they hunted all the coasts, the adjacent islands, and even the marshes and innumerable inlets of the Bay of San Francisco; and that there were weeks when this bay alone produced seven or eight hundred otter skins; which may be true, but seems to me to be a very large number. In 1842 the Russians all left of their own accord, after having held their possessions, in the character of a Russian Colony, for thirty years as completely as they now hold Sitka, and without apparently paying the slightest attention to the priests or the soldiers who crossed over to look after them. At their fort of Ross, situated amid a forest of gigantic pines, a Greek Chapel reared its cross and belfries, with a most pleasing effect. The nearest Catholic Mission was but a little way off. Rome and Constantinople here met upon this coast, after a course of so many centuries, in opposite directions around the globe.

While Europe was convulsed, and America shaken, the profoundest quiet prevailed in California. After a long time they would hear of a great battle, or of the rise or fall of an empire, to perturb the souls of priests and other men. But the Government had other duties to perform, patriarchal and simple. On the 11th of February, 1797, Felipe de Goycochea, Captain of the Presidio of Santa Barbara, writes to Governor Borica as follows:

“I transmit to you a statement in relation to the schools of the Presidio, together with six copy books of the children, who are learning to write, for your superior information. May our Lord preserve your life many years.

Santa Barbara, Feb. 11, 1797.

FELIPE GOYCOCHEA."

66

These copy books are now in the archives for inspection. As they are the property of the State, I will give samples, which being translated, read: "THE ISHMAELITES HAVING ARRIVED "JACOB SENT TO SEE HIS BROTHER ABIMELECH TOOK HER FROM ABRAHAM.' Good pious texts, and written in an old-fashioned round hand. Such was the employment of Governors and Captains in that stormy time; and so it continued through all the period of the mighty conflicts of Napoleon. Even the more protracted commotions of Mexico herself wrought no disturbance here.

The dominion of Spain came to an end in California after fiftytwo years of such peacefulness, without a struggle. Mexico having established her independence, California gave in her adherence in the following declaration:

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE IN CALIFORNIA.

In the Presidio of Monterey, on the 9th day of the month of April, 1822: The Senor Military and Political Governor of this Province, Colonel Don Pablo Vicente de Sola, the Senors Captains Comandantes of the Presidios of Santa Barbara and San Francisco, Don Jose Antonio de la Guerra y Noriega, and Don Luis Antonio de Arguello, the Captains of the militia companies of the batallion of Tepic and Mazatlan, Don Jose Antonio Navarrete, and Don Pablo de la Portilla, the Lieutenant Don Jose Maria Estudillo for the Presidial company of San Diego, the Lieutenant Don Jose Mariano Estrada for the Presidial company of Monterey, the Lieutenant of Artillery, Don Manuel Gomez, and the Reverend Fathers, Friar Mariano Payeras, and Friar Vicento Francisco de Sarria, the first as Prelate of these Missions, and the second as substitute of the Reverend Father President Vicario Foraneo, Friar Jose Senan; Having assembled in obedience to previous citations (convocatorias) in the Hall of the Government House, and being informed of the establishment of the Kingdom of the Empire, and the instalation of the Sovereign Provisional Gubernative Junta in the capital of Mexico, by the official communication, and other documents, which the said Governor caused to be read in full assembly, said: that, for themselves, and in behalf of their subordinates, they were decided to render obedience to the orders intimated by the new supreme Government, recognizing, from this time, the Province as a dependent alone of the Government of the Empire of Mexico, and independent of the dominion of Spain, as well as of any other foreign power. In consideration of which, the proper oaths will be taken, in the manner prescribed by the Provisonal Regency, to which end the Superior Military and Political Chief will give the necessary orders, and the respective Commandantes of Presidios, and the Ministers of the Missions, will cause the fulfilment of the same to appear by means of certificates, which will be transmitted, with a copy of this Act, to the Most Excellent Minister, to whom it corresponds, and they signed,

PABLO VICENTE DE SOLA,

JOSE DE LA GUERRA Y NORIEGA,
LUIS ANTONIO ARGUELLO,
JOSE M. ESTUDILLO,

MANUEL GOMEZ,

PABLO DE LA PORTILLA,

JOSE MARIANo Estrada,

FR. MARIANO PAYERAS,

FR. VICENTE FRANCISCO DE SARRIA,

JOSE M. ESTUDILLO.

One of the signers of this instrument, Pablo Vicente de Sola, was at that time Governor under Spain, and held over for a year as Governor still under the Kingdom of the Empire, as expressed in the Declaration, and two others are the chiefs of the Ecclesiastical authorities, viz: the Prelate of the Missions, and the substitute of the Rev. Father President of the Missions. The style does not much resemble our immortal instrument; and, as another difference, we observe that all the parties to it are either Priests or soldiers.

The Spanish Governors were in all ten. Their names and the time they were respectively in office, as follows:

accepted the Republic as difficult to throw off old

California, as a matter of course, readily as the Empire. But it was habits, and the following document discloses a temper towards strangers, not creditable to a liberal Government. It is of greatly more value, however, as the recorded evidence of the arrival of the first American whoever came to California by land. Let him tell his own story.

LETTER FROM Capt. JedeDIAH S. SMITH to Father Duran. Reverend Father:-I understand, through the medium of one of your Christian Indians, that you are anxious to know who we are, as

some of the Indians have been at the Mission and informed you that there were certain white people in the country. We are Americans, on our journey to the River Columbia; we were in at the Mission San Gabriel in January last; I went to San Diego and saw the General, and got a passport from him to pass on to that place. I have made several efforts to cross the mountains, but the snows being so deep I could not succeed in getting over. Í returned to this place (it being the only point to kill meat) to wait a few weeks until the snow melts so that I can go on; the Indians here also being friendly, I consider it the most safe point for me to remain, until such time as I can cross the mountains with my horses, having lost a great many in attempting to cross ten or fifteen days since. I am a long ways from home, and am anxious to get there as soon as the nature of the case will admit. Our situation is quite unpleasant, being destitute of clothing, and most of the necessaries of life, wild meat being our principal subsistance. I am, Reverend Father, your strange, but real friend and Christian brother, J. S. SMITH.

May 19, 1827.

His encampment must have been somewhere near the Mission of San Josè, as it was there that Father Duran resided. Who is there that does not sympathise with Jedediah Smith? "I am a long ways from home, and am anxious to get there as soon as the nature of the case will admit. Our situation is quite unpleasant, being destitute of clothing and most of the necessaries of life, wild meat being our principal subsistance. I am, Rever"end Father, your strange, but real friend and christian brother." Thus we came to this country the Browns and the Smiths first, and in but an unhappy plight.

As Jedediah Smith's letter shows he had been here before. At that time he had been required to give an account of him self, but had been able to find vouchers, ship-masters all them doubtless from Boston who had come to buy the hides which under the new system were now within the reach of commerce.

We, the undersigned, having been requested by Captain Jedediah S. Smith to state our opinions regarding his entering the Province of California, do not hesitate to say, that we have no doubt in our minds but that he was compelled to for want of provisions and water, having entered so far into the barren country that lies between the latitudes of forty-two and forty-three west, that he found it impossible to return by the route he came, as his horses had most of them perished for want of food and water; he was, therefore, under the necessity of pushing forward to California, it being the nearest place where he could procure supplies to enable him to return.

We further state as our opinions, that the account given by him is circumstantially correct, and that his sole object was the hunting and trapping of beaver and other furs.

We have also examined the passports produced by him from the Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Government of the United States of America, and do not hesitate to say we believe them to be perfectly

correct.

We also state, that in our opinion, his motive for wishing to pass by a different route to the head of the Columbia River on his return, is solely because he feels convinced that he and his companions run great risk of perishing if they return by the route they came.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals, this 20th day of December, 1826.

WM. G. DANA, Capt of schooner Waverly,
WM. H. CUNNINGHAM, Capt. of ship Courier.
WM. HENDERSON, Capt. of brig Olive Branch.
JAMES SCOTT.

THOS. M. ROBBINS, Mate of schooner Waverly.
THOS. SHAW, Supercargo of ship Courier.

[L.S.] [L.S.] [L.S.]

L.S.

[L.S.]

In extenuation however it may be said that Anglo Americans had long been viewed with uneasiness in this quarter. It was prophesied, as early as 1805, that they would become troublesome to California. So wrote a Governor in an official letter now in the Archives.

In a recent number of a magazine (Harper's for June 1860) Sylvester Pattie, his son and six others, are said to have been the first who accomplished the journey overland from the United States to California. The dates mentioned in that account show that they could not have reached Lower California, where they first arrived, sooner than 1829 or 1830, as it is said they left the Missouri river in 1824 and remained more than five years in New Mexico. The Patties therefore cannot dispute this honor with Jedediah Smith.

After the adoption of the Federal Constitution of 1824, by which was established THE MEXICAN UNITED STATES, the Governor of California was called the Political Chief of the Territory, and was aided by a council known as the Territorial Deputation. The Government of the Territory continued subject to the Sovereign Congress at the city of Mexico, as formerly that of the Province had been to the Viceroy. Thus much will be a sufficient introduction for the next paper. It is