Slike strani
PDF
ePub

jails, and such refractory, turbulent characters, as it was most desirable to get rid of.

The California regiment left New York on the 26th of October, 1846, on board the Thomas H. Perkins, Loo Choo, and Susan Drew. The first division, under command of Colonel Stevenson, on board the Thomas H. Perkins, arrived at San Francisco March 6th, 1847. The regiment was mustered out of service in the summer of 1848. Nearly three hundred of its members were alive, in California, in July, 1867. Among its commissioned officers were Captain Folsom, Lieutenant Harrison, and Captain Taylor, whose names are connected with streets formed on land they acquired. Captains H. W. Naglee and J. B. Frisbie, hold prominent positions in the history of the State. W. E. Shannon, the delegate from Sacramento to the State constitutional convention, who was the leader of the "free soil" party in that convention, was captain of Company I, of this regiment. The volunteer service of the United States has been honored by the exemplary conduct of the members of Colonel Stevenson's regiment.

The following incident affords an illustration of the kind of mettle these early California volunteers were made of. In the fall of 1846, Major Gillespie's forces, stationed at Los Angeles, were surrounded by a large body of Californians, under command of Andres Pico, and there was no hope of relief, unless assistance could be obtained from Commodore Stockton, who was then on board the Savannah, at San Francisco. John Brown, or Juan Flacco, (lean John) one of the little band of beseiged Americans, undertook to carry a despatch to the Commodore. The Mexicans suspected his errand, and in their efforts to capture him shot his horse, but this did not stop him; he ran twentyseven miles, to the nearest rancho, where he obtained another horse, and arrived at Santa Barbara the second night after leaving Los Angeles, having been pursued a great portion of the distance by bands of Mexican lancers. By obtaining fresh horses from American settlers, at whose ranchos he called on the way, Brown rode three hundred and fifteen miles, within three days, to Monterey, and reached San Francisco, from Monterey, one hundred and thirty miles, between sunrise and eight o'clock P. M., of the same day. This noted rider died, in Stockton, in 1863.

Mr. Larkin estimated there were two thousand citizens of the United States in California before the close of 1846; about three thousand foreigners who were friendly towards Americans; and about three thousand who were neutral, or opposed to them. The number of British and French had become so important that in May, 1845, Jas. A. Forbes

was appointed Consul for England, and Don Luis Gasquet, for France.

In March, 1846, Col. John C. Fremont, on a special mission from the general government, arrived at Monterey, in charge of a party of sixty-two frontiersmen and guides. The results of the attempt on the part of the Mexican authorities to drive this party out of the territory are more directly connected with the early history of the State than with that of the early settlers in the territory. We must, therefore, refer the reader to "Tuthill's History of California," for particulars.

On the 2d of December, 1846, General Kearny, and a force of United States troops, arrived at San Diego, from St. Louis, overland. Captain Cook, with a battalion of United States cavalry, volunteers, arrived at San Diego in May, 1847, via New Mexico and Sonora. This battalion was soon after disbanded, and the men settled in various localities. Frederick G. E. Tittell, Esq., late Supervisor of the City of San Francisco, and Colonel of the German Regiment, arrived as fifer of this detachment.

January 23d, 1847, a portion of the Third Regiment U. S. Artillery, one hundred and forty-four rank and file, arrived at Monterey, on board the United States storeship Lexington. Lieutenant-General W. T. Sherman, the hero of the march through Georgia, came with these troops, as a lieutenant, and Major-General H. W. Halleck as captain of engineers, attached, who was soon afterwards appointed secretary of the territory by General Mason, then military governor. Speaking the Spanish and French languages fluently, General Halleck's knowledge and experience were of great importance in every department of the new government. Traveling all over the country, he soon acquired a knowledge of its resources and capabilities, unsurpassed by any one in it. His services in defense of the Union, during the late rebellion, are recorded in the history of the Republic. Since his return to the State of his adoption, his labors have been incessant in informing himself and the government of the resources and requirements of the Pacific coast. There are few of the early settlers whose services have been as important to the State, as those of Major-General H. W. Halleck.

It not being necessary to the purpose for which this book is intended, to give further details concerning settlers, individually, who arrived since 1846, we conclude this portion of the early history of the territory by stating, that so extensive had become the overland emigration, before the discovery of gold, that a majority of its white population were American citizens, and their families. It is esti

mated there were twelve thousand white persons in California, in January, 1848, when that discovery was made.

General Mason, who visited the diggings at Coloma, in June, 1848, in his report to the War Department on the subject, estimates there were two thousand Americans and Europeans, and two thousand Indians, at work there; and it is known that there were a great many others washing and prospecting for gold at other localities, at that time.

There are many facts connected with the acquisition of California by the United States, which will probably never be brought to light, till some future Bancroft or Prescott shall be poring over the musty archives of the nation, in search of circumstances to explain the events of its past history. Few of such events will be more difficult of explanation than the fact, that the discovery of gold at Coloma-the event of the age-occurred on the 19th of January, and the treaty by which the country was ceded to the United States, was signed on the 2d of March, 1848, neither of the contracting parties being aware of the great discovery!

Equally difficult will it be to explain how it happened that the Pacific Mail Steamship Company's vessels, the contract for running which, made as early as 1846, required the first to be ready for service in October, 1848, about the time when the news of the gold discovery reached New York, and emigrants were most anxious to get to California as quickly as possible; for it is a remarkable coincidence that the first vessel of that line, the California, arrived at San Francisco with the first party of gold-seekers from the Atlantic States, on the last of February, 1849, followed by the Oregon, March 31st, and by the Panama on the 4th of August.

Many of the men who have figured most conspicuously in the subsequent history of the State, arrived on board these three steamers, on their first voyage.

By the end of June, 1849, the discovery had become generally known in Europe, China, Australia, the Sandwich Islands, and Central America; and vessels full of eager passengers were constantly arriving from those countries. During that month, nearly two hundred squarerigged vessels lay in the harbor of San Francisco, deserted by officers, crews, and passengers, who had all gone to the mines.

The following is a correct list of the Governors of California, from the date of its settlement by the Spaniards, until it became a State in the American Union:

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

The government of California, after it came into possession of the United States, was vested in the commander of the national forces in the country, for the time being. Commodore John D. Sloat, on taking possession of Monterey, July 7th, 1846, issued a proclamation, as Governor of the territory. The Federal and State courts recognize the date of the issuance of this proclamation, as being the date on which the United States obtained possession of the country. Commodore Sloat acted as Governor until August 17th, 1846, when Commodore Robert F. Stockton was proclaimed his successor, who appointed Colonel John C. Fremont, in January, 1847. Fremont was afterwards tried by courtmartial, for accepting the office, which belonged to General Stephen W. Kearny, by virtue of his being commander of the forces. General Kearney proclaimed himself governor March 1st, 1847, and afterwards appointed Colonel Richard B. Mason on the 31st of May, 1847, who held office until April 13th, 1849, when General Bennet Riley was appointed military governor.

General Riley, aware that public sentiment was opposed to military rule, on the 3d of June, 1849, issued a proclamation calling a convention, to meet at Monterey on the 1st of September, to frame a State

constitution. This convention, consisted of forty-eight members, assembled, pursuant to this proclamation, and organized on the 4th of September, 1849, by electing Dr. Robert Semple president; W. G. Marcy, secretary; Caleb Lyon (afterwards Governor of Idaho) and J. G. Field, assistant secretaries; W. E. P. Hartnell, interpreter, (to translate the proceedings to the native Californian delegates, who did not understand the English language); and J. Ross Browne, the wellknown author, as official reporter.

A constitution was adopted and signed by the delegates, on the 13th of October, and submitted to the people for ratification on November, 13th, 1849, when 12,064 votes were polled in favor of its adoption, 811 against it, and 1,200 were set aside for informality. Peter H. Burnett was elected governor, under this constitution, in December, 1849. Being ready to assume the position of a State in the Union, application for admission was made, in due form. After a long and acrimonious struggle in Congress, between the advocates of slavery and free soil, which lasted from December 22d, 1849, until September 7th, 1850, California was admitted as a State on the 9th of September, 1850.

The following are the dates on which the several divisions of the territory were taken possession of by the United States: Monterey, July 7th, 1846; San Francisco, July 9th; Sonoma, July 10th; and Sutter's Fort, July 12th.

THE COMMERCE OF CALIFORNIA WHILE UNDER THE SPANISH AND MEXICAN RULE.

The commerce of California, while under Spanish and Mexican authority, when compared with what it has become since it has been subject to the dominion of the United States, affords a striking illustration of the predominating traits in the Anglo-Saxon and Spanish characters.

The Spaniards and their descendants, had for three centuries been. in possession of the entire Pacific coast, from Valdavia, in latitude 40

south, to the boundary of California, in latitude 42° north, embracing a line of more than five thousand miles of coast, indented with a number of the finest harbors in the world, and bordering a country capable of producing in abundance an almost endless list of articles, for which both Europe and Asia afforded a market, including the most extensive mines of gold and silver then known, with no scarcity of materials or labor for ship-building, or any other purpose; yet they

« PrejšnjaNaprej »