56 
SCENES IN THE PACIFIC. 
be paid to Don Juan Baptiste Alvarado, El Goubernador 
del Alta California, he frankly confessed that he saw no 
necessity, indicated by his interest, why I should ever have 
existed, and still less made any of my pleasures dependent 
on him or his Alta California. 
This I esteemed, as in all chivalry I was bound to do, an 
exhibition of the great elevation of character as well as an in¬ 
dication of the height from which Sa Excellentissimo had 
descended to reach my case ! Therefore, 1 bowed assent to 
the majesty of such philanthropic and truly civilized opinions. 
What man in Castilian presence could do otherwise 1 But 
a doubt still hung over the eyebrows of the don. He looked 
at my height, six feet Green Mountain measure ; atmy ward¬ 
robe, consisting of a Hudson Bay Company’s frockcoat of 
blue, a speckled vest from London, pants of English extrac¬ 
tion, boots from the lapstones of Lynn ; and, shrugging his 
shoulders like a grisly bear in an effort to be a gentleman, 
said we could go to the alcalde ; then with most sovereign 
emphasis bowed us out of his presence ! 
The alcalde was at home, or rather in his adobie den ;.for 
there is neither a home nor the semblance of it in all the 
Spanish world. He was taking his siesta , or midday nap, on 
a bull’s hide in the corner of his apartment. The dog, -which 
had barked us into his presence, had awakened him; so that 
when we entered the room, he was rolling his burly form 
towards a chair. After being well-seated, and having with 
some difficulty brought his eyes to bear upon us, he was 
pleased to remark that, the weather was fine, and that various 
other things existed in a definite state ; as that his dog was 
very fat; the bean crop gave good promise ; the Hawaiian 
Islands were ten leagues from Monterey !! ! the Californi¬ 
ans were very brave men; and that the Don Quixote had 
not come to anchor !! To each of these announcements I 
gave an unqualified assent. 
Having ascertained by these means that I was well- 
instructed in beasts, beans, men and geography, he imme- 
