2i8 ELDORADO 



The following day, July 8th, a party from the United 

 States sloop-of-war Portsmouth, landed at Yerba 

 Buena, now San Francisco, and hoisted ihe American 

 flag on the Plaza. On the loth. Commodore Mont- 

 gomery of the Portsmouth sent an American flag to 

 Sonoma, and the "Bear flag," improvised by Ide and 

 his men, was hauled down, and the Stars and Stripes 

 ■'floated in the breeze" instead, and the change was wel- 

 comed by all. 



Meantime General Stephen W. Kearney had arrived 

 at Monterey, crossing overland by way of New Mexi- 

 co. He had orders to take possession of and estab- 

 lish a government for California, but he found that 

 Sloat, Stockton and Fremont had already accomplished 

 those things. Colonel J. D. Stevenson, at the head of 

 one thousand volunteers, arrived in California March 

 J, 1847. The conquest had already taken place, but 

 this force was of great service in maintaining order 

 in the country. Before Fremont hoisted the Stars and 

 Stripes, and before the Mexican authorities knew of 

 his coming, an informal meeting was held at Monterey, 

 at the house of Don Jose Catro, which developed the 

 fact that a majority of the people were ready for any 

 form of government that would afford them protection 

 from imcertainty and unceasing political troubles and 

 revolutions. The following extracts are taken from 

 speeches made by some of the leading native Califor- 

 nians at that meeting : "Excellent sirs ! ot what a de- 

 plorable condition is our country reduced ! Mexico, 

 professing to be our mother and our protectress, has 

 given us neither arms nor money, nor the materials of 



