168 CALIFORNIA. 



of his men, were embarked, and ordered to be landed at Cape San 

 Lucas, the southern point of Lower California. 



Thus in a few days were the authorities changed, without a single 

 gun being fired but the one above spoken of, and without any blood- 

 shed whatever. At the time of despatching the Clementine, Alvarado, 

 with the advice of Cosme and Ramierez, purchased a small schooner, 

 and sent her at once to a port in Mexico to inform the supreme govern- 

 ment of every thing that had taken place, adding that they were willing 

 to remain in allegiance, if they were allowed to choose their own 

 officers. In the mean time they sent commissioners to demand that 

 the other presidios should be given up, and that the inhabitants should 

 acknowledge the authority of those who had overturned the govern- 

 ment. This the officers and inhabitants refused to do, upon which 

 Alvarado marched against Santa Barbara with his rancheros, for the 

 hunters had, for the most part, left him. He was met by a superior 

 force, commanded by a former deputy, named Castillo; but the schooner 

 returned previous to hostilities being commenced, bringing not only a 

 confirmation of the appointment of Alvarado and the others, but with a 

 supply of arms, ammunition, and clothing for the troops, to the amount 

 of ten thousand dollars. When this became known, Castillo and 

 Alvarado became friends, the former acknowledging the authority ot 

 the latter, while Alvarado, it is said, took the oath of allegiance to 

 the central government. 



Alvarado now returned to Monterey, where, feeling himself more 

 firmly established in his new office, and having been by this caprice of 

 fortune raised above his deserts, he became arrogant to his countrymen, 

 and alienated the foreigners by whom he had been assisted. 



It will scarcely be necessary to say, that by this time the missions 

 had lost all their control over the community. The government had 

 seized upon their lands, and appointed an administrador to take charge 

 of the property (which had been decided under an old Spanish law to 

 belong to the government), as well as to rule over the Indians. From 

 the priests were thus removed all further responsibilities and duties, 

 except those strictly clerical. This act brought about the ruin of the 

 missions. The moral and religious usefulness of the priests had been 

 destroyed before, and now the property that was still left became a 

 prey to the rapacity of the governor, the needy officers, and the ad- 

 ministrador, who have well-nigh consumed all. Some of the missions, 

 that had from forty to eighty thousand head of cattle, are now left with 

 less than two thousand, and are literally going to ruin. They are no 

 more what they once were, the pride of the padres, and the seat of the 

 wealth and prosperity of the country. Moreover, this state of things 



