288 
SCENES IN THE PACIFIC. 
not to be taxed for public purposes by these self-denying 
patriots. The missions, therefore, were resorted to for the 
means of supporting the Californian Government during the 
years 1836, 1837, and 1838; and sad was the havoc made 
upon them by those base descendants of the Chivalry of Spain. 
As soon as information of this Revolution in Upper Cali¬ 
fornia reached Mexico, the Central Government, with Busta- 
mente at its head, and a kennel of worthless cowards to bark, 
but never to bite at approaching danger, raised, as is the 
custom of that hybrid nation of Indian and Spanish Don Quix- 
ote-Sancho-Panza-Rosinante-Windmill-Furiosos, on such 
occasions, an army of fulminating proclamations to the citi¬ 
zens of La Republica Mexicana, and the remainder of the 
universe, to arm themselves and proceed in terrible array, 
dealing death elbow-deep in annihilation, against these auda¬ 
cious and unnatural sons of the great, brave, free, glorious, 
and never-to-be-insulted or conquered nation of Mexico. But 
these Californians were true, at least, to the weakness and fol¬ 
lies of their Spanish blood. Nowhere on the vast plains 
and mountains of one-half of this continent is there anything 
Spanish, whether negro, Indian, mulatto, or mestizo, in which 
may be found anything stable and bloodless. The character 
of these people may be summed up in these few words : vola¬ 
tility, ignorance, stupidity and pride, coupled with the basest 
and most cowardly cruelty. Their very language is a furious 
hyperbole, and their entire nature as a people,is the superlative 
degree of the adjective frothy, without a substantive of any 
sort to qualify. The lofty chivalry of Spain was buried in the 
tombs of the American discoverers and conquerors. Its corslet 
and spear have fallen into the hands of their Indio-Spanish 
descendants; and a more worthless rabble of bastards never 
assumed the name of nation. 
See these Californians. No sooner had they declared their 
independence and rid themselves of the officers from 
Mexico, than they divided into two parties; the one in the 
North under Alvarado of Monterey asserting complete inde- 
