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Ex. Doc. No. 41. 117 



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in many instances life has been taken by the Californians without 

 being held accountable by the laws .of the land. 



This mission of San Luis Rey was, until the invasion of Cali- 

 fornia by the Americans^ in 1846, considered as public property. 

 Just before that event took place, a sale was made of it for a small 

 consideration, by the Mexican authorities to some of their own 

 people, who felt their power passing away, and wished to tuin an 

 honest pen7iy whilst there was power left; but this sale was un- 

 doubtedly fraudulent, and will,! trust, not be acknowledged by the 

 American government.. Many other missions have been transferred 

 in the same way; and the new government of California must be 

 very pure in its administration to avoid the temptations w.^ich these 

 fictitious sales, made by the retiring Mexican authorities, offer for 

 accumulating large fortunes at the expense of the government. 



The lands belonging to this mission are extensive, well watered, 

 and very fertile. It is said, and I believe it probable from appear- 

 ances, that wheat will grow in the valleys adjacent, without irriga- 

 tion. 



January 3. — After marching a few miles the vsride Pacific opened 

 ^0 our view- We passed the St. Marguerita rancheria, once a de- 

 pendency of San Luis Rey, now in the possession of the Pico 

 family. We encamped near Flores., a deserted mission. Just beloir 

 it, and near the ocean, is an Indian village. Cattle were seen ia 

 great numbers to-day, and several well broken pairs of oxen were 

 picked up on the way, ' ' 



Distance 10,5 miles. . ^ ^ _ 



January 4, — After leaving Flores a few miles, the high broken 

 ground projects close in upon the sea, leaving but a narrow, un- 

 ■^ven banquette, along which the road wendS through a growth of 

 chapparal. . ^ . 



Here we met three persons, bearing a flag of truce j one an 

 *-ng]ishman, named Workman, another Fluge, a German, the third 

 ^ Californian. 



^hey brought a letter from Flores, who signed himself governor 

 ^«d captain general of the department of California, proposing to 

 suspend hostilities in California, and leave the battle to be fought 

 ^•sewhere between the United States and Mexico, upon which was 

 ^^ depend the fate of California. There was a great deal of other 

 ^^tter in the letter, useless to repeat* The commission returned 

 ^ith a peremptory refusal of the proposition -of the governor and 

 captain general Flores. 



After going nine miles from Flores, the high land impinges so 



^ ^se on the sea that the road lies along the sea beach for a dis- 



ance of eight miles. Fortunately for us the tide wTs out, and we 



^^d the advantage of a hard, smooth road.. Notwithstanding this-, 



^^ column stretched out a great distance, and we were compelled 



°Tk^^^ fj"equent halts for the rear to come up. 



-^Jis pass presents a formidable military obstacle, and, in the 

 ands of an intrepid and skilful enemy, we could hate been 

 everely checked, if not beaten back from it; but we passed unmo- 

 ^sted, and encamped late at night on an open plain at the mout^ 



