History of California, Volume III, Part 39

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe
Publication date: 1885-1890
Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : The History Company, publishers
Number of Pages: 824

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Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

349

SLAUGHTER OF CATTLE.

briel, and Purísima, by outsiders who contracted to kill the cattle and deliver half the hides to the padres. Such is the charge, and though exaggerated in detail, I have no doubt it is well founded; indeed, so far as I know, the padres have left in the records no denial of its truth. Naturally the documentary evidence on this subject is slight; but we have seen that in June the diputacion forbade the slaughter of cattle except in the usual quantities, and by members of the community; and a similar prohibition was deemed necessary in the reglamento of August. I append a few notes from the archives and something of what has been said on the subject.12

12 July 16, 1834, F. to alcaldes, publishing the act of the dip. of the 12th. It is stated that the slaughter was then going on at Purisima, S. Luis, and S. Gabriel. Pico, Doc. Ilist. Cal., MS., i. 9-10; Dept. St. Pap., Aag., MS., xi. 21-2; Sta Cruz, Arch., MS., 10-11; Vallejo, Doc., MIS., xxxi. 95-6. June 20th, Prefect García Diego circulates the order to the Zacatecanos. Arch. Obispado, MS., 90. July 8th, 10th, 12th, permission asked by S. Carlos and S. Luis to slaughter cattle for payment of debts. Leg. Rec., MS., ii. 148-51, 163. From May to July 5,700 cattle were killed, leaving 2,850 hides for the mission, the rest belonging to the 'porcioneros.' St. Pop., Miss., MS., x. 4.

Osio, Ilist. C'al., MS., 203-6, attributes the slaughter largely to the feeling of the Fernandinos against the Zacatecanos. The padre of S. Luis Obispo was ordered by his prelate to convert the mission wealth as rapidly as possible; and he bought $20,000 worth of cotton, woollen, and silk goods which he dis- tributed among the neophytes. Over 5,000 hides from S. Gabriel were shipped at S. Pedro. When P. Estenega came to that mission he found all the cattle destroyed, so that he had to appeal to the Yorba rancho for incat, fat, and milk. Gov. Chico in 1836 said the friars 'annihilated the best part of the funds to allay the covetousness that they deemed to be the primary cause of secularization,' executing 'matanzas espantosas de ganado,' and abandon- ing 'toda clase de arbitrios de su progreso.' Earliest Printing in C'al. Ban- dini, Ilist. Cal., MS., 51-3, tells us that 2,000 cattle were killed in a single day at one mission, the meat and fat being left in the fields. F.'s govern- ment only pretended to interfere, to save a portion of the stock for a particu- lar purpose indicated in a letter to friends in Mexico, which the author saw, but which he takes good care not to quote or explain. J. J. Vallejo, Reminis., MS., 54-3, though a friend of the padres, admits the destruction, and thinks it was justified by circumstances. Pio Pico, Ilist. Cal., MS., 157, says he had a contract at S. Gabriel, employing 10 vaqueros and 30 Indians, and killing over 5,000 cattle. Pico, Acont., MIS., 24, speaks of a very extensive slaughter at Purísima under Domingo Carrillo, the administrator. Estudillo, Datos, MS., 33-4, tells us that after a time nothing but the hides was saved. Some 20,000 head were killed at the S. Jacinto ranch of S. Luis Rey. Robinson, Life in ('al., 159-61, says the ruin was more preceptible at S. Gabriel than elsewhere. The contractors really took two hides for every cue they gave the padres. Hayes, Emig. Notes, 486, thinks the slangnter began in 1832. Mrs Ord, Ocurrencias, MIS., 70-3, is inclined to doubt that any wanton slaughter was effected at most missions; but she understood that 30,000 cattle were killed at S. Gabriel, and remembers that there were fears of a pestilence from the rotting carcasses. Truman, in the Castroville Argus,

350

MISSION AND INDIAN AFFAIRS.

The venerable ex-prefect Padre Francisco Vicente Sarría, of the Fernandinos, died in 1835; and his as- sociate, Francisco Javier Uría, had died the year before. These are the only changes to be noted in the missionary personnel, except that Padre Perez of the Zacatecanos disappears from the records after 1835. I do not know what became of him.

By submitting to heavy discounts, certain friars seem to have succeeded in collecting a portion of the sums due them on account of sínodos this year. This was accomplished through the agency of Virmond, who for approved missionary drafts on the pious fund obtained others on the national treasury which were paid in custom-house orders negotiable at 25 or 30 per cent discount for cash. As usual, the accounts are incomplete, and it is impossible to state exactly what sums were obtained; but at one time $7,200 were paid to the padres of six missions; and the college of San Fernando seems to have got a bill accepted for the sínodos of nine friars from the beginning of 1830 down to the respective dates of their decease. Meanwhile the pious-fund estates remained, not yet rented ac- cording to the law, in the hands of a directive junta. Of the revenue from June 1832 to March 1834, amounting to $56,250, the sum of $25,691 had been expended on the colony; $23,567 had been taken as a loan by the government; $4,713 paid out in miscel- laneous expenses; and $1,523 paid over in missionary stipends. 13

Sept. 23, 1871, gives a very exaggerated account of the destruction and ship- ment to Spain of all the property at S. Juan Capistrano by P. Zalvidea; and Taylor, Cal. Farmer, Feb. 1, 1861, tells us that the padre of S. Gabriel unroofed the buildings, used the timbers for firewood, had the cattle killed on halves, and distributed the utensils to the neophytes, who were ordered to cut down the vineyards, but refused.

13 Mcxico, Mom. Relaciones, 1835, p. 36-7, no. 10. May 2, 1835, F. to the govt says that Deppe, Virmond's agent, had paid $7,200 to padres of S. An- tonio. Sta Ines, Purísima, S. Miguel, S. Juan Capistrano, and S. Francisco, for 1831-2-3. He advises a suspension of such allowances, or of such pay- ments, on the ground that the padres manage the missions in their own way and have plenty of resources. In cases of actual necessity, the sínodos could be paid from the mission products, and the whole considered as a loan to the govt. (In view of the secularization laws already enforced or to be enforced

331

PROGRESS IN 1835.

Demands for supplies from the missions were often refused in 1835, both by the padres and by the com- isionados, but always on the plea of absolute want of means. The changes of the last few years had left many of the establishments in such a condition that they could barely feed and clothe the Indians, who were not disposed to look at all favorably on any shar- ing of their earnings with the troops. To what ex- tent, if any, the community cattle and other property were sacrificed in aid of the troops or for the further- ance of private interests I have no means of knowing; but I suppose that the swindling operations charged upon the government and the administrators, with much probability of truth, did not commence until later, and that in 1834-5 the authorities contented themselves for the most part with the legitimate taxes on mission products.

In respect to general regulations and progress of secularization, there is little to be noted in the annals of 1835. No approval of the reglamento came from Mexico, nor disapproval for that matter, and in Cali- fornia little or nothing was changed in the current system. Figueroa devised a plan for establishing sep- arate ranchos at each mission for the support of the padre and of public worship; and even made a begin- ning at San Carlos and Santa Cruz. García Diego approved the measure warmly in May, perhaps had

immediately, the meaning and force of F.'s argument are not apparent. ) June 17th, F. certifies the drafts of 6 padres, 4 of them for stipends of 1834 and 2 for 1831-4, aggregating $4,800. St. Pap., Miss. and Colon., MIS., ii. 294-8. Oct. 7th, Virmond to Guerra. On the discounts necessary to obtain money. Calls for a full power of attorney, and will do his best. Guerra, Doc., MS., vi. 147-8. Dec. 23d, same. Speaks of the draft in favor of the college in favor of PP. Catalá, Suñer, Boscana, Barona, Amorós, Sanchez, Gil, Uría, and Sarria; and calls for doc. to prove their claims. Id., vi. 146-7. Dec. 16th, there is no way to recover the losses of two or more of the missions by the death of the insolvent Sindico Martiarena at Tepic. Id., vi. 130. A list of padres showing sums due to cach from IS11 to Dec. 1, 1834. The total sum is $248,000; and the amount received from 1811 to 1830 by the padres still living in 1834 was $19,200 out of $85,600 that should have been paid. Fondo Piadoso de Cal., Demostracion de los Sinodos que adeuda a los Religi- osos del Colegio de S. Fernando, 1811-34, MIS. Oct. 14th, directors of pions fund to pres. of missions, calling for certified accounts of sums duc. Doc. Hist. Cal., MS., iv. 994-5.

332

MISSION AND INDIAN AFFAIRS.

suggested it first himself, but in August, after re- flection, changed his opinion, basing his opposition on the governor's lack of authority to make such an innovation on the Mexican laws against the foundation of any obras piadosas whatever, on the animosity that would be felt against the padres so long as they ad- ministered any property, on the insufficiency of the means proposed, and on the injustice of freeing the gente de razon from all responsibility for the support of religion.14 On account of this opposition or of Fi- gueroa's early death, the scheme was carried no further. From the Fernandinos we hear nothing; and their si- lence may indicate that in the south secularization was proving more or less satisfactory. In the north, how- ever there were complaints of demoralization among the Indians, and of other difficulties, which prompted Prefect García Diego to suggest certain modifications of the rules, not adopted so far as can be known. 15

14 May 29, Aug. 3, 1835, G. D. to F. St. Pap., Miss. and Colon., MS., ii. 333, 336-9. June 13th, guardian of the col. at Zacatecas wrote to prefect that the missions must not be considered nor called parishes, nor the missionaries curates, since no legal and formal transfer had been effected. And the trans- for could be made lawfully to only priests able to show all their papers in due form. Corresp. de Misiones, MS., 45-7. Aug. 15th, G. D. to the padres. The guardian requires statistical information about the missions. S. José, Patentes, MS., 211-12.

15 García Diego, Reglas que propone el P. Prefecto para gobierno interior de lis ex-misiones, 1835, MS. His suggestions were: 1. Total separation of the quarters chosen by the padre for himself and servants and those of the comi- sionado and majordomo. 2. That the Ind. be compelled to render personal service to the padre, whose servants should not only be supported by him, but controlled and corrected in a parental way, independently of all interference from the com. 3. That in view of disorders that have resulted among the single women sinee they were set free, they should be returned to the padre's exclusive control, aided by an alcalde of his own choice. 4. That the allow- ance of $500 per year for expenses of religious worship should be paid to the padre at the beginning of the year, he to keep a book of accounts which was to be inspected by his prelate. 5. That the padres should be authorized to enforce attendance on religious duties by the same means used in the case of children. 6. That com. be instructed to aid the prelate with animals and vaqueros when travelling, or the friars travelling by order of their prelate. 7. The eom. and majordomos also to furnish carriers of correspondence between the prelate and friars.

Dana, Two Years before the Mast, 199, speaks of the prevalent immorality among the Indian women in 1835-6. May 21st, F. orders com. not to make loans of mission effects which may prejudice the establishment. St. Pap., Miss., MS., ix. 27. Oct. 12th, Vallejo to F., expressing the opinion that not all the neophytes are fit to be intrusted with the management of their own property; and advising that a part be made to live in community, the property being

3.53

LOCAL ITEMS OF SECULARIZATION.

Locally we have a series of items in continuation of those presented for 1834. These show that six ad- ditional missions were secularized this year, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, San Antonio, Soledad, San Juan Bautista, and San Francisco Solano. No change had yet been made so far as the records show at San Buenaventura, Santa Inés, San Miguel, Santa Clara, and San José. Thus in sixteen missions the friars had been deprived of the temporal management; comisionados had at first taken charge, and at several of the establishments had completed their labors; in- ventories of all mission property had been made; a portion of the lands and other property had been distributed to the neophytes; the padres had be- come temporarily curates; and majordomos, often un- officially called administrators, had succeeded the comisionados, or were managing the estates under their supervision. Figueroa's provisional reglamento was practically in force, though the author was dead, and, so far as can be determined from meagre records, the result at many missions was not un- satisfactory.16 It is unfortunate that we may know

managed by majordomos. Vallejo, Doc., MS., iii. 43. Dec. 27th, F. says that the sum of $500 for church expenses is excessive; and orders that payment be made only for what is actually needed. St. Pap .. Miss., MS., ix. 10.

16 At S. Diego Joaquin Ortega became majordomo in April. St. Pap., Viss., vi. 38-9. There is no record of any com. having served since 1833. In Nov. the Ind. pueblo of San Pascual was in existence with 34 families. Document in Hayes' Mission Book, i. 230; Id., Emig. Notes, 497. No record of S. Dieguito. At S. Luis Rey Portilla as com. had troubles of a not im- portant nature with Ortega of S. Diego, and with the padre, who was not pleased with the rooms assigned him. Dept. St. Pap., MS., iii. 3-7; St. Pap., Miss. and Colon., MS., ii. 340-1. Early in the summer he transferred the charge of the property to Pio Pico, as majordomo, against whom in Nov. the Ind. made lond complaints. Hayes' Mission Book, i. 229; Julio-César, C'osas de Indios, MS., 4-5. Inventory of August, assets, $203,737; debts, $9,300. St. Pap., Miss., MS., vi. 10-11. An inventory of S. Juan Capistrano makes the assets $54.456; debts $1,420. Id., v. 48-9. At S. Gabriel there is no record of the appointment of a majordomo, Gutierrez being still in charge in Jan. Dept. St. Pap., Aug., MS., ii. 3. Antonio del Valle became majordomo of S. Fernando on June Ist; and to him the Ind. complained of P. Ibarra's re- moval of money and goods. St. Pap., Miss., MS., ix. 8; xi. 3. In Id., xi. 3-4, is a record that Carlos Carrillo was sent to secularize S. Fernando, but the Ind. refused to recognize him. This is unintelligible, unless the name should be S. Buenaventura. For Sta Bárbara there are several inventories for the year; and in May José María Garcia took charge as maj. Id., ix. 24-5. At Puri- HisT. CAL., VOL. III. 23

354

MISSION AND INDIAN AFFAIRS.

so little about the practical working and immediate results of the new system; and especially that the padres' views are not extant. Here and there a friar had a personal quarrel with the new administration about the assignment of rooms or servants, or pre- sented a complaint that the ex-neophytes were ill treated, but for the most part they were silent. They seem, more particularly the Fernandinos in the

sima Joaquin Carrillo as maj. was put in charge in Aug. by his brother Do- mingo. Assets were $29,981. Id., vi. 16.

Manuel Jimeno was ordered by the gov. in Oct. to secularize S. Luis Obispo; and Santiago Moreno was made maj. the same month. Id., ix. 14-15, No record for S. Miguel. Manuel Crespo was the com. to secularize S. An- tonio; and Mariano Soberanes was maj. until Sept. 10th, when he was succeeded by José Ramirez. The inventory at the transfer showed assets of only $7,883. Id., vi. 16; xi. 30. P. Mercado made very bitter complaints in Dec. of the treatment of the Indians by Ramirez, and of the deplorable results, the regu- lations being flagrantly disregarded, and the prosperity of the mission ruined. Leg. Rec., MS., iii. 3-6; S. Antonio, Doc. Sueltos, MS., 120-1. At S. Carlos. Torre, Reminiscencias, MS., 37-9, tells us that Joaquin Gomez was the com. (probably in 1834), and José Antonio Romero the first majordomo. Figueroa, as I have said elsewhere, issued some orders for the formation of a rancho for the support of the church. St. Pap., Miss. and Colon., MS., ii. 334-5. For Sta Cruz there are full inventories in 1835. Total, $84,334. Sta Cruz, Lib. Mision, MS., 1-3; St. Pap., Miss., MS., v. 54. Sceularization was deemed com- plete on Dec. Ist, at which time $10,576 had been distributed in effects to the Ind. Id., ix. 66-7. Ignacio del Valle was to receive a gratuity of $300 for his services as com. Id., ix. 69; Sta Cruz, Parroquia, MS., 20. Juan Gon- zalez was the maj. of this Pueblo de Figueroa. Savage, Doc., MS., i. 20. Nicolás Alviso was the first maj. in charge of Soledad, where he had perhaps been com. as well. Dept. St. Pap., Ben. Mil., MS., Ixxx. 10. The inventory of Aug. showed a total of $47,297. St. Pap., Miss., MS., v. 57. At S. Juan Bautista the aggregate value was put down as $138,973, after $8, 439 had been distrib. to the Ind .; and the debt was only $250. Id., vi. 17-18. Tiburcio Castro was the maj. and apparently the com., there being some trouble both with the Ind. and the padre. Id., x. 15-16; St. Pup., Miss. and Colon., MS., ii. 342-3.

No secularization was yet attempted at Sta Clara, though many neophytes were given licenses of emancipation. Arch. Arzob., MS., v. pt ii. 14; Vallejo, Doc., MS., iii. 17. Neither is there any record of secularization at S. Josc. In the inventories of July the San Francisco property was valued at $67,227, the buildings being $33,969; and there was $7,222 of debt. St. Pap., Miss., MS., vi. 19-20; Vallejo, Doc., MS., xxxi. 220. The inventory is very complete in detail. Com. Estudillo, having trouble with P. Gutierrez, was replaced for a while by Ignacio del Valle; and Gumecindo Flores took charge in July as maj. Sta Cruz, Arch., MS., 74; St. Pap., Miss., MS., ix. 63; vi. 19; Valle, Lo Pasado, MIS., 10. There is nothing about S. Rafael in 1835 except a grant of lands at Nicasio to ex-neophytes. Vallejo, Doc., MS., iii. 29. M. G. Vallejo was the com. who seeularized S. F. Solano, and appointed Antonio Ortega as maj. There was a quarrel with P. Quijas, who went in his wrath to live at S. Rafael; and the Ind. were also somewhat troublesome on account of their desire to live in their old rancherias. Vallejo resigned in Dec. Vallejo, Doc., MS., iii. 11-12, 40, 45, 47, 57; St. Pap., Miss. and Colon., MS., ii. 345; Pinto, Doc., MS., i. 51. The foundation of Sonoma, really a part of the secularization of this mission, is noticed elsewhere.

353

STATISTICS.

south, to have accepted the new system as the least unfavorable that could be hoped for; and to have de- voted themselves in good faith to the performance of their new duties. Their cause was lost; but they had made a long fight, and were personally glad to be re- lieved of onerous duties; and their prospects were not unfavorable for passing their last years in comfort. It was unfortunate for the country that the system was to be disturbed, and the old controversies were to be to some extent revived.

The disturbance was to come from Mexico, where radical changes in the form of government were ef- fected in 1835, centralism as interpreted by the am- bitious dictator, Santa Anna, gaining a victory over federalism. This change, requiring but mere men- tion for my present purpose, was in its general aspects favorable to the church and to the friars; and one of its immediate results was the passage by the congreso constituyente on November 7th, of the following de- cree: "Until the curates mentioned in article 2 of the law of August 17, 1833, shall have taken possession, the government will suspend the execution of the other articles, and will maintain things in the state in which they were before the said law was made."17 This decree, practically repealing the secularization law, and sure if enforced to create greater confusion in the management of the missions than had ever ex- isted before, was not known in California until after the end of 1835, and therefore a presentation of its effects belongs to the next half-decade of mission an- nals.

Regular mission statistics cease almost entirely with the secularization in 1834, even for the establishments that were not secularized until some years later. Noth- ing but occasional, special, and fragmentary reports are extant for the period from 1835 to 1846, all ob-

17 Decree of Nov. 7. 1833, in Arrillaga, Recop. 1835, p. 583-4; Halleck's Report, 154; Jones' Report, 63; Huyes' Mission Book, i. 252-3.

356

MISSION AND INDIAN AFFAIRS.

tainable data from which reports I shall give from time to time as occasion may require. Therefore I deem it best to present here for the period of four years a statistical statement like that which I have before appended to the annals of each decade. It is not, however, likely that the reports were as carefully made during the last few years as for earlier periods. Most of the padres were careless in the matter, and a few probably misrepresented the condition of their missions in respect of agriculture and live-stock.

In 1830 there had been 26 missionaries in charge of the 21 missions. In 1835 there were still 26, since 10 Zacatecanos had come to take the place of the 8 Fernandinos who died and the two who left the coun- try. Only one, Padre Abella, was left of those who came before 1800.

The neophyte population decreased from 18,000 to 15,000, only one mission, San Luis Rey, showing a gain. San Luis had still the largest population, and as to the smallest there was close rivalry between San Carlos and San Francisco. San Rafael showed the largest percentage of loss, but the figures in this case are not reliable, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz coming next. Baptisms numbered 3,500, an average of 875 against 1,300 for the past decade. Solano had the largest number, 555, followed by San José with 414 and San Luis Rey with 385; while Santa Cruz had only 23, and San Francisco perhaps less. Deaths numbered 4,250, an average of 1,062 against 1,445 for the past decade, San José having the largest num- ber, 659, and San Francisco the smallest, 36.

In cattle there was a loss of 16,000 head, from 156,- 000 to 140,000; though 10 missions showed a gain, chiefly in the north. Horses decreased from 16,600 to 12,000; though 8 missions gained. Sheep de- creased from 150,000 to 130,000, there being a gain in 8 missions. San Luis Rey still led in cattle and sheep, closely followed by San José and Santa Clara. The average yield of grain crops decreased from 57,-

357

SEASONS-PESTILENCE.

500 fanegas to 32,700 fanegas per year, or more than 40 per cent. Solano and San José were the only missions that gained in their average; while the larg- est loss was 73 per cent at San Juan Capistrano. The best total crop was 40,000 fanegas in 1831, and the worst was 25,000 fanegas in 1833.

For this period of four years I may say, as I have said of the last decade, that the losses in the different branches represented in the statistics obtainable are much less than would be expected from what is known of the current mission history; but, as I have already warned the reader, these statistics are much less reli- able than those of former years.

I find no evidence that there occurred in the years 1831-5 any noticeable season of flood or drought; though both have been rather vaguely ascribed to that period by newspaper writers, who founded their statements ostensibly on the recollections of old resi- dents. As there is no agreement on the subject, the statements are not worth particular reference, one of the most widely circulated being that of a flood in 1832-though a terrible drought is also ascribed to the same year-in support of the theory of decennially occurring inundations. Memoranda of Thomas O. Lar- kin at Monterey show light rains in the autumn of 1833, heavy rains in February and April 1834, a dry spring, with three days' rain after the middle of May, and no heavy rains until the last half of December in 1835.18 A terrible pestilence, an intermittent fever often prevalent in that region, is reported as having almost depopulated the whole valleys of the Sacra- mento and San Joaquin in 1833. Warner, with Ew- ing Young and a party of trappers, passed up the val- leys in the autumn of 1832, noting a dense Indian population; but in the following summer when the party returned the country was strewn with the re- mains of the dead wherever a village had stood, and

18 Larkin in S. F. Chronicle, Marchi 25, 1856, in Vallejo, Doc., xxxvi. 214.

358

MISSION AND INDIAN AFFAIRS.

from the head waters of the Sacramento to Kings Riv- er only five living Indians were seen. The trappers themselves were attacked by the fever, and some of their servants died. There may be something of ex- aggeration in this narrative; but there is no reason to question the general accuracy of Warner's statement; especially as Vallejo wrote in May of the same year that a pestilence, which he supposed to be the small- pox, was causing fearful ravages on the northern frontiers; and as Edwards in 1837 found on every hand abundant and revolting signs of the pestilence, which was described to him by Ewing Young from personal observation. Young said he saw hundreds lying dead in a single ranchería. 19

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History of California, Volume III, Part 39

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe Publication date: 1885-1890 Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : The History Company, publishers Number of Pages: 824

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe
Publication date: 1885-1890
Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : The History Company, publishers
Number of Pages: 824