direction, to the River Colorado, at a point where it intersects the 35th degree of north latitude; thence down the middle of the channel of said river to the boundary line between the United States and Mexico, as established by the treaty of May 30th, 1848; thence running west, and along said boundary line to the Pacific Ocean, and extending therein three English miles; thence running in a northwesterly direction, and following the direction of the Pacific Coast to the 42nd degree of north latitude; thence on the line of said 42nd degree of north latitude to the place of beginning; also, all the islands, harbors, and bays along and adjacent to the Pacific Coast." These boundaries embrace a territory of about seven hundred miles in length by about two hundred miles in average breadth-covering nearly one hundred and fifty-nine thousand square miles; the longest line, seven hundred and ninety-seven miles, being from Crescent City, Del Norte County, to Fort Yuma, in San Diego County; forming a State larger than any other in the North American Republic, except Texasthree times as large as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and nearly as large as the whole French Empire. THE MISSIONS-THEIR BEGINNING AND END. We have already shown that the first successful efforts towards civilization in Upper California were made by monks of the Order of St. Francis. Without going into details of the history of these real pioneers of the State, or of the missions they founded, these missions form such an important link in the chain of events that mark the progress of California, that the merest sketch of its history would be incomplete, were they omitted. Besides, these generous old Padres deserve a passing notice, as a mark of recognition of their well-intended but ill-directed labors in the service of God and man. What profoundly interesting material for the moralist, the virtues and weaknesses of these kind old men furnish. How true to them has been the proverb that "the love of money is the root of all evil." While few Christians, or philanthropists, can approve of that religion, or system of government, which aims at no higher purpose than to cultivate the fears of the untutored child of nature in order to make him labor for the advantage of his teacher-none can ponder over the sweeping destruction of the wretched natives which followed the abolishment of the missions without feeling pity for the miserable remnant of the race remaining, who are neither savage nor civilized, having the vices of both conditions, but the virtues of neither. For several years after the establishment of the first three missions, briefly referred to heretofore, the missionaries were liberally sustained with means for their support and for the extension of operations, both by grants from the Spanish government, which was most anxious for the settlement of the country, and its annexation to that empire, and by contributions and endowments from zealous Catholics of Spain and Mexico, who were anxious that all the natives should be converted to Christianity. These grants and collections had been previously formed into what was called the "Pious Fund of California," during the days of the Jesuits, but on the expulsion of that order was placed under the control of the Convent of San Fernando, of the Order of St. Francis, in the City of Mexico, from whence all the missionaries were sent. By the aid of this fund, the increase of their herds and flocks, and the labors of the natives, in the course of a few years the missionaries became wealthy, and, but for the radical error of the whole system, which required separation from the world to insure success, they might have been in existence to-day-one of the wealthiest religious communities on earth—with their proselytes as happy and contented as they are now wretched and miserable. For sixty years after their settlement the missionaries had an almost undisturbed field in which to test the efficiency of their schemes for civilizing the natives. They extended their dominions from San Diego to San Francisco, established missions at intervals of twenty or thirty miles between these places; took possession of the whole country, by causing the lands of one mission to join with another, so that free settlers, who even in those early days desired to dwell in the land, were as effectually excluded as if the whole coast had been surrounded by a wall-for the Holy Fathers were the temporal as well as the spiritual lords of the land, and there was no appeal from their decisions. They cultivated the vine, the olive, and the fig, and enjoyed all the comforts and luxuries a genial climate, a generous soil, and abundance of costless labor could produce; for the whole race of natives were their servants, working for food and raiment of their own production. In 1831 there were 18,683 Indians domesticated at the missions, while their horses, cattle and sheep multiplied amazingly on the virgin pastures that covered the valleys of the Coast Range. But, as the Fathers waxed rich, they seemed to have relaxed their efforts for the conversion of the heathen, and paid more attention to the cultivation of their broad acres than to civilizing their neophytes. After founding twenty-one missions along the coast, (the last of which, in 1823) they appear to have abandoned all the natives of the interior to their fate, as there is no proof that any effort was ever made by the missionaries to explore the interior of the territory, to ascertain whether the country or its inhabitants were worth cultivating. From 1800 to 1822 the Fathers appear to have experienced the most halycon days of the system, living in patriarchal state, with almost regal revenues and powers. Beyond the mere routine of religious formality, their priestly office had degenerated into managers of farms, flocks and herds, and traders in produce. About the year 1800, vessels from Boston, New York, and England, while sailing in search of adventures, along the shores of the "South Seas," or on the "North West Coast," as this then unknown portion of the world was called, occasionally found their way through the Golden Gate, to trade with the missionaries for hides, tallow, and wine, and other produce of the missions, the white and red wines of which soon obtained high repute. The Mission of San Gabriel annually made from four hundred to six hundred barrels of wine, and several of the other missions nearly as much. The overthrow of the Spanish dominion in Mexico, in 1822, was the death blow of the mission system, although it had begun to decay several years previously. No new missions were founded after 1823. The precautions the Fathers had taken to prevent free emigrants settling in the territory redounded to their injury, because it deprived them of all means of self defence, under the new order of things the change of government introduced, as, at the time of framing the Constitution for the Mexican Republic, population was, very properly, considered as the basis of representation, when, having only a few white inhabitants-the Indians not being taken into considerationUpper California was denied representation as a State, and was declared a Territory, entitled to a representative in the Congress, who had no vote. The first delegate was a sergeant of one of the military companies, who held that office for two years, because no other eligible resident was to be found. Very soon after the independence of Mexico, the great riches possessed by the California missions had become a subject of much solicitude to the Mexican Congress, and in 1826 a law was passed to deprive the Fathers of their lands, and of the labor of the Indians-stopping their salaries, and appropriating the "Pious Fund" to the service of the Republic. The accumulation of wealth by the Fathers had grown to be enormous. According to Rev. Walter Colton, Chaplain of the U. S. ship Congress, the first Protestant clergyman that resided in California, in 1825, the Mission of San Francisco owned 76,000 head of cattle, 950 tame horses, 2,000 breeding mares, 84 stud of choice breed, 820 mules, 79,000 sheep, 2,000 hogs, and 456 yoke of working oxen. The Santa Clara Mission had 74,280 cattle, 407 yoke of working oxen, 82,540 sheep, 1,890 horses broken to saddle, 4,235 breeding mares, 725 mules, and 1,000 hogs. This mission, in the year 1823, branded 22,400 calves, as the increase of that year. The Mission of San José had 62,000 cattle, 840 broken horses, 1,500 mares, 420 mules, 310 yoke of working oxen, and 62,000 sheep. The Mission of San Juan Bautista, as early as 1820, owned 43,870 cattle, 1,360 tame horses, 4,870 mares and colts, and 69,500 sheep. The San Carlos Mission, in 1825, had 87,600 cattle, 1,800 horses and mares, 365 yoke of working oxen, and 7,500 sheep. The Soledad Mission in 1826 owned 36,000 head of cattle; a larger number of horses and mares than any other mission; 70,000 sheep, and 300 yoke of oxen. The Mission of San Antonio, in 1822, had 52,800 head of cattle, 1,800 tame horses, 3,000 mares, 500 yoke of oxen, 600 mules, 48,000 sheep, and 1,000 hogs. The San Miguel Mission, in 1821, had 91,000 cattle, 1,100 tame horses, 3,000 mares, 2,000 mules, 170 yoke of oxen, and 47,000 sheep. The Mission of San Luis Obispo had 87,000 cattle, 2,000 tame horses, 3,500 mares, 3,700 mules, and 72,000 sheep. One of the Fathers of this mission took $100,000 with him when he left for Spain, in 1828. All the other missions were equally rich in live stock; while the specie in the coffers of the Fathers, and value of the gold and silver ornaments of the churches, exceeded half a million of dollars. Here again the errors of the mission system became apparent. The wretched natives, educated to obey the Fathers in all things, without being taught to depend upon themselves in any way, when deprived of their directors, became more dangerous to the few settlers then in the territory than the wild Indians of the interior. On the representations of these settlers, who became every year more numerous and influential, the Congress was induced, a year or two afterwards, to repeal that portion of the law relating to the natives, and they were permitted to return to the missions. But they were never again as contented, or as much under control as before. The products of the labor of such of them as returned to work on the mission ranches, together with the hides and tallow obtained from their flocks and herds, enabled the Fathers to maintain themselves in tolerable affluence till the year 1833, when the Congress enacted a law to abolish the missions entirely, to remove the missionaries, and to divide their lands and cattle among the natives and settlers. Santa Anna coming into power through the aid of the church party, before the law could be carried into effect, it was repealed. It was a very narrow escape for the Fathers, however. Commissioners had been appointed by the government to engage emigrants in Mexico, who were to be paid half a dollar per day till their arrival in California, with a free passage, and provisions on the way. Nearly three hundred men, women, and children arrived at San Francisco in 1834, to form a colony on the strength of this confiscation law; but Santa Anna had sent messengers overland with instructions to Figueroa, the Governor of the Territory, who, when the emigrants arrived, informed them of the changed condition of affairs, and the missions escaped spoliation for that time. But their end was near, for amid all the turmoils and political convulsions that distracted Mexico during the ensuing ten years, every party that managed to get hold of the reins of government continued to fleece the Fathers out of something, till, little by little, they were deprived of all their privileges. The missions became neglected, the Indians could no longer be induced to plant crops, and there was nobody else who would, so the fields were overgrown with weeds, and the Fathers became careless, killing thousands of their cattle to obtain the price of their hides and tallow. Matters grew from bad to worse until 1840, when the Congress took charge of the missions, and most of them were permitted to go to ruin. In 1845, several of those remaining were sold at auction to whoever would buy them, and the miserable Indians, whose labors had built them up, were abandoned to their fate. Thus ended the mission system of California, a system which had clearly "outlived its usefulness, but had prepared the way for a better civilization, in which the unfortunate natives of the soil were not destined to participate. The last of the old missionaries, Father Altemira, the Padre of San Rafael and Sonoma at the time of the abolishment of the missions, was living at Teneriffe, one of the Canary Islands, in 1860. The following is a list of the missions, the date of their formation. and where located : Names. 1st..San Diego..... 2nd..San Carlos de Monterey 3rd.. San Antonio de Padua 4th..San Gabriel.... 5th..San Luis Obispo 6th..San Francisco de los Dolores. When Founded. .July 16, 1769.. Sept. 8, 1771. . Oct. 9, 1776.. Where Located. Latitude 36°44' |