Congress, and military commandant at Monterey, the capital. The powers of the Franciscan fathers in California were soon curtailed by the Mexican Congress. In 1826, that body proclaimed the manumission of all the civilized Indians in California, with a division of the country into parishes, and allotments of land for the Indians. This measure, together with a failure on the part of Mexico to pay the allowances of the fathers, and the decline of the "pious fund of California," caused missionary labors to decline. The Indians relapsed into their former barbarism, squandered their means, and became nude savages. The political party in power in the early part of 1833 passed laws confiscating the lands and property of the missions. These were subsequently revoked by Santa Anna, who came into power in the same year. By the sad and fluctuating changes of administration in Mexico down to the year 1845, the missions and fathers were embarrassed and harassed by acts of confiscation and abridgment of powers. In 1845 came the final blow: many of the missions were sold at auction; others were rented, the rents to be divided into three funds-one-third to go to the missionaries, a third to a pious fund of California for charitable and educational purposes, and a third to the support of the civilized Indians. The fathers returned either to Mexico or Spain; and, in a brief period from this, the once powerful missions of California, their pious priests and praying Indians, were known only as things of the past; and to-day no trace of their former presence is to be seen in the whole land, except an occasional dilapidated and crumbling adobe wall, the fragments of some cathedral bell, the declining cross as

it droops in melancholy solitude in the midst of the buried dead, whose history, like their mortal remains, is wrapped in its narrow grave beneath the rank grass and wild brier.

California, under the absolute rule of Spain for fifty years and under the rule of Mexico for twenty-four years, made but little progress either in material, social, or moral development; and, at the time when it fell into the possession of the United States, was almost as unknown, uninhabited, and undeveloped as it was when Cortez first attempted its exploration in the sixteenth century.

CHAPTER IV.

Republican government in Mexico-American flag hoisted at Monterey - De -France and England seek to possess California Mofra's explorations - Russians in California - Revolution: a Yankee in it-Monterey captured by Alvarado and Graham— California declared a free State-Vallejo military chief-Religion established by law-Mexican authority again recognized-Graham and others banished-Commodore Jones declares California a part of the United States in 1842-Revolution of 1844-Castro General-in-chief-Banishment of Governor Micheltorena.

WITH the dawn of republican government in Mexico commenced a new era of importance in California. The rule of Spain was forever annihilated in the western provinces, and this was heartily acquiesced in by the Spanish inhabitants in California. One of the first acts of the Congress of the Mexican republic was the passing of laws encouraging immigration into their western territory, so that, simultaneously with the decline and disappearance of the Franciscan fathers and their missions, the settlement of the country by Mexican immigrants and a few wandering foreigners was begun. The latter class consisted chiefly of seafaring men, who settled about the ports and bays, and straggling seamen who left the ships which occasionally touched at the ports along the coast, and of one or two solitary merchants. This portion of the new population was regarded with a jealous eye by the Mexican and Spanish settlers. The class, however, which engaged the special attention and roused the jealousy of the native population consisted of the few Americans now settling in the country.

California, although distant from the seat of American and European civilization and political strife, was not

tranquil nor entirely unknown previous to this period. Repeated outbreaks among the native and immigrant population kept pace with the ever turbulent state of affairs in Mexico; and, besides, many foreign nations. had longed for her possession. France had an eye upon this distant land, and, regardless of the claims of Spain or the assumption of England, despatched, in 1841, from the French legation in Mexico, M. Duflot de Mofras, a scientific and accomplished gentleman, to make explorations in California. For two years De Mofras having occupied himself in the work of investigation, sent to his government a detailed account of the country, the Bay of San Francisco, the political condition of California, the designs of Europe and the United States upon it, and concluded it with the following statement, "That it is perfectly clear that California will belong to whatsoever nation will take the trouble to send there a ship of war and two hundred soldiers."

For a brief period the Russians had a feeble foothold in California; but it is doubtful if they ever had any intention to subjugate it or permanently settle in it. Those who came to it came to supply with agricultural products the Russian American Fur Company in the cold regions of the northwest. In 1812, they established themselves at Bodega bay, in Sonoma county, about sixty miles north of San Francisco. A few years later, they established another small settlement thirty miles north of Bodega, at a place called Ross. At these places they kept up small establishments and forts, to protect themselves both from the Spanish settlers and the Indians. The former always manifested the greatest jealousy and dislike toward them. After an occupation of thirty years, they, in 1841, sold their property and left the

country. Of Russians there were about eight hundred, and a large number of Kodiak Indians; all of whom sought their homes in the far-off northern climes, turning their backs on the sunny land where they had trapped the beaver and the otter, and worshipped before the cross of the rude Greek church.

About the year 1836, jealousies springing up between the Mexican authorities in the territory, the monotony of affairs was disturbed, and occasionally a revolution broke out. A serious misunderstanding had existed between Angel Ramirez, a Mexican, and chief official of customs, and Juan Bautista Alvarado, second officer, and a native of California of Spanish descent. Alvarado's arrest being ordered by Ramirez, he fled, and found refuge in the cabin of Isaac Graham, in the mountains of Santa Cruz. Graham had many years previously wandered across the Rocky mountains as a trapper, and had pitched his tent here. He was a Yankee-at least an American, from the State of Tennessee; and, being ripe for adventure, on hearing of Alvarado's wrongs, in conjunction with him he concocted a scheme for the overthrow of Mexican authority in California, and the proclaiming of California a free and independent State. In a few days, Graham, at the head of a force of fifty riflemen, and Alvarado and José Castro, with one hundred native Californians, started upon their mission, supplied with ammunition from American vessels on the coast. They by night entered Monterey, the capital of the Territory, seized and made prisoner the Governor, Nicolas Gutierrez, and with him two or three hundred soldiers. Gutierrez at first made some show of resistance; but the crash through the roof of the presidio building of a four-pound shot soon brought him to his senses.