TRAVELS IN THE CALIF0RNIA8. 
65 
It is wonderful how small a portion of necessity mingled 
with human affairs will quicken men’s perceptions of duty. 
No sooner did the broken tiles rattle around the heads of these 
valiant warriors, than they became suddenly convinced that it 
would be exceedingly hazardous to continue their resistance 
against such an overwhelming force; and that the central 
government at Mexico would not be so unreasonable as to ex¬ 
pect four or live hundred troops to hold out against Los Rijle- 
ros Americanos. This view of the case, taken through the 
shattered roof of the Presidio, was conclusive. They sur¬ 
rendered at discretion ! Alvarado marched into the citadel 
of government! The Mexican troops laid down their arms ! 
The emblems of office were transferred to the custom-house 
clerk ! When these things had transpired, General Echuan- 
dra was pleased to say to Alvarado with the most exalted 
good sense, u had we known that we were thrice as many as 
you, we should not have surrendered so soon thereby de¬ 
monstrating to the future historian del Alta California that he 
and his friends would either have fought the seventy-five with 
their five hundred or protracted the siege of bravado much 
longer, had they been able to count the said seventy-five at 
the distance or five hundred yards, during the lapse of two 
days! Difficulties in the use of optics often occur in Cali¬ 
fornian warfare which are not treated of in the books. 
The end of this revolution came ! The schooner Clarion of 
New Bedford was purchased, and the Mexican officers ship¬ 
ped to San Bias. Juan Baptiste Alvarado customs’ clerk 
proclaimed El Alta California an independent republic, and 
himself its govenor. But more of this on a subsequent page. 
It suffices my present purpose to have shown how far this Al¬ 
varado was indebted to the foreigners dying in his prisons for 
the station and power which he was using for their desruc- 
tion. He could never have obtained possession of Monte¬ 
rey without them. And had they not slept on their rifles 
for months after that event, a party in the south under his 
uncle Don Carlos Carrillo, or another in the north under his 
