368 CAPTUKE OF MONTEREY BY THE AMERICANS. [1842. 



to strike a blow at the supposed enemy, he sailed, with his frigate, 

 the United States, and the sloop of war Cyane, to Monterey, where 

 he arrived on the 19th of October, 1842. Having disposed his 

 vessels in front of the little town, he sent an officer ashore, to 

 demand the surrender " of the castle, posts, and military places, 

 with all troops, arms, and munitions of war of every class," in 

 default of which, the sacrifice of human life and the horrors of 

 war would be the immediate consequence. The commandant 

 of the place, astounded by such a demand, made in a time of 

 profound peace, summoned his officers to a council, in which it 

 was decided that no defence could be made : he therefore sub- 

 mitted without delay, and the flag of the United States replaced that 

 of Mexico over all the public edifices ; the fortifications were garri- 

 soned by American soldiers, and the commodore issued a proclama- 

 tion to the Californians, inviting them to submit to the government 

 of the federal republic, which would protect and insure to them the 

 undisturbed exercise of their religion, and all other privileges of 

 freemen. Scarcely, however, was this proclamation sent forth, ere 

 the commodore received advices which convinced him that he had 

 been in error, and that the peace between his country and Mexico 

 remained unbroken ; he had, therefore, only to restore the place to 

 its former possessors, and to retire with all his forces to his ships, 

 which was done on the 21st of the month, twenty-four hours after 

 the surrender. Thus ended an affair, the effects of which have been 

 unfortunately to increase the irritation already existing in Mexico 

 against the United States, and to render less easy the adjustment of 

 the differences between the two nations. The armed force in Cali- 

 fornia has since been considerably augmented ; but it is evident that 

 all the efforts of Mexico would be unavailing to retain those distant 

 possessions, in the event of a war with a powerful maritime state. 



In the Sandwich Islands, a complete change has taken place 

 since the death of Tamahamaha. His son and successor, Riho 

 Riho, died, in 1824, in London, whither he had gone, with his 

 queen, to visit his brother sovereign of Great Britain ; and he was 

 himself succeeded by Kauikeaouli, another reputed son of the great 

 Tamahamaha, who now fills the throne, under the name of Kame- 

 hamaha III. These changes were all advantageous to the mission- 

 aries from the United States, many of whom were domiciliated in 

 the islands ; particularly after the conversion of Krymakoo, or Billy 

 Pitt, the old prime minister, and of Kaahumanu, the widow of the 

 great Tamahamaha, who, after passing half a century in the con- 



