20

INHABITANTS AND REVOLUTIONS.

districts, as well as to its proximity to a large population, and consequently to a market. The town has been built

up and its prosperity maintained by its merchants, who are exclusively foreigners, and chiefly English, Americans, and Germans. The imports are such European productions as are required by a non-productive population like that of Mexico. The exports are logwood, and a few cheap articles exchanged for agricultural products, coast-wise, with the small ports on the Gulf of California, at the southern extremity of which Mazatlan is situated.

So many of my countrymen have lately joined in several little parties of pleasure to the Aztec capital itself, that it is unnecessary to describe the appearance of the town, which, like all fourth-rate Mexican towns, possesses a full complement of slip-shod women in ragged rebosos, and léperos swaggering about in parti-colored sarapes, gambling, drinking, and stabbing, á discretion.

After remaining here about two months and a half, during which time the Mexicans had no less than five pronunciamentos, and of course as many governors, the new and beautiful ship to which I had been transferred, sailed, by order of the commodore, to look after our interests in Upper California.

But before getting under way, I will add a few words touching the interesting emporium of commerce we are about to leave. To be frank, the place is a perfect nuisance, and all hands took leave of it without shedding many tears. Its revolutions are the most laughable and farcical " coups d'état" imaginable. In other countries, especially our own, tariffs of duties are made and unmade, altered and amended, without exciting anything more than a temporary grumbling or exultation, according to political bias; producing on one side the most solemn assurances that "the country is ruined," and on the other equally positive asseverations that "the country is safe." Perhaps now and then, if an election occurs before the change is forgotten, Mr. Jones, the

REVOLUTIONS AND ROLLERS.

21

champion of the opposition, is triumphantly elected to Congress, and Mr. Brown, who voted for the bill, is decidedly "rowed up salt river." It may even happen, when an unfruitful season, making provisions scarce and dear, or an over-productive one, making wheat to "rule low," can be clearly traced to and identified with, "the new tariff," that the party in opposition may obtain a "glorious victory," and ery "all hail," at the expense of that which foolishly altered the rate of duties without first consulting the almanac. But neither a "revenue tariff " nor a “protective tariff," neither "discriminating duties" nor "incidental protection," can excite popular commotions in the United States. They manage these things differently, however, in Mazatlan. In that great mart, a revolution turns upon the duties which shall be levied upon the last cargo of Nuremberg nick-nacks, or of French liqueurs and silk stockings, or of English every-things fresh from Brummagem, or of Yankee notions just imported from "the States." Thus a modest merchant-ship, which sails on a peaceful trading expedition, suddenly finds herself the head and front of a political revolution, and lights up the fires of patriotism as effectually as if she had poured in a broadside of hot shot. While we remained at Mazatlan there was, on an average, only one revolution every fortnight; but I take it for granted that these long spells of tranquillity were in a measure owing to the proximity of our guns.

Another delightful feature about this lovely town is its anchorage. Poor Mr. Mantalini was sorely afflicted by "one dem'd eternal grind," but his mangle was not a circumstance to the never-ending rollers of Mazatlan harbor. We did nothing but roll from morn till dewy eve, and from dewy eve till morn, insomuch that it became doubtful whether we should ever be able to adopt any other system of locomotion. But these vile rollers are not the most formidable evil of Mazatlan harbor, as the

22

FEAT OF THE WORMS.

uninitiated may find out to their cost. It is a most uncomfortable fact, that no boat, the bottom of which is not coppered or sheathed, can lie a week in the water without being utterly destroyed by the worms. These insidious little "varmints " are provided with a head compounded in equal parts of screw-augur, saw, and piercer. They insinuate themselves into the bottom planks, through holes into which it would be quite as impracticable to insert a cambric needle as a crow-bar, and when they once get into the solid wood, presto! they riddle it in no time. They traverse it in every possible direction with labyrinthine sinuosity, reducing the inside of the board to an almost impalpable powder, whilst the two surfaces appear intact. I will mention "a case in point," which exhibits a perseverance and ingenuity on the part of these little seamonsters, worthy of a better cause.

A British vessel of war, having collected a large amount of specie, and the captain having intelligence that the contrabandistas had a considerable quantity of plata ready at a point up the Gulf, left her largest and best boats at anchor here, with several hundred thousands of dollars in them, and equipped for rolling a fortnight at anchor. But the submarine guardians of the Mexican waters, not being bribed like their amphibious brethren in the custom-house, set diligently to work to revenge the outraged revenue laws prohibiting the exportation of the precious metals, and speedily but silently made minced meat of the preciously freighted boats, insomuch that an unlucky step in the vicinity of the "garboard streak" must inevitably have compelled the crews to swim for their lives, and committed the treasure to "the kelpies' keeping." Luckily, however, they stepped lightly, and did not discover the danger they had escaped until the return of their ship. When, however, the boats were hoisted in, the sea no longer sustaining them, their bottoms very unceremoniously dropped out and vamosed, probably supposing there was no farther

occasion for their services. Thanks to a kind Providence, the crews were not injured. Indeed Jack has almost every day to be grateful for escaping a premature fate, and hence, perhaps, his proverbial recklessness.

Standing to the westward across the Gulf of California, we soon fell in with the N. W. winds prevalent on the coast of North America, and which blow very fresh at this season of the year. In twenty-two days after leaving Mazatlan, we made the land, being Point Año Nuevo, (New Years), the northernmost cape of the large indenture of the coast, in whose southern corner is the town of Monterey.

I had heard so much of California since arriving on the coast, that my curiosity was highly excited. It had been represented as the El Dorado of this part of the continent; and the fact that it would probably soon be annexed to the United States, even whether war gave it to us by conquest or not, made it of additional interest to us.

The approach to these almost virgin shores, showed us a high, bold coast, totally different from the flat, same, and barren coast of our Atlantic seaboard. The magnificent and prominent mountains of the coast-range skirting the back-ground, with their wavy and picturesque play of lines; the apparently well-wooded heights stretching their sombre foliage to the brink of the ocean; the abrupt and broken precipices, whose projecting points caught the last rays of the setting sun-all these accessories reminded me strongly of the Maritime Alps, as seen while coasting the northern shores of the Mediterranean.

In coming into the harbor it is always best to make Point Año Nuevo first on falling in with the land, that being far to the westward of Point Pinos, which is the southern promontory of the bay. Having got well under the high lands of Santa Cruz, a S. E. course by compass takes you direct to the anchorage at Monterey. I mention this because, in falling in with the land at night, or in hazy weather, which is very prevalent here, the high lands of

Santa Cruz can always be seen, when the lower land about Monterey cannot. The risk, in making Pinos, is falling to leeward and being becalmed-north-west being the prevalent wind-in which case, were a vessel to drift close inshore, she would probably be obliged to anchor in foul ground, either near that point, or in Carmel Bay.

We arrived at Monterey at a very interesting time. A Junta was in session, composed of some of the leading Californians, who had met to take into consideration what line of conduct should be adopted in the existing state of affairs. The Californians had just succeeded in getting rid of Micheltoréna, the last Mexican satrap sent to plunder them and mal-administer the affairs of the Province. They had shipped him, and as many of his fustian officers and scarecrow soldiery as they could lay hands on, back to Mexico, and had elected a native of the Province, by name José Castro, as their commander-in-chief. The civil governor was Don Pio Pico, and the views of these two worthies entirely corresponded, both being in favor of annexation to a European power. I have been favored, by an intelligent member of the Junta, with the following authentic report of the substance of Pico's speech to that illustrious body of statesmen:

"Excellent Sirs! to what a deplorable condition is our country reduced! Mexico, professing to be our mother and our protectress, has given us neither arms, nor money, nor the material of war for our defence. She is not likely to do any thing in our behalf, although she is quite willing to afflict us with her extortionate minions, who come hither in the guise of soldiers and civil officers, to harass and oppress our people. We possess a glorious country, capable of attaining a physical and moral greatness corresponding with the grandeur and beauty which an Almighty hand has stamped upon the face of our beloved California. But although nature has been prodigal, it cannot be denied that we are not in a position to avail ourselves of her bounty.