History of California, Volume I, Part 40

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : The History Company, publishers
Number of Pages: 852

USA > California > History of California, Volume I > Part 40
USA > California > History of California, Volume I > Part 40

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Croix on receipt of despatches from California, which had been forwarded by Arteaga's exploring fleet to be noticed later in this chapter, referred the subject in dispute to his asesor, or legal adviser, Pedro Galindo Navarro, in accordance with whose counsel he sent April 20, 1780, an order to Neve to take possession of the original patent and instructions which had been sent by the guardian to Serra and must still be in possession of the latter; and, further- more, under no pretext whatever to permit the presi- dent to go on administering the sacrament till new orders should be given. The papers were to be sent at once to Croix, who would communicate with the viceroy respecting the original concession by the pope, and would settle the matter as soon as possible. To Serra Croix communicated the purport of the order to Neve, "charging and entreating" him to obey .the order punctually by giving up the papers.11

The details of what took place between Neve and Serra on receipt of these orders must be left to the imagination of the reader. The president could not give up the papers because he had taken the precau-

11 The order to Neve is not extant, but its purport is given in the communi- cation to Serra in St. Pap. Sac., MS., viii. 28; and Facultad de Confirmar, MS., 258-60.

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A DECADE COMPLETED.

tion to get rid of them; and he suspended confirma- tions, as he flattered himself, at the 'entreaty' of Croix and not the 'command' of Neve. The 20th of July Serra replied to the letter of Croix "about a con- tinuation of administering the sacrament of confirma- tion which I solicited." He has the day before received Neve's letter containing the general's order to suspend confirmation, which of course he will cheer- fully obey; though he regrets that the legal adviser has not given more weight to his argument on the gossip and wonder that a suspension of the power to confirm will cause among ignorant people. In order, however, to prevent this gossip as far as possible, he will absent himself on some pretext or other, when he hears that the vessel is coming, though that will be just the time when his presence will be most needed. As to the papers, he has sent them nine months ago to his col- lege, and as a tribulation sent upon him by an all-wise God, the vessels are late this year and the documents have not come; but they will soon be here and will be delivered to the governor for the purposes indi- cated, though with a little delay they might be deliv- ered in a more complete and satisfactory state.12

12 Facultad de Confirmar, MS., 260-6. There are two copies of the letter, both in Serra's handwriting, but differing somewhat in the closing portions. The variations are not however in substance essential. It is but fair to the padre to say that in speaking about the documents his language is not clear, and might possibly bear a different construction from that I have given in the text; that is, he may mean to say in substance, 'I have sent copies of my papers' (though it reads 'remitiendo allá todos mis papeles que hacian al caso') to Mexico for completion by the addition of missing ones, and by a little delay I could send them in a completed state; but as it is I give up the originals as they are to the governor. Or he might mean that he had sent the most important papers to Mexico and would give up what were left. There is however no evidence outside of this letter that he ever gave up any papers, but it appears rather that he gave up none. It is not impossible that his language was intentionally made vague. Governor Neve in a subsequent letter to Croix, March 26, 1781, in Pror. Rec., MS., ii. 81, speaks very plainly on the subject, saying that Serra claimed to have sent his patent to Mexico, and he does not deem it wise to take possession of and search his papers, be- cause if he has not sent the document away he will have hid it 'with his unspeakable artifice and shrewdness;' and the only result will be trouble with the padres and delay in the Channel foundations, for which they will refuse to contribute supplies. Being exasperated there is nothing these friars 'with their immeasurable and incredible pride' will not attempt, since on more than four occasions it has required all Neve's policy and moderation to

325

ECCLESIASTICAL PREROGATIVE.

The commandant general, on receipt of Serra's let- ter, simply repeated on November 29th his previous order that the papers were to be given up at once. This brought out from the venerable friar under date of March 23, 1781, a letter in which he protests that his patent is not in his possession nor indeed in Cali- fornia, but was sent to Croix by way of Mexico, since Neve was absent in Baja California and the date of his return uncertain. He swears in verbo sacerdotis and tacti pectori sacerdotali that he tells the truth, and wonders greatly that Croix has not received from Mexico all needed papers and proofs to settle the whole matter permanently.13 For an explanation of this extraordinary reply it is necessary to turn back a little. The guardian, Rafael Verger, on receipt of Serra's first letter of October 1779, had written to Viceroy Mayorga-Bucareli having died in April of the same year-stating the case and instituting pro- ceedings to obtain certified copies of all documents bearing on the subject of confirmation.14 This was on December 17th; the required certificates were ob- tained without difficulty, and on February 16, 1780, the guardian sent them in due form to Serra to be shown to Neve, at the same time facilitating a settle- ment of the matter in dispute by forwarding a copy to General Croix. The president received the papers by the vessel which arrived at Monterey October 6th, and, in the confident expectation of an order from Croix to resume confirmations, felt very independent, so much so that he deemed it safe to disregard the orders both of Croix and of the guardian requiring the delivery of the documents to Neve. Circum-

turn them from surreptitious conspiring against the government. At a more fitting time it will be well to carry out certain measures which he has deemed it best for the present to defer as the only means of bringing 'this president to a proper acknowledgment of the authority which he eludes while pretend- ing to obey.' This is very strong language from a man who was not prone to excitement or exaggeration.

13 Facultad de Confirmar, MS., 269-71. This is the first use, by the way, of the name Baja California that I have noticed.

14 The guardian says nothing of having received any papers from Serra ; but of course this is not very strong evidence that he did not get them.

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A DECADE COMPLETED.

stances favored his plans, for Neve was at the time absent from the capital on a visit to the frontier mis- sions of the peninsula. Accordingly, apprehending the receipt of more positive orders from the general, and resolved to take no risk of eventual discomfiture, the venerable friar despatched his patent forthwith to Croix, via Mexico, probably by the very vessel that had brought it.

Soon the governor returned to Monterey and on December 30th demanded the documents in order that he might forward them as ordered to Croix. Serra did not deign to say whether he had the papers or not, but coolly replied on the same date by saying in substance: 'The whole matter has been settled by higher authorities; the papers proved to be all right; I have written to General Croix, and he will doubt- less be satsified with what I have said. You and I have only to wait for orders." Neve for reasons already mentioned did not enforce his demand, and Serra was happy in the thought that he had snubbed his enemy. Then, as the president had anticipated, came the order of Croix dated November 29th, and written before he had received despatches from Mex- ico. Serra's reply was an easy one and has been already given. Meanwhile, Croix on receipt of the Mexican despatches, sent as a matter of course the corresponding instructions dated the 23d of Decem- ber. They were received by Neve at San Gabriel, whence in a letter dated May 19, 1781, he informed Serra that as the apostolic brief had been shown to have the requisite approval of the council, there was no longer any obstacle to his administering the sacra- ment.15

During the continuance of this quarrel the presi- dent took advantage of another opportunity to show his independence of the government. The governor had been ordered to send in connection with his an-

15 All the communications referred to are found in the Facultad de Con- firmar, MS.

327

FATHER JUNÍPERO'S MOTIVES.

nual reports inventories of the missions; but Serra refused to render any account of the missions, claim- ing that he was acting according to orders from the guardian, and would send the inventories direct to Mexico.16

This episode of California history, now for the first time made public, exhibits the character of Junípero Serra in a new and, considering the previous char- acter of the man, in a startling light. And though from this distance nothing can be seen in the contro- versy which might affect the interests of Christianity, of the Franciscan order, or of the California missions, we must conclude that Serra was conscientious in his belief that principles of the gravest character were involved or he never would have manifested the firm- ness and the stubborn pertinacity he did from the beginning to the end of this dispute with the gov- ernor. The great battles between the royal prerogative and the fuero eclesiástico had been fought in Spain; it certainly could have been no trifling matter that would induce this man of peace to renew them in California. On the other hand Neve claimed what he regarded as a well known right, nothing in the slightest degree humiliating to the president, and so far as can be known he urged his claims in a courteous and re- spectful manner; and when obedience to his demands was refused nothing but his moderation and cool- minded patriotism prevented a scandal which would have been unfortunate to the country, and perhaps disastrous to the missions. No ardent churchman entertains a more exalted opinion of the virtues of Junípero Serra, his pure-mindedness, his self-sacrificing devotion, his industry and zeal than myself. Nor would I willingly detract from the reputation of a man who has been justly regarded as an ideal missionary, the father of the church in California; but I am writing

16 Neve to Croix June 4, 1779, in Prov. Rec., MS., i. 127-8. The governor says that the natives are taught that the padres are supreme and the secular officials are to be regarded with indifference.

328

· A DECADE COMPLETED.

history, and I must record the facts as I find them and leave my readers to form their own conclusions.17 The license to confirm for ten years expired with the life of Serra in 1784, before which time he had con- firmed 5,309 persons. The privilege was again given at Rome in 1785 and forwarded by the bishop of Sonora in 1790 to President Lasuen, who confirmed within five years about 9,000 persons. The license was never again renewed.

The transport vessels of 1778 were the San Carlos, which arrived at San Diego in May, returning at once to San Blas; and the Santiago, under Captain Juan Manuel de Ayala, pilotos Castro and Aguirre, and chaplain Nocedal, which anchored at San Fran- cisco June 17th, one hundred and five days out from San Blas. Besides more material supplies she brought an unusual budget of news. An exploring fleet for the northern coast was fitting out at San Blas; Teo- doro de Croix had been appointed commandant gen- eral of the Interior Provinees; a change was proposed in mission government, making California a eustodia, though this was never carried out; and the right to confirm had been granted to President Serra. The Santiago on her return touched at Monterey at the end of July and at San Diego.

The Santiago returned to San Francisco in 1779, but we have no further information about her trip than that several of her officers served as godfathers at the baptism of natives on the 6th of July. The officers included Captain Estévan José Martinez, Piloto José Tobar, and Chaplain Nieolás de Ibera. 18

17 Palou, Vida, 235-6, alludes to the quarrel very briefly, admitting that Neve was not actuated by malice. In his Noticias he does not mention the subject at all. Shea, Cath, Miss., 100, says that Serra was for a time pre- vented by the government from exercising his right. Taylor, Discov. and Founders, ii. No. 28, affirms that P. Junipero had a serious fright soon after beginning to confirm on account of a rumor from Mexico that there was some- thing irregular in his papers; but on assurance from all the prominent men acces- sible that there was nothing wrong he was comforted! Gleeson, Hist. Cath. Ch., ii. 84-6, attributes the hindrance to the Chevalier de Croix who was opposed to the missions, and would not allow Serra to confirm until the viceroy was appealed to and told him to let the padres alone.

18 San Francisco, Lib. de Mision, MS., 10. She came back next year with

329

BODEGA Y CUADRA AND ARTEAGA.

Entered San Francisco Bay the Favorita September 14th, followed next day by the Princesa. They were exploring vessels commanded by lieutenants Bodega y Cuadra and Ignacio Arteaga respectively, the latter being chief in command. 19 They had left San Blas in February, and had been up the coast to latitude 60°, and on the return had explored the old bay of San Francisco under Point Reyes where the San Augustin was cast away, this being the first visit since the time of Vizcaino. The men were many of them sick with scurvy and the ships remained for six weeks in port for their benefit. In Cuadra's possession was an image in bronze of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, copied from the original in Mexico, which he presented to the mission and which was placed on the altar with proper ceremonies the 3d of October. Next day the festival of the patron saint was celebrated, and in connection with the ceremony three natives brought from the northern coasts were baptized. Serra could not come up in time for the festival on account of etiquetas with Neve; but a little later he was met by the naval officers at Santa Clara and came to San Francisco to administer confirmation as we have seen, insisting on walking all the way and refusing to have his ulcerated leg treated after arrival. A courier now arrived overland with tidings of Viceroy Bucareli's death and of the war with England. This hurried the vessels away, and after hasty preparations in view of possible hostilities on the high seas, they sailed Octo- ber 30th, bearing important despatches from Serra, and leaving Matias Noriega in place of Father Cam- bon, who retired on account of ill-health.20

the same officers, except that Miguel Dávalos was chaplain, entering Mon- terey in October and unloading there, to the great inconvenience of San Fran- cisco, whither the cargo had to be carried by land. Palou, Not., ii. 368-9; Prov. Rec., MS., ii. 32-3.

19 According to S. Francisco, Lib de Mision, MS., 11-12; Palou, Vida, 231-3. Lieut. Quirós y Miranda was one of the officers. Cañizares and Maurelle were also on the vessels.

20 San Francisco, Lib. de Mision, MS., 11; Bodega y Cuadra, Navegacion, etc., 1779, MS .; Arteaga, Tercera Exploracion, 1779, MS .; Maurelle, Nave-

330

A DECADE COMPLETED.

There is yet another maritime event to be ineluded in the annals of 1779, namely: the arrival of the first Manila galleon. Off Monterey harbor the 11th of October arrived the San Jose, and the commander, José Imparan, sent a boat ashore asking for a pilot and that buoys be placed to mark deep water, alluding to the royal orders for the galleons to get water and food here.21 Neve's reply the records fail to show. Palou states that the ship's boat took off a sheep and basket of vegetables from Carmelo Bay, while the offi- cer went across to the presidio. There a bull was given and the key of the storehouse, also the required pilot, or a soldier who knew the harbor; but the boat was upset just as the men boarded the ship and a sud- den wind forced her to depart without anchoring, taking the soldier with her to Cape San Lúcas.22 Im- paran was however blamed subsequently for his aetion in this affair; for General Croix writes to Neve on July 17, 1782, that the king has been notified of Im- paran's refusal to anchor at Monterey; 23 and indeed Minister of State Galvez writes in February of the same year that though signal fires were lit at Monte- rey the galleon paid no attention, sailing for Cape San Lúcas in defiance of royal orders; that the king is much displeased; and that in future galleons must call at Monterey under a penalty of four thousand dollars, unless prevented by contrary winds.

Besides the arrival and departure of vessels, and Father Junípero's visits to the different missions for the

gacion, MS .; Bodega y Cuadra, Segunda Salida, MS .; Prov. Rec., MS., i. 132-4; Prov. St. Pap., MS., ii. 49-50; Palou, Not., ii. 356-64; /d., l'ida, 163-71; Bustamante, Suplemento, 34-5. There are some differences about the date of departure. The rumor of war with England caused the two Cali- fornia transports San Cúrlos and San Antonio to be sent in the autumn of 1779 over to Manila to give notice of danger and carry $300,000 in money. Padre Font went as chaplain on the San Carlos. Cambon recovered his health, resolved to return, and bought maize and sugar with his earnings as chaplain. The supplies he sent up on the Santiago, but he was obliged him- self to make a trip to Acapulco and perhaps to Manila under Heceta on the Princesa. Palou, Not., ii. 365-7.

21 Imparan's letter in Prov. St. Pap., MS., ii. 38.

22 Palou, Not., ii. 363-4.

23 Prov. St. Pap., MS., iii. 228.

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LOCAL ITEMS.

purpose of administering confirmation, there is but little to be noted in the way of local events. Neophyte alcaldes and regidores were chosen in 1779 for the older missions; two of each for San Carlos and San Diego, and one for San Antonio, San Luis, and San Gabriel.« Neve at his coming had found the so-called presidios to be mere collections of huts, enclosed in slight fences of sticks called palisades, altogether inadequate to purposes of defence, even against the poorly armed Californians. He gave special attention to this matter and with such success that on the 3d of July 1778 there was completed at Monterey a wall of stone 537 yards in circumference, 12 feet high and four feet thick, enclosing ten adobe houses each 21 by 24 feet, with barracks 136 by 18 feet not quite fin- ished. At San Francisco walls were also being built, but of adobe, which the rains of January and February of 1779 undermined and destroyed, showing that here also stone must be used. At San Diego stones were being collected for foundations in 1778, but we hear nothing definite of progress for several years. At San Francisco presidio a new chapel was in course of erection at the beginning of 1780;24 while at San Diego mission a new adobe church, strengthened and roofed with pine timbers, was this year completed. It was ninety feet long by seventeen feet wide and high. The farmers of San José were prospering in a quiet way, raising over 700 bushels of grain in 1780, and having at that date nearly 600 head of live-stock, large and small. San Gabriel and San Luis had some 2,000 bushels of surplus maize. 25

At the end of this first decade of its history the Spanish settlements in California consisted of three presidios, one pueblo, and eight missions. There were at these establishments besides the governor, two lieu-

24 A house was burned at the presidio Oct. 11, 1779, and with it the hos- pital tent of the two vessels Princesa and Favorita.

25 On local matters 1778-80 see Arch. Sta Bárbara, MS., x. 495-513; Prov. Rec., MS., i. 18, 51, 83, 89, 104, 117, 120, 122-5, 127-8; ii. 21-2; Prov. St. Pap., MS., ii. 36-7.

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A DECADE COMPLETED.

tenants, three sergeants, 14 corporals, about 140 sol- diers, 30 sirvientes, 20 settlers, five master-mechanics, one surgeon, and three store-keepers, 16 Franciscan missionaries, and about 3,000 neophytes. The total population of Spanish and mixed blood was not far from 500. The annual expense to the royal treasury of keeping up these establishments was nearly $50,000, or some $10,000 more than was provided for by the regulation of 1773.26

26 For a list of male inhabitants of California from 1775 to 1800, see end of this volume.

CHAPTER XVI.

A NEW REGLAMENTO-COLONISTS AND RECRUITS-LOS ANGELES FOUNDED. 1781.

NEVE'S REGLAMENTO IN FORCE-INSPECTORS OF PRESIDIOS-SUPPLY SYSTEM --- HABILITADO-THE SANTA BÁRBARA CHANNEL TO BE OCCUPIED-COLONI- ZATION SYSTEM-MISSION EXTENSION-PREPARATIONS FOR NEW ESTAB- LISHMENTS-RIVERA'S RECRUITING IN SONORA AND SINALOA-PLANS FOR 'HE MARCH-COMING OF RIVERA VIA THE COLORADO, AND OF ZÚÑIGA VIA LORETO-ARRIVAL A": SAN GABRIEL-FOUNDING OF LOS ANGELES --- NEVE'S INSTRUCTIONS-NAMES OF THE ORIGINAL SETTLERS-EARLY PROGRESS-FINAL DISTRIBUTION OF LANDS IN 1786-MAP OF SURVEY- SAN JOSÉ DISTRIBUTION IN 1783-MAP-LOCAL ITEMS-LAYING THE CORNER-STONE OF THE CHURCH AT SANTA CLARA-MOVEMENTS OF VES- SELS AND MISSIONARIES.

AT the beginning of 1781 the new regulation for the government of California went into effeet pro- visionally by order of Comandante General Croix of the Provincias Internas de Occidente, receiving the formal approval of King Carlos III., October 24th of the same year,1 but dating back to the 1st of June 1779, in its original drawing-up by Neve. Echeveste's regulation of 1773,2 resulting chiefly from the labors of President Serra in behalf of California during his visit to Mexico, had been designed as a temporary expedient rather than a permanent system; and the aim in preparing the document to supersede it was to bring the Californian establishments, so far as possible,

1 Neve, Reglamento e Instruccion, MS. For the Reglamento in print see Arrillaga, Recopilacion, 1828, 121-75. Orders of Croix of Sept. 21, 1780, in Prov. St. Pap., MS., ii. 114. Neve acknowledged receipt of preceding order Jan. 20, 1781. Id., ii. 38-9. See first pages of chapter xv. of this vo ume. 2 Reglamento de 24 de Mayo 1773, and Id., Determinacion de 8 de Julio, MS., 5; Palou, Not., i. 556-71, 589-94. See chapter ix, of this volume.

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334

COLONISTS AND RECRUITS.

under the general system prevalent in the other interior provinces, and embodied in the royal regu- lation for frontier presidios,3 with such modifications as were rendered necessary by the distance and peculiar circumstances of California as shown by experience under the old system. Elsewhere in this series I devote some space to a careful study of the presidio system in all its workings and details. Hence to enter here into the minutiæe of the new regulation would serve no useful purpose. I therefore notice the docu- ment briefly in its main features as the beginning of a new epoch; its practical workings will in a general way be apparent in the course of events from year to year. The reader will thus be led to peruse with interest, qualified to study with profit, or enabled to omit altogether the later analysis necessary in a work of this character for purposes of reference, but not interesting to a large class of general readers.

The distance and isolation of California preventing regular visits of the royal inspector of frontier pre- sidios, the governor was made provincial inspector, responsible by virtue of this new commission for the enforcement of the regulations. But that the duties of the new position might not interfere with other official duties, the actual work of inspecting the pre- sidios was given to an adjutant inspector acting under the inspector's orders.4 Supplies of all kinds were as before to be shipped from San Blas, being purchased in accordance with annual memorias of articles required, forwarded through governor to viceroy, and delivered to soldiers and servants in payment of their wages. There was, however, an important change in one re- spect; for the former profit of a hundred and fifty per cent was relinquished by the government, and sup- plies were furnished to the men at their cost in San Blas, no addition being made for transportation by

$ Presidios, Reglamento é Instruccion de 10 de Sept. 1772.

+ Nicolás Soler first held this position from November 1781 under Inspect- or Neve.

335

NEW REGLAMENTO.

sea. As an offset to this reduction the pay of soldiers was reduced about forty per cent,5 they were obliged to submit to losses and damage incurred on the voy- age, and they were obliged to pay two per cent to an habilitado. This last named official took the place of the old guarda-almacen, or store-keeper, and had charge, subject to the inspection of his commandant, of the reception and distribution of pay and rations and the keeping of company accounts. The habi- litado was chosen from among the subaltern officers by each presidial company, and the company was re- sponsible for any deficit in his accounts.6 While sup- plies were yet to be imported fromn abroad as a mat- ter of necessity, the habilitado was authorized to pur- chase California productions whenever offered, and it was expected that all grain consumed would soon be grown in the country, or in 'the peninsula,' as even Upper California was still called.

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History of California, Volume I, Part 40

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe Publication date: 1885 Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : The History Company, publishers Number of Pages: 852

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : The History Company, publishers
Number of Pages: 852