rafael Lopez, saw in the distance a horse titd
to some bushes. Approaching cautiously he discov-
ered the figure of a man prostrate upon the ground
under the shade of a tree, tranquilly smoking a '
cigarette. Young Lopez recognized the robber in-
stantly, and determined upon his capture. Fastening
his horse he crept stealthily up behind the tree until
he almost stood over Sotelo, when he placed the
muzzle of a pistol in his face and ordered him to keep
quiet, which the robber did not fail to do. Alone
Lopez then performed the difficult and dangerous feat
of binding and bringing to justice the outlaw.

But not to Joaquin, Bell, and Vazquez belong all
the honors of Californian brigp'^dage. Dropping back
into more exclusively pastoral times, we find that
second only to the Mexicans was the aboriginal high-
wayman, who to become a first-class robber must
be civilized. An Indian of San Francisco, christian-
ized under the name of Pomponio, was in 1823 the
terror of the shore and bay, from Santa Cruz to
Sonoma. The natives he robbed of their woniin,
and the missions of their goods. He killed ad Uhifuiii,
the assassination of his fellow savages being his special
delight. Pomponio was chief of quite a band. ( )uo
of his lieutenants was Gonzalo, a neophyte of Carnulo,
and a man of extraordinary determination. In (Hie
of his raids Gonzalo was captured, and confined at
Carmelo in irons, with a heavy ring round each ankle,
and both rings secured to a post in such a manner
that he could not extricate himself, though his hands
were free. He well knew that death or some teniblc!
punishment awaited him. I have it on good autlior-
ity, incredible as it may appear, that while the ouarJ
was asleep, Gonzalo deliberately drew his knife \\\\\v\i
had not been taken from him, and cut off both of liis
heels, so as to slip his feet out of the rings, and thus

THE GENTLE SAVAGE AS HIGHWAYMAN.

683

effected his escape. History records no instance of
greater coolness and nerve than this of the San Fran-
cisco bandit savage. Finally, after a long career of
crime, once, while hotly })ursued, Gonzalo's horse fell
with him and broke his leg. Through the assistance
of Pomponio he escaped capture, but he soon saw
that his time on earth was drawing to a close. He
was anxious now to achieve heaven, th.ough in the
heaven of the highwayman where all steal, the ques-
tion might arise who were there to be robbed, and if
it was heaven to the victims ? However this might
be, he was as determined now to have heaven, as ever
he had been to cut a throat ; so he asked Pomponio
to sunnnon a confessor. But Pomponio objected to
confessions upon principle, especially where something
not to his benefit might be said. So instead of going
for a priest he ran his lance through his comrade, thus
saving much needless trouble.

Another of his lieutenants, Baltasar, from the Sole-
dad mission, being mortally wounded near Santa
Cruz, begged Pomponio to hasten with him to the
(•] lurch, where he might receive spiritual aid. Him
likewise Pomponio killed and burned. A native
wood chopper in the Santa Clara forest he burned
upon his own wood-pile. Pomponio once took a son
of Reyes Berreyesa into the woods to kill him; but
the bandit's companions begged for the boy's life and
saved it. The chief could not, however, refrain from
stripping and beating the boy, and sending him naked
to his father with the message to come and catch
Pomponio if he was a man. Pomponio was finally
captured, and shot at Monterey the 6th of February,
1824.

A little later we find the Indian robber YiSscolo, a
uoophyte of Santa Clara, and his brother Julian, both
diiefs of robber bands, and famous before 1843. They
Avere the terror even of professional horse-thieves,
wliom they often attacked and slew, driving oft' their
booty. Sexgil was another noted robber-chief of

684

BANDITTI,

tliis epoch. The Imithers, Yoscolo and Juhan. iv-
iiiained united till 1843, when the former was killed
and beheaded in Sierra Azul de Santa Clara 1)V five
Spaniards, Julian badly wounded, escapetl with tlu>
band, for which ijood fortune thev were hidebted to
the rouLj;hness of the ground. Shortly after Julian
and Sexgil were [)ardoned b}' the government on con-
dition of their extirpating the horse thieves with
which this region was infested; but proving worse in
their depredations than the thieves tliey were sent to
catch, they were finally transported to Mexico as
convicts.

Domingo Hernandez made killing foreigners a
specialty. He was born at Monterey, and in IS 42
was a cavalry soldier. Of medium stature, bronze
complexion, with large head and broad shouldiis. lie
was at once active and strong. His mouth was
enormous, and the teeth set wide apart, so that how-
ever horrible miiiht be his frown, his laugh was worsr.
In 1840 he deserted from Torres' force, and wltli
Capistrano Lopez and others went to Nativitlad and
engaged in stealing cattle. This Capistrano jjojuz
was quite notorious. During the revolution of 1845
against Micheltorena, a soldier was despatched by the
general with despatches from San Fernando to ^h^\\-
terey, who, on his return, was waylaid on the edge of
the woods opposite David Spence's rancho, by Capi-
strano Lopez and his party, robbed of .$800 in ]\lr\i-
can gold which the general's wife had placed in
charge of the soldier to take to her husband, ami
murdered. The body was left unburied, and the
bones were still on the spot in 1848. If Californlan
accounts are true, Lopez had been a traitor to liis
country before the Americans seized it. They say
that when Fremont was entrenched on the Gavilan,
where a large Californian force under Castro was on
the point of assailing him, Lopez was sent to s))y his
movemeuts. He then visited the American camp

and advii

^^■as rewji

and Ills 11

in the la;

'^el, Lark

tlie liandf

tage, Lo|

plotted t(

and i-esci

have tjie

Hi.lden

and Ids fe

tiiey imag

he was w

<'anada. '

and the Ik

for the rob

Hornaiu

Serrano an

lianged. .

Biar party

donionstrat

<il>tained ft-i

under Capt

Tiiere was

lope, wliicl

giounch T

tilt, who Jia

as tlio will <

Si'horadel 1

I have a ful

ft'rence with

to take the

liiin unguan

t'apilla. Bo

little good f

svinpathizers

iiigJit the fel

Some one co

lIKUN'ANDEiJ Tin: SPIXIAT^IsT.

6S5

and ailviHod Fremont of Castro's plan, whicli service
was rrwardod witli six ^Icxican doubloons. Fremont
ami his men that nijjfht slipped away. Another time,
ill the latter part of 1S4(I, when the American con-
sol, Larkin, was a prisoner at San Luis ()l)is]>o, in
the hands of Francisco liico, who held him as a lios-
tai^e, Lo})e/, with two others, Chavez and Esijinosa,
jilotted to kill llico and Jose Antonio de la (iuerra,
and rescue Larkin. liico escaped in the ni!L;ht. I
liave the particulars of this affair from liico himself.

Hitlden by the Cuesta de los l^inacates, Hernandez
and his fellow-bandits would shoot passeni^ers whom
thev imau;hied carried valuables. If anv one escaped,
he was waylaid a second time at the mouth of the
Canada. The bodies of the victims were left unburied,
and the horses allowed to go with their saddhs on,
fur the robbers did not want any tale-telling trumpery.

Hernandez was at last cai)tured, tried by Judge
Serrano and a jury at Monterey, and sentenced t<> be
hanged. A number of sympathizers from among the
Bear party men and the volunteers having made some
demonstrations toward rescuing the prisoner, the judge
obtained from General Kearnv a uuard of thirtv men,
under Captain Bui"ton, to be present at the execution.
There was nothing present for the purpose but a well
rope, which broke, letting fall the prisoner to the
ground. This was regarded bvthe Californians ]>res-
cut, who had never seen any executions l)y the roj)e,
as the will of (iod, and they shouted, *'Viva Nue.stra
Senora del liefugio." The per}>lexed judge, from wh< »m
1 have a full account of this aftair, after a short con-
ference with Captain Burton and the priest, resolved
to take the prisoner back to the jail, where he left
him unguarded in the room that had served him as
caj)illa. Both judge and priest gave Hernandez no
little good advice as to the way he should live, and
sympathizers made up a purse for him. That same
night the fellow slipped off. and on the following day
some one complained to the judge that lleruaudcz

6S6

BANDITTI.

had ])ut a wliilc before been ijjanibllivjr witli him in the
cu.st<nn-h(»uso corridor, and the villain having lost, he
pounded the winner and took away the money.

Hernandez continued his criminal career on tlu'
Soledad road. He boasted of the way he used to kill
travellers who had the apjiearance of foreigners. Jf o
would ask the victim for a cigar, or a liglit, and ]tn-
tcnding to be occupied with the cigar, he would K t
tlie traveller advance a few steps, and then shoot liim
from behind. He said that he would never span- a
foreigner, and had a strintj of foreiimers' ears fast^iit rj
to his saddle-bow. Another artistic way he had of
nmrdering was bv striking a knife half a vard lon-r
into the shoulder blades of a traveller as he passrd
him. He enjoyed the victim's agonies, and would kill
without expectation of obtaining anj' bo(»ty. lUr-
nandez at last came back to his foniicr liaunts at Xa-
tividad, and to the rancho de las Animas. He uhvn
visited San Francisco, in disguise, and under an as-
sumed name. At Santa Cruz, he and his associate in
crime, Capistrano Lopez, were captured and hang< d
by the people. Thus ended the career of these two
monsters.

Francisco Hernandez, a brother of Domingo, was a
lazy, drunken gambler, cattle-thief, and bad charact. r
generally. His exploits were about the Canada <1«1
Gavilan, in the centre of well-stocked ranchos. The
cattle he stampeded and rounded up afterward lie
slaughtered; the hides he sold to dishonest dealci s.
of whom there were too many at hand at ^Tontt ny
and San Juan Bautista. He would in gambling In-
come so absorbed in the play as to forget his lioix'.
which would remain tied to a fence for hours, aii<l
even days, without food or water, if others did ii"t
provide for it. Once he took his wife and children t<t
Vallecitos, and left them in charge of his bmtlitr
Agustin. After many months of absence on his crim-
inal pursuits, he came back when he was not expect* d.
His wife was enceinte. Agustin rushed out, revolver

SOME BLOODY WORK.

687

in hand, and ordered him to leave without dismount-
ing, as he was no longer recognized as her Imshand,
luiving ne<£leeted to provide for her during so many
months. Leaving the premises, Francisco joined tlie
Daniel band of highwaymen at New Idria, descending
to Los Angeles, and disap[X'ared. Some think he was
slain hy his personal enemies, and others that he was
hanged by vigilants. His wife, in later years, became
eager to abandon Agustin, of whose mode of living she
knew not, but suspected his complicity with Tiburcio
Vazquez in some murders and other criminal acts.

Juana Hernandez, the wife of a drunken vagabond
living (Ml the Calabazas laguna, came to Monterey in
1843, and became the mistress of Alferez Marquez,
one among the worst of the officers in Micheltorena's
famous battalion of cholos. Some time afterward her
jmsband died, and it was suspected that she and her
paramour had poisoned him. In fact, both she and
Marquez conunitted themselves, and revealed the plot
before Judge Serrano. The revolution agahist Mi-
clieltorena having broken out in 1845, and martial
law being proclaimed, the two escaped. Marquez
went south, and later departed for Mexico, where he
was for a time a school-master at Hermosillo, and
afterward lighthouse-keeper at Mazatlan. Juana,
who had returned to her rancho, while drunk was
burned to death, and was buried at Santa Cruz.

In 1875, on the 4th of December, six Mexicans of
Chavez' band entered the store of the brothers Gaskill,
and robbed it, first killing L. H. Gaskill. Teodoro
Vazquez tried to nmrdcr the brother, but was shot
dead himself After some more bloody work on both
sides, the storekeepers hid themselves, and the house
was plundered: the robbers afterward rode off toward
Fort Yuma, killing Alphonse Leclaire and Antonio
L Sosa. and connnitting wanton depredations as they
went. Three of the bandits only were able to travel.
One was killed, and two were badly wounded. These

CSS

BAXI>ITTI.

two tlu- >h«'rifr (asily arrcsttd, l)ut on tlio urxt dnv
tlu! iHoplu t<K)k tlium f'loiii Ilia luind8 and liaii^xd
tluin.

Ill IS77, tlhTe was a lit 'st of liorst^-tliicvrs, ^Icxi-
c-aiis ami ( 'aliforniaiiH, just alt(»vt.' Los lianos, <jvur tlic
tlivitlciii M«i«-(<1 county. Oih; nii^lit in Stpt* mix r,
s«.'vcial liorscs WMio stoli-n from tlio ranclio of Jfti.;!;
Fieiicli. Seviial stockimn, witli a deputy ^lu lill',
Wfiit in i>uisuit, and found Xacho Avila, a nc>torious
i-uMmt, at tlu' door of a cal)in. B('in«jf allowed to put
on liis coat, ]»(»ots, and liat, tlio desperado suddenly
fired ui>on tliu man nearest liim, and wounded liiiii.
tliou'^h not fatally. , The robl»er was soon riddled, and
finally a .^^liot-t^un br«)U<4ht him down dead.

It is undt'rstood that Anastasio Garcfa acted for a
time, durln«4 tlio period of hostilities between the Cal-
ifornians and Americans, as a sj»y of tlie latter, about
the rt.iiion of San Juan Bautista, and was well paid
for his service. Later, ho waylaid aid murdered a
^Tr Wall, on tho Guadalupe rancho. Upon the news
reaciiin-' Monterey, a brother of tho murdered man,
late in the afternoon, came with a number of Aineii
cans and Califoiniaiis, among whom was (a[)t;iiii
Joaquin de la Torre, to the assassin's hut, where tlicy
found him in comi>any with his wife. Tone a[)-
proached tlio hut, and demanded that he should come
out, but was answered, "Go away, Joaquhi, I haw-
no trouble with you." But the captain insisting, tlie
door >vas suddenly opened, and both men fired tin ir
reyolvers simultaneously. Torre's bullet struck the
woman's nrisx, but that of Garcia had entered Ture's
chest, wJio fell to the ground dead. The assas^^ill
rushed oi.t, and was met by Wall. Some fiiihtlnn"
ensued, i>ut the assassin succeeded in escaping int*
tho Sauzal w«»ods near tho hut. After further mlsdo-
iii'j;, he was cau<j;ht and haii<xed.

Stage robberies haye been frequent throughout tlie
entire Pacific slope. Tho express treasure-box was

the priz

eiajly r<

As a ru]

sistanco.

lines of

subsequt

f'om|«iny

dasli up 1

with a o

their Jiai

'go throL

In 185.

with his

Sebastian

After acci

desired to

refusf.d to

tho spoils.

hut liis th]

lino shot 1

and delivoj

evidence, t

Garcia, aiu

executed,

his career

later, he w,

murder of J

liiin, but tij

V. as acquit!

^ I will mc

^f" the traj

Comptonvil

of Dry creel

hy six mouE

render of v,

fight ensued

^vas riddled,

soriously wo

Tom Bell, ^

Cal. Pa(

lUK STAGE BUSINESS. M

the prize usually s(>u«?lit, though passenjjfers were gen-
erally rdievj'd of tlidr valuables at the Haiiio tiiiio.
As a rule, life was never taken, except in case of re-
sistance. It was a connnon occurrence on the sta<re
lines of Nevada, Idaho, and Montana in 180.'}, and
suhsrcjuently, at some lonely place in the road for a
company of three or four armed and mounted men to
dash up to the stage, stop the horses, cover the driver
with a gun, and order the passengers to throw up
their hands, when one or two of the bandits would
'go through' them.

In 1855, ]>anditti, commanded by Francisco Garcfa,
with his assistants, Indian Juan, Bias Angelino, and
Sebastian Flores, infested the Santa Clara mountains.
After accumulating considerable plunder, Indian Juan
desired to retire from active service, when the others
refuBt>d to pai-t with hin\, or to give him his share of
the spoils. He threatened to bring suit against them,
but his threat cost him his life, as Garcia and Ange-
lino shot him. In 1856, Flores became dissatisfied,
and delivering liimself to the authorities, turned state's
evidence, thus causing the arrest of his connnander,
Garcia, and his companion, Angelino. The latter was
executed, but Garcia effected his escape, continued
his career of crime farther south. Seventeen years
later, he was arrested and tried at San Josd for the
murder of Indian Juan, Flores behig a witness against
him, but the evidence not being deemed sufficient, he
v.as acquitted.

I will mention a few stage robberies as illustrative
of the traffic. On the 12th of August, 1856, the
Com[»tonville coach, full of passengers, at the crossing
of Dry creek, before reaching Marysville, was stopped
by six mounted highwaymen, who demanded the sur-
render of valuables. The passengers refused, and a
fight ensued, about forty shots being fired. The stage
was riddled, and a number of the passengers were
seriously wounded, but the robbers, whose leader was
Tom Bell, were driven away, and failed to captuie

Cal. Pact. 44

60d

BANDITTI.

the ten thousand dollars in gold-dust which was on
board the stage.

On the Gclger grade, three miles from Virginia
city, the stage was robbed of |7,000 by six men with
Hcjiry rifles. The treasure-safe was blown open,
shivering the body of the stage by the explosion.
Six days previous $9,000 had been taken from t]i(i
stage between San Juan and Nevada by three masked
men, who blew open the treasure-safe. One of them
took from a passenger his loaded revolver, removed
the caps, and returned it to the owner ; no attempt
was made to rob the passengers. This was at half-
past four o'clock in the morning. Inmiediately the
news reached Nevada. Sheriff Gentry with six men
started out, and by noon the three robbers were
killed and the money recovered.

Port Neuf canon in Idaho, some thirty miles soutli
of Fort Hall, was a favorite spot of banditti roaming
the Montana and Utah road. For two years succeed-
ing the opening of tlie mines of Idaho and Montana
this was the rendezvous of road agents. Throu^li
tlie canon the road in places was walled with tliick
brush, and the whole region round seemed designed
by tlie devil as tlie retreat of his special providence.
Leisurely along up the canon came the stage one day
in the middle of July 1805, when from the thick
brush was heard the command to halt; and on tlic
instant a human form with sooty face stood before tin;
leaders. Six other human forms with sooty faces
bearing shot guns in their hands then took their sta-
tion round the stage. The passengers were l)rave,
but liravery here was of no avail. After S(uiic funil»-
ling two or three of them pointed their pistols out of
the stage window and fired. As a matter of courses
the robbers poured a volley of buckshot from tin ir
guns into the coach. One of the passengers instantly
sank dead; three otliers were killed in springing from
the stage; two escaped into the bushes; the driver
was wounded. There was a larije amount of treasure

aboar

lars t

tween

tlie p8

of the

the loi

three 1

peril I

lives.

treasu]

from tl

tlirou'r

an esci

grace t^

with til

Sooty s

guns in

round J

eitJier t(

ened fn

or to hU

Stage

trust- W(

write on

WiJiianii

ceniber

roI)l)ery.

ambush;

watched

•"^I'eiid m,

Jars abou

had noth

He w

tween J)t

overwhel:

Ik' confef.

^fteen in

In No\

near Virir

DISOBEDIENT TRAVELLERS.

691

'**

aboard, estimated by some at seventy thousand dol-
lars this being one of the main lines of travel be-
tween the new mines and the settlements. Doubtless
the })assengers desired to keep their money. Some
of them would have liked to retain their lives even at
the loss of their gold. The foolish firing of two or
three brought destruction on all, two only ' at groat
peril and suljsequent hardship' escaping with their
lives. The rol)bers taking from the dead men the
treasure which tliey would have preferred to take
from them while living, went their way. Travellers
throuijjh a robber infested countrv should either take
an escort stronyj enough to fijjfht, or submit with
grace to have their pockets emptied, that is to .say, if
with their money they do jiot wish to lose their li\ es.
Sooty souls with sooty faces bearing buckshot-Ioadi-d
guns in their hand? do not gather in a quirt canon
round a stage contauiing seventy thousand dollars
cither to sinp; love songs to the moon, or to be fright-
ened from their purpf)se by a half dozen passengers,
or to stand and be shot at by them.

Stage-drivers, as a class, we find honest, sober, and
trust- worthy ; but now and then 1 am ooligcd to
writer one down a villain. Such a one was Frank
Williams, hanged by the people of IMontana in J)e-
ccmber 1805, for complicity in a Port Neuf canon
rol>l)ery. It seems that Williams drove his load into
ambush ; and being suspected, he was narrowly
watched while at Salt Lake city, where he was seen to
sp(>nd money freely, scattering several thousand dt>l-
lars about the town when it was well known that he
had nothing but his wages honestly to draw from.

He was finally arrested at Godfrey'-i station, be-
tween Denver and Juk'sburii:. At first he was so
overwlu^lmed that he could scarcely s])eak ; afterward
lie confessed, giving the names of his confederates,
fifteen in all.

In November 18(35, the overland stage was robbed
near Virginia citv, in Six Mile canon below the Gould

692

BANDITTI.

and Curry mill. There the driver found the road
blockaded with some old sluice boxes and a broken
wagon. Five masked men appeared and pointing three
shot guns and two revolvers at the nhie passengers,
ordered all hands up, which mandate was with alacrity
obeyed. The express box and pockets of the passen-
gers were then emptied of their treasures, whicli
yielded the robbers about five hundred dollars each ;
all were obliged to contribute save one, a woman,
whom the highwaymen would not disturb.

The Indians rifled one of Hill Beachy's stages on
the Humboldt and Idaho road the 'Jth of November,
1866. This year was remarkable for stage robberies.
Both Marker's and Lotta's stages were stopjeJ on
the 8th of May; and the same day a liki o; ' 'je
was ])erpetrated between Nevada and Sini Juan.
In this latter adventure the only occupants ot the
coach were Chinese, and the banditti reposed sucli
confidence in the driver that when he gave his word
that the treasure-box was empty, they did not blow
it <jpen. On the Rough and Ready road within oxw
mile of Grass Valley H. J. Teal was attacked by
highwaymen, and several shots exchanged. This
neighborhood seeme*^' literally alive with them, or
doul)tless it was one band connnitting numerous dep-
redations. The 8th of December, a Chinaman was
robbed on the Colfax road ; the two above mentioned
the next day; the 10th one Humphrey was robbed
near tlie South Yuba bridge where Cooper and Xyl«'
were killed and })lundered a short tinie before ; on
till' l>th a Chinaman was robbed on the trail betwe; ii
Little York and Bear river; and six Chinamen were
attacked by highwaymen near Bear river on the IStli.
In tills last encounter the celestials resisted, killed two
of the robbers, and drove away the rest. If through-
out the coast there had been proportionate activity,
a volume would soon be f Med with the record.

Two express boxes were on thi' Boise stage passi; /,
Point Neuf caiion one day in May 18G8, one coutai/i

jngsr

ite reti

ordere(

Jelm d

and we

ger the

in curr

had no

S. A

" I com

15th of

summit

on the I

year, wl

from M

Rond va

met sev(

came sat

which t

getting a

time I cc

and flid

them bel

tlie 16th

Grande, i

for Forth

States nu

"On th

short vac

Walla Wj

A found '.

({uainted \

having fir

Point, on

anxious to

and so to(

with liim i

betwern $■

the storek<

i:j

AUSTIN'S STORY.

693

ing $1,800 and the other $10,000. Near their favor-
ite retreat three masked liij^hwaymeii appeared and
ordered the driver as usual to throw off the box.
Jeliu dropped the one containing the lesser amount
and went liio way with the other. From one passen-
ger they obtained $850 in coin. Another with $300
in currency in his pocket swore so stoutly tliat he
had no money tliat he was permitted to go unsearched.

S. AuiAin, stage-driver, tells the following story :
"I commenced driving stage for John Hailey on the
15th of October 1807, from Umatilla to Meacham's
sunnnit of the Blue mountains. I continued driviiiif
on the route until the 14th of November the same
voar, when I was transferred to the mountain route
from Meacham's to Union town, east side of Grand
Rond vallev. I had driven but a few trips when I
met several of these parties now arrested, and be-
came satisfied in mv own mind from the manner in
which they conducted themselves that they were
getting a livelihood by unlawful means. From this
time I commenced watching every move they made,
and flid all I could when meeting them to make
them believe; that I was friendly toward them. ( )ii
the 16th of June 1808, J. F. Wheeler arrived in La
Grande, in j)ursuit, as he said, of two thieves en route
for Portland, representing himself as Deputy United
States marshal from Boise city.

"On the 15th of June 1808, I quit driving for a
short vacation, and on the l7th went on a visit to
Walla Walla. The second day after my arrival there
I found Dr La Burr and wife. I had been ac-
quainted with these people some nine or ten years,
having first met them when they lived near Rock
Point, on Rogue river, southern Oregon. I was
anxious to have a private conversation with La Burr,
and so took advantas^e of the first chance. I went
with liim to a watch and jewelry store, where he sold
betwern $400 an<l $500 worth of dust, he stating to
the storekeeper that it came from a camp near Shasta

694

BANDITTI.

mines — giving it a nauio which I knew to be false,
as there was no such place in that section of country.
Before he had got the money for his dust I walked
out of the store, and I again met him as usual. In
the course of our talk he asked me if I had quit driv-
ing. I told him that I had not quit entirely, but
that I expected to soon ; that I had been in the coun-
try nearly eighteen years and always worked for
every dollar I got, and that I had become tired of
liard work, and intended soon to resort to some other
means of making a livhig. He then asked me if I
thouiiht of takhiij unfair moans to make a raise. I
cred that I did. He tlicn wanted to know if
>, s really getting desperate, and I told him that
I was satisfied that the boys knew enough, and if
they would only give me a few points I would soon
be all right. Whereupon he told me to ask John —
meaning J. F. Wheeler — when he came up, for a few
l)oints, and he was satisfied that he would give them
to me, as he liked me very much.

" I then left hhn, and on the 28th of June, 1808, I
again took charge of my stock. And on the same
evening of my arrival at La Grande, I learned from
!Melvin Bailey that Wheeler came up the trip before
I returned, and had gone oo Dr La Burr's, his brother-
in-law. Next morning I crossed over the mountain as
usual, and on my return next day I met W^heeler in
La Grande. After supper we took a walk round
t«)wn, when he commenced talking of the conversation
I had had with Dr La Burr at Walla Walla. He told
me then that he wanted me to go in with them and
become one of the band. I told him that was what
I was on, but I did not like to go in with a man if
he could not stand up to the work. He said I neid
not be alarmed, for he had been in some tight places,
and that he would be true to me to the last. I then
accepted of the position, and was considered as be-
lonjjinii to the band.

" J^uring the talk ho told me L^ had taken part ui

PLAYING TRAITER.

a great many highway robberies ; he was one of the
band that robbed Wells, Fargo, & Co. near Virginia
City, in the spring of '67, and in Montana in the
fall of '67, and committed several other robberies
of less importance. He then told me that his busi-
ness down was to pick out a place to rob Wells,
Fargo, & Co.'s express in the Blue mountains, and
that the place they had chosen was a mile on the road
from Pelican station towards Meachani's. He was
going direct home to Boise city, and would send the
boys right down ; rnd that they would be there in
two weeks at furthest ; reporting themselves one at a
time a Dr La Burr's rancho in the valley, when he
would teil them that I was one of the band. The last
thing he said as we parted was : 'Be careful, Doc, and
look out that everything goes right.' I told hhn I
would do so. Melvin Bailey, who was barkt'cper at
* Our House ' in La Grande, informed me from time
to time of the arrival of the bo^'S at La Burr's rancho ;
who had all, four in number, arrived there by the 2 jth
of July, Dave Johnson, having a lame back when he
arrived at the rancho, got another man by the same
name to take his place. The band, now composed of
George Savage, John Billings, Tom Corey, and John-
son, left the rancho and secreted themselves in the
mountains near to the place that Wheeler had chosen
for the robbery.

** About this time there was a great deal of travel-
ling on the road, and a great many camping over night
near the place that had been selected, so that tluy
were compelled to change the place t(j two miles
farther on toward Meachani's. Having learned, as I
believed, what was necessary, I sent fin- Wells, Fargo
& Co's division agent, Charles Woodward, and made
him acquainted with all the facts. I suggested that
the best way would be to let them go ahead with the
robbery, and afterward go quietly to work and arrest
the whole band, which course of action was agreed
upon. On the 2d day of August, at about five

696

BANDITTI.

o'clock in the morning, I saw some four or five dead
limbs lying across the road, and as the stage passed
over them, causing them to snap and break, the
robbers, at this signal, jumped from their hidinuj
places, and before I could put my foot on the brake, I
was looking down the muzzle of a double-barreled
shotgun, within six feet of me. The robbers cried
out * halt 1 ' each one repeating it, which I did. They
then ordered the messenger, J. Sheppard, to throw
up his hands, which he did; then they told him to
throw his gun down. He said he did not have his
gun They told him the third time to throw it down,
and also remarked that they would not tell him again,
when I reached over and took his gun and threw it
to one side of the road. They then ordered the mes-
senger to get down, and the passengers, of whom
there were three, to get out of the stage, and marched
them, with their hands above their heads, to about
twenty yards in front of the team, where two of the
robbers stood guard over them.

" I remained in my seat. One of the robbers told
me to throw out the treasure-box, and then to throw
out everything in the boot, which I did. I next
heard them at work breaking open the treasure-box
h. the rear of the stage, and as I knew there was
nothiuij but rocks in it — Woodward took the treasure
out at Uniontown — I was afraid that they miglit
suspect that I had given some information, and if tJiey
did, I had concluded my time had come; but, as luck
would have it, they did not suspect anything was
wrong. They then opened the mail, and the passengers'
baggage, and took such things as they consid-
ered valuable. Next, they went through the pas-
sengers' pockets. After this I heard one of them
remark that * this was the damnedest, poorest crowd
he had ever struck.' They then took my leaders
from me, and ordered me to drive up and let the pas-
sengers get in, when they ordered all aboard and f >r
me to drive on, and that no one should look back.

AN EXTENSIVE CATTURB.

601

We had proceeded more than half a mile before any
of them spoke, when one of them observed that he
felt a little hungry.

" From information that I gave, John Billings and
Melvin Bailey were arrested at Walla Walla on the
2r)th of August. On the night of the 27th and
m«>ming of the 28th, in Grand Kond valley, Dr La
Burr, McFay, Dave Johnson, James Wheeler, and
Johnson, wore arrested. On the evening of tlie 21>th
I arrived at Boise city, and on the morning of the
30th I found there was no one of the party there but
Jolm Wheeler. As soon as an opportunity otfored I
took him out to the edge of the town to have a
private talk. T informed him that Billings and an
old friend of mine had robbed the Warren's express,
fortv-five miles out from Lewiston, and that tliev had
killed the expressman, and broke a merchant's thigh
who was with him and attempted to esca})e; tliat
they got $12,000 in treasure, and carried it about
twenty miles and cached it in a clitF of rocks,
that they had come back to Walla Walla valley, and
were now at work in the harvest field.

"This story I told for the purpose of finding out
wlu^re the rest of the party were, and it was entirely
without foundation. I then asked him where the
rest of the boys were, and he told me they had gone
to Silver City to make a raid on Beachey's safe ; that
they would do it soon if they had not already. He
then got to talking: about Billings, and he said tliat
lie blamed Billings for being too fast; that if it liad
not been for him Welch would not have been killed
in the Lemhi robbery last fall. I asked him if he
saw Welch killed. He said he did; that he was the
tall one they spoke of being among the robbers.
About ten minutes after this conversation with me he
was arrested and taken to prison by parties who came
with me from Umatilla for that purpose. In a short
time we were on our way to Silver City in pursuit of
the rest of the rt)bbers. We here arrested three.

1 ■! >

ij;i||i

;"!

III

BANDITTI.

George Savage, Goodwin, and one young man whoso
name I do not know, and brought them down to
Boise, where we got Wheeler, and continued on our
journey. When withhi a mile or two of La Grande,
it bluing very dark and rainy, Savage and Wheekr
made good their escape frym the stage. We contni-
ucd on to town, and purchased horses and started in
pursuit of the fugitives. On the second day, about
tw.> o'clock, we captured Wheeler within about
three miles of La Burr's house. All the other pris-
oners arrived safe in Portland; Corey and Savage
being tlie only two of the band at large."

On the Elko road in September 1868 eight masked
men armed with Henry rifles, shotguns, and pistols,
near Cold Creek station, called to the stage driver to
stop and dismount.

" Take the horses by the bits then," said Faulks, for
such was his name. "I have a frisky team to-night. "
The robbers complied with this reasonable request, as
horses were not to be brought to a stand by guns.
Next the driver was told to unhitch and take charge
of his team. Two of the five passengers were women,
who were politely assured by the chief of the band
that they should not be molested.

"If we are attacked, it will be about here," remarked
Mr Bichard to Shadrock Davis, the stage-agent, by
whom he was seated on the box, with a slug-loaded
shot-gun across his lap. It was on the Fort Yunui
road, in November 1869, and the place was a ravine
near Pilot Knob. Scarcely was the sentence uttered,
when from the darkness the word "haltl" was heard,
and two men appeared before the leaders. Bichard
raised his gun and snapped the cap, but the charge
did nob explode. He then fired the other barrel,
when one of the robbers cried, "My God, I am shot!"
and fell dead. Other banditti now can'e up, and a
skirmish with the passengers, who were prepared for
them, followed. Finally the robbers were driven ott",
after they had killed one of the horses. Three of

ARTISTIC WORK,

C99

them were subsequently captured. The desert is a
l)ad place for banditti. Water and provisions are
scarce, and the places for obtainin^j them are wide
apart, so that if tlie attempt prove unsuccessful, th«ir
cajiture is almost certain. In this instance, one of
tliem came into a station rather than die ui)<»n the
desert.

On Wednesday night, the 20th of October, 18G9,
the moon shone brightlv as the stage trundled out of
Angeles on the Santa Biirbara road. Seven passen-
gers were inside; Clift'was the driver, and beside him
sat the ex-postal agent and correspondent of tiie San
Francisco Times. Quarter past six was the hour of
departure, and the occupants of the coach were not
yet comfortably seated when, reaching a point about
a mile from the outskirts of the city, four men, wear-
ing masks of black cloth, with eye-holes, and tiid
round the neck, stepped forward from the road-side,
wliere they had been .sitting. Two of them cauglit
tlie leaders by th^ reins, and a third, apparently chief
of the band, rushed up to the wheel, and presenting a
pistol, hi a clear, authoritative, but not unpleasant,
voice, cried, "Hold up there; put down that brake I"
The driver obeyed.

" Keep your horses quiet ; let that gentleman 1 nsidc
you throw out the express boxes, and there will be no
trouble." Then turning to the ex-postal man, he said,
"Now, hurry up that express matter." Slowly the
ex-postal man drew out one of the boxes, and dr<»p[ud
it upon the road.

"The other box, and be quick about it." Tliis was
not spoken in a harsh or ungentlemanly tone, but tin re
was that quiet, self-possessed determination in the
voice that put an immediate end to the ex-postal
man's meditations, and the second box lay beside the
first. The ex-postal man, thinking his work done,
now took his seat, when another order came.

"Get down, and step to the rear of the coach."
This was spoken iu a most afiable manner, as though

700

BAXDITTI.

discipline now secured, the speaker could afford to l»o
pleasant. At the spot indicated stood the fourth roh-
ber, joined bv one from the front.

"Have you any fire-arms?" he demanded of the ex-
postal man, his new acquaintance.

"Yes," was the reply, drawing from his breast a
pistol. Proceeding to the stage door, the chief ad-
dressed one of the passengers.

" Step out, sir; you have a belt, I believe," and there-
upon took from him one thousand dollars in money am I a
derringer. The passenger was placed close to the ex-
postal man, face to face, their noses almost touchiiiLf.
The other passengers were then ordered out, their
money and valual>le8 taken from them, after which
they were arranged in pairs, in positif)n similar to tlic
first. About two thousand five hundred dollai-s in all
was thus secured, when the chief robVjer ordered tlie
passengers in, and said to Clifl', "Drive on, now, ami
be sure you don't come back."

Often, on both the northern and southern overland
stage routes, the stations were attacked, the inmates
killed, the hr)uses robbed, and the stock driven oti'.
The f(»llowing is but one of scores of like occurren-
ces. On Christmas eve, hi 1870, three Mexicans rode
up to the Mission Camp station on the Tucson road,
thirty-six miles east of Arizona city, killed the inmat< s,
three men and one woman, rifled the premises, and
starting off were sfM»n over the line into Sonora.

It is not (then we find a whole hotel seized by Ijan-
ditti, as happened in the case of the Hoffman H<tu>e,
at Firebaugh's ferry, the 26th of February, l.s73. It
was after supper, when the guests were seated rounil
the fire chatting and smoking, that there suddenly
appeared in their midst a band of armed men, who « r-
dered ever}' one present to prostrate himself upon the
flo*!r. face downward, if he did not wi.sh the a.s.sistan<u
of a bullet in the operation. All were humbly obedi-
ent, and the work of plunder was quietly performed —
so «}uietly, indeed, that the landlord, who was absent

TRAIN ROBBERIES.

701

at the time, knew nothing of it until he returned. On
( ntering the door, he found his nose in uncomfortable
])roxiniity to the barrel of a six-shooter, and taking
tlie hint, he innnediately handed the bandit treasurer
the key to his strong-box. Meanwhile the Visalia
stage arrived, the driver of which, with all the jias-
SLiigers, were soon laid beside the other live corpses.
And all this for $400 in money and $200 in clothing.
Of the marauding party, one was French and the
others Spanish. It hardly paid.

Quite an artistic piece of work was done on the
eastward-bound train from Verdi the 4th of November,
1 870. As the train was moving from the station, five
armed men jumix?d aboard the express-car, and took
possession of the train. The engineer was directed to
stop at a stone-quarry four miles west of Reno. There
the robbers were joined by three confederates, and
S42,000 in gold were taken; $80,000 in silver were
left strewn about tlie car floor, being too cumbersome
to carry. This illustrates the disadvantage of a me-
talllc currency, and speaks volumes for the demoneti-
zation of silver. During the robbery, the passenger
cars were uncoupled from the others, and placed under
guard. Their purpose accomi)lished, the robbers or-
dered the enghieer to take them one mile farther, and
there drop them, which being done, they struck out
with their bootv toward Washoe and V

irgnua

and the rifled train proceeded on its way.

Arrived at Reno the alarm was gi^en. The tele-
;j;raph wires had been cut by the robbers, but they
wore quickly rejoined and soon the lightning was car-
rying the intelligence in every direction. Large
rewards were offered by the express and rail? 'i 1 coni-
panies. Scouting parties were sent out from Reno,
and detectives employed at San Francisco, Sacra-
mento, and Virginia. The first arrest was that of
Charles Roberts, keeper of the hotel in Antelope
valley, whose house was known to be a rendezvous
for desperadoes. To save lumself Roberts made such

BANDITTI.

exposition as led to the capture of otl ,. Tlltdti
C<»i-kirill was taken into custody at the iiotel. Sol.
J«>ii«-.s was arrested as lie was entering Clover valley,
In Plumas county, by a scouting party, and soon fan-
citd his intirest lay in conducting his captors to
the 8[M»t where he and Cockerill had planted tin ir
.share of the plunder, some $7,000 or $8,000. One hy
one the robbers were nearly all captured, and much dt'
the treasure recovered. The name of the ringleader
was J. Davis, formerly a mine superintendent at Yir-
ixinia citv, Nevada,

About this time an eastward bound passenj^cr
train was robbed on the Union Pacific road. Bi<^
Springs, Nt-bras-ka, was a lonely telegraph station.
If) "2 miles east of Cheyenne, at which the train sto})iM(l
when signaled to do so. The train was due at 10.48
p. M, Al>out half past nine on the night of the IStli
of Si'pttMnlier, 1877, thirteen masked men rode up to
the station, cut the wires, demolished the telegraj)li
instruments, and securing Barnhai-t, ^ keeper, oi-
dert'd him to put out the red ligl id give the

si'^nal tliat orders there awaited the tunn.

Barnhart obeyed. Obedience is a cardinal virtuu
in this region, and one very generally practised win u
irt-nth-men of the road connnand. Barnhart did not
want to die. The railway was not his religion;
besides, thirty dollars a month wages did not include
martyrdom. It is well enough to talk to poor nu n
about being faithful, and dying at their post ; but,
how faithful are rich men? how much sacrifice of sdf
for othei*3 may we look for from a railway president
or express manager? The train arrived on time and
.stop[)ed. The engineer and fireman were soon secured,
and a i^uard stationed at each door. The CdU-
ductor on coming out upon the platform found his
head between two revolvers. He was ordered to
throw up his hands, which command he failed not to
obey. From the express car was then taken $05,000
in coin and some in currency, and the passengers were

relieved
valuables
robbers (
They m<
Icavintr ;

whif'h ha

to force

Before

water on

engineer (

George V

lie manifc

than any <

sliutting

to the .sigi

tliat," ami

si»rang th

the f()()tboj

tlie dome.

guard. ^V

pretended

was ready

of til e robb

Charles '.

d(deful sto]

'light, he f

station he \

"gent's priv

the window-,

TJie robber;

Weapons, br

S(.nie .$400 i;

They thei

tion tlirougl

Mni-k of the

niid whose C(

at Ogden, C

a mined it att

fucked pistol

KXTKXSIVE OPERATTOXa.

703

relieved of their nu»ney, watrhos, tickets, and otlier
valuables. Tlu- arrival of a frcljjflit train jiut tlio
r(»l)bL'rs out a little, and hastened tluMr <lr|tarture.
They niount«'d their horses and rodi; nortliward,
IcaviniT S^JOO.OOO unmolested hi tlie throU'-li-safe,
whieh havinj' a combination lock they had not time
to force open.

Before leavinvj the train the rohhers had thrown
water on the engine fires, hut after thiy had «^(»ne the
engineer fjuiekl\' kindled them with tin; waste* tallow,
(ieorge Vroman was tlie name of this engineer, and
he manifested more j)n\se!jce of mind, Jind hnivery,
than any of the others. As the train slackened, after
shutting off steam and nversing his engine hi answer
to the signal, a voice called out, "Come down out of
tliJit," and a shot whiz/ed past his ear. \ loman
sprang through the window of the cah, ran along
the footboard, climbt'd over tl ■ boiler, and hid bchiiid
the dome. There he was discovered and ])laced under
guard. When ordi'red to emjity the water tanks he
pri'tended to ol)ey, but evaded the order, so that he
was r(a<ly to move on very soon after the <le[>aituro
of the robbtrs.

Charles Miller, the express messenger, told a most)
doleful storv. Xtver should he for!j;et that horrible
night, he sjiid. As the train neared the captured
station h«! was wakened from a })leasant sle(>p l»y the
agent's privat*! signal. He arose and looked out of
the window, saw the red light, and opened his door.
The robbers sprang in, and eovi'ring hiin with their
Weapons, broke open the way-safe and took from it
Slime $400 in currency.

They then directed their attention to the combina-
tion through-safe, which was fastened to the iron-
work of the car, under the messenger's foldiiiix berth,
and whose combination was known only to the agents
at Ogden, Cheyenne, and Omaha. The thieves ex-
amined it attentively, w^liile one of them thrusting his
cucked pistol in Miller's face ordered him to ojieu it.

i-'i I

701

BANDITTI.

" 1 cannot open it," said Miller instinctively pushino;
Pciiclo the dangerous iron.

"You will, will you?" oxclainied the robber jam -
mini*' the weapon hito Miller's face and cutting his
upper lip so that the blood flowed freely. This
practice with the cocked pistol was continued for some
time, until his head was badly bruised, when other
terrorism was resorted to, as shoving him down upon
tlie floor and jerking him up, throwing him over a
chair, and like unpleasurable gymnastics. The mes-
senger protested he could not open the safe, and
begged for mercy, until at last, overcome with
l)ahi, he implored the thieves to kill him and
have done with it. The conductor, hearing tl;(;
messenger's cries, assured the robbers that it was
utterly beyond his power to open the safe, and
ex})lained to them liow it was, so as finally to convince
them. The arrival of the freight train before men-
tioned put a stop to further proceeilings. As
culler's tormentor turned from him to take his final
de[)arture, he placed his revolver agahist his head and
hissed, — "You dirty whelp; if I thought you knew
that ccnnbination I would blow your brains out."

After a detention of an hour, the cut wires were;
lapped, the alarm was given, and the train moved on.
The railway and express companies ofl'ered §5,000
each for the capture of the robbers and the recovery
of the money. The robbers were pursued, and within
a week, two of them were overtaken between Denv( r
and Wallace. Showing fight they were killed, anil
$liO,000 of the stolen money was recovered.

But this is wandering far from our pastoral high-
waymen. The examples here given, however, show
quite a stride of progress in the profession, from tiio
roatlwork of the dashing Murieta and Vazquez to
robbing railway trains beside the wires speeding
lightning intelligence 1

' m

CHAPTER XXII.

FOUNDING OF THE GREAT METROPOLIS.

Sell itum est in viscera te^ ral;
Quasque recmdiderat, Stygiis(iue ailiuoverat uiubria,
£tfo<liuutur opes, irritanicnta inaloruni.

—(Jnil.

m"'\

We have elsewhere seen how civilization on the
shores of San Francisco bay had its beginning; it
was also during the days of Pastoral California that
the foundations of the future metropolis were here
laid. It was here upon the border of Yerba Buena
cove that the quiet hold on men of the pastoral period
was rudely snapped asunder by the first great throes
of progress incident to the gold-digging era; and it is
liere, more properly than elsewhere, that we shviuld
take onr leave of the old-time regime, and introduce
the new. It is here, more plahdy than elst^wher* ,
that we see coming from ovc-r the shimmering sea,
from tlie far western embrace of sky and ocean, the
golden, glittering light of tlie setting sun, which
marks the passing hence of the gf)lden age; on the
morrow begins the a<jce of gold

Civilization was a long time in conung hither. The
highest enlightenment of reason was not (juick to com-
plete its circuit round the globe. It should not l>e
forgotten that Pastoral California, vegetating between
tlie points of time 176'.) and 1848, was the beginning
of the end of man's intellectual encompassinent of
the earth. Nor would it appear unnatur.il. that after
a westwanl ijjlance at the seemin<;lv limitless ocean,
the mind should turn backward to dwell for a moment

CAL. I'AST. ii

706

FOUNDING OF THE OREAT METROPOLIS.

on the ways by which this suprcino achievunient liad
wrought itself out.

From tb.e Armenian Garden, following orthodox
mvtholou'v, or from the Bactriau as the (jlirmans
have it; from Ethiopia, Egypt, or Arabia; from the
rich and beautiful valleys of the Tigris and the Eu-
l)]iratt'S, or from the Gobi desert; from ]^abylon's tnw-
tr-top, or from the mounts of Caucasas, Altai, or Atlas
— from the primordial centres of population, the
hyi)othetical cradle of the human race, wherever or
wliatever these may have been, thence men primeval
looked to the east and to the wi'st. and taking ujudi
them their several roles they l^egan their march of
centuries, which was to end only on their reaching
the ends of the earth. On every side of tliis geo-
graj)]iieal centre — so runs the tale — primeval waters
covered the earth, and as these waters recedi'd tlie
limits of terrestrial life we'ri* extended, and the race
dispersed; yetsome say that there was no on(^ comiiioii
})riiuordial centre at all, but that every rc'gion sutli-
cientl}' favored by nature liad its own centri' of pojm-
lation, thus making men everywhere products of tlie
soil.

ICowever this may have been, certain it is that luu'o-
pean civilization was, for many ages, confined t.; narrow-
central limits within the tempei-ate zone, and that Ik-
vond lliese li nits, as bevondthe limits of the knowaMe
of every age and every belief, were the realms of faii(% ,
iiiliospitable dimes, and sup«'riiatural domains filled
with creatures of the imagination, uncouth nionsti i-;
ai)d beautiful faii'i«'S, seraphsand h(»bgobliiis,aiigelsaiMl
di'vils. Jove reigned on ^r<tunt Olympus, and I'liito
pi'esided over tlu' infernal regions; nu^anwhih^ this
earth was nxuisured an<l mapped, the stars were told,
and the track of the sun marked out as it made ii>
daily circuit over the head.s and before the eyes of
men. 0[>inion was no less dogmatic tlu>n thaniiow,

Strabo, tilt! Greek geographer, und«'rtook to delini'
the boundaries of the then known world; after Imn

the Pto

Alexanc

all the

Works w

staihlard

say froi

world ei

Mediteri

J^ed .sea.

ward a I

no man

througli.

Wert! cro

Halls, wil

to tlie no:

blackened

Hpparentlj

migration'

to .siy. ]

'nen of sc

the true c^

to[» an 1 b(

^''"IS, O,! tl

nnd these

walls, a V

\\as ab«»ve

'I'sli to att

otlior, ther

'•'niain <-oo

"f latitude,

niark out f<

tlie Westwa

enturies r(

'•■•st (»ii tho

• lid. that t(»

« ■died flio S

I'i'iT and mi

I'l'ito had p

I . r

oiian L'^eocr

ONE OF THE EARTH'S ENDS.

707

the Roman, Pompoiiius Mela, and later still the
Alrxandrian, l*t<>K'niy, who enihodied in his systtni
all the kno\\lt'd«4o of his prcdeeesscn's, aii<l whose
works with their twont}' and more revisions were tlie
standai'd text-hooks for thirteen eenturies— that is to
sav from the sceond to the fifteinth. I'tolemv's

rid emhraeed littU; more than tlie shores of tl

Mediterranean, those of the Persian gulf and the
]ie(l sea. Nortiiward was a helt of eold, and south-
ward a helt of heat — a fri»>id and a fierv zone, that
no man mi-jlit inhahit, nor even so much as juisa
throu;^h. Nevertheless, somehow in due time men
wen^ crowded throu«j;ii or over these fr(»st and fire
walls. wiilin!j;ly or unwillingly it may have heen, f(trced
to the nortii and to the south, and were hieached and
hlackene<l therihv; hut contemporaneous wise men
a|)iiarently knew little of it: nor of thesi- harharic
miujrations. forced or otherwise, have I here any thiiisjj
to say. It is sufficient to know that in tlH»se days, to
nien of science and philosophy, the world, whieji was
the trne cosmos or unive-rse. had ends and sides, and
tojt and l)(»ttom; t<) the east and to the west were the
ends. Oil the north and on the south wt ve the si(hs;
and tlw'se sides, as hefore sjiid, were imjuiietrahle

walls.

a wjdl >f frost and a wall of tir^

eaven

was aijove and hell lu'iieatli: and hrinj;' unahle in tin;
lltsh t<) attain th»! one, nnd unwillin;^; to exploie tlie

• •tlnr, there was no help for tliese ancients hut to
remain (••toped uj) within some thirty or forty dej^rees
i)'( latitude, a!id from their ahoriLfinal centre slowly to
mark out for themsflves jiaths to the eastuar<h ajid to
tlie westward. And this they <lid ; and after certain
'(•nturies reached the earths end tluit toward the

• ast on the shores of tlie China sea heiiiM' a veiitahlt^
I lid. that toward the west on the slmi-cs of what they
t ailed the Sea of Diirkness. a hyp»»thetical or imaui-
nary and mistaken end. True, lon^; l>etore Ptolemy,

Plato had | ple<l .\tlantis. and the leartied Alexan-

(hian <jeo<'ra|)her kiu-w of the Fortunate Isles, now

708

FOUNDING OF THE GREAT I'.iETROPOLIS.

called the Canaries, lying some distance out in this
sea of darkness, and made them his western limit or
first meridian; which, indeed, save as a nucleus of
poetic myths, seems at that time to have been their
only use. But for several thousand years it was
thought that the ends of the earth had been reached,
that they were separated only by the sea of dark-
ness, and that they were no great distance apait.
Even the daring Genoese himself died in this belief,
supposing that he had only crossed over from one end
of the earth to tJie other.

Later, notwithstanding the sea of darkness with
its real perils and its fabulous monsters, the leaven of
progress working in compressed humanity, caused
Euro[)ean civilization to burst its boundaries, and a
farther west was found ; first, from the ninth to the
eleventh centuries, by way of Scandinavia to Ice-
land, and Greenland, and Helluland, and Vinland, as
recorded hi the sagas of the northmen; and then
again in the fifteenth century, when, after a refresh-
ing media3val slumber, mankind awoke and heard the
very whids and waves of the dark sea crying for in-
vestigation, wjiispermg of rich realms beyond, of
laiuls and gold and slaves ; then it was when this be-
yond would no longer rest 'quietly undiscovered, that
Isal)ella of S[)ain and the Genoese navigator entered
into a little speculation, if so be they might therel)y
control a hemispjiere betv/een them. Strangely
enough these tardy adventurers found the New-
World already peopled; whence they tried to ttll
but could not. The fathers gazed upon naked red-
painted men and women, then rusjied to holy writ
and cried Behold the scattered tribes of Israeli
Philosophers examined tawny skin and lank hair and
astutely considered form and features; then sonu
said they were Phoenicians, others Egyptians, Scan-
dinavians, Africans, Chinese, Japanese, until tli<
wiiole eastern hemisphere was ransacked to find ;i
father for the Americaus,

Bui

ing w«

only, I

journe

lowing

cape ol

end, an

World.

the car

ings of

fadin<»- <

measun

by one

never-tlii

enough

way arc

for Ain(

almost fi

survevetl

attenij)ts

inutin-)Ui

bus niiir]

lave fou
it, for he
Indians,
Grand J
Polo. C
Japan, ai
touched
was so, a
it was mi
navigator.'
•>f tiie B[
"igh at tJi
The fir.s
America
Kodrigo d
3)arien in
iu 1513; ci

MISTAKEN IDEAS.

700

But the end was not yet. The Spaniards by sail-
ing west had reached no new western eartli's end, but
only, as they supposed, the old east end. Instead of
journeying eastward overland througli India, or fol-
lowing the newer route of Prince Honry rt)und the
cape of Good Hope, they had cut across from (>nd to
end, and distanced Portugal and England, and all the
World. But alas for tJie geography of Ptolemy, for
the careful calculations of Columbus, for the measur-
ings of worlds unknown, and of soas unsailed 1 So are
fading giadually all the lines and angles of every ad-
measurement of every beyond I The globe was larger
bv one third than the fifteenth centurv measure:
nevertheless, as the Genoese surmised, sailing fur
enouijh in that direction would bring him in some
way around to the other end. That is to say, but
for America, which lay stretched out in mid ocean
almost from pole to pole, and until every foot of it was
surveyed, European navigators did not cease their
attempts to find a passage through, and but for a
mutinms crew that clamored loudly for land, Colum-
bus might have reached India, might by sailing west
have found the east; nay, he was sure he had found
it. for he called the cimntry India West, the peo))le
Indians, and straightway set about looking for tiie
Grand Klian and the magnifi* ent cities of Marco
Polo. Cul>a he knew to be Zii)ainju, that is to sav
Japa!i, and he made his seamen swear that they had
touched tlie coast of Asia. But .swearing that it
was so, and dying in that belief, did not make it so;
it was nmch the same, however, to tlie unconscious
navigators who sailed to and fro as among tin- Islaiuls
of the Blessed, fiuu ving themselves meanwhile well-
nigli at their antipodes.

TIk fir.st Spaniard to touch the continent of North
America was the adventurous notary of Triana,
Kodrigo de Bastidas, who sailed along the shores of
l^arien in 1501; but not until Vasco Nunez de Balboa,
in 151<3; crossed the Darieu isthmus, and stood upon

t :i '

710

FOUNDIXa OF TirE GREAT METROPCLrS.

the border of the broad Pacific, was tlio ultimate of
this western earth's end attainetl. Entcriiiijj the wat( i',
he stood there knee deep In brine, ranting to tlu'
winds and waves, clainiint; sovereignty over half H.v
world, talking to luitions beneath his feet, to multi-
tuples of savage islanders, talking to Kamtchatka, to
China, to Australia, and to the two Americas, ten
thousand miles of western S(>aboard, talking to the old
otlier earth's end, talking westward to tlie east, liall-
ing across half a hemisphere of ocean old-time migra-
tors from the opposite direction. And, hideed, he
was the first from the Gobi desert thus privileged so
to talk.

Next the licentiate, Gaspar de Espinosa, explored
the shores of this new South Sea one hundred leagues
northwestwardly, and after him Gil Gonzalez, a little
farther; then Hernan Cortes, with his keen-scented
band, despoiled ^Tontezuma the Second of his IMexican
empire", and afterward surveyed the gulf of Cortes,
now California, taking possession of all the lands he
could hold on every side; I*ascual de Andagoya sailed
southward from Pananul, and was followed by Fran-
cisco Pizarro, who vietl successfully with all his bretli-
ren in avarice and cruelty ; Nuno dv. Guzman penetrated
northward from the city of Mexico, and Cabeza di'
Vaca crossed fr<mi Florida to Sinaloa. Ulloa, Coro-
nado, and jNIendoza took possession of the seven cities
of Cil)ola, now New Mexico, and the country round
about; hundreds of priests and pilferers, for the lo\e
of God and the love of gold, s})read out in every di-
recti«Hi; zealous fathers, Jesuit, Dominican, and Fran-
ciscan, ready to lay down their lives for st)uls, planted
a line of missions, at intervals of fifteen leagues or
thereabouts, nearly athf)usand milcs in extent, stretch-
ing from Cape St Lucas through the two California^
to San Francisco bav — a marvel of missionarv enter-
prise unexampled in the annals of the church ; Cabrillo
and the English ]>irate, Drake, sailed northward aloiiu
the shores of California ; Moiialdo and Juan de Fue;i

voynoffH

Cook, 1

tinned t

beyond;

Hudson

sians fn:

ern eart

What

had l)('o

desert t(

eartli's c

sevent.'i

otlier m

tlieir wai

not of ti

were * ivi

Kelial, IK

Besides i

than tlie\

or to his"^

than was

account.

to and kil

made a ii

them tlie:

lands thei

either exti

seventh p£

^'nd of a :

puritan, pi

unholy eru

despoilcrs

and enjoyii

'^t the flimi

^uch diubo

tized,"eno(

^vay millioi

riirist. "(

Cort'Js to ]i

STRANciE HUMANITY.

711

voyng(d to the iina;jjinary strait of Aiiian, and Captain
Cook, Hoili'j^a V Quadra, Maurclk'. and Artca^a mn-
tinut'd tlit^ survey of the coast to Mount St Klias and
Ix'vond; French and En<j;lish fur-liuntcrs crossed from
Huds(»n l)ay and tlie Mississippi river, an<l the ]lus-
sians from Kamtoliatka — and tlie findin«_j of the west-
ern «Mrth's end was complete.

What then? Six th<»usand, or sixty thousand, years
had heen consumed in this journey from tlie (Johi
desert to San Francisco, distant apart scarce half the
eartli's circumference alouL? the line of the thirty-
seventli parallel straiglit as the hird flies. True,
otli<'r men, somehow, from somewhere, had found
their way thither before Vasco Nunez; hut they w«'re
not of this fold, thev entered not hv the jrate, thev
were i^ivilization's hlack sheep, not of Chi'ist hut of
Kelial, not children of (rod hut children of tlie devil.
Besides which, tliey occupied too much land — luori!
than they could }>roperly account for to their maker,
or to his viceuferent of St Peti'r's, and had more Ljold
than was jjjood for naked wild men k(^epin<if no hank
account. So the oithodox Cxohi desert men turned
to and killed them oft", theon'tically, because (Jod had
made a mistake after buildiui.; America in inittiii'^
them there, practically because; they wanted their
lands themselves. ll<'nce, as a recorded bei^iniiiii;^ at
either extremity of this te?i thousand miles of thirty-
seventh parallel, we have the oj'iyin of a lace and the
end of a race, a cradle and a i^rave. Stran^^c! that
jturitaii, priest, and i)lunderer should join hands in an
unholy crusade on men whose only <"rime aLjaiiist their
despoilers was in bfinij^ what (Jod had made them,
and enjoyintj^ what (iod had n'i\en them. And I<>'k
at the flimsy attempt at justification by elvili/atii'ii tor
such <liabolicalism. "J^etter be in hell than uiibap-
tlzed," cried Zumilrra;^a and his<-onfrei-es, and strai;_;ht-
wav millions were slaughtered for the met k and lowlv
riirist. "Castirians wei'o not made for woik,'' said
CortJs to his com[)anions; "why shouM we hhor v, ith

Isii:: J

Ill'

111! i!»'|

., •«

t^i ij

712

FOUNDTXG OP THE GREAT METROPOLIS.

our hands for that which wc can more easily win witli
our swords?" — so other millions were reduced to
slavery, and made to plant maize, and dig for gold.
Even our latter-day jurists write in their books,
"Barbarous nations have no right to hold large tracts
of uncultivated lands needful to overcrowded civiliza-
tion"; and yet the civilized gentleman may have his
ten or twenty thousand acres of forest or park wliiK-
as many fenccd-out paupers starve. Why have sav-
ages not tlio rights of civilized men ? Why may they
not enjoy their heritage, and unfold after their fash-
ion ? Did the almighty make the world cultivated,
and man civilized, or gave he rights to one over an-
other? Say, rather, that savagism has not the might
to hold its lands; or better still, say nothing about it,
and let myterious progress have its way. Of a truth,
the Gobi desert men made of this western earth's end
a rare slaughter-house when they had found it. There
was no escape for the poor unbaptized ; Vasco Nunez
with wet feet rang out their requiem from the shorts
of Panamd bay, and the end of their thousand or ten
thousand ages of unwritten history is at hand. Whence
they came and why, what they left accomplished, and
whither they have gone, who shall say?

Truly may we declare the finding of this western
earth's end to be accomplished. There is no more
left of this little world within the walls of frost and
fire, no more unoccupied temperate zone, no more of
God's ix<»vcrnment lands fit for a white man to live on,
which may be had for the clearing of it. The former
littleness of man and the <jreatness of his surrounding's
may now be contrasted with the present greatness of
man and the littleness of his surroundings; for thus
were occupied six thousand, or sixty thousand, years
in accomplishing a ten thousand miles' journey, which
may now be made between moons.

Now, with the western earth's end found, and its
aboilgjjial occupants comfortably put to rest, what is

civilization going to do about it?

It is well enough

THE PROBLEM OF CITILIZ.VTIOX.

713

to look back throucfh history that we may loam what
others have done under like conditions, but nowhere
do we find the conditions ; nowhere in the annals of
our race do we find a society or a civilization similarly
conditioned to that of the Pacific states of North
America to-day. No other part of America or of the
globe was so settled. Never before was one half tlie
worM discovered, seized, and appropriated In* the other
half; never before were the native races of sf» vast an
area annihilated by their conquerors; never brfore
have all the civilized and semi-civilized nations of the
Ldobe combined their energies to form a new creation.
Many nations have been subdued, annihilated by
other nations; many colonies have been planted in
various parts, at various times, by various |)eoplcs,
but never before did all the world unite for purposes
of colonization and settlement. The colonics founded
by Cartliatjinians and PhcEuicians on the shores of the
Mediterranean, ami later those of Greece and Koine
in Asia, Africa, and other parts of Europe, were sim-
ply one with the mother country, having no life, or
n;itionality, or individuality, and thougli they lived to
be a thousand years old, so long as the mother v/as
stronor enouiih, or until she died, she nursed them.
Europe partitioned among her nations the two Amer-
icas, and yet the recipients were not satisfie<l. Each
was keenly jealous of all the others, constantly fearful
lest som<! i)art of their sometimes unki'own territc^ry
should be infringed on, or that some straggling mer-
chant or trapper should carry away SvMne of their
gold, or peltries, or slaves. Even Isabella of Castile,
a devoted spouse and high-minded woman, would not
allow her husband's sul)jects the same N«'W World
])rivileges as her own; in(le«d, for some time after its
discovery, none but Castillians miijht ijo to the I?idies
without special license. All this, however, is fiow at
an end: colonization was well enough in its way, but
like superstition, and war. and despotism, and bigotry,
— all at certain epochs essential to human progress, —

714

FOUNDIXt; OF THK OREAT MKTIlOrOl.R

this lattor-tlav civilization of (»u):=* wants lume of thoni.

The wniKI has hci-oiuf s<» small of latt , and its s«a-
eral ])arts hmught into surh noanu'ss of irlationsliiji.
that thci't' is no ni<»i<' room for coloniziition: and tlioM-
sujx'rannuatt'd siM-ictits, th<»se old oft'sprin^i that still
rlin'4 to tlicir mother's apron-string would <!o wt !1.
for hoth partnt and child, to sever the connecti'm jjs
soon as piissihle. Were Canada to assume a manlv
indtjM-ndtiHe, and l»ecome a \ ital actuality, land wuul«l
not he worth twice as much on one side of the Xia^raia
river as «in the other.

California is no colony, nor in the ordinaiy accepta-
tion of the term, has it ever heen. It has hien aii'l
is wliat no other part of the W(trld ever has 1m»ii or
will he. It is a s[K»t reserved hy providen4«' for tli<'
solution of the «j[randest prohlem incident to humanity.
It is tlie last parcel of temperate zone, k«'pt fresh 1 y
nature for the jilanting of a new emjiire, whereunt •
all tlie natii»ns of the earth, with all their comhiiu.l

(lianieal contrivances and mental activiti«

contriluitin'.! of their ener<i;ies. It is the spe<ial do-
main of the new social science, where stM-ial ivolution
may find freest l>lay, where, stri]>ped of many of tl ■
old-time prejudi<es. men think for tluinselves. an I
wher<' the survival of the fittest in the worlds ait.
industry, s<-ienee, literature, and opinion is sure t<«
j>revail. Into its lap are emptied the worM's ston-
jiouse of knowledge, tlie accumulation of all humaa
Latest horn of nations, all nati«»ns a--

exiurienc*'

semlile at the hirth. At once the frontier and teriiii-
nus of progress, it stands out in hold, infantih' higne--.
l*]ssentiallv (-osmopolitan. ht)th theoreticallv an<l in-
stinctively. It hi-longs to no j)olitv, sect, or cretd, hut
to humanity; any citizen of the world may, in a short
time — too short a time — hecome its citizen, mad«- oi .
with its jKople and its interests. Xominally join. <l
to a confederation of states, with which it is in hearty
sympathy, and from which it hopes never to l»e call"!
ui)on to separate, really it does much as it phases, ai.J

feels the

other sid

And {

Jiarts oft

te rests as

l>arts of •

like the ]

its hordei

flow then

ifs natur

'■very oth

and gold i

the one orj

under son

the reniot

this, there

or lesser t

the wando

<()rds of ai

piovuig iiii

tliy enterp

fossilizing

• h-awinnf th

i'< 'deem nig

twined art:

'^"Mietiiiies

put aside o

i>in, of fan,

•hating hen

(■< 'i-ners of f

Xow, wit

inghere hy

iiietropolis,

future of th

course of h

<'itainty he

<' !• ' )ur Paei

ii'ition or of

tory ot' e(|Ui

A C; LANCE FORV\'Amx

T10

fi'ols tlic pulsations of jn'ospcritios aiul panics on the
other side of the oontimnt onlv in a faint i^icixree.

And as with CaHfoinia, so with the rest. Few
jiarts of the world present such uniijue and varied in-
terests as this western coast of North America. Few
parts of the world ever so drew (»n every otlu r part;
like the iirevailiin' winds and oci-anic currents alontr
its borders, the intelli<ji'nce and industries nf all nations
How thereto. Few parts of the world, in I'ej^ard to
its natural products, were ever so drawn upon hy
every other i>art; jjjrain from valleys and table-lands,
and gold from rich gulches and metal-wined siirras,
the one giving life to man, and the other to connnt^rce,
under some one of tlu'ir several influences })enttrate
the remotest channels of human intercourse, l^i'sides
this, there are nund)erU'ss correlative cords of greater
or lesser tension — cords of remembrance, that draw
tlir wanderer ever toward his rarly home; opj)UgnMnt
coi'ds of and)ition, avarice, which at the first were im-
]iro\ing industries, laudable activities, and j^raiscwor-
tliy enterprise, but which later stiffen into shackle s,
t'nssilizing the features, and steeling the heart, and
(h'awinix the victim ever farther and farther from the
ivdeeming memories of a jiun-r life; cords of Inter-
twiuid affections, not without overstntchings, and
sometimes snappings, but which will not 1)0 wholly
|>ut aside or ujnooted ; cords of prejudice, of patriot-
ism, of fanaticism, of numbcrh-ss loves and hates, ra-
diating hence as from a connnon centre to the fartlu'st
c'trners of Christendom and pagandom.

Xow, without attempting the role of prophet, stand-
in-' here bv Yerba ]^urna cove, on the site of the future
iiietropolis, there are some things connected with the
future of this Pacific domain wliicii, in the ordinary
course of human events, may with some degree of
ct itainty be anticipated. For example, we may claim
f' r our Pacific empire, whether it be composed of one
nation or of sevei'al, a unity found in no other terri-
tory of e(i[ual importance and extent on the globe.

f'la (

i I

f.:^':

716

FOUXniXfi OF THE OREAT MEIROPOUS.

First, tlio lM>undaries of this territory are well dofir^d ;
not imaginary, nor hyijotlietically drawn, but fi\t(l
and df'terniined as walls of adamant, and by nut mo
lirrs^'lf On tlie one side is the continental axis, in
the form of a 8erie» of continuous, irregularly-ternutd
mountain ranges, which, as a mountain system, witli-
out including that of South America, rightly belong-
irig to it, is the longest and broadest line of ekvati d
surfiice on the earth. And if this Rocky mouiititiii
chain Ik^ not protection or Impediment enough, tlnre
is yt't another higher, more sharply -defined, and pif-
cipitous parallel range, w»th a nomenclature beginniiii^
at the north with the Alaskan mountains, continurj
by tin* Cas<"ade range, the Sierra Nevada, ahd fin.illy
suljsiding toward the southern extremity of Jjowi r
California — an inner wall, giving to the country its
cjimat*', and to the people their character: checkiii'^
the moisture-laden currents from the Japan sci,
wrinirin<; from the clouds their fertili?in(X dew. and
throwing it back up()n the western slope; meanwliile
chfeking somewl at the arid Rocky mountain jv'- that
Koinctinirs sweeps down from the treeless st''Opt" and
elevated plains to the eastward; walling in warmth
a!id humiditv, and walling out cold and dryness, tluis
ijivintr to the Pacific coast a hl<dier averaije tcmptii-
tur»', and toward the north, where the Jajian emit nts
fii-st strike the continent, a moister climate, tliaii tluit
of corresponding eastern latitudes. On the other sidi
is a common oceanic hiirhwav, invitlntx to free hittr-
<ours«'. This two-told inHuence, the one barring ont
contiguous nations while walling in the states of tin
Pacific, the <>tln'r bringing into nearness the inhahi-
tants of the whoh' .sral»oar«l, and letting li'dit in from
all the world, will shape the destiny of our futuic
empire.

Though continental, this western strip of Paclf'c
8eal»oard is essfntially oceanic. There will be liitli'
n«'<'fl here of fighting for an outlet to p«'nt up inchn-
tries. Our whole domain fronts on the world's lar^- st

maritime

Construct

from thf

border of

thence .sc

the Isthii

Rio del

will scare

But 1 (I

eni porti<

nent nan

last of wl

tantalizinj

mere thn

Wiiat eloi

exi.st b-tw

Surelv M«

exception

central, no

as this .sa

washed by

Convenient

Kurope, to

tlie natura

^^<>rld .sliou

id ways in i

u'lound of 1

l<n()wledges

iiierchandis(

<''nt central

and great i

the nio.st ]

There, indet

tln-ir highef

the Rooky :

liuinid air o

li'-althful rec

or series of j

where reigns

A MICHTY SEABOARD.

717

maritime thorouj^lifan;. Aa tliis planot is laid out and
constructed, we have a first-class location. Mtiisured
from the mouth of the Mackenzie river, alonuj the
b<>rdcrof the Ar^t'c ( )cean westward to Bcrinj^ .strait,
thence soutliward alon<^ the Pacific to Panama, a<ros8
the Isthmus, and northward along the gulf shores to
Hio del Nortt\ and s.'ven thousand miles of travel
will sc-arcely complete the circuit.

But low stands the matter in reirard to the south-
cm portion of our Pacific territory, where the conti-
nent narrows down to a succession of isthnmses, the
last of which, obnoxious to connnerce — all the more
tantalizing by reason of its insignificance — is but a
nitre thread, holding together the two continents.
What elements of unity are here? what affinity can
exist !».'tween this and the rt^gion to the northward ?
Surelv Afexlco and Central America should form an
exception to the rule. There is no spot on earth so
central, none so easily accessible to every other spot,
as this same strinj; of Lsthnmses. Its sliores are
washed by the two mightiest of oceans; it is e«iually
convenient to both sides of the two Americas, to
Kuro[>e, to Asia, to Africa, and to Australia. It is
tiie natural pivot upon which the coimnerce of the
\\orld should turn; the balance of trade should be
always in its favor. It should be the common fair-
u'lound of nations for the interchaui^e <)f the- world's
knowledges; of arts, of industries, and of science; of
merchandise, money, and mind. Besides its magnifi-
cent central situation, with the eyes of all continents
and gri-at i.slands ever upon it, its interior is one of
the m<»st lovelv and favorable retreats for man.
There, indeed, the primitive' raci-s of America attained
their hiijhest culture. Descondhig from tlu^ !iorth,
the Rocky mountain chain as it etiters the h(»t and
liuinid air of the tropics, rises into cooler and more
lit-althful regions, and flattens out In a broad plateau,
• ii' series of plateaux, delightful for the abode of man,
whore reigns perpetual spring, and fruits and flowers

»1 I

t ^ Di

l.hi'.

ih!

> '■'i.i I

718

FOUXDINO OF THE GREAT METROPOLIS.

Tun(T roaso to come and «»(>, — a lia}>pv Absynl.in
Vnllev, lit for JMato'w llepulilic, or Morc's Utopia.

Wliat, tlK'ii, in-cvt'iits tills fair doniain from asaeitiiiLT
its sovereignty, and l)ecoining the new Venice ? Siniply
tliis: it is walled up, shut in on every side hut ouf,
and tliat openinjjj to the north and into the temperate
Zone of our l*aeifie territory. T^ist this fair land
should play the wanton with less favored spots, natuie
surrounds her honlers with a miasmatic (irrra cal'n ii>i\
which renders the occupation of her shores inij)ossil Ik
to any hut the acclimated. So deadly is tin; influeiite
on Europeans of the swampy exhalations from the
horder-lands of ^Fe.xico and Central America, tliat
the oft-repeatetl attempts to found t leie larg<' cities
has in evi'ry instance proved a disastrous failure.
From the earliest times of which we have anv kn(»\vl-
edge, the ahoriginal inhahitants of the highlands cnuld
not live ujton the sea-coast. Now, JVIexlcaii nur-
chants, of European origin, doing husiness in tlie sea-
port towns, often have their ri'sidence in the hills or
nittuntains hack, visiting their places of husinrss ,it
intervals, and hasti'uing hack at the earliest jiossihle
moment. I might cite twcMity examjiles when' tlie
S|»aiiiai-ds have attempted to plant cities r»n either side
of this land, and failed, at a cost of more than twl<f ;is
many thousand lives,-- instance A^Tagua. Santa ^rariii
<le la Antigua, Portohello, old l*ananui, Kspiritu
Santo, and the: like. l[ence it is that the only siitr
and natural j>athway for tin; occupants of JMexicaii
and Central American }tlateaux is northward alon.;'
tlirlr tahle-laiids, and into the more nortlunly }tart nf
our I'aciHe States domain. Let him who does nnt
see the natural oneness of this n-gion, put two di'
three lines of railways from Alaska to the isthnms uf
Pananul so that intercomnumication, that prinu^
element of progress, can Ik; fri'e an<l easily acc'nii-
pllshed, and the scei>tic will not have long to wait
f.r results.

With a geneial average climate cold enough to

INFLUENTIAL CAUSES.

718

stnnulatc to industr}', but not so cold as to inako
c'oiiit'ort (.h'puucl on tho entire [)roilu(t of man's hilxir;
warm enouuli to invite to reiininLi leisure, but not so

liot as to enervate t)r

saj

le eueriru'S o

f body

or nuiu

witli rail) enougli to warrant, for the most part, an
abundant harvest but not sufficient — except aloni^' the
borders of tho aforesaid southern jiart, insijjjnilicaiit in
area as compared to the whole — to produce a ndun-
(laut or uncontn ►liable vejjjetation, here are all the
elements and stimulants of hieh cultun;. Imleed,
that the advanced civilization of the Azt«cs, Mayas,
and (Quiches, of the southern tal)le-lands, was not
likewise f(>und in the e(|ually favorable parts to the
northward, nmst 1 (^ attributed, not to soil or climate,
hut to unkn(»"vii ineidiMital or "Xtrinsic causes, to wars
and social C(Mivulsioiis, to tin turninjjjs and over-turn-
iiiL>s ot the long unrecorded |)ast. So far as w«' can
now see, there is nothing nere to jtrevent man from
being master, nothing ^o prevent the complete suh-
onlination of nature, and the complete devtlop-
inent of mankind in perpetual unfoldings. Although
e\t(Miding almost from pole to e<|uator. intersecting
iiearlv all the northern latitudes, there are fewer
extremes of climate in what may be; termed the habi-
tahle portions of the l?acilie States than one at the
tirst glance would suppose. And this frt'edom from
extremes I hold to b(! the fundamental element of
i>rogrt>ss, of perfect living, and hap]»y dying; this
freedom is a fi'eedoin from the greatest curse human-
ity is heir to, from indeed thti only evil, the iinpeison-
iitioii of all evil, — extvcmes of o|»inion, of action;

Xatu

11'

extre(n<'s in religion, in )>o!ity, and in society,
lierself teaches us the K s.son -. our very niotlur earth
tor the highest perfecting of her cliildi'en nmst b(>
UKHJerate, neither too nuieh g.'ntleness noi* too nuich
li.irshness, neither sterilit\ ni»r rechmdancw neither

i.'ji

k hill.'

s and barren plams,

lest th

leo 1

le sial'V^

iior an undue or superabundant vegetation, lest man

r i .

910

FOUNDING OF THE GREAT METROPOLIS.

bo ovcrwhelined, and swallowed up by It; for in citlicr
case how shall he obtain the mastery over nuiterial
things, still less over ignorance and superstition ?

Along the shores of the Arctic ocean and the
strait of Bering, the Eskimo, for three-fourths of tlie
year, dozes torpidly In his den, and niust forever so
doze, unless his dhnate changes. His three niontlis
of nightless summer are an insufficient compi'nsat'Kii
for his three nn)nth8 of sunless winter, and the six
months of glinunering twilight. The lowlands (t
Ce!itral America, under a vertical sun, which lifts un-
ceasingly the waters from either ocean, and pours
them on the land, covering the swanijiy soil with a
dense dan>p foliage of hot-house growtli and decay,
generating disease and death, is a fitti-r home for
noxious reptiles and wild beasts than for clvili/td
man. A. fringe of cold and heat at either end, and
on the side dryness; for In-sides the ill-fated hyjur-
borean and tropical man, the root and reptile-eating^
cav(!-dweller of the (Jreat Basin, between tlu^ Sitiia
Nevada and the Rockv numntains, are e(|Uidlv unfor-
tuiiate. There alternate' barren hills and treeless
plains and rainless seas of sand, which afford cold
comfort for man and beast. Thus we find the st'at of
oui imiurial domain well-ni-'h eircumseiibtd bv ill-
favored elements, while one of the fain'st portions nt
eartli lies within, basking l«'fore the broad I'acifie sea.
At either end ami on tiie western side are the extrt-nies,
cold and he.at, and dryness, and these and all otli* r
extremes men do w«Ti everywhere to shun — but the ill-
favored borders as compan-d to the territory t'lulosrd
is insignificant both in arra and im|M)rtancr. At tin-
extn-nu* north and south rain falls often and abun
dantly, while tlie portion intt-rmediate is watered iil
ternat«'ly — tlu; noithern part in the so-call«'d wintrr
months, and the southern part in the sununer. It
were easy to show, likewise, that in the scarcity "t"
ijreat naviixable rixirs, railwavs and the ocean will
direct traffic, making one place almost as accessible ;is

TlIE WOULD ENC()Ml'ASSi:i).

791

anoth»=r, throwiiitjf all into rontinuitv with less pri»-
vinci.ilisin and claiiship than air fonnd in (iMrr

sociotif.s.

In the geological t'oiniation of tlir l^icifir (loii'ain,
natun's ronvul.Nivi' tiirot s are evcrvwluit.' niMnili -t.
Its origin is iunruus ratlur than a«jn((»us; fire is the
aiiliitrit ot" its hills, and in place of large rivers, and
inland seas, and hioad juaiiics that clun'.K tcii/c the
eastern sIojk', there arc mighty mountain ranges
thrown intn smdight from hclow, and covered with
voloanii' ]n aks which stand like jthitonic snioki-stacks
all along the seahoard from Saint Klijis to Xiciira^ua,
while till- Seething ( «eyser-<-haldrons, and innnni* lahlo
thermal and sul|thurie s|>i ings that form the safetN-
valves of sul (terra ncan l<d)oratoi'ies. »xive waminy; that
the underKin-j; for'^c-fircs are not \ct wliollv extin-
guished. JOven the ha/v niorning air, lestiiig on

green liill <(r more distant |nn|tle sieii
j'ccidiai' creiitiun.

hetol>

ens Its

In the ahsence of man\' extensi\e luirliors in ni

!»r(»\imity to each otliei', ))o|inlatioii and eommeice
will itc Concent I'ated ; there will he teWer large cities
nil the Western than tlieie are on tlie eastein <'oast.
The ]iii»icij»al indentations of the western <-oast are
the open hay of Panama, the smaller parts of Xicoya
i ud Fonsci-a, tin; great gulf of < 'alifoinia, the haxs of
San Diego an«l Sa!i Francisco, the mouth of the

< 'ohnnliia ri\er. and th

^oU

nds in the vicinit\ of

\ ancouver, CJueen Ciiarlotte and Kadiak islands.
As if to make amends forth*' scarcity «»f goo<l haihors
along tiie shore line of their vast na\igal»le wateis,
midway hetween its h«»t and cold » Mreines was fash-
ioned one. whi<h in its formation, betokens the most
>kilfid art and i'airest handiwoik.

i ^'!

Such Were the palls hy wlii<l» the Gohl de^t rt
men found their way to this w«stern earth's end. anti
made readv t<» plant a new Hahvlon at Yerha liuena
<'\f. (Miniiites e.»me and g<»; «)n the same spot ot

4 A I,. I'aoT, <•>

FOUXI)IX(i OF iIIK CHEAT MKTllOTOIJS.

eart!i we soo oncologic evidences of vast |»rii(»ds. now
of Arctic winter, and now of tro[)ical sununer. Tluit
wITkIi was once sea is now land, and wlicrc seas oikc
r()lliil mountains n(»w point their sununits lieavi n-
wai'd. So it is with men in their hopes and feiirs,
their l)ehefs and hhnd imaginings, their hot desires,
and mad and>itions.

Immmeral)lo as are tlie secrets of tlie universe,
they rev(>al themselves to man l>ut slowly. So itw.is
when civilization crept from primeval centers seekin.^r
uvw channels like tlu' melted snow sent hy the all-
awakening sun down fnMU the mountain top upnn
the arid plain. Cautiotisly the clouded int«'llect per|is
from old-time surroun<Hngs over the sea of darkness
out into the savage wilderness beyond the limits v^
the advancing light.

Why our old teachers, so eager her(> to make us
uiulerstand, should he so backward to enlighten us
wlien tliev ijfet to heaven and know as tlnv are
known, none can tell. When in I7<)'.> the Franelstaii
fathers went forth to spy out the land n(»rtliwar»l
from San Diego hay, they marked the places fa\ni'.
ahk^ to Iheir missions, and from the calendar of saints
and angelsdrew nanu's to tell the .several spots. X<i\\.
Padre .lum'peio, history relates, was deeply solicidus
that tlu^ patron of his ordir, thrice blessed St Frniicis,
should ha\(^ due recognition in the bestowal of naim <,
to which honor the saint himself seemed inditrereiit,
for never a day and a bay would he give them to-
gether. In vain the padre )»resident besought ( Ind
and asked the virgin's aid. Then he iirged the mattrr
U|MM) the visitador general. (JaKez. who blunt l\ n-
plied. " If our seraphic father. Saint Francis of A ssisj.
Would liave hisnanu^to signalize some station on tli< so
shores, 1( t him show us a good haven."

So wlu-n the little band under F'ather Crespf, after
wearily plodding along an unbroken sea-cuast tViiii
San Diego, first stoo«l upon the highlands oveilonkin','
a broad placid lake-like and well-nigh land-locked

slieet, 1

«Md fill

and sea
sweet J
'•Sureb
Fran<i.s(
"iggai-<|J
broad a I

bni<I(.,-.s,

with |.a
•sixty niij
\vith a si
!»»• there,
hi beaut 1
Iiit^ it, tii

iiig f^eawa
^vealfIl of
'lian a mi
"1,^' Nvith t

tile WoiM

^\'iich .Sep

tlie .sea a

""i.i^Iity ni(

■^treteliiii^r

two tli<»us

^V"»rj(|'s (•n(

wlii«-j| i.s t(

•■"id li('a|)ii

eli(».stn spo

<'ii«i('uvor.

On tlie

way bctw,.,

tlilec niilcv

-^^Wi'il V..,b
"'" San Fn,
'"»M <»f the
I'lesidj,, of ;
•'t the narr
^'''»' 'Jiiniatu

n-i

SA>J FIIANCISCO n.\Y,

TBS

shoct, fiin<:f«Ml with verduro, dotted witli drccii isles,
and tilled with noisy wat«'r-fowls, and riotous seals
and sea-lions, while over tin; j^litteiint; wateis the soft
sweet hazy ( 'alif'ornian air east its peeuliar ehanii,
" Sunlv, " thi'V said, "this must he tiu" ha\ (»r San
Fianeiseo." AikI so it was called. I Manned hv no
ni<;jj^ai<lly arehiteet, sculpture*! hv no hunjj^lini;' hand,
hroad and (leep like a highland loeh. with well lounded
hor<lers, and sentinel islands, and massive poitals,
witli I'ays within hays, and stretchinn' altogether
sixty miles in leui^th, averatjini^ six miles in width,
ith a shore line «»f two hundred ami seventv miles

w
or

lereahouts.

in IMancisco l>;iv is unsuipassec

In heautv and utilitv hv anv the sun shines U|K»n.
Into it How the San J<ta(|uin and Sacramento, tlojit-
iiij;- seaward the wond»'ous mineral and ati;ri<ultuial

altli of tlitir vallevs. while hetween t

wo ell

less

than a mile asunder, is the oi:ly eliann<-l coinmunieat-
iii;4 with the ocean, the ( Jolden (Jate, whicii opens to

the w<)rld Calit'ornia's treasure

ere on a penmsula

which separates the waters of the hay from those of
the sea are now heinijf laid the foundations of a
mii^hty metropolis, the <|ueen city of this coast, while
si i('tchln|j^ out two thousand miles to the north, and
tufi thousauil mih'S to the south, lies the western
World's end, rea<ly and waitiui^ for the L^rcat prohlem
which is to he worked out hy the hrinLjiniL; together,
and lieapin«4 up, of liwman experiences, a fair and
ehosen Spot wliereou nuiii may achieve his ultniate
endeavor.

On the northern end of the peninsula, almut half
way lutween the (lolden ( Jate and Claik l*oi)it, and
three miles northwest of what was suh.st (jUenlly
tilled ^'elha huena cove where first the present ( ity
of San Francisco heinan to t^row. at a little inilenla-
tion of till* shore, was plante<i. in the year I77'>, tlit;
I'residio of San Francisco, and on a ntcky euiinenee,
at the naii'ctwest point of the (io|d«'n (late, J! fort.
The niiniature l>av in front of It where all vessels th-n

I If

FOUXDIXC OF THE GRKAT MEIUOI'ULIS,

anchortxl M'as called the port of San Francisco, aiiii
the iiiisyioM, which was estahlisiied mnua four milt s
away over the sand-hills toward the south, on a little
•jfulf — or lake the father called it — that ran Up frtnii
the l)ay, was at first called the mission of San Fran-
cisco, l)ut afterward was often termed the n)issi<»ii of
Doloi'es. There was then no town. A few so-calh d
settlers conijfrejj^ated ahout the presidio, or took up
their residence at the mission; hut all the peninsula,
bay, mission, ])residio, and s(!ttlement were known
only by the name of San Francisco. Yerl)a ]^U( ii.i
cove was more sheltered than thtq)()rt of the presidio,
so that vessels often lay at anchor there for trreater
safety. It was likewise nearer to the mission, and a
better landinuf for that point. Roads ran from Yerla
Bui'na to the mission and to the presidio, and from
the presidio to the fort, and to the mission.

The first marriajyc celibrated in the churcli of the
pri'sidio of San Francisco was on the 'JSth of Xn-
vend)er, 177(5, between Francisco Antonio Cordrro.
a S(;ldier of the jSIonterey company, and Juana Fran
cisca l^into, daughter of Pablo Pinto, 'a sol<rnr of tin
presldial com[rany of San Francisco. Conlero was
born in Lonto, Lower California, and his bride in
the city of Si'ialoa. Father Palou })erformed the
marriage ceiemony. The next marriagi' was that <>t'
Jose Francisco Sinova, a soldier from Spain, anil
^iari'a Gi'rtri'idis Pohorcjues, of Sinaloa.

On th(^ tenth day of August previous, Palou luid
bajttized the first whiti^ ch.ild born in the ]>n'sidio of
San Francisco, Francisco Soto, a son of the sohlii r
Ignacit) Soto and his wife Maria i^arbaro de Lug"
The first person buried in the presidio church Wii>
Manuela Luz Munoz.

On the ti'stimony of Juan Salvio Pachcco, wli >
came from Monterey in 1810 as a soldier in the mi!i-
tarv companv assi<j;neil to the itresidio in San Fian
cisco, the first of tlu' adobe buildings at the loif Wi i
then built, and others in process of constructluu

x\n wei
years la
arrived.

off they

were in'j

^"l(h"er at

j'loidi,, \

uitli to

were pcni

The oi-

l(»\vs: 7^,

points, thi

whicli, w

•■"id Sacra

iii-ni of th

mint, the :

'Kcidently
J-nid in tlii
ii'ibitation.
iial proper!
use.

'''f'lieand

\i'^ited thi.s

Chwa on til

l'i"esi(h"o (.f

'lay. Ther

I'^uacio ^f;,

.iitillerv. ail

'iiglit iii the

<'f' day m(»u

"'\pre.s.sin<i- )

^"'•'•«»\v that

'■' <'ondition i

N'cretary, Z

•'""ars .shouj

•■"ifipany wli

\\''ll-deservin

'•ii'iia. ascen

iis TeiegrapJi

VISIT (W KCITKANDfA.

728

All

'!•(> finislicd wln'ti lie left tlu* StTV

ire

fift

(•fi»

vcars

lat

IT.

issii>n

Dol

«»ros Wi

IS Iti.ilt lu'fort' li

aiiivcd. At tlint tiiiif, wlitii ^ffxicu was tlmtwiiij;;
<itr tlio yokt- of S|uiin. tlic Hiianrcs of tin > iLjovmuiK iit
wvw. ill a sad state, and loyalty was purdiascd Ity tlic
soldier at the pricf of his wa^cs. Tlic soldit-rs of the
]irc.sldi(» were faithful to Spain; Spain liad not whrrc-

ith to pay thcni; {'ons«'<iut'ntly for ten years tliey
were penniless.

The oriixin of the name of Yerha Buena is as fol-
lows : Between what was later Claik and I'ineon
points, there was a cove or ei-escent at the head of

hich, where later was the junction of ^^ont|^<tlnery

ind Sacramento streets, was a little laL^una

ttl.

lak.

aim of tlu- hay. (»n whose horders yrew a kin<l of
mint, the seeds of which Wel-e supposed to have heell
accld(>ntly (h'opped there hy the sailors who used to
land in this cove lon^j; hefoic tliei-e was any human
liahitation. The people [)rized the I-, -i-h for its mediei-
iial pi'o[»ertit's, and ;j;atiiei';'d and dried it for family

use

b]cheandia. the jefe-politicoand comandante i^eini'al,
visited this j>lac(! in IS27. Leavin^j; mission Santa
Clara on the mornin«jj of Atay LMitii, ju' reached tlio
]nisi«Jio of San Fran<-iseo at three o'clock the samo

.iav

lere .s7/ ticimri'i Was recelVe(| hv the oHjccrs

i'^naci<» AFai'tine/ an<l Jose Sanchez amid a sal\o of
.•;!tillei'y, and the rinniiiL^ of hells. He |tassed t!ic
i'i.!;lit in the «(uarters pr'e|)ared for him. at the hri-ak
«'t' day mounted his horse and I'eviewed the tro<>|»s,
i\j)i('ssinLj his pleasui'e a

it Ifi

eir |>rofici(iic\ . and Ins

•rr<»w that sucli hrave fellows should he in so ra'^i^rd

;i I'o

n<lition and look

so care-worn.

Addr

essm^ his

ci'etarv, Zauiorano. Ii<^ directed that two hun<lred

ollars should he delivered to the hal»ilita<lo of the

impany wherewith to purchase clothiiiL: for such

•ll-deservin«4 veterans. The jefe li(>\t visited Veiha

Uiieiia, ascended one of the se\-en hills, later known

\\.

eienjraph iiil

hich o\erlooked the pi

place, aiu

''■■f'

790

FOU\niN<; OF THE CREAT METROPOLTS.

caiTU'd away by tlio ontliusiasm ovitkod by tlie ium^-
nllitviit st'i'iio befbii' him, oxelainu'cl. " How btautit'ul 1
Tlvw NVdiuk-rful ! Mi'xico clofs not know what a jtwtl
she [H>ssc'SJ<es hero." Whiloattho jti'isidio Kchi'aiidia,
wlht was an euj^hucr otticer, s|H>iit .scviial dawn draw-
in*': i)laiis for the buildiiiy; of forts urar tlic outraiicc
of tlio bay, takinjj; iioto als(j of tlio islands of Alca-
tra/ aihl AnL;vh'S as [)v">iiits of dtfcnce.

When ready t() return Echeanch'a made a speech to
the i^arrison of the presidio, praising the men for the
good services they had done to the cause of civili/a-
tion, and assured them that lie would consider it a
hiiih honor to lead them to the field of glorv. In
conclusion he said *' Your officers have made me aware
of one fact that you are displeased because the gov-
ernment of Mi'xico has sent criminals to settle in the
country that during s«) many years you have defendid
with une<|ual bravery. I recognize the justict; of
your iomplaints; and you may rest assured that I
will s})are no eHbrts to hiduce the government of
^Mexico tv) change Us })urposc of colonizing California
with convicts."

One niiiht durin«'- the vi'ar 1840, a i'antlu>r, which
had l)eeu observi'd for several days ])rowling about tlie
settlement, si'ized and carried off an Lulian boy eiglit
years old frt>m the yard of ^Ir Leese, where now is
the corner of Clay and l)u}>ont streets. The boy was
not rescued, nor ever afterward seen. During tlic
same yearCaptain I'helps whose ship, the .ihrt, owned
bv Brvant, Sturois & Co. of Bostt)n, then lav at
Yerba Jiuena, sent his second otHcer with a boats
cri'W to cut firewo(>d at Hincon point. IMacing the
tirkin containing their provlsi«)ns in the fork of a tnc
the sailors went to work. At noon, ongoing for tluir
dinni'r, they found a female grizzly bear and her culs
j)osted round the firkin tooly discussing its content >.
Not relishing the air and manner of the matron, tin'
sailors beat a hasty retreat, and ruhhing down to \]\>'
buacli made for the ship as fast as possible. This

soen»' (]

Streit )

In I

authori

the pc,

wiljino-

dire<t<'tj
municip

tJien <(»i
the pi-e
anijili' p,

Figue

to trade

prohibit*

alm(»st u

I>racticc i

duties h.i

toni-liou.>-

I^^ranci.se*

being alv

of (allfn

unchorini
l<»ng tiin(
or port,
till ir car
Jiri\ il(...,.

d.| Castil
eeiver of i
T]m> ale
the Yerba
iiiii)ortanc
loa to tr;
^''rinieisco
^^ Jestra h
1^'gitimate
(}!n\ Oet(d
itants and
latter was
aiid tlie p(

THK llEOINXINO OF YEUHA HUKXA.

soono (M'cumd not far from wlu're was plari<l I'hIsoim
stn-ft wharf.

Ill l>;{4. (n'lici'al Jose Fi«^ut*roa, the chit f ei\il
auth<»rity of ('ahf»»rnia. in acctud witli the \vi>h» s of
thi' |K'o|»le of San Francisco presidio, wlio weie un-
willini; to continue lony:<r uiuler ntilitarv auihoritv,
directed tliat a |>o|)uhir election sliould he hi Id f<>ru
niunicijud corimratii>n. 8ul>-lieutenant M. (J. \ alh jo.
then conianthmte of the place, was orderi'd to r* move
the pit'sidial i>r cavalry company to S«>nonia, and
am]>le powei-s were t;iven him to form a colony there.

Fiuuen»a was next asked t«) permit Verha Ihiena
to trad«' with foreiijn vessels, whi«h hitherto had hren
prohiMted, the law ri'Cjuirinjj; that vessels should lay
almost under the jjjuns of the fort. This had !•« . n the
practice from the earlust days of the pr«sklii>, althoni;h
duties had luen paiil on ships and cargoes at tin- «us-
»f Monteri'V, an<l vi'ssels came to San

tom-1

louse

rancisco under .special license. Ueiiera

\\\

(

d Fi-

rutroa.

beinjj; always desirous »»f jtromotini; the adxamt im nt
t>f Califoinia, decreed that the fondeadeio. oi the
anchorinv:;-j4n»un<l, of Yerha l^uena — so <all« d for a
loiii; time past— .slmuld 1k' thereafter the tiaditiLi plac
or j>ort, opi'ii to foiii>:;n vessels which had i nit led
their car!Ljoes at the AFonterey custom-hou>f. this
piivih^f iM'injjj al.-^n'Xtendi'd to whalin!.'" slii|i>. iN-dro
d'l Castillo, an (»ld residi'ut, was tlun ai>point«d a n-
celver of puhlic revenue,

The aleald*', Fran<isco SanclHZ, heini; .s;itisfi. d that
the Yerha l^ui-na an<liora«jj;e was likely to attain ;j;r»at
importance from tluse con<'essions. ]utition« d I'iun*-
roa to transfer and found the numieipality of San
^^•an<iseo at the mission of San Francisco de Asis. or

»tra Senora d«' los J)«»loi(

The foiinei' \\a> tin

K\^itimate name of the mission, and on Saint Fiancis
day. Octolu'r 4th. was yearly celehnited hv tin- inhah-
itants and missionaries with fea.sts and rej(»ieinu . the
latter was looked upon as a patroness of the mission,
and the people used to shorten the name, and from

k'l

tV}

i U

<r-

7-:s

FOUXIiIXf; OF TTIE ORKAT METKOrOIJS.

tustoin jiuriiiiij niaiiy years <'aiiu' to <all tlie t'staldish-

iiitiit la iiiisioii .<le ])oloi

TS.

The iiaiiif i>t' tli<- iiiis>i<iii

of San Fraiiris<-«» Solano was als(» i-li;iii«^t'il oy us;»<^e
to Soiioiua, whiih is a namt- «»t' the al)oii''iiiL-s «tt' tlic

tiact'

rui.Huaiit to the |M;titioii of Saiu'ln-z, (Jnui-al Vi-
<>;iu Toa tiaiist'ernd tlu* iiiuiiicipalitv of San Franris«o
to the mission ]>oloies, liiantin;^ to it jiiiis^li«tion <tver
the whole territory of the presidio, imlmlini; Vt rha
IJiieiia, the ranihos situat<'rl in the Contia ('o>ta. and
even as far as that of Ijiis J*ul;j;as on the 8«»uth; all
these places were thus put under the niunii-i|Kil •gov-
ernment of San Francisco rcsidin*; in the mission Do-
lores.

At this time. Jose Joa<|uin Kstudillo, an «»ld military
olHei'r of tin- |»resi<'Ii«» <»f San Franeis«o, was r«>idlnL;
in C'onti"a CosUi with a larj^e family, and havin'j; no
land of his own, he a«l<lressed a petition to Fi^mioa
modestly a.skin'4 for th»- place callt d Verha Hn<ria. to
cstaldish there a small rancho. Fi'^ueroa eans<d an
invt'sti<^'ation t*» he mad*' hy the territoiial d< putati«)n.
.fuan ]i. .\lvarado, who later ln-iam*- !Lrov»rnor of
(\difoinia. was then a memher of that Uianl. and op-

p<»st d the |Mtition. heiiiij; promp

.ted tl

ieret<^. as In- .sivs

in a l<tt«r which I have in my possession, ''hy the
conviction that as the port ha<l heen o|wned to foi-ei^n
trade hy Fi.;ueroa. It was veiy natural that a connner-
«ial town should he fonnd<d in this place, and ther. -
fore ini'Xpedient that the laml should he i^ranted to a
siir^Ie jM rson. Whereupon the jM-tition was not
•granted. This ixpediente. which was fornierl in the
most I'^al niann«r. was seen hy nie in tlie |M>sse.ssion
of a lawyi'r in San Francisco when the revisin.: com-
mission were examinin*^ I'nited States titles, and I
was ((.nsulted upon its validity. I testiti«d that it

had

none

for tl

!«' rijisons aoove st

■t foith. The result

was that Fi|4Ueroa issued a <lecree authoriziu'^ families
to ask for lots in Veiha Bucna, one humlred vai-Uri
sijuare for each family."

RECOLLEC TIOXS OF ALVARAPO.

:'29

The affairs «»t' V» rUa liunia rrinaliicd in this staff
till the dtatli »»f Fi«ruin»a, wliicli (Mcunvd in Au-'ust

is;};-).

"In this same y<ar." continues Alvarado, "Avhilst
n tlic custoni-house at Monti rev.

\v;is an cnipiuvo n

>1.

holding the oftin- of insjuctorand ('oniniamlaMt nt'tlif
rrvtiuic ijfuards. I was coniiMissionod l»\' the thief of
said custom housi' to ins|te«-t the revi-nue eollcet-
Inir otliee at San Fianrisc.*. anrl !<• report uixm tl

lie

state of tradii in the |)la«-e, paiticulaily ^^ith refer<iu'c
to whaling? vessels, which in larj^e nunihers visited the
j>ort evei-y year t<» procuic fresli stores, and j»ass tlio
winter, information liaxint^ l»een re<'ei\('d that they
wi're carrylui,' on a larjjjt,' ct)ntral>an«l trade hy landinij;
;j,()ods, or transt'eriin*^ tjiem to otln-r v«'ssels that had
heen alieadv tlespatejied at the ^^onterev custom-
liouse with tlieii- duties settled for, a practice most
detrinu'iifal to the Interests of tlu' jtuhlic ti'easury.
After a thoi'oU'ih invest i|j;at ion. I hecame convinced
that some measure should he at <aice adopted in this
njatter. for thi' place, tlKUii^h contain'ii*^ at the time

ited,

nevel

■thel

ess. a

])erliaj>s a do/en houses, represen

ra])id pi<)*;i-ess in tra<le. On my return to the caj>ital,

1 lai«l the facts hefore the collector <»f customs.

"In the following: v-ar, IH.'UI, svmptoms of revolu-
tion were notice«l in the coimtiv. arisin>jj from the
<jji'eatl\' disturhed condition of Mexico, 'I'lu^ result

was a revolution m this country, caused l>y th<' dillt r-
ences of opinion between the inhahitants of the south
and tlu' north, and duriiii^^ which period Yerha J^uena
atliiirs remaine<l unchanged.

"In IS,'{'.), when the authorities of Mexico sent mo
the conunission of !4"o\(rnoi'. and then* was appointed.
ao;rceahlv to the central constitution, a suh pi'efeet for
the northern district, this officer was ordeied to reside
at tlu> mission I)olor»'s. The sul>-])ref'ect's name was
Don Francisco (Juerrero. to whom 1 <j;ave oideis to
lay out Yei'ha l>uena. measurinij, fii->t a pul»lic plaza,
and to divide the rest of the level jj-ruund into stniets,

(

iiiii

730

FOUNDING OF THE OREAT MKTUUPOLIS.

tlius ;»'ivlMp; t«» tlio placo tlu' cliararttT and form of ;.
ifv;ular t«»w»!. (iufin TO a|>|><iiiit((l for this jturposr ,i
|N rsnii iiaiiitrl liioclic. a n sidciit of tlit; jihuH'. fnMiu riy
a sliip-iiiast«r. a native of Switzerland, and considtrcd
as tin- ordy |H'rsoii ('()ni|Mtint to etlert tl»e nu asun -
nient. It was dmio; tin- plaza was laid out as now
existing; under tlie name of l*<»rtsmoutli s<jiiare, oi
|»lazj». The rest v.:if-i laid out in streets, whieh eni-
hraeed tin* '^nmnd within Paelfic, IMne, and Stockton
Htre. ts, and to the bay. the rest <»f the ground bein^
then r(»nsidered unfit to huild on.

"1 may Im,' mistaken ahout the exact time when 1
issue^l this <»nler, hut vou can i-asiiv aseeitain it. 1
am «|uite sine that tlie piesent city noNeinnurit has
ni\ original order. I also ordained that <::rants ot
fifty vara lots should l»e made, hindin^j the; «;rante« s
to t< n<-«' their lots and to huild on them."

'I'his is the historv of Y»'rha liueiia; thus orirnnized

rl arraii'nd, it was foun<l hv the AmerieaM>

Yeiha iiuena was a newly created town, tlui Mexieaii
auth irities ]\iu\ not tim<> to organize and ineorporati
it. so that all that it lawfully »)ccu|»ied was the M;ruuii(l
hiid out in streets and plazas under ]^io(h»'s plan.
DurinLT Alvarado's adminisNation, hy re<juest of the
inhahitants of Contra Costa, he detached that region
from the nmnicipal jurisdiction of San Krancisco, aiid
ap|>olnted a justice of the peace, who had his r( sidenc i
on the raneho San Lorenzo.

Thus came ahout the hej^inniniLj of Yerha liuenn,
wiiich was. indeed, the hc^innin;^ of the i^reat nietio
polis. thoU'^h the site of th»' latter Was not yet deter
mined. Indee^l, few trouhled themselves ahout tin
future ixreatniss of the coimtry, though there wt iv
pome wiios*' minds (M'casionally were accustomc*! t"
dwell thereon — men of Jiealthy ima<j[ination and sau'
counsel, not;ii)ly HoIniI Si-mph'. Thomas ( ). Larkin,
and y\. (I. \'allejo, who thoutjlit upon and helieve.l
in the future of the country, and were of opini(»n tlmt
the time had come when a spot should l)c .seleeled tlie

SITE FOU AX EM PERI AL CITY

731

most favf»ral»K' f(»r u «^rt'at roiniiuTcial (>in]M)nuin.

Ami liaviii«4 looked ahout tliciii \\>v tin' lust |>la<'0,
and liavluj^ tuuinl it, N'alicjo said to tlu- otlic r.s, 'N'oii

Kliali .s<

•l<«t tin; site, and I will funiisli vou sikIi liind

you r»'«|uin', tu'iy your |irivat nty sliall Ixar tli*

iia'iif o

if Miv lulovcd wit'r, Fiancisi

1'l

lis was III

tlu' autumn of IS4f;. Tin* two inm who tlu'i(U|>ou
UfiTptcd this trust, in practic'al sii'^atity, husjnt ss al»il-
itv, wealth, and iiol'itital inHuinco coinhincd. wcic
Hc'cond X't none then upon tlm <*oast. M(»ri "(Vt r, they
Were honest men, som»'thin«i[ akin t() patriots; and al-
thou»^h ni»t ahove the <'onsideiation of mon< y in the
premises, yet, while thinkin;^ to do the hest fur them-
seKi s, they tliou;4ht to do the hest for the present
puhlie. and for iHjsterity.

(Jlaiiee round the hay; for it is not noressary to
Consider if hv the' hav of San Fraixiseo, or at some
orht-r |M»lnt, the metropolitan city of the west coast of

Xorth America should he planted ; from j'aiianiii t
Sitka there is no other place. (Glance round it then,
and pla«'e your Hn<^t'r if yeu can on another s[Ktt so
SU'tahle as the on«' selecti'd hy these thr»'e wise Kieii,
Kasy enou^^h of ae<'ess to the ocean, easy of access to
the j^reat valley of California, with deep waters, j^uod
anehora«;e. hluif hanks, and soft healthful aiis, round
all the i^lohe nature nowhere laid out tin; iLjrounds uf
a larLje city more heautifully or with L,'reater care.
An im|Mrial pla<'e men could liavt; made of it. Fi'oiit-
uvj^ 0:1 e'ltluT sidi' of the strait of Carijuine/, and e\-
tendini,' hjU'kward and eastward as far as they rni^lit
I'hoosi* to f^o, there Would he iio restriction, ntillieriii
land nor water faeilities. With natuic! seconded, and
not wh<»lly suImIuiiI, in laying' <»ut i city there, the
streets wlndin|4 nra«-efully ov.r and ahout the sn\ooth
round hill.s, and not pitch«-d at them in straiijht lines
and anj^lcs, as tht; mad hull jLf«>cs; with spacious urhan
parks, and suhurhan homestead plats measured not l»y
inches hut hy aeres; with the stiait and river sj)Mniied
by cuatly ami subsiantial hridges, the whole takhiij in

( ' 11

I' I

732

FOUXI)INTi OF lUr. <;Rr.AT MKTUOPOFJS.

\vl'j)t now <'(iiiniiis)'s J^ciilcia, ]\raiti»ii'z, A'allijo, and
I\Ijiit' Island, Collinsvillc and Antiocli, and as nnitli
niuic as ix.ij^lit !)(' i»'(|uii»'d, I vcnturi' onco moif to
assrj't, that taken as a wliitlc there is no sjiot on e.iit h
su|H)ini- to it. Well an<l artistically laid out, Jirti^ti-
rally and well l)nilt, well and homstly ujoverned. and
with men <»t' ahility and inte;j;i-ity for citi/ens. and
graced hy virtu(»usand intelli^r'-nt women withal, tin-
|>lae«' woid<l have Ineii as nearly patadise as this earth
shall evei' produce. Athens, 1-fonic, Paris, Ltnidon,
\'enice. X'ienna, St l*etershui'!jj, and tlu' rest of tlieni
do nut sui'jtass what this could he.

On the other hand, the cold, hleak, circumscrihcd,
san<l-l!l(>wn. and fo>4--soaked |teninsuja on which the
city of San Francisco is actually jtlaced, A\as ah(»ut as
ill-chosm as possihle. And for it let the names of
those who thwarted the purposes of hetter nit ii ht-
anathematized, I repaid it a hase act, hrside whicli
oi<liiiiir\' infamv wei'e tame, an act imiMisiu''' endless
expense. iiKM in \ cnience, discomfoit, and disease u|>oii
milHoiis of men for piol>;d»ly thousands <tf years, that
two or thret^ persons happenin;^ t() possess the jioWer
shouM for jtetty and personal motives ha\»' so tieated
( 'alifniiiia, her present u,«'nerat ion, and her posterity.
\\'asirin;4ton A. Hart let t. alcalde, worked upon hy
some half do/ell persons w1h» hail invested a few hun-
dred diillai's in ^^•rila Ihiena lots and shanty-htiildln;^.
and .Iose|ih L. Folsom, ijuai'tei'master, and larne lot-
holder, w ho died early and dei'ived little henefit there-
from, are those to whom we are [)rinci|»ally indehted

for this mist a

That in earlv times it was the

custom of ocean .steamers after landin;^' their passen-
'j;eis at San Kranci.sci tt> pntceed at once to Henicia.
and there remain until a-^ain re([uired for service, and
that the I'nlted Static estahlished in the .same placi
its <lejMit of arms and supplies for the military stations
on the I'acilic coast, t<»-4etlier with their hari-acks,
storehouses, ma'j,azines. and shops, and also reserxt-l
Mare island \\>v a na\ v-vard, assuredlv were itroots

FRAXCISCA BKNICtA.

;«

suftiolcnt as to the ri'lativo natural advaiitaojcs of the

•iiiiisula of San Franci.sco and tlu' sstrait of Car

(jUlIU'/.

An oxrccdiiinly hrllliaiit strok«' of ciicunivcntion
tlic lot JioUlcrs of tlu; (\tv(! tliouj.dit it, and it |»lias«'d
tlit'iM npiii' tiHi less lu'cauHi^ it displeased Sniijilc,
IjjirUin. and Vallcjo, to clianm' tlio unknown, loral,
and villai^c name of Yerha l^uena to th<' world re-

Vessels

now nrd apjH'llation oT r»an r rancisco

that

eltiuinn' fi'itni foreign )iorts, as was tlieir custom, to
Sun Francisco hay, local names heinij^ to distant parts

miKnown, on arrival

ler- 111

Yerha -Huena cove was

Siin Francisco town. That settled the matter. The
place wi's convenient to shi])-niasters, Iiowcmt incon-
Ni'nicntto Californians; it suited those who possi^ssid
the pow«'r to make the chaiii^e ; imd n<»\v throui;liout
id! time, wIiiK- moulder the h'tnes of liai-tlett iind

F..l>

som, the {Mojilc may sit U)

whistle for a remedv

>n the fel
I th

ice an<

hev niav simikI thousant

(Is of

yenrs, and millions upon millions of money in a. useless
!Uid «'nforced crossing' and it(!i»ssiii^- of the liay for
an infinilelv worse spot than was tlier*- awaiting tlu-ni
on the other side.

It was in Jaiuuny, IH47, that hy the alcnlde's order
tin' name Verha Ihiena waschaiii^ed to S.ni l''i:inci,sco,
too nearlv like Francisca for hoth to reiiuiin ; and the
liitter heiiiin' not yet laid out, while the former was
iilready a hamlet of lively pretensions, (\ir«|uiiiez

stinit !'K

Vlt

d th

nul the saiKiy peninsula pte\jii

Thus ti,e three wise men Were thrown Itack upon the
otl r name of Mrs V'allejo. Jieiiicln, hy which to c.-dl
their now doomed metropolis. An<l with a linn
leliMiice on pi-o\ idence, whidi in this instiince s;i<lly
fiiiled them, they Went on, and the following .lime
i.iid out Henicia citv, In dimensions one mile l»v li\e

The first 1

louse u

as he<'ini the iTth of

Amjust, and hy March. IsiM, two hundred lots h:id
lieeii sold at an JiveruLje price of eighteen dolhirs ejtcji,
and fourteen huiklhius of wood and ailohe had been

734

FOUNDTNO OF TIfK ORKAT MFTROPOLIS.

on'otod, one bein«r a two-storv houses twoiitv In' fiftv-
six f'lH't.

[ will insert luT*', as most pertinent, a deseriprion
of Y«.!rl)a l^uena and the jjciiinsnla. taken tVom tlie
Califnniia Star of January ;{0. IH47. hciniL; )>ait of .in
editorial writti-n while the name Verha Huena vet

•jjraeed the head of its eolunnii

lS a

lit

enirv <'oiii-

j)()sitlon it does not eoiii|)are v<'iy favoialtlv with our
''ditorials of the present day: inde<'d. it would seaioly
take a preniiuni in one of our ('hint se selmols; ut \( r
theless. it is worth as much to us as nnv of tin

stanzas of CI lilde Harold. I ^ive it verhatim; oitlin<^-
raphv, syntax, and punctuation.

*' Yerha Hueiia. tin.' name df our town which mraiis
fioon MKHIJS, is situated on tin- southwest side (»f thr
)>rlnciple arm of San Francisco hay, ahout five nilK s
fi-om the ocean, on a nariuw i»eck of land varying
from four to ten miles in width. The naiiowest jdarc
heill'^ sixteen miles south West of the t<»wn. It i in
latitude '\7' 4;V north. This narrow slip <tf lai ! i
ahout sixty miles in lent^th. extendinj^ fi<»m the poini
funied hy tlu' hay and the <weaii, to the valley of S.in
.Fose, Tht^ site of the town is handsomer aii<l cnm
inandin'j; - hein*^ an incliiK'd pl;itn of ahout a mile in
extent from the water's edvje to the hills in tin riiii'.
Two points of land, — one on each side, extendin'j; into
the i)ay form a cres<'ent or small hay in tin- shapf ot'
a crescent in front, whieh heais the name of t he town.
These points afford a tine \i(W of the sunoimdin«i
c<»untry the snow capped mountains in tin distant

le u'rei'U valh'VH iM-ne.ith tin ni

the I

trautihil

smooth ami unrutHed hay in fi-ont and on lither ^itll■.
at oiH-e hurst upon the eye. There is in front of the
town a small Isl.md, risinjj; hi;4h ah<»vc the surface of"
the itav. ahout two milfs lon-.^. and one widr, whi<li i^
covered the ^I'eatei- part of the year with tin- most
cxuheraiit herha'ie of untrodden fi» simess. Thi>
littlc> island is ahout thn-e miles from tin' shore.
Between it and the town is the [►rin«li)le anchorage.

Sl'KClMKN OF KAHI.Y LirKKATUKK.

Here tlic vrsstls «it' all iiatioiiH rest in saftly and

1»<arr, ami tlnir Ha^^s an- disjilavftl l»\ tlif arumatic
)l'^'^•/A'. Two liuii<lr(Ml yards tVum tin- slmii', tlitic is
twt-nty four f'ttt water, and a sjiort distantf JK-ynnd
tliat, as many tatlinnis, 'I'ln- Ittacli In tV<'Mt of tlir
iinw l>u>int ss part of tin* town, is sin Ivinv;; luit if will
no doul)t in a short time Itti-onir tilltd up and licconu;
tlu' most valualiK' j>art ot tlu- placr.

**Tlic climatr lure is, in the winter, wlii<'h is tlie
miny season, dam|) ami e]iill\. l)uriii!L^ the halanee
<tf th<- year it is <hy. I»nt ehllly, in <'onse(|ueiiee of
the continual striMm winds tVom the noith and
iioith west. Theic is I Hit littK' variation in the
atmospli'ie throughout the yeai-; — the thermoinetir
run'.'inj; from fifty ti\e to seyeiitv devriees Fahrenheit.

" ^^ l-lia Huelia Is one of the most liealtll\' |»laee> oil

the whole coast of the I'acilic. Sickness (tf aii\

kind

is rarely known anioiij.; us. The saluhrity of the cli-
inatt- heauty of the site of the town its conti'^uity
to the iiioutli of the hay the liiiest liaihor on the
whole co;ist in fioiit -tlie I'icli and heautiful country
around it. all conspii-e to render it i»ne of the hot
C'omnn rcial points in the world.

"The town is new, haviii'Lj heeii laid oil' in l^;i!t hy
Cajitain John \ io;4et; and iioiwithstandinL; all tin'
tri>uliles ill the i'ountiy, has yradualU iiaieased in

Hi/e and importance

now contains a population

of ahoiit ti\e hundred permanent citi/ens. Tsvo^rars
a<:o tin re were hut ahoiu t\\<i hundred.

Till

le miles .south IS the mission Jioloi-es oil Mis

Hion creek, surrounded hy a small \alley «if rich heau

tiful land. The water iVoiii this creek cjin < ;isily he

hiouv^lit hy means of ai|Ueducts to any point to.siippj\

ye
w

■is. I

i>r the supply of the citizelisthe In'Stof We

ater is ohtaiiied in cMiy j»ait of the town hy hoiin-jf
the distance of forty feet.

" In l^oin^ ^K'Uth fVoiii ^^lltM l^ieiia. the trav.llei-
passes oyer this narrow neck of |:ind ; a most di li'^ht-
lul leyiou iulerspi rjicd with hills, yalleys, uiid iiiouu-

736

FOUNDING OF THE (illF.AT MKTKOI'OLIS.

tains - the valk-ys lidi mikI hrautiTul — tin- liillscovnvd
with tall |tiln•^4, red-wood and ceder that luive witli-
stood tht t<iii]>ests aiid whii 1 \\ iiids of a ceiituiy, and
th<' I IK mil tains risiii<'- in niaiestic !j:i'andeur to tiie clouds.
In ]»as.-in<4 out, the va'dey of San Jose o|tens to thr
\ie\s in ail tlie lov«'lines8 of the (liniat<' of Italy and
InautN' of the tioit'ics, 'I'his vallev is aliout sixt\
iiiil<s in h-n^tli and ten in widtli. The J^jriilo wiiic i,
nil aiis an incorporated town is the principal place ot"
husiness foi- tlie valh V, and is aliout live nuies from
Santa Clara, the landiuL' of the l/ay.or as it is ternml
liere '*tiie emhareadaro," Passinu on from here

north I ast, till tiaveller lu a lew liours iide reaches
the St;;iiis, which sejiej-ate till' Su'isuii l»r,y, formed
l>\' the contluence of tin Sacramento and San .Joii

(juin i livers, from that of San l*ahl«». Jli-re it s»t ni.^
that the aceumulated waters of a thonsatid yi ars had
suddenly nnt the opposin*^ mountain asund»r and
fiowi d with tr<-mendous force to tlie j^reat hasin of
tiu' dt< p.

" ( >n the north side of tlie hay frorii the straits to
Sousilito is on«' of the iiiu'.st districtB of countrv in
all upper Calitornia.

■■ Next to N'orha Hu("i\a. Sousilito is tlu' hest jioint
on tlu' wiiole !)ay for j commercial town, Itis-^<\rn
miles a little eaisi of north from this pla<<' on tlif
opposite sitle of the hay, and has lon^j Uei-n a watei'
lu'H point for ves.sels,

"An attiinpt, has rcc«>ntly heen ma<le to lay oil'am'
huild up a li>wn at the Htiuilf to supersede the tW"
last mentioned j^laces. 1^, will no iloul.t, jiowuvei'
Ix an entire failure.

"San ['raneisj'o hay hcitijj; the safest and mogt
conunodimis harhor on th«' entire coast of tlif VaciKc,
some point on it must i)e tlu oreat mart of the wtst-
ern world. We heliev Verha Hu iia is the ]Mttnt.

eommandm<jf as

it do* s now, all the trade of the sur

roim<linu' eountry. and ther« hrin'i" already a Iar;_;i
ainuuiit uf laidlal cuiiccutruted iierc.

CHANGE OF NAME.

737

''Tlu'town of Yuri Ml Buciia is calltnl in some of
the oKl 11114)8 ot tho fountiy San Frant'i.sco. It is

luit known

by that

nanio \\v\v Ijowfvrr

"Tilt! town takt's its nanus from an lu'iU to be
fouiul all around it wliicli is said to inako i^ood tea;
and jKisscssin;^^ excellent nu-dicinal (lualitics, it is
calliMl tjfood lu'rl) or Ytilia limna."

Tlu! |»»"(Mli('tion concirnini; tli<! crosn.'nt is fulfilled ;
tho aroniatir i)rt'ezo which displays tho Ha^^s of tho
vrss» Is of all nations that rostcd in sufcty and pcaco
luforo tho town is now, alasl sadly diluLod with ooal
snioko and foul ottluvia. I find San Franois*** on
st!V(n'al old maps, drawn oven hoforo tho town of
Yovhit l^miia was laid out, fu foro thoro was a liouso
thoro, hut tlio naniu invariably dosi<^nat«'s cillH'r tho
old northirri mission, or tho hay, bo(.li of whioh wore
rallod Sail Fraiicisoo. Whon this nrtirli; was piintod
in th(! ('(i/ijuniid Shir yoM had iM>t Inen disc. »\cn'd,
tlu' vallov of California was uuscttlod; anv distam-o
hack fr(»in tht.; shoros of San Franoisoo hay, oxoopt in
tilt! dirootion of San J)ioi;;o, sccinod almost out of tho
world. W lull thoroforo it was propositi to plant tho
nu'trujiolis (»n tho straits (»f Cartjuin*/ and Suisun
hay, it sr< uumI like jijolnj^ fnr oui, of tho way. To
select a site ooiiNcniont Uf sliipa was then much more
thounht of than tho ooiivenitJiioo «'f an interior popu-
lation. When tho valley of (alifornla hi'i^an to
swarm with jjjold-seekers, and travellers tJienoe from
San Fianeiseo must thither ^j^'o south sixty miles to
clear tlu; hay hefore «.',oin;4 north, or el.st; cro.ss tho hay
ill a har^'e, some San Franciscans saw their mistako,
thou^^h few of them, Jiaviiijjf tlu-ir lUarost interests
at Mtako, would ever aoknowledj^e it.

In the I'levciith iiumher of its issue, which was on
t!ie 'JOth of March or this .'•aiiie year, the diUhniin
Sfnr took down tho nainoof Y«rha Uueiiaand lioi.stod
that of San Fram-isco. "Our nadors will pen I'ivo

that in our present nunihor,

sa)

s tl

U! eillt(»l

lit.

W(;

havo coiiforniod to tho change recently made in tho

3'Li i

Cajl. I'akt. 47

788

FOUXDIXC OF THE fJRKAT M FTIK >roi.IS.

n.imo (tf our town, l)v pl.'uinti: '"^t <li<' ln-ad of our
jiapcr Siiii Francisco instcjul of Yjiha liuriia. Tlic
cliaiigc lias now luvii made Icnally, ami we acfjuicHcc
ill it, tliouLTli we prefer tlu; old name, tlic one hy
wliicli the jijace lias always l)ren known in this roun-
liy. When tlie eiian<j:(> was first att('ni|ite<l, we
vi( wed it as a mere assumption of authority, with-
out law or jtreeedent, and theiefore adhered t«) the
o!,i uiinie of N'erha Hueiia. It was asserted hy the
l;ite aleidde. Washiii'Lifton A. Hjirtlett, that the )>l;i(r
wn^ ('.'died San Pi.-ineisco in soiik; old Spanish paper,
wjiieh he profess( d t(» liaA'e in his possession."'

I^et us j^lanee now at the business pretentions of
the new town. In the sam<^ iournal of Aj>ril 17th
f >llowin;i'. W. A. Leidesdorif advertises lumlMi-from the
i^. 'dro;! steam-iiiills; Ward and Snnth otl'er for sjdi
tlse .schooner Cniiuiitxltin Shiiln'ivl-: Stout, Sirrin*', and
Mender n-^ree to fill ortlei's foi' Santa ( 'ru/. hnnhei' :
\\. W. Huel<elew estahlishes hitnself as a jeW( Ih I'. Ill
May W. \V. Seott opens a, st(»re at Sonoma, and I!

ileolt takes the smith shop m

f d. ('. I)i

S I

Sc (

James IJiddle, eonimandin«j.- the |*aeilie S'|uadi<tn. in
June prohiiiits the e\pMttation '>!' (juiciv^Usi r froin
('alifornia: Ward and Smith desire to sell ten thou-

sami iiounc

Isfi

ne na\\ luead, al.so dj-v^oods, ijfnx'eiMi

and ('ahfoinia wines an<l hrandi

es.

The -•

eneral iiu>-i

ness firms of ( {citron and ( 'otnpanv . luilx-rl .\. I 'ark" i
adoJH store. Dickson and Hay, Melius and Howard
William H. Davis, I'earsoii l». Shelly, and Slie!i\
and Noj'ris appeal- in the columns of tlie ('(il!l'nrin'<hi
and the Star in .luly, to;j|ether with William l'etteta>
hou>e and siu'n painter. L. lOverhait as tailor, aii'l

(Sltev

trre

js civil en'iinecr and survexor

Jol

III

(^)usens informs /ill persons that the sheep on N'erha
l^uena island heloni^ to him. and that they nnist i>"t
iie molested. Iv J*, .lones. lawyer and late editor < t'

the Sf/tr. in Au'..;ust, assumes the mana!.';ement of th'
l*ortsmouth lionsi , now etilaru'ed ,'md havin;.; a h.n

and a hiUiard tahl

(

I CO !•''■•'

M I*:

\ans, I

it th

hou-

TTvE-AUniFKUOUs M'SlNKss MKN.

:i'.»

of If. Ifanis, aUovc tin- slauiiilitcr lioiist of ('«ms» ns.
•says ill St|iti'iiil)«T that Iir will to «inl» r iniii%c adolns
for liousrs. cliiiiiiit ys, and ovens. I'ldwanl F. Kol^t r,
corner Mont-'oinrrv and \Vasliin<'toii .streets, jidv« r
tises tlie hark WJiittmi, \{. (Itifroii master, (o .sail t'oi

I'ananiil the 1st of Octohcr. ('. Ji. I

e •.->.■>,

Colin I ot

\\'ashin;j;<on and Moutucinerv stictts. oiUi.-, Ill'ty
harrels of potatoes tVom thr islands, and 'jia|>t> iV.-ni
Sonoma. \V. II. Das is h.i.s »i<^ht \ -om- thou.sand ft et
or()n"4ou iumher laiidmu' iVoiii the h.irk .luml. I

I < iSl '

and loyiiolds want .sun <■ nu n to di'^^ a toitiidiition
and rai'c for a mill in Xapa \allt\. 'I'hf Imildin^'.
and ot lior ini|ii'o\ ( ini-nts at th« junction of tlic San
.loa<juin and Stanislaus ai'' oil', i* d for .salr. Mr and

Mrs Skinner a,s>uin<' llu' niaiia''( ni« n

t of I

How II S

liot'l, clian'4iii!L;' iho inanir to that o

f l'it\ liot> I. .1,

\'io'4«t oll'i'is for s.dc tho PoilsnaMit h houx
drew I loeiijii ii'i' has a warm sprini; our milo fiwin
SoiKiiiia that will euro rheumatism. Su«-li wirrsoinr
iA' tin' I'lisuiiss iinlieatioiis at San l^'ianeisro during
( hr ytar I > 17. This year, on tlir "Jot h of ( tetohcr, and

ilioiil llh' ;,iini' time i'(.|'

<lid

si\i ial suh.M nu< nt Mar.-, a

s( ,iic iiiiith wind did st'rious damaine to slii|i|»ino;.
l>oh< It Simple (stahlislMs a f 1 1 y aero.^.s ( 'aifpiiiit /.

>trait in

e aniloUlM ( s his Uvw \vv\\ hou>e

.t j

ifiiK la in t\*o notices in the

olio

iinii ;a fit \ , Sepit I

nlier

( 'iihfni-iiniii. dat in*^
[7. ' In this liist

notice he .slatfs that he i.s then " huildin^ a house on
tile o|ijtositi' sido of tho strait, f<il tlio colilf"!! and
,MC(»ininodat ion of jtersons u i.vhiic^ lo pass iVom the
soiitii side," A hoat w.is to he kt pt alway.s on < iih« i
>ide to avoid d> t«'niion, and harley and corn woiild ho
found 1 lure for sale I'dr cro,-.siir^f. jioiscs iniisl pay
I'lH' dollar, men lifty ctHt.s, horse and man tuie doll.ir
There w« re ijood loads from lieiiicia citv to Santa

a I a, li

iiiaoor s I'anclio. am

I to N

elvetia.

111

It will he perceixi il," colicluoes t hf propiiitiU', "that

IS IS tho nearest and mm

h tl

io Ixst lead from

Saul.

< 'lata to New lit Ivetia, and tVoin Santa C'ru/, t

740

POUNDINO OF THE P.REAT METROI'OLrS.

Bodi'ga." Before the travel to the mines, the fiiry
paid a profit of one liuinlretl atid fifty dollars a month,
and was deenied ont^ of the h(!st proptities of the
kind hi California. With high magnanimity tlie pro-
ietors donated the whole imHi'ecU, to»rcthi'r witli

several lots, for the henefit of schools, whi«'h conduct
was in marked contrast to the slow and narrow iM)licy
pnivailing at San Francisco.

For many years prior to Aiighi-Anu^rican occupa-
tion, war and trading vessels entered tiie hay of San
Francisco, whalers lay in Sauwilit<» hay, and ships of
cii'iMinmaviuration anchored off th(^ presi«li

io.

lere

was no inland conmierce, for W(! can hardlv call Sut-

t<ir's

occasion

al visits such. But in 1H47, hesides

Sutter's tweiity-t()n sloop, manned hy six Indians, ply-
in<i sonu'what rei'ularlv the round trip in three werks
hetwcen Sail Francisco and New Helvetia, then; was

a smaller sloop used occasionally, ai

d another vessel

of similar construction running to the Mormon settle-
ment on tlu' Stanislaus. The 2'Jd of August, a S(juare-
rigi;ed vessel, the hrig Vrnticisat, 100 t<»ns, entered
San J'aMo hay with a load of hnnher foi' Beiilcia.

The total exports for tlui <piarter t-nding iKcemlur
31. 1847, according to J. Jj. Folsom, collector of the
port of San P'rancisco, amounted to §t'.>,507.r)M, of
which )ii;:{0,l},').'i.H3 were for pnuhiets of CalifomiM,
shipped ,^.'{20 to the Islands, .S-JI,4 IH.af) to rem. $:.f;o
to Ma/atlaii, i?7,2H.').r)0 to Sitka, and .^700 to Tahiti.
Of the $ll),a4;{.r.,S foreign products, .«!-.»,0(;o wc.rtii
went to the United States, .$! •_»,44lMH, of whic h )?l 1.-
.'UO wei'c gold and silvei' coin, went to tlie Hawaiian
Islands, and $4.H.'n.r)0 io Afaaatlan. The imports
wen' .$.').'{, 581). 7:{, of which .^n,7l)0..')4 came from tin-
United States, 37, 701. 5'.) from ()reg(.n, !?M.fi7<!. II
from Chili, $:n, 740.7:? from tlu; isluiuls, 8-J.471.M--
fi-om Sitka, $41)2.:)7 from Hn^ii n, and !?7IO..^)4 from
ATexico. Quite a comnw rce, and far-reaching witlial,
and on(! of which tin? emhrvo m<'tropolis mi<j;lit well
he proud, even if its colK'ctor's statement, if reported

fOMMKlUF, AND NAVKiATTON'.

741

rorrertly. dins sln>\v a «lisfi«paiH'V of 8100 in one
|)liM'«>, $40 in another, $10 in anotlii-r, ami i<>'> in an-
otlur.

(>!i tin' 1st of .Fanuarv, IH4S, was Htai-titl a so rallt <J

n'<4ular |>a<k«t for Sonoma. Kor this |>iir|Nf«<- Hn-

niaiuiiXrincnt rniployrtl the sloop SlncUmi. Uii-^us.

nastci', a}4«nt at Sonoma, A. Hot |>p»n»r. havin-.' San

ran4'is4-u o

n MontlaA's. ami Sonoma on Wedn* ><Iit\

Till" riaft called launrhcs h.id lurn for some tim< ply-
inij l>«tMr<'n tlir Napa t inl>ar«a«lt'ro and San Franrixit.
Nvla-n, on the 1st »d' F«'l>niarv, tin* t-lipprr-hnjlt pii/.c
stho(MH'r, MnJfk A'lJul, crosscfl San PaWlo hay. and
entt'rin<4 Xapa eri-ck, amhorcd in fonr and a half
fathoms of \vat» rat half tide. T. Cordna «;i\i^ n<>tirr
in tin- ('nUfnfninn of A|>ril '_M'», |S4f^, that he will nm
a monthly lauiuh fiom San Kranrisco to New M« < k-
Irnl

mriif, ill the Sacramento \ alley, toui'hinvf at N ieho-
las. Algeirs. the endtarca«lero of Jie.ir <reek. II iidy s,
at the mouth of Feather river, Sutter\ille. l>ra/,-'iia,
^[onte/uina, and Heni<ia city; in coniieetion with
which a horse and wa<ron would run rei«ul.irl\ 1m i\v. en
New ^^l•^•klenl^u^i; and J)aniel Silles'. in the upper

uraniento valley

ere was river am

1 .sta'Lj

re navi-

j^atinn. «|uite a stretch of it.

The lM"L;innin;4 of 1,S4S saw .it tlm Cove a thrivinvj
Seaport town, which, with the surroundiiii; shruli-elad
hills and valleys, presented from Si'^nal Hill a \ iew of
,'{.") adohe piihlic huihlin^s. Wcll-stoeked W;irehoU-eS.
stores, and d\vellin»^s. and 1<5() snu'^ frame huiltlinu'*,

Itll tliell- r<speetl\e outhouses ail<l encl(»snres, e^ilt-
teiin.jf in whitewash and tVesh paint. IJuilders n»tw
hej^an to think of p« rmanciicc, and |iut hea\ ier timiers
and hetter material into their houses. More wh;.r\«s

Wele

huilt,

on w

hici

1, as We

as on the heach and

temporaiv landin^^s, were staeked and shewn hide.-,
hoxes, and hariels of merchandise, and the u->ual p.iia-
|>hernalia of connneicial industiy. Hartrcs with white
sails skirted the hav for hides and tallow, and as-
ceudcd the s»t eanLs with ••oods. Whalers, and ( )re.;< >n

742

FOl'XPINV; OF THE OIlEAT MFTF:orOLI>.

iukI Calit'nniia roast 'm<4 ViSsclH. «^nton'<l and dtpaitid
tlin»u<^li tli«- <i<)l<Ki« (Jutr. Till' t'hrti* II <»f tiflnK»l
tru>t»t*.s was onlrml l»v the town authorities. X<tr
\vt It tlns«' iin-paratioiis mad*- a day too so<iii.

With its Aiiuricaii population, its (oiniiMn ial < har
a«tt |-. and its two ntws|»a|»(rs, in'm** all that won
))i'inttd within tin* trrritorv, San Fnin<is<o now ht-i^aii
to assume that supreniacv destined to \h- jki|h tual
iiiiion<4 the <-ities of the coast. Its i^iowth. though
r.ijiiil, was iiie-^ular. A sjiasni of advaneenient wa>
foilowi'd hy a jM-riod of eoniparative «jui t. So full ot
enei-^y w»ie the |n'oj»1(.«, »» eai.;*'!- to iN-eonte iinnudi-
nf< ly lieh. that in re;j;aid to increase in values and
Volume of husiiiess. the future was antiei|iated: if
iiiij-es douhh <|, thev uiust douhle a'^aiii .-hoiilv, and
when the leaition came, which event was certain,
i»eo|»lc cnmplain«d. During the Mexican war |Mri«Ml.
husiness had hei'U Ljood. Troops had Im en lamli-d.
hiimii^rants hy .sea had arri\ed, Jind town l««ts had
r;i|»idly ailvanced. In the ahsence of the>e stiniulaiit>,
the year l^4H o|K-ned dull, and tin' citizens deenuil it
iidvis;il)le to make hetter known to the jnople of the
eastern states the capahilities and pros|H «ts <»f Cali-
fornia. To this end the ( 'tili'luniin >7"r was euLja^ed

to jirmt an a<-co

t of the resources of the ««iuntrv, to

ti' written

i.v y. J. K

our'4eau(

It will \h: remembered that the governor. Juan 1]
Alvarado. in Ib'-^'J dincted tlu: alcalde of Y< rl

i:i

]

)Ueiia. f raneist-oii

le II

u< »,

tol

iav(

theC

ovo surve\ It

M» that the lots which were tlieii heiri'_' triven to any
who Would huild on tlu'm should not In v:ianttd ai

rand

om, am

I tl

ns worl

was «ri\en

t<» J

ean

lo'^et.

In IH4 I cam*' »ttlicers and servants of the 'jreat Hud-
son's 1>ay ('onipany, and added its intluenee u|h»ii tin
haiidet. After a hrief hi'eathin<.j sjmII. ap|M aied upoii
the plaza the sjiiiit of I77'». in the form of the .\nui-
icaii tla;4. waft«-d thitlnroversuhdued Mexican domain,
and s«'t up in 1S40 hy John H. Mont.ir»merv. <-"ni
niandcr of the sloop Inrh-iuuudi, who ai»[»oiated Wash-

i Hilton

Yorha

s(juare

street.

for iLjo

Jhieua

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where

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first us

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next d.i

eiidud <

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hoards,

fired. .

tli(i lattt

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pai'tieipii
Were exc
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r0UT>M0L'TII SHIP AND SQL'AIIK.

74t

iii'^ton A. liiirtl«tt, oiu' of liis lioutciuiiits, nlcaldf of
YciIki Jiuiiiu ; till- iiuiii*' of tlic .ship was i^ivni lo tin-
s(|uai'c, and tliat of the coiiiiiiaiKlcr to tlic {ti'iiK-ipal
strt'i't. liaitlitt likfwis*! sliowi'd dtsi^ii, and that not
foi" tj;ood, winii hf i-haui^fd thr iianu' fioin Yiiha
Jiiii'iia to San Fiain-is«-o, as did also Folsnm. tht'
(|uait«'rinast« r, \vh»ii lie sil«(to<l this |)huT as the point
w hcTi' shoiihl Ik- k«pt ill", iiilituiy stores of tliu
United States.

San Francis<*o was t-arly active in deeds of liosjiital-
ity an«l l)enevolenec as wtll as of enteiprlsf. The
first us<' to winch tlie first house was put was fiustin^.

le occasion was

the <!

av o

f A

nitricaii ni(ti|)eiit|('ncc

when soino sixty quests danced all ni^;ht, and all the

11U\

t<l

IV, so

that Mr I

jet'Se s

Fourth, as lie reinarl

IvS.

ended on the fifth. Thanks'^u iiiu; was ('elehr;it»(l the
ISth of Xoveiuhi r. 1M47. And it was a liheial sum,
$l,.»0(), for a town of ."ioo inhal)itants, to i^ive to the
survivois of the Doniier [>ai'ty in Fehruary IS47.
Tht> "JSth of ^fav. the town was illuminated in honoi'
of Taylor's victory at J^ueiia \'ista. And p.itrlotic
was the villa'^e withal. p]vt ly tenement pi'ctendiiiL,'
to the dignity of dwellin-j;, whethei- of cloth, mud, or
hoards, was ]i^;ht<d ; honfires wt re liL;hted, and ^uns
fire(I. July ,L!;ave two jjjala davs, the 4th and the 7th,
tht^ lattir iH'inuf the anniversai'v of the lioistin-j' of tlio
United States' tla^j hy Connnodoic Sloat at Mttntfrey.
A S'conil illumination occurred the I Ith of .\u;iust,
!H4S, celehratinLj p<ace iM-twem the ITnited Statis

il M

e\lco.

In .lanuarv l^4S, theri- was a masked

hall at tht- American llou

iJetwe M fortv and liftv
)»articipatits attendid in costume; the refreshmei.ts
weri- excellent, and danciu'^ continued nearly all ni^ht.
A vt't Lfrander atliiir «>f the kind occuri'i'd the follow-
ino' 'I'ld of Fehruary. T. W. l\'rry, house and si^n
paint* r. coriui- of ^[ont;^olJlery and Jackson streets,
furnlslu'd tlie masks.

Urescntly times in'came thill, some of the merchants
baid, and the depression, indeed, must have been seri-

IMAGE EVALUATION
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C/u

744

FOUNDING OF THE GREAT METROPOLIS.

ous when such firms as W. A. Leidesdorff, Melius and
Howard, Robert A. Parker, and Ward and Smith,
discontinue in March not only their advertisements,
but their subscriptions, from the Cab'fomian. The
publication of this newspaper, which had been started
in Monterey by Chaplain Colton and Robert Soniple
in July 1846, usin^ the same materials employed by
the Californians for printing since 1834, and issued
during tlie rest of that year in the old capital, was
continued in San Francisco from the beginning of
January 1847. On the other hand, Dickson and Hay,
Shelly and Norris, and W. H. Davis announced busi-
ness extension, with increased facilities, to which was
coupled the complaint that half the community were
going wild into land and other speculations. Proper-
ties shifted from one person to another, and none
thought sufficiently of improving. "One million of
hardy, industrious persons are wanted to drive these
money-gathering drones out of the country," cries the
editor of the Califomian. How few of us know of
what we complain, or how should be the remedy 1
Here is an editor at this early day railing at capital
in Calif(n'nia, and in the same issue, without being
aware of the inconsistency, is comjilaining of the ef-
fects of the absence of it. The gold, and coal, and
copper, and silver thrusting their notice every day
upon him, he does not know what to do with, and yet
he wishes all who do not work with their hands well
out of the country.

During the early part of 1 848 there are not many
business changes. C. C. Smith and Company open a
store at New Helvetia in January; at Sonoma, M.
J. Haan and L. G. Blume dissolve, and Victor
Prutlon and M. J. Haan form a copartnership. In
its issue of the 22nd of January three colunms of the
Star, or nearly one-fifth of its entire space is occupied
by an advertisement of Brandreth's i)ills in Spanish
and English, C. L. Ross, agent. Dickson and Hay
removed from next door to Leidcsdotf. and opened

BUSINESS MEN OP '48.

745

their Bee Hive store opjiosite the lumber yard of
C. L. Ross, beside Mr Ellis. Win Boerc beijan a
cabiriot manufactory in the rear c f the adobe store on
Clay street.

The 1 8th of February C. V. Gillespie appears with
an assortment of Chinese goods, embroidered shawls,
handkerchiefs, lacquered ware, vases, and j^unpowder
from Canton direct by the ship Earjle. The Colon-
nade House was opened on Kearny street, a few doors
from Portsmouth square, in March, by Conway and
Westcott, and with a restaurant and reading room
became a leading house. William S. Clark announces
in the CaUfornian the 15th of March, that he has a
new warehouse, at the stone pier foot of Broadway, to
let. On Sacramento street between Montgomery
street and the beach William Foster opens a furniture
establishment. He is shortly succeeded by McLean
and Osburn. Shelly and Norris advertise in the
Cnllfnmian as wholesale and retail merchants, corner
of Kearny and Clay streets. Lazarus Everhart is a
fashionable tailor o.i Montgomery street. Henry
Hartman establishes a tinsmith's shop on Pacific
street between Dupont and Stockton streets, i^avid
Ramsay could find no name for the place where his
store stood, and so advertised in the Califomiau, the
1 5th of March, a stock of teas, sugars, silks, preserves,
blankets, matting, cordage, rice, and the like on
the street nearly opposite tlie custom house.
George Denecke is a baker. Beside publishing the
CaUfornian, B. R. Buckelew continued his watch,
clock, and jewelry business. Folsom, the quarter-
master, asked for sealed proposals for 180 tons of hay
for the United States. It must be of oats and clover,
cut and cured while the oats are in the mi!k and the
clover in the bloom, pressed into bales and delivered
at some embarcadero on the bay. Robert T. Ridley
would pasture animals throughout the year at his
rancho three miles from mission San Francisco de
Dolores. Isaac Williams, rancho del Chino, will pay

^40

FOUNDING OP THE GREAT METROPOLIS.

$1,000 or $1,500 in cattle and wild mares for the
building of an adobe fence.

William Atherton, in April 1848, established him-
S(>lf in the leather business at San Francisco, his tan-
nery and shop being on the corner of Shubrick and
Yallojo streets. The CaJ/'fomian of April 5th coui-
plaiiis that John Couzens, the butcher, — Cozens he
should have written it — had left town without paying
his advertising and subscription bill. By the 26th of
April Jacob Harlan had established "a livery stable
and horse bazar" near Was] ihigton Square; house and
s]h[) carpenters, corner of Kearny and Pacific streets,
were Hood and Wilson. The Shades Tavern, by T.
and H. Smith, corner of Pacific and Stockton streets,
advertised the 12th of April, shows how the business
portion of the town was extending in that direction.
Oliver Mao-nent wishes to sell his new flourinij mill
near the San Jose embarcadero. Dickson and Hay
advertises in the CaJifomian of April 26th one case
of stationery for sale. T. Cordua offers to supply
overland travellers to the east at San Francisco })rices,
with good flour, hams, bacon, and smoked beef; also
working and beef cattle ; all at his farm, New Mecklen-
burg, centre of the Sacramento valley, and near where
the road branches off to the United States. So C. C.
Smith, at New Helvetia, offers to supply persons wish-
ing to return to the States with horses, nmles, pack-
saddles, picket-ropes, and provisions.

Over Mr Parker's new meat and vegetable stand,
called Washington market, George Eggleston, this
same month, set up a new sign, the sign of the bleed-
ing pig ; and it bled so perfectly in the picture that
the editor of the Califomian, who had been asked to
drink on the occasion, and who had drank several
times at the expense of Eggleston, p,s he was about to
retire to his home, turned, and regarding the work of
art attentively for a time, at length exclaimed : — *• I
am so damned deaf that I cannot hear it squeal."

A more complete list of the principal business

bss

MORE BUSINESS HOUSES.

houses in San Francisco during the winter of 1848-9
would embrace C. L. Ross; Melius and Howard;
Dickson and Hay ; Ward and Smith, No. 3 ^Fdiit-
gomer}'- street; J. Bawden, wholesale connnissiou
merchant, foot of Broadway; Sherman and Kut^kel,
general connnisslon merchants, comer Clay and !Mont-
goniery streets; Starkey, Janion, and Company,
commission merchants; A. J. Grayson, general mer-
chandise, north-east corner of City Hotel building;
Davis and Carter, general merchants, corner Clav and
Montgomery streets ; William S. Clark, auction and
connnission, at the ship wharf, foot of Broatlway ; K.
A. Parker, general merchant, Clay street; I. ^Tont-
gomery, keeper of the Shades tavern and bowling
alleys, corner of Pacific and Stockton streets, and
dealer in general merchandise ; De Witt and Ifarrison,
Sansomc street ; Finley, Johnson and Co., commission
merchants, Portsmouth House, Clay street ; Wet-
more and Oilman, jobbing and commission; Cross,
Hobson and Co., commission merchants; Leighton,
Swasey, and Co., general merchants. Clay street ;
Robert Wells and Co., dry-goods and groceries; J.
Angelo, varieties, opposite the Shades ; beside V>. R.
Buckelew's shop, George Storey established hiuisclf
as a watch-maker at C. Russ' corner ]\r(mtgonKiy
and Pine streets. Candy men were E. Welder and
Schlotthauer. Anthony Welter made boots and
shoes. Naglee and Sintoii advertise town lots. Dring
kept the adobe store. There was the firm of E. and
H. Grimes, dissolved by the death of the senior part-
ner. C. V. Gillespie was notary })ublic; and bouglit
gold-dust. Among the attorne3's were L. AV. IJas-
ititigs; T. R. Per Lee; E. P. Jones; and Francis J.
Lippitt. The name of J. H(>nry Poett was added to
tlie })hysicians ; also K. D. Noel. On the soutli side
of Portsmouth square stood the City Hotel, kept by
J. H. Brown. On the corner of Pacific and Sansome
streets, opposite the ship anchorage was a public
house kept by George Denecke. Beside the Wash-

|;,'irl

iibii^

748

FOUNDING OF THE GREAT METROPOLIS.

ington market of George W. Eggleston and Co.,
there was the Central market of which Edmonson and
Anderson were proprietors ; for sale there were meat
and vegetables, and a schooner was kept constantly
plying to all parts of the bay for supplies. Later the firm
was dissolved, Edmonson continuing. Karl Shlottour
kept a bakery in the rear of Washington market ; one
was kept by John Bowden, on Broadway near the
ship wharf. Willliam Hood and Charles Wilson
were house and ship carpenters. John Weyland, Clay
street, furnished tents for the gold mines. N. K.
Benton joined C. L. Ross the 1st of January under
the firm name Ross, Benton, and Co. In the new
cream-colored house of Mr Wetmore, just above the
quatermaster's office, Richard Carr took daguerreo-
type portraits. The Shades tavern was burned the
loth of January.

Sales by auction began early, and later as-
sumed large proportions. Dickson and Hay adver-
tised in the California Star, Febuary 6, 1847, an
auction sale of a variety of merchandise by the
schooner Currcnnj Lass from the Hawaiian Islands.
Howard and Melius the 1st of March sold the prize
g0(xls of the U. S. ship Cyane, consisting of dr}''-goods,
liardware, and groceries. The Sarmiento, a vessel of
twenty tons, was sold by Ward and Smith, Mont-
gomery street, the 4th of September. William R.
Grariier offered the brig Primavera at auction the 9tli
of November. Wm McDonald gave notice to sell by
auction part of the cargo of the Chilian ship Con fed-
cracion, consisting of dry-goods, provisions, and
liquors, the 10th of November.

In January 1848 McDonald and Buchanan formed
a copartnership, and opened an auction and commis-
sion business at the north-east corner of Portsmouth
Square. W. M. Smith offered miscellaneous mer-
chandise at auction the 22nd. The seizure of tlie
cargo of the schooner Marj/ Ann for breach of cus-
toms regulations gave McDonald and Buchanan a

THE MORMONS.

749

sale the 4tli of February. A double-planked, cedar-
built and copper-fastened launch was sold at auction
by W. S. Clark at the foot of Clay street wharf the
22nd of February. McDonald and Buchanan held
an auction sale of general merchandise the 2Gth of
February. In the Califomian of March 15th, Wil-
liam S. Clark announces himself established as a com-
mission merchant and general auctioneer, near the
ship anchorage foot of Broadway.

Religions become somewhat entangled in the new
community, a» well as nationalities. The catholic of
course was the orthodox creed, the best for business,
as well as for social and spiritual advancement ; yet
Samuel Brannan made Mormonism pay, as long as he
could secure for lumself a tenth of all the earnings of
tlie saints. In his manipulations of piety and property
which followed, Sam well understood the power of
printer's ink. He had brought out with him, on the
Brooklyn, a printing press, and material for a news-
paper, which he started, calling it the f^tar. This
journal being accused of Mormon proclivities, the
Califomian of April 26, 1848, would like to know
whether headlong fanaticism, urged by designing
leaders, may not endanger the peace of communities ;
and that wiien the doctrines of any sect or society in-
terfere with the wholesome operation of the laws
under wliich they live, if means should not be taken
for the suppression of such pretended religion. Thus
early at the Cove the sects begin to snarl.

It may truthfully be said, however, that when the
times, the trials, the discomforts, the harassing anx-
iety and oftentimes suffering are taken into account
there was wonderfully little snarling either among
saints or ainners. It speaks volumes for humanity,
for the young and adventurous humanity here con-
gregated in particular, that there was so little fighting,
so few murders or robberies in California during the
first flush of the gold discovery, or until professional
cut-throats had arrived from the British penal colonies.

FOUNDING OF THE GREAT METROPOLIS.

I will rest here with my narrative of the progress
of the young metropolis, to be taken up again in my
Inter Pacula, as v/hat follows properly belongs to the
goltl-digghig era.

At tlie close of Hcsiod's golden age, the men then
livhig were made demons or genii; some became
angels, and moved invisibly in air. Thus it was when
the Age of Gold terminated the Golden Age of Cali-
fornia, the missionaries, their associates, and convicts,
rapidly were sublimated; some of them became angils,
more of them became demons, a few remain to this
day as they were before the fall — manly men.

CHAPTER XXIII.

BrBLIOTxRAPHY OF PASTORAL CALIFORNIA.

Car roecasioii a toua ses chevcux A front; quand olio est oultre passee,
vom lit! la i)f)uvez plus revocijuer; elle est cliauve par lo derricro di; la teste,
et jamais plus ne retourne. — Jialitldi.i.

For a country and a period so little known as Pas-
toral California, notliiniX ran bo of ijrcatcT int(^r(>st to
a lover of literature tlian a description of tlie books
and manuscripts containing information upon tlie sub-
ject. Particularly is this the case when so few of
the sources of information are in print, or are known
to students of history. It is safe to say that of the
six volumes of this series devoted to Pastoral Cali-
fornia, not more than one tenth of tlie information
contained in them was ever before in print, or even in
the EnLjlish lanijuaore. Mission and government
archives, and state and family papers furnished some
material; but more than Jialf of all that has been
gathered relating to this interesting epoch, or which
is now in existence concernlntj it, Avas taki^i bv Uie
or by my agents from the mouths of living witnesses.

The bibliography of California is naturally divided
into two periods by the change fi'om ]\I(!xican to
Anglo-American occupation, which was effected almost
simultaneously with the gold discovery. Th»! first
period has somethhig over 1,G00 titles, and the latter,
which is constantly increasing hi immber, some 2,100.
The authorities given in the list at the beginning of the
first volume of my Tf/.sfon/ of CaJifmiiia contain vir-
tually the history of California from the earliest days
of its settlement to the present time. Ever}" scrap

(751)

762

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PASTORAL CALIFORNIA.

of paper existing in the public archives, secular or
ecclesiastical, or in private hands, to within the last
twenty years, is in the list; the papers being either
original, or copied, or in the form of an epitome of
the original ; to which nmst be added the recollec-
tions of Califoriiians, Mexicans, or foreigners who
lived in the country prior to its becoming a part of
tlic United States.

The first bibliographical period of California, being
that of California Pastoral, may be again divided
into two parts, one being before and the other after
Spanish occupation in 1769. What is known of the
country before this date is mostly in printed form ;
on Alta California between the years 1769 and 1848
I have over eleven hundred manuscripts, not to men-
tion many thousand papers and documents of from
one to several pages each, which have no distinguish-
ing titles, and are not quoted separately in the history.

For the period preceding 1769, California is not the
exclusive nor even the chief subject of any book;
and yet, no less than fifty-six treat of this distant
region, and of the voyages hither. This number
might be augmented or lessened without laying my-
self open to the charge of inaccuracy. Four of them,
namely, Acosta, Hlstoria Natural y Moral ; Apostolicos
Afancs de la Compania de Jesus ; Bemal Diaz del Cas-
tillo, Hlstoria Verdadera de la Conquista de Nueva
Espana; and Villasenor, TJieatro Americano, merely
allude to California as a part of the vast dominions
of the Spanish crown in America ; and one, Sergas of
Esplayidian, is a romance giving the name California
to the province before this region was discovered. A
large number of the books are cosmographical, or
once popular collections of voyages and travels.
There are eight works of voyages. Cabrera Bucno,
Drake, Hakluyt, Herrera, LimcJwten, Purchas, Torque-
mada, and Venegas, whose books contain the actual
knowledge then existing in print. The rest were of
interest chiefly because of their quaint cosmographical

V(")YA(;ES and COSMOriPvArHTES.

7.-3

notions or conjocturcs on tlic name of California.
Tlicru wore sixteen deseriptive t'osino<jfraplii('al works
of the old tyi)e, namely, America, I>larn, JfArift/,
Gotffricdt, Hcjihjn, Lac f, Loir, Lnyf, Mcrcator, M(»i(ainis,
MorclU, 0(jUhy, ()rtclii(s, Wed Iiidhchc Spicfjhcl, and
Wi/flUct. To thc^se mav be added four ]']n'j;lisli
records of a somewhat dilFerent class, Camdcii, Cuiii])-
hcU, (.'oxc, and Davis, Tlieii there are sixti>en of the
once popular collections of voyages and travels, of
which via, Hacke, Harris, Samrnhmrj, Itainimo, and
Voyages are the most notable. We nmst notic(\ be-
sides, six works which treat of voyages— none of them
actually to California — or the lives of es[)eciid navi-
gators, the authors being, Burton, Clark, Ddiiijilcr,
Rof/crs, ShcJvockc, and Ulloa. To these may b(3 addi'd
a number of important documents relating to this
primitive epoch, which appeared in print only in mod-
ern times; they are to be found in yiscoislon, Cahrllln,
Cardnia, Dcmarcaclon, Lvavs, Kiel, and Salmcron.
California, as I said before, was l)ut incidentally al-
luded to in such books, a few of which contain what
visitors had ascertained regarding this coast. The
rest are full .of errors, and of superficial repetitions,
drawn out of the writers' brains upon the mythical
strait of Anian. And there may be other mhior
documents which mtnition California in connection
with the Northern Mystery. Between 1701) and
1824 was the period of inland exploration, and of the
establishment of Spanish domination in California,
which was effected by means of missions, and mili-
tary posts, called presidios, and a little later of pue-
blos or incorporated towns. For this epoch I Jiave
four hundred titles, sixty of the works being in ])rint.
Among the latter are three which treat exclusively
of California; two Costans6, Dlarlo Historlco de los
llafjcs de Mar y Tlcrra hechos al rtorfe de Callfonila,
and Monterey, Exfracfo de Noticias, Mexico, 1770, fur-
nishing important records of the first expeditions to
San Diego and Monterey in l76*J-70; the third,

Cal. Past. 48

7o4

BinLIOCJRArilY OF PASTOIIAL CALIFOUN'IA.

Palo'i, Vkla ik Junipero Scrra, being the standard
history of California down to 1784.

Miguel Costanso, an alferez, or sub-licutcnant of
royal engineers, was the cosniograplier of the first
expedition despatched from Mexico to California, and
his Dlario Jlistorico was published in Mexleo in 1776.
In later years he acquind distinction as an engineer,
and liis reports of 17U4-5 on defences of California,
fortifications of Vera Cruz, and drainage of the valley
of ^lexico, stamped him as an accomplished ofSc r.
It is satisfactory to know that his merits W( r(! both
ap[)reciated and rewarded. In 1811 ho was still liv-
ing as a mariscal de campo, or major-general, a rank
mon^ sparingly bestowed at that time than at present,
and therefore more significant of merit.

Francisco Palou, a Franciscan friar of the colleije of
San Fernando, in Mexico, is a prominent figure in
connection with the first fifteen years of California
historj'. He was the senior priest, next to the fatiier-
president, Junipero Serra, and during a temporjuy
absence of the latter in Mexico, held the position for
a few months during 1773 and 1774 of acting presi-
dent, which he reluctantly accepted, in, deference to
the unanimous wish of his com])anions, and the request
of the commandant of the new settlements. Father
Palou was a native of Palma, in the Balearic island
of ^[allorca, and born ■ robably about 1722. In 1740
h«- became a pupil of . 'ather Serra, with whom, and
with Father Juan Cresjti, another Californian priest,
he contracted a life-long friendship, forming a saintly
trinity who devoted all their powers, physical
and mental, to the apostolic work of converting and
civilizing the natives. Palou came to Mexico witli
Seri'a, joined the college of San Fernando, antl beiii^
assigned to the Sierra Ciiorda missions, served there
from 1750 to 1750, after which he resided several
years at his college. After the expulsion of the Jes-
uits from New Spain, the missions of Lower California
being eutrusteil to tlie priests of San Fernando, Palou

works; of franci.^co palou.

was sent there under President S«rra, and in 1708
took eliarge of San Franeisco Javier. Under a
Hul)SO(ju<'nt arrangement with the Dominicans, the
Lower California missions wiTO transfcrnd to that
order. President Serra departed for Upper ( ahfor-
nia hi 1709, and Palou, as acting president, made the
formal delivery of the missions in 1773, and started
for San Diego and Monterey. After sening some
thne in the San Cilrlos, he went to found the San
Francisco hav establishments. Finallv, ill health
compelled him to ask for permission to return to his
college, which was granted him in a royal order of
October 1784. Meanwhile, Serra havin*; died in
August of the same year, Palou succeed' ^ him ad
interim in the presidency, and acted until i^^ither
Lasuen was appointed to the office, in S'ptemher
1785. He was now free to leave Califo' ia, and did
so, arriving at his college in Feliruar^' iVod. Iii July
he was cliosen guardian of his college, his br -thren
thus siiowmg their great regard for him. His death
oppurred probably in 1790, altheugh soine assert it
was a few years later.

Palou's memory should always .stand high in Cali-
fornia. He was not only a founder f>f missions, .an
exemplary priest, and a man with a liberal mind and
of broad practical views, but to him we owe the first
history of Alta California. His fame will live through
his VUla (k Jmdpcro Serra, and Not icias dc Califoniias.
In the preface of the former, issued in Mexico in
1787, he solennily declares that all his statements are
truthful. "Como el alma de la Historia es la verdad
scncilla, puedes tener el consuelo, ({ue casi todo lo (jue
refiero lo he presenciado, y lo que no, me lo ban re-
ferido otros padres misioneros mis companems dignos
de fe." The other work, bearhnx the title yi.tin'aa de
la {Aiitifjua y) Nueva Califomiia, in two volumes, was
concluded in 1783, this being the last year mentioned
therein. There is good reason to iKslievo that some
portion of it was written as early as 1773, at San Ciir-

766

BIBLIOGRAPHY OP PASTORAL CALIFORNIA.

los mission. His original manuscript at the college
of Sau Fernando has disappeared, but under a royal
order of 1790 a cop}' was prepared in 1792, the accu-
racy of which was duly attested. This work is divided
into four parts. Part I. gives the annals of Lower
California under the Franciscans, from 1768 to 1773,
and forms forty chapters of the first volume ; part II.
describes the expedition to Monterey, and the foun-
dation of the first five missi(ms, covering the period
from 1769 to 1773, e.nd occupying fifty chapters of
the same volume; part III. is a collection of docu-
ments — not {:vrranged in chapters — on events of 1773-
4 ; and part IV. continues in forty-one chapters the
narrative from 1775 to 1783. The author clearly in-
dicates, in a preface headed Jesus, Maria, y Jose, his
object in undertaking this laborious task, namely, to
provide a full record, for tlie future use of the chroni-
cler of his religious order, of tlio apostolic labors of
the priests of San Fernando college in the two Cali-
fornias which had passed under his observation, with-
out suppressing any facts, not even those which pru-
dence and religious piety would counsel the clironicler
"dejar para el secreto del archivo, las que solo se es-
criben para lo que pueda convenir para tapar la boca
it los emulos del ministerlo apost61ico." He concludes
with the following assurance as to the manner he in-
tended to narrate events, " todo lo cual con toda sin-
ceridad y verdad rcferire en esta recopilacion."

Next in Importance to tlie writings of Palou come
the works of navigators who visited California and
other parts of the western coast, and gave descrii)tions
of these countries. Such were Chamisso, Choris, Kot-
zchiic, Langsdorff, La Pcrouse, Marchand, Maurelle,
Roqucfeu'il, Rdacum del Vlage hecho por las goletas
Sutil y Mcxicana, and Vancouver. La Perouse, Van-
couver, and a few others do not confine themselves to
their own personal observations, but furnish other ma-
terial on the earliest history of tiie country, wliicli
thus became known to the world for the first time.

SPANISH AND ENGLISH WORKS.

757

Fleurieu and Navarrete, competent editors, added to
two of the voyage-narratives many data on earlier ex-
plorations. There are, moreover, the general works
on America of Alcedo, Aiiqaetil, Bonnycadle, Birney,
Forster, Humboldt, and Raynal; a number of Mexican
works, Arricivita, Clavigero, Cortes, Giiia, Presidios,
and Rosignon, which contain matter on California;
and as many collections of voyages and travels, such
as those of Berenyer, Kerr, Laharpe, Pinkertnn, Viagero
Universal, and Voyages, furnish some information on
the country for that period.

The Gaceta de Mexico is the only Mexican newspaper
for this period which calls for mention here. There
are only seven printed documents or articles of the
Spanish government on the subject, though possibly
many documents mention California as a province of
New Spahi. Two essays appear with the books of
voyages already named, which were contributed by
visitors. William Shaler, a shipmaster, was the first
American visitor whoso narrative appeared in print in
tlie United States. This man was later Unitetl States
consul in one of the Barbary states, and afterward at
Habana, where he died of cholera in 1834. Sola, the
last Spanish governor, made a re})ort on California,
which was printed in Mexico, and was the basis of
another- by Deputy M. M. Castanares, toward the
end of the Mexican domination. Two instructions
for Californians were put in type ; one of the Spanish
vovaixe-collections Grave an account of the historv and
condition in reference to afl'airs of the peninsula. Some
papers of tliis time, not printed till many years later,
are quite impt)rtant, especially those given in Palou,
Xoticias, and the Documcntos para hi Uistoria de Mexico.
There are some nineteen titles of this class.

The period from 1824 to 1848 embraces the
Mexican rule till 1840. and the conquest and military
rule of the United States to the gold discovorv.
This might properly be made a division, historically,
but bibliographicaily it would be inconvenient, for

763

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PASTORAL CALIFORNIA.

which reason I treat it all as one epoch. My list
presents seven hundred titles. With reference to
history, we have the narratives of fifteen voyagers
who visited this coast: Beachy, Belcher, Cleveland, Coni-
fer, Dana, DuhauUCiUy, Huish (not a visitor), Kotze-
hue, Laplace, Mofras, Morrell, Petit-Tliouars, Ruschen-
herger, ^Simpson, and Wilkes. For the merits of the
productions I would place Petit-Thouars at the head
of the list, and Coulter at the foot. Mofras and
Wilkes are pretentious, but by no means the most
valuable. We must add some scientific works, which
resulted from some of these voyages, — Hinds, Ricliard-
son, and several productions in United States Exjdori'nf/
Expedition, — two official accounts of exploring jour-
neys across the continent, — Emory and Fremont;
with these may be classed several accounts of California
by different persons, namely, Bidivell, Bilson, Boscana,
Bryant, Fandiam, Kellcy, Pattie, and Rohinson, gener-
ally furnishing also a narrative of the trip by land or
soa. There are four compiled historical accounts by
foreigners who had not visited the country, Cidttt,
Forhca, Grcenhow, and Hughes; that of Forbes deserves
the credit it has always enjo^^ed as a standard work.
Forbes obtained nmch of his information from resi-
dents of California whose original manuscripts have
been for several years past on the shelves of my
library. Then there were half a dozen or more works
on Oregon which brietly mention California, and sev-
eral speeches in the United States congress or else-
where in pamphlet form, among which are notably
those of Clark, Hall, TJiompson, and Webster. This
number might be greatly increased by taking in every
printed paper in which California is mentioned in
connection with the Oregon question or the Mexican
war. To all such titles may be added those of the
general works of Beyer, Blagdon, Barrow, Comhier.
IfOrhigny, Irving, Ijafond, Lardner, Murray, and
Tytlcr, which contain allusions to the province of
California.

FIRST PRINTIXG IN CALIFORNIA.

Among the Spanish works for this period six hold
the first position. Tlieir titles are Boiica, FUjueroa,
Rcglamcrdo, Ripalda, liomero, and Vallejo. These are
the first books printed in California, and most of
them were entirely unknown until I alluded to them
in my first volume on Cahfornia. Historically speak-
ing Figueroa's Ma7iiJiesto is the only impoi-tant one of
them. The RegJamentn contains the by-laws of the
territorial deputation or legislature of California, and
was printed in Monterey in 1834. This copy was
kindly presented me by Carlos Olvera of Monterey
county, whose father had been a member of the Cali-
fornia assembly. I know of no other copy in exist-
ence. There may be named in connection with these
books several pamphlets, printed in Mexico, but treat-
inor of California affairs. There titles are VarriUo
(Carlos Antonio), Castanarcs (Manuel), Fondo Piailoso,
Garcia Diego (first bishop of the Californias), Junta
de Fomeido, and San Miguel. There are, moreover,
sixteen documents of the Mexican government, under
the heading of Mexico, which give valuable data on
California, and if those in wjiich the province or de-
partment is merely mentioned are also reckoned, the
number would be greatly enlarged. Finally, I have
thirtv-five general works on ^lexico, all of which

I/O '

have information, often very valuable; such are those
of Alaman, Ayala, Bcnnudcz, Bmtamante, Cancckida,
Fscudcro, Fonscca, Guerrero^ Iriartc, Muhienpfordt,
Oajaca, Rejon, Riesgo, Salci, San Miguel, Scmhkiiizai<,
Tlioitipso)!, Uhzueta, and UlUie; about one dozen of
these are the writings of Ciirlos Maria Bustaniante,
which I have still more comj)lete in the original
authograph manuscript.

Proceeding now to speak of documents, the pro-
ducti(ms of the California press are entitled to the
first place. There are fifty -five of them separately
printed; some titles he'mg Alrarado, California, Ca.stro,
Cliico, Diputacion, Doctri)ia, Figueroa, Gutierrez, Ifijor,
Mason, Micheltorcna, Fla)!, Pronunciamienio, Riley ^

760

BIBLIOGRAPHY OP PASTORAL CALIFORNIA.

ShuhrkJc, Valkjo, and Zamorano. Three or four of
these are proclamations of United States officials, one
is a commercial paper, one a poetical effusion, and an-
other an advertisement; the great mass of them,
however, are documents which emanated from the
Hispano-Californian government. I next take note
of a series of documents of the Mexican jtrovernment in
collections or newspapers, and seven semi-official ones.

Some of the titles are Ayuntamiento, Compaiiki,
Dccrd!), Didamen, Iniciatlva, Jones, Mexico, Plan, llan-
dini, ' C,' Castanares, Chico, Flores, Iniestra, and ^Sina-
loa. There are seventeen topic collections or sepa-
rate reports emanating from United States officers,
most of which relate to tlie acquisition of California
and jn'inted by tluur government. They appear inider
the following titles: California a7id New Mexico, Con-
quest, Cooke, Exindsum, Fremont, Johison, Jones,
Kearny, Kelley, Marcy, ]\[ason, Monterey, Slmhrick,
Slaciun, Sloat, Stocktmi, War with Mexico. Some of
these are the president's messages with documents
containing a large number of important papers.
Three titles refer to matters inserted in the bookt: of
nc igators already named, Botta, Documens, and ISan-
chcz ; six to articles or documents appearing in the
Nouvelles Annates des Voyages, to wit, Fages, Galit-
zin, hi Netrel, Morineau, Scala, and Smith ; and twelve
are articles in American or English periodicals, such
being Americans, Campaign, Coulter, Evans, W'ar ]Vest,
Fonrgeaud, History of the Bear Flag, Larkin, Peirce,
Reynolds, Squier, and Warner.

I have in my library about twenty periodicals or
publications containing information about California
before 1848 ; namely, American Quarterly Register,
American Quarterly- Review, American Review, Ameri-
can kState Papers, Annals of Congress, Arrillaga, Colo-
nial Magazine, Congressional Debates, Congressiwml
Globe, Edinhnrgk Review, Hansard's Parliamentary De-
hates, Home Missionarii, Hunt's 3ferchants' Magazine,
London Mechanics' Magazine, North American Review,

PERIODICALS.

NouveUes Annales cks Voyages, Quarterly Review, Ixevisfa
Sck'iit'Jlra, and Sonthcm Qnarfcrli/ Rcvieir. ^[y rata
l()'jU(^ si lows about seventy newspapers, of wliieli forty
arc }>rhited in Mexico ; a much larger number con-
tained mention of California at some time. I <;ive
here the names of only those which are valuable
sources of information. In California, the Mmdcri'i)
('ah'forviau, San Francisco Californian, ^Sa)l Francisco
Sfa,', and San Francisco Star and Californian ; in
Hoiiolulu, the Friend, Hawaiian Spectator, Sandwich
Isla)id dazettc. Sandwich Island News, and Dilipiesian ;
in Oregon, the Spectator. Niles^ Register has been
found most useful among the eastern periodicals.

I have about one hundred and fifty titles of books,
documents, and articles relating to Californian history
prior to 1848, though printed later. Of this number,
seventy-five are in book form, and include some im-
portant monographs on early aflairs of the country,
several collections of documents, reprints and transla-
tions of early works, treatises on Mexican law affect-
ing California, many briefs in land cases, oflicial papers
of the United States government on the conquest and
U)llitary rule, but printed after 1848, Russian papers
on tlie Ross and Bodega colony, .several narratives t>f
visitors, and si^veral works on the Mexican war. Some
of tlu'se in alphabetical order are, Ah})ott,Hi<ieJoic, (Cali-
fornia, California Land Titles, California and North
Mixico, (\dro, Cavo, Colton, Cooke, Diccionario, Docu-
ineidos, Doyle, Drake, Dunhar, Dwindle, Figueroa,
Flagg, Fremont, Furher, Gomez, Guerra, Hale, llalleck,
Ilartmann, flawes, Ifoffman. Homes, Ide, Jay, .fenkiiis,
Jones, Jjfncey, Marcoii, }[c(ilas]ia)}, Mansfield, Mcxinin
I''"'- Valou, Pheljts, RaiDsay, JiandoJph, Revere, Ripley,
hi vera, Stockton, Taylor, Vidtam, I'allejo, ]'elasco,
l^ischer, Tikhmevef, Material ni, Re:an.(f, Marhf, and
Kiih'hnikof, the most important being those apjiearing
under tlie names of Dwindle, Ide, Larkin, Mcdrlaslian,
and Palou. About the same in nuntber are the doc-
uments and articles of this class, and quite similar in

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PASTORAL CALIFORNIA.

their character and variety to the books, including
also titles of pioneer remhiiscences in newspapers,
which might be multiplied ad infinitum. Such are
Archibald, Arroyo, Assembly, Biographical SketcJies,
Bofjffs, Bowers, Brooklyn, Brown, Buchanan, Clark, Ball,
Daubenbiss, Degroot, Dwinelle, Dye, Elliot, Espinosa,
Folsom, Foster, Fremont, Haley Halleck, Hecox, Hittell,
Hopkins, Jones, Kern, Kearny, King's Orphan, Kip,
Jjcese, McDougall, McPherson, Marcou, Marsh, Mason,
Mexico, Micheltorena, Peckham, Reed, Sherman, Steven-
son, Stillman, Stockton, Sutter, Taylor, Toornes, Trask,
Vallejo, Veritas, Victor, Warren, Wiggins, and Wolskill.
Of the three hundred titles of works quoted in my
Hi>itory of California, which were printed after 1848,
but containing attempts at historical research em-
bracing the periods prior and subsequent to that year,
there are two of a general nature entitled to especial
consideration. I refer to Tuth iWs History of California,
San Francisco, 1866, 8vo, xvi., 657 pages, and Glee-
son s History of the Catholic Church in California, San
Francisco, 1872, Svo, 2 vol., xv., 446, 351 pages.
Tlio former is the work of a clever and honest writer,
ond dosarves more credit than the public has awarded
it. Without claims to exhaustive research, it has
been intelligently prepared, and is certainly a good
popular history. About one third of it treats of the
period preceding the gold discovery. The author was
a journalist, and died shortly after the publication of
his book. Gleeson, a less able writer than Tuthill,
and religiously biassed, was not wholly free from in-
accuracies. As a catholic priest, he had facilities for
consulting authorities, which he did as appears in his
many details. He had also free access to my library.
His picture of mission life and annals is pleasant, and
tolerabl}" accurate. Sketches found under the head-
ings of Capron, Cronise, Frost, and Haiitings contain no
original material, and their authors made only an in-
adequate and partial use of that which was easily
accessible to them.

LOCAL ANNALS.

768

In-

My list contains some seventy titles of local histo-
ries, which possess considerable hnportance. Some
of them are the centennial sketches prepared at the
suggestion of the United States government, such as
those of Los Angeles, by Warner and Hayes, and of
San Francisco, by John S. Hittell. The latter is in-
cidentally a history of California, and like tlie earlier
Amials of San Francisco, by Soule and others, lias
much merit. Hall's History of San Jos4 is also a cretl-
itable work. There are likewise many county histo-
ries, several of them in atlas form, copiously illustrated
with portraits, maps, and views, each containing a
preliminary sketch of California history, with more
details respecting the county which is the subject of
the work. Most of these books have been prepared
mainly as a speculation, but in some of them good
material was furnished. Few are reliable on matters
of early history, but aiford in the aggregate consider-
able data on local annals after 1840, as well as bio-
graphical details. Without being properly history,
they supply some useful material for history.

I will now proceed to speak of the thousand and
more remaining titles of manuscript authorities in
my collection, from which alone the history of Cali-
fornia could be written more completely than from
all other sources combined. These authorities have,
for the most part, never been consulted by any other
writer, and essentially exist only on my shelves.

First : Thirteen collections of Californian public
archives, the originals of which are about 350 bound
volumes of from 300 to 1,000 documents each, and
an immense quantity of unbound papers from San Fran-
cisco, Los Angeles, Salinas, San Jose, Santa Cruz,
San Luis Obispo, Santa Bilrbara, and Sacramento, all
of which have been transferred in full or epitomized
copies to my library. These copies or extracts are
more useful for historical purposes than the originals,
because they are more legible, and free from repeti-

764

BrBUor.nAriiY of pastoral California.

tions and verbiage. As to the nature of these docu-
iMitits, it is enoutjjli to say that tliey are the originals,
blotters, or certified copies of the records of the Span-
ish and Mexican govcninients for the respective period
of their domination over California, national, provin-
cial, territorial, departmental, as well as municipal.
Among them are many for the time the country was
under military rule, after its occupation by the United
States. They embrace from the year 1768 to that of
1850. In these collections, containing over 250,000
documents, about 200 have been quoted in my history
under distinct titles.

Second : In the nature of public archives, we have
also tlie missionary records. As the missions became
secularized, their records of baptisms, marria<;es, and
intiTHients naturally went into the possession of the
secular priesto in charge of the several parishes.
Other mission pi.,pers, gathered in collections, are held
by the archbishop of San Francisco, the bishop of
Monterey and Los Angeles, and the Franciscan con-
vent at Santa Barbara, the last named behig much
the largest. All these papers, as well as the old mis-
sion records, have been at my disposal for taking
extracts, by the courtesy of the respective ecclesiastical
authorities, and of the parish priests having the records
in charge.

Third: I have seven collections of public archives,
similar to those above named, with this difference: that
they are originals collected by me from private
persons.

Fourth : Some scattering papers which were found
at a few of the missions, yielded me a volume of ex-
tracts and statistics ; and from private sources I ob-
tainixl fifteen originals of similar nature.

Neither the secular nor mission archives are com-
plete. Large numbers of the former had been de-
stroyed, even before the last change of flag, and many
others had not been surrendered to the United States'
authorities, or to those of the catholic church, and re-

MANUSCRIPT ARCniVKS.

765

mainecl in private hands. My efforts to gather these
scattered papers were rewarded beyond my most san-
guine expectations, the results being shown in : —

Fifth: fifty collections of Donunentos para la His-
toria <lr Califomna, in 1 1 volumes with not less than
40,000 documents, thousands of which are very val-
uable, contaniing records to he found nowhere else.
One-half of them are originals, and of the same char-
acter as those in the public and mission archives;
while the other half is even of greater worth, being
largely private correspondence of prominent citizens
and officials on current affairs, and afibrding an almost
unbroken record. Twenty-nine of these collections
bear the names of the Californian ffimilies whose rep-
resentatives presented them to me; each heading Is
followed by Documentos or Papeks. The following is
a list of them: Alviso, Arce, Avila, Bandinl, lUniiUa,
CarriUo, Castro, Coronel, Cota, EsludiUo, Fernandez,
Gomez, Gonzalez, Gnerray Norierja, Marron, Moreno,
Olvera, Pico, Pinto, Requena, i^ohcrancs, Valfe, and
Vallejo. Of these, the most valuable is that of
Mariano G. Vallejo, in 37 large volumes with not less
than 20,000 original papers. Vallejo, one of the
most enlightened of the Hispano-Californians, was
born in Monterey in 1808. After receiving the
scanty rudimentary education which the country then
afforded, he entered the military service in 1823 as
a cadet of the Monterey presidial cavalry company.
He received his promotions in regular t)rder, and
when a lieutenant commanding the company and post
of San Francisco, he was commissioned to securalize
the San Francisco Solano mission. In 1834 he car-
ried out the instructions of Governor Figueroa, and
installed a civil government in San Francisco. In
1835 he founded Sonora, holding the doublc-connnis-
sion of comandantc, and director of colonization
on the frontier north of San Francisco. In 183f) he
joined the revolutionary movement which ousted the
jefe-politico and comandante-general, Gutierrez, from

BIBLIOGRAPHY OP PASTORAL CALIFORNIA.

his poRitlon. From this time until 1842, the two au-
thorities were separated, Yallcjo hohlin^ that of
coinanclaiite-t;eneral, which was roooirnizod \n 1888 hv
the government in Moxu'o. In 1842 he surroiulcri'd
the office of comandantc-genoral, and was appointed
connnandant of the northern line from Sonoma to Santa
Ines.

The next collection in extent is that of the Guerra
y Noricira family of Santa Barbara. The founder of
tliis family in California, Jose Antonio de la Guerra
y Noriega, occupied during his long life a position
hardly second to any other individual for his ability,
independence, sterling character, and generally ac-
knowledged merits. He was a native of Si»ain, of
gentle parentage, and of high family connections, and
came to California us a cadet in 1801. He rose
gradually until he attained the rank of captain, in 1818.
During his long military career, he filled the positions
of habilltado, or paymaster of military companies,
connnanded several posts, that of Santa Bilrbara being
tlie last. He was also chosen habilitado-general in
jMexico, and deputy to the Mexican congress, lie
retired from the service of 1842, though he continued
to wiekl, as he had wielded before, a powerful iniluence
in Santa Bilrbara, which, to his cretlit be it said, was
always for tlie general weal. In Santa Barbara he
was called the patriarch, to whom the people generally
ap}»lied to settle controversies. His charities, and
those of his wife, nee Maria Antonia Carrillo, were
almost unbounded. Probably his Spanish birth pre-
ventcxl his reaching a high political and military rank
under tlie Mexican rule. Captain de la Guerra died
in 1858, leaving several sons and daughters, some of
wliom have held honorable positions. His two
daughters, Mrs Hartnell and Mrs Ord, have also
contributed to the information contained in this vol-
ume. For extended biographical information on the
late captain, I refer to the pioneer register and index
of my History of California.

COLT.ECTIONS OF DOCUMEXTS.

Of course, the value of a collection must not be
judged solely by its bulk; for sciue of the smaller
oiU'S, containing all the papers which the donor had
to give, such, for instance, as those of M<miio, Olrcra,
and PintOf are quite as important as some of the larger
ones.

Sixth : There are twenty collections under foreign
names, in some cases that of the pioneer family who
owned them, and in others that of the collector or
donor. Such appear under the headings of Anhlr;/,
DociimentoSy Fitch, Gri(}iii, Grif/shy, Jlai/cn, Ififfcll, Uir
kin, Ja}i,ssf)is, }fclni'tfri/, Montnrii, Murray, Pi'iarf, Sar-
age, Saivi/cr, and Sjtear. Most of the documents in
these collections are in English, but aside from this,
they are of the same nature as the others. At tlu
head of this class stand Thomas O. Larkin's nine vol-
umes of Documods for the Uldorrj of California, \m'o-
sented to me by Mr Larkin's family, through his
S')n-in-law, Mr Sam|)son Tams. This collection, be-
yond a doubt, exceeds all the others in value for the
history of California in 1845-6, for without its con-
tents, the history of that eventful period could be but
imperfectly given. Larkin, a native of Massachusetts,
was the consul, c id confidential agent of the United
States government, as well as a leading nuuvhaiit at
Monterey. His correspondenee and relations with
the leading men of California, both native and foreign,
were extensive. He was constantl}' in contact with
trade'rs and visitors at the department's seat of gov-
ernment. The letters regularly passing between him
and certain prominent foreigners, mostly Americans,
at San Diego. L<>8 Angeles, and San Francisco, con-
tain almost all tliat was worth recording of the coun-
try's iK)liticai, social, connn(>rcial, and industrial atliiirs
in those years and several preceding ones, Tjarkin
was also intimate with the masters of vessels trading
on the coast, and with merchants at the Ifawaiian
islands. This collection contains hitters from Frdmont,
Sutter, Sloat, and other prominent actors in the events

768

BinLIOGRArHY OF PASTORAL CALIFOIlNTA.

of California, not to speak of tlio despatches t<» and
froni the United States jjjoverninent, and comnumders
of war sliips. Tlien^ arc, from tlie same source, a lar^o
mass of commercial papcu's, which have supjdied mo
with pioneers' names, dates, and prices ofconnnodities.

Seventh : I have in my list five hundred and iifty
tith'S of separate manuscrii)t documents, and could
properly extend their nund)er to thousands; hut jios-
sessiuL? such vast material, I have found much con-
venience in condensation. Of diaries, journals, and
loor-hooks of expeditions by sea and land, there are no
less than eijj;hty which I i)laco in the first class. The
second class is composed of government documents,
immberinjjf 1(53, of which 27 are orders, instructions,
and reports emanating from Si>anish or Mexican offi-
cials in Mexico; 75 arc similar parts from high
authorities In California, 34 like documents from
commandants and other inferior officers in California,
and 27 are Mexican and Californian rrfilanifufos, pro-
vincial and nmnicipal. The third class consists of
104 mission documents of various kinds, emanating
from the guardians of the San Fernando college, and
from otlier high ecclesiastical authorities iti S[»ain and
Mexico; 52 arc papers from mission presidents and
piefects, and from the bishop, and 47 reports, letters,
etc., of the missionary fiithers. The fourth and last
class is composed of iiiiscollanoous papers, numbering
nearly 200 titles, which are very important, but too
numerously subdivided to be detailed here ; some of
them are old diaries, narratives, personal records, ac-
counts of battles, treaties, papers connected with civil
and criminal trials, with the Ilussian settlement at
Ross, etc.

Eighth : ' he scattered correspondence of about two
hundred of le most prominent men, forming a like
number of ti es. The author's name is followed by
some word s ;nificant of the document's character,
such as carta, 'orrcspondcncki, cscritos, etc. Seventy of
these were luen who wrote prior to 1824, iind 130

MANUSfRIPT DOCUMENTS.

flourished later. Of the whole number, 20 were Span-
Ibh or Mtixican officials who wrote out of California,
20 wore Franciscan friars of the Californian niia.si«)ns,
48 foreign pioneer residents in California, and 1 1 1
were native, Mexican, or Spanish citizens and officials
of California. Several of these collections in each
class would form singly a thick volume.

Ninth : There is still one more class of manuscript
material to be noticed, namely, the recollections I have
taken cf men living at the time I began my re-
searches, which in many cases include those of their
fathers; altogether covering the history of California
from its settlement. Besides those contained in other
volumes, I have the reminiscences of 1 60 old residtnits,
half of whom were natives or of Spanish blood, and
the other half foreign pio.ieers who came to the coun-
try prior to 1848. Of the former class a considera-
ble number occupied prominent public positions
equally divided between the north and south. Treat-
ing of these men in alphabetical order, I begin by
Jose Al)reiio, a Mexican who came to California in
1834. Being young, intelligent, and of good charac-
ter, as well as of attractive manners, he soon attained
influence among all classes, leading to his preferment
in political life, and his holding offices of trust con-
tinuously from 1836 to the end of the Mexican domi-
nation, notably that of treasurer of the department
from 1839 to 1846. No man was more highly re-
spected, or had better opportunities to be posted on
the aff'airs of California than Abrego.

Of Juan Bautista Alvarado, governor of California
from 1836 to the end of 1842, I need give here no
biographical details, as I have done so elsewhere.
Suffice it to say that he possessed the brightest mind
of any Californi",n of his time. He has been accused,
mainly through church influence, of having plundered
the missions. He was responsible for their destruc-
tion simply because he was the governor ; but no one
could justly charge him with having appropriated

Cal. Past. 49

770

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PASTORAL CALIFORXIA.

to his private uses any portion of the mission prop-
erty. Other accusations, chiefly that of hostihty to
foreigners, wore greatly exaggerated, and in the main,
false. In my list of authorities are many of Alvara-
do's writings. His original letters from 1836 to 1842
arc extremely interesting, and reliable, as well as the
best authority extant on the history of those years.
Indeed, they alone furnish the true inwardness of that
eventful period. Alvarado also dictated for my use
in 1876 an Historia de California in five volumes,
wliich in tlie preface he calls Califnnna mites del '48.
"Civilization down to the preceding century," he
writes, "recognized only the rights of the stronger
and more cunning. The Indians were more numer-
ous than the Spaniards, but the latter W(^re artful, and
by crafty means subjugated the natives. The poor
natives were reduced by the friars to such a state of
servility that they dared not entertain even a thought
without the consent of the priest. Mofrjls, Gleepon,
and others have tried to throw a stain upon my name,
and to misrepresent my executive acts, because I
struck the death-blow to the worm-eaten system of
education which the friars practised toward the In-
dians. But I want the church and the world to know
that, prompted by motives of humanity, I resolved to
free tlie Indians from that thraldom. My rcipublican
education revolted against their being any longer
made the victims of men whose gowns and cowls
were gray, but whose souls were black, and insensible
to the sufferings of thousands of unfortunates, who,
deprived of their freedom, were mere puppets in the
hands of those coarse priests, who, while preaching
purity of soul and body, were steeped in every species
of vice. ... I am satisfied of having done my duty,
have faith in divine justice, and am ready to render
an account to my creator of my acts in the premises,"
Alvarado in this diatribe refers not only to the sys-
tem, but to some of the friars, whom he names, whose
conduct was anything but praiseworthy.

MANUSCRIPT HISTORIES.

There was a peculiar vein of generosity in Alva-
rado's ciiaracter. He was not rancorous toward his
op[)onents, nor did ho visit upon their faniiUes any
rosponsibihty for hostile acts. Very often, while his
political oi>ponents were workins^ in the south to oust
him from power, he was protecting and providing for
their families in the north. One of these rnen, a
prominent officer, noted for his bitter h(JstiHty to
Governor Alvarado, left his family in Monterey witli-
out provisions. His party having been defeated, he
preferred to abandon California; and had it not been
that Alvarado, through a third party, provided for
the wife and children during two years, they would
have suffered for the necessaries of life. I have also
a manuscript by Alvarado entitled Prlin'dko Ihsriihrl-
tuicido, which is an interesting account of the discov-
ery of gold placers in the San Fernando valley in
1841.

Joso Antonio Alviso gave me at Salinas his inter-
esting Ciunpana de Nailvidad. Valentin Alviso, edu-
cated in Massachusetts, and who has occupied several
local offices in Livermo''e, furnished me valuable
Doc It) lie idos 'para laJIii^torla, forming the Alviso family
records; he has also rendered me aid hi other ways,
besides contributing to the Livermore papers.

Jose Maria Amador, a son of l*edro Amador, one
of the first soldiers that came to California, was also
during many years of his life a soldier, first in the
artillery, and next In tlie presidial company of San
Francisco. After liim was naiiuxl Amador countv in
California, aii'l lie lias been credited, though this is
d:)ubtful, with the naming of IMount Dialjlo in 1814.
There have been few men in California al)out whom so
many stories liave been told by the newsi)a[)ers as
this old Californian. He was often s[>oken of as a
centenarian, a Si)anish officer, the first child born in
San Francisco, founder of Sonoma, etc., all of which
were untrue. Even he had come to represent him-
self as older than he really was, saying that he was

I I

772

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PASTORAL CALIFORNIA.

born in 1781, when his birthday was the 18th of
December, 1794. In 1877 he was living in pov-
erty, and a cripple, with his youngest daughter, near
Watscmville ; but his memory was unimpaired, and he
clieerfully dictated for my use, within about a week,
some two hundred pages of his recollections of
early times. His Memorias contain a fund of anec-
dotes on events and men, as well as information on the
manners and customs of Californians from his youth,
followed by his experiences in the gold placers after
1848. Some of his stories must be taken with allow-
ance, for like most old soldiers he was a little given
to exaixoreration. Nevertheless, the book is both use-
ful and entertaining. I will insert some examples.
E elating how his father brought his family to Call-
fornia, he said, that the sergeant had three children of
his second marriage when he was assigned to the San
Francisco company : " los condujo en alforjas, dos en
una. y otro en la otra alforja, y para emparejar el peso,
puso una piedra en la liltima. Mi madre arreaba la
niula en que venian los nifios, y mi padre la tiraba."
Oiioo in 1837 a party of Cosumnes raided his rancho,
San Ramon, and carried away about one hundreil
animals. In the attempt to recover the property', he,
the alferez Prado Mesa, and two Englishmen, Robert
Livormore and another, were wounded, Amador re-
ceiving four flints in his body, which were afterward
extracted. A i expedition of 70 soldiers and citizens,
with 200 auxiliary Mokelumnes, started out to avenge
the outrage. About 200 C6sumnes, half of them
Christian Indians and the other half gentiles, were
captured by treachery at the Stanislaus, and brought
away in a collera. Tiie auxiliaries demanded the sur-
renclcr to them of the Christian prisoners, to be put
to death, and the demand was granted. At intervals
of a mile or so, six of the Christians were made to
kneel, and after a prayer were shot with arrows. Then
it was resolved to kill the gentiles, after baptizing them.
Says Amador: "I ordered Nazario Galindo to take a

MANUSCRIPT MEMOIRS.

773

bottle with water; I took another; he began at one
end of the collera, and I at the other. We baptized
all the Indians, and they were afterward shot through
the back. One of the men escaped, and swam aoioss
the river. He was, however, killed the next day
together with some 23 other men, in an assault
against his rancheria by the Mokelumnes; when thty
captured the women and children, abt)ut 100 in num-
ber, all of whom were brought to the mission San
Jose and baptized." Captain Jose de Jesus Vallejo
reprimanded Mesa for the execution of the Indians.
Mesa laid the blame on Amador, from whom A^allejo
demanded an explanation, receiving for an answer
that "las tortillas sabrosas se comen en la casa, y las
amarijas en la sierra." With Amadors McmoriuH
are several pages contributed by Asisara, an ex-
neophyte of Santa Cruz on important events and
matters connected with that mission.

Francisco Arce, a native of Loreto, came to this
Califoraia when a boy, and held office during many
3'ears, his last positions, prior to the American annex-
ation, having been chief clerk in the office of the
government secretary, and lastly secretary ad interim
of Comandante-general Castro. He thus had every
opportunity to be hiformed on the inwardness of
public affairs. Being also a lieutenant of auxiliary
militia, he was captured with a lot of horses for the
Califomian cavalry, by a squad of the Bear party,
at the beginning of their revolt in 1846. He went
with Castro to Mexico, and served in the Mexican
valley against the United States forces, part of the
tune in the San Patricio legion of Irish deserters.
Taken prisoner, he barely escaped being shot owing to
his resemblance to O'Leary, a deserter from the
American army. He finally abandoned the service,
and returned in 1848 to Lower California, and in the
next year to Monterey. In 1877 I obtained from
him a collection of historical documents, and a dicta-
tion of seventy-one pages of his Mcmorias Hisforicas.

BIBLIOCJRAPHY OF PASTORAL CALIFORNIA.

Arce states that Juan Caballo, a soldier thus named
because of his horse-hke features, had stolen some
poultry from a woman, whereupon tlie general caused
him to appear and answer to the complaint. Striking-
a military attitude, the man said : " It was not I, my
general, but my gossip Coyote " — another soldier, who
for his resemblance to a fox was nicknamed Coyote- -
"que hace algun tiempo que le ha dado por la pluma"
(who for some time past has taken to the pluma, which
word means both feather and pen). The general re-
plied "Get out of here, you knave;" and laughing
wondered if Coyote was writing a book; he paid
the woman for her poultry. Arce added that these
things were of daily occurrence, and the general never
was out of humor. His wife, however, complained,
sa^'ing that she did not like to see her husband penni-
less because of the rascal it'ics of his soldiers.

Jose Arnaz, a native of Spain, came to California
as the supercargo of a Mexican trading vessel in
1840, and pursued the same occupation for about
three years, when he retired and went into business
for himself at Los Angeles. His name has appeared
ill the events in connection with the ex-mission of San
Buenaventura, which he claimed to have purchased in
1846. In 1877 I found him to be a genial, intelligent
person in comfortable circumstances, and with an in-
teresting family living at his rancho Santa Ana near
San Buenaventura In 1878 he furnished me one
hundred pages of his valuable Recuerdos, mainly on
the life and customs of the traders and rancheros of
California in the fourth decade of the present century.
His information on the mode of carrying on trade on
the coast of California at this period is extremely in-
teresting. He also has supplied much important in-
formation on social customs at Los Angeles, Mon-
terey and San Francisco early in the forties. Of
the Polin spring, at the presidio of San Francisco,
then famous for its supposed effects on barren women,
he says : "Women used to come from all parts of the

MANUSCRIPT BOOKS AND PAPERS.

775

11-

coast to drink of and bathe in the Polin water. The
wife of Captain Spear, who was a native of the
Hawaiian Islands, after several years' marriagu, had
no children. One day Juana Briones, a laundress,
asked the captain if he would like offspring, and be-
ing answered affirmatively, guaranteed that if Mrs
Spear were entrusted to her care, he should have his
desire. "Take her," said Spear, whereupon the two
women marched off together. In one year from that
day Mrs Spear had twins, all owing to a free use of
the Polin water.

Jose and Juan Bandini were father and son. The
former, a Spanish master mariner, came the first time
to California in 1819, with military rcenforccments
and supplies, and after taking the oath of allegiance
to hidependent Mexico, settled with his son Juan, a
Peruvian by birth, soon after 1822, at San Diego. In
1827 he wrote a long Carta Historicay Descriptlva de
California for Eustace Barron, of which I have the
i blotter copy. I have also a manuscript Historia de

California, left by Juan Bandini at his death, together
with many of his original letters and other papers.
Nearly all the papers, as well as the two long writings
were placed in my librarj'^ several years ago by Don
Juan's widow, then residing at Los Angeles. These
writings, being full of data on the affairs of California,
have been thoroughly utilized in my history. For
biographical sketches of these two important men of
southern California, the reader is referred to the
Pioneer Register, volume II of my History of Cali-
fornia.

Narciso Botello, a Sonoran b} birth, came to Cali-
fornia in 1833. Being a man of good abilities and
fair education, his services were soon in demand in
various quarters. He became secretary of the ayun-
tamiento of Los Angeles, and clerk of the court of
first instance. Later he occupied a seat in the de-
partmental assembly. In the political dissensions be-
tween Mexicans and Califomians, he invariably sided

776

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PASTORAL CALIFORNIA.

with the former, and in the difficulties between the
southern and northern Californians, his sympathies
were with the south. He was well acquainted with
the affairs that agitated the country, and no one was
better informed than he apon every event which oc-
curred in the southern section. The value of his
Aiiales del &ur, dictated for me in San Diego in Janu-
ary 1878, is a narrative of the political and other com-
plications of California from 1836 to 1847, in most of
which he was personally concerned. His experiences
are related with clearness and precision, though not
always without bias. That portion which touches
upon events resulting from the American occupation
in 1846-7, is full of interesting details. Other valua-
ble parts of the Anales are those referring to social
customs, public instruction, and the administration of
justice. After the annexation of California to the
United States became a fixed fact, Botello was for a
time a justice of the peace in 1858-9, anH a notary
public in Los Angeles. At the time he dictated the
Armies he was in poor circumstances, and living in the
Santa Maria ranclio near San Diego.

The next in the list of my original authorities en-
titled to more than a passing notice, is Manuel de J.
Castro. This able Hispano-Califomian played an im-
portant, and sometimes an honorable part in Californian
affairs, during the latter part of Mexican domination.
Fully informed, both on the events that passed before
him, and on the men who figured in them, his testi-
mony, when not driven by necessity from the truth,
is of the highest importance. From him, in 1875, I
was able to secure three volumes of Documeutos jyara la
Ifistoria de California, a most important collection of
original papers. A few years later I managed to get
— how, is told in my Literary Industries — another col-
lection of similar documents, together with valuable
Lower California material. And finally I obtained
his Relacion de la Alta California, which was dictated
to a copyist in my service. This narrative, whatever