ELDORADO 217 



not yet reached him. Admiral Seymour, of the British 

 navy, was also at Mazatlan with a battleship. He had 

 received dispatches from the City of Mexico, and it 

 was evident that the Mexican officials favored the oc- 

 cupation of California by the British rather than by 

 the Americans, their enemies, with whom they were at 

 war. Immediately on receipt of these dispatches the 

 British Admiral hoisted sail upon his ship and moved 

 seaward, bound for Monterey. Commodore Sloat, who 

 was watching his movements, half an hour later left 

 with his two small vessels, the Savannah and Preble, 

 and also headed directly for the same port, determined 

 to take possession before the arrival of Admiral Sey- 

 mour. The Savannah being the fastest, reached Mon- 

 terey first, and there Sloa"t learned of the determined 

 efforts of British and Mexican authorities to place 

 California under the protection of the English govern- 

 ment. Governor Pico and General Castro were both 

 in favor of this scheme. The American consul, 

 Thomas O. Larkin, informed Sloat upon his arrival 

 of this state of affairs, when he at once determined to 

 send two hundred and fifty marines on shore and to 

 hoist the American flag over the town of Monterey. 

 A salute of twenty-one guns was fired, and a proclama- 

 tion issued that California henceforth was part of the 

 United States. The slow ship of the British admiral 

 only arrived to see the Stars and Stripes floating over 

 Monterey as a part of the great Republic of America. 

 He saw he was outwitted by Sloat, outrun by the Sa- 

 vannah, and the gallantry of the American commodore 

 had placed California beyond British rule. 



