USA > California > History of California, Volume III > Part 75
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" Statistics of S. Luis Obispo 1831-4. Decrease in pop. 283 to 264. Bap- tisms 26; 9 in 1831; 4 in 1832. Deaths 115; 38 in 1832; 19 in 1834. In- crease in large stock 3,740 to 3,800; horses and mules 1,540 to 800; sheep 1,000 to 3,440. Largest erop 900 bush. in 1834; smallest 556 in 1833; aver- age 745 bush., of which 490 wheat, yield 8 fold; 12 barley, 3 fold; 105 maize, 30 fold; 27 beans, 7 fold; and 115 of various grains, 30 fold.
Statistics of 1772-1834. Total of baptisms 2,637, of which 1.277 Ind. adults, 1,331 Ind. children, 49 children de razon; annual average 42. Total of marriages 775, of which 23 de razon; annual average 12. Total of deaths 2,318, of which 1,429 Ind. adults, 877 Ind. children, 4 and S de razon; annual
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LOCAL ANNALS OF MONTEREY DISTRICT.
larization the number of neophytes was gradually re- duced to 170 at the end of the decade; and live-stock decreased about 50 per cent in the five years, only
average 32; average death rate 7.39 per cent. of pop. Largest pop. 852 in 1803. Males in excess to 1798, females later; children } to } and even less at last. Largest no. of cattle 8,900 in 1818; horses 1,594 in 1799; mules 340 in 1830; asses 134 in 1817; sheep 11,000 in 1813; goats 515 in 1786; swine 210 in 17SS; all kinds 20,820 animals in 1813. Total product of wheat 116,161 bush., yield 11 fold; barley 1,375 bush., 4 fold; maize 26,923 bush., 104 fold; beans 3,595, 22 fold; miscell. grains 3,156 bush., 20 foldl.
Statistics of 1835-40. Feb. 5, 1835, pop. 253. St. Pap., Miss., MS., x. 9. April 28, 1835, P. Abella gave letters of attorney to A. M. Ercilla to collect of U. Sanchez, Mazatlan, $9,390 due the mission. Guerra, Doc., MS., iii. 17. Dec. 13, 1836. Inventory of the estate; buildings, goods, produce, tools, etc. $13,458; live-stock $19,109; fábrica, $5,000, garden $6,858; Sta Margarita rancho $4,039; 9 sitios of land $9,000; church and ornaments $7,257; library and musical instruments $519; credits $5,257 (besides the $9,390 due from Urbano Sanchez as above); total $70,769. Increase over inventory of 1833, $7,657, besides $100 given to troops, $333 debts paid, and $1,285 in cloths etc. to Ind., total gain $9,376. No debt mentioned. St. Pap., Miss., MS., vii. 57-0. Jan. 1837, admin. ordered by Gen. Castro to deliver $1,200 in produce, and there are other similar orders of smaller amounts. Id., 65. March 19th, credits $5,884; debts $776. Id., 57. Jan. 1839, credits $343; debts $2,304; inventory $61,163. Id., 60-3. July 30th, Hartnell's inventory, etc .; pop. 170; 1,684 cattle, 1,200 horses, 2,500 sheep, 16 mules; 157 hides, 53 arr. tallow, 21 arr. lard, 300 arr. iron, 100 arr. wool, 388 fan. grain, etc. Id., 59-60; Hartnell, Diario, MS., 24. Debts to 5 persons $987. Pico, Pap., Mis., MS., 47-51.
Record of events. 1831. Status under Echeandia's decree of no effect, except that J. B. Alvarado was appointed comisionado, and a comisario ap- parently chosen. This vol. p. 306-7. 1833. Mules stolen by N. Mexicans. Id., 396. Lat. and long. observed by Douglas. Id., 404. Death of P. Gil. Two neophytes robbed the church and shops, confessing the crime; but dur- ing the trial one died and the other escaped. Dept. St. Pap., B. M., MS., 1xxvi. 53-6. April, Isidro Ibarra reports to gov. that the N. Mex. sell liquor to the Ind. and insult him. Needs a guard, else he will have to shoot some- body. Id., Ixxix. 28-9. 1834. Part of the colony here. This vol. p. 267. S. Luis to be a parish of the 2d class under the reglamento. Id., 384. 1835. Secularization in Oct. by Manuel Jimeno as comisionado, Santiago Moreno being at the same time appointed majordomo, or administrator. St. Pap., Miss., MS., ix. 14-15. 1836. Manuel Trujillo, administrator until Dec. 13th, when Moreno again takes charge (or perhaps Moreno had not accepted the appointment in 1833, Trujillo taking his place). Id., vii. 57, 61, 63. In Sept. the Ind. had trouble with Trujillo and several of them went to Monterey to lay their grievances before the govt in a long memorial written by P. Mercado at S. Antonio and signed by them with crosses on Oct. 5th. The document represented the neophytes as living in slavery, being grossly ill-treated, starved, and overworked, naming several instances where women had died for want of a little atole. Several Ind., however, came from S. Luis to tes- tify that the charges were false; and finally the complainants themselves testi- fied to the same effect. They said they had a very different complaint about some cattle, which the padre advised them to lay before the govt. P. Abella came with them to S. Antonio where P. Mercado wrote out their complaint, as they supposed, and obtained their signatures. They were much surprised to learn the nature of the document they had signed ! Carrillo (J.), Doc., MS., 33-6, 39-45 (including the original memorial); Dept. St. Pap., B. M., MS., lxxxii. 9-27. 1838. Moreno still in charge. Some of Castro's prisoners sent
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SAN MIGUEL.
horses showing an increase, and all the horses being stolen by New Mexican 'traders' in 1840. Most of the cattle however were wild, and only slight reliance was placed in agriculture. The inventory showed a valuation of about $70,000 in 1836, and $60,000 in 1839, after which there are indications that the loss was rapid. Secularization was effected in 1835 by Manuel Jimeno Casarin, whose successors as major- domos or administrators were Manuel Trujillo in 1835- 6, Santiago Moreno in 1836-9, Juan P. Ayala in 1839-40, and Vicente Cané from November 1840.
At San Miguel, the next mission proceeding north- ward, Padre Juan Cabot remained at his post until his departure from California in 1835, and his succes- sor Juan Moreno until after 1840. Padre Arroyo de la Cuesta, of San Luis, spent much of his time here in 1833-5, as did Padre Abella in 1839 40.10 Under
here. This vol., p. 555. June, P. Abella represents affairs as in a bad way; there are some gentiles that might be converted if there was any inducement in the shape of food and clothing. Guerra, Doc., MS., vii. 55. Oct. 5th, admin. complains of the insolence of the native alcaldes. Needs a guard. St. Pap., Mis., MS., ix. 74-5. Nov., complaints of robberies by Ind. and Eng- lishimen. Vallejo, Doc., MS., v. 220. 1839. Moreno is succeeded in May by Juan P. Ayala. St. Pap., Mis., MS., vii. 61; ix. 74-6; Dept. Rec., x. 10. A. was also encargado de justicia. Victor Linares was made majordomo under Ayala in May, but removed in Oct. by Hartnell's advice to save his salary of $20 and the cost of supporting his large fam. II. in July found the Ind. very content, but fearful of losing the rancho which Sra Filomena Pico de l'ombert had asked for. H. authorized the slaughter of 200 bulls for the purchase of clothing. Id., x. 8; Hartnell, Diario, MS., 4, 25, 33, 46. S. Luis was the southern boundary of the Ist district. This vol., p. 585. 1840. Ayala was succeeded by Vicente Cane in Nov. Dept. Rec., MS., xi. 46. Feb., 120 mares exchanged for 60 cattle. Vallejo, Doc., MS., ix. 50. Death of Angel Ramirez at S. Lnis. This vol., p. 587. April, stealing of 1,200 mis- sion horses by the C'hagnanosos. Vol., iv. p. 77. Nov. 19th, gov. to encar- gado; Ind. must prepare to unite with those of S. Miguel (?). Dept. Rec., MS., xi. 43. Sept. 11th, Hartnell's visit. He found the Ind. desirous of being left under the padre's care. Diario, MS., 93. Avila, Cosas de Cal., MS., 24- 5, says that under C'ané's care the mission went entirely to ruin. $6,000 was Douglas' estimate of exports from S. Luis and Purísima. Vol. iv. p. 80. In Mellus' Diary, MS., 6-7, is described a cave at the anchorage nsed by the dealers in hides and tallow.
10 Juan Cabot, a brother of Padre Pedro Cabot, was born at Buñola, Isl. of Mallorca, in June 1781, becoming a Franciscan at Palma in 1796, coming to Mexico in 1804 and to Cal. in 1805. Ile served at Purísima in 1805-6, at S. Miguel in 1807-19, at S. Francisco in 1819-20, at Soledad in 1821-4, and again at S. Miguel in 1824-35. Rated by his superiors as a zealons mission- ary of medium enpacity. Autobiog. Autog. de los Padres, MS., Sarria, Inf. de 1817, MS., 58-9; Payeras Iuf. 1820, MS., 133-4. Robinson, Life in C'al., 84, describes him as a tall, robust man with the rough frankness of a sailor, cele-
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LOCAL ANNALS OF MONTEREY DISTRICT.
the ministrations of these friars the neophyte popula- tion fell off from 684 to 599 in 1834, and to 350 or less in 1840. There was a gain in cattle and not a very marked loss in crops down to the date of secu- larization;11 but later the falling-off was much inore brated for his good humor and hospitality. Indeed he was known as 'el ma- rinero' in contrast with his dignified brother Pedro, 'el caballero.' In 1814 lie made a tour among the gentile tribes of the Tulares, and his narrative ap- pears in my list of authorities. He tried unsuccessfully to get a license to retire in 1819; in 1820-1 served as secretary to Prefect Payeras in his tour of inspection; and in 1826 declined to take the oath to republicanism. More fortunate than his brother, Fray Juan at last secured his passport. Dec. 20, 1834, Gov. Figueroa orders the payment of $400 to the friar, who after 30 years' service is about to return to his own country, proposing to embark on the California. Dept. St. Pap., B. M., MS., Ixxix. 52. He probably departed carly in 1835. According to an article in the S. F. Bulletin, April 25, 1864, Padre Cabot was heard of in Spain by Bishop Amat in 1856 and died a little later.
11 S. Miguel statistics of 1831-4. Decrease of pop. 684 to 599. Baptisms 152 (including 26 adults in 1834); largest no. 94 in 1834; smallest 12 in 1832. Deaths 233; largest no. 87 in 1834; smallest 32 in 1832. Increase in large stock 4,960 to 5,140; horses, etc. 1,120 to 920; sheep, etc., 7,506 to 5,931. Largest crop 2,044 bush. in 1832; smallest 1,087 bush. in 1831; average 1,638 bush., of which 715 bush. wheat, yield 6.4 fold; 480 barley, 11 fold; 168 maize, 32 fold; 37 beans, S fold; 135 miscell. grain, 21 fold.
Statistics of 1835-40. Inventory of March 20, 1837; main buildings of the mission cuadro $37,000; rancheria or Indians' houses, 74 rooms, of adobes and tile roofs, $3,000; goods in warehouse, implements, furniture, and mann- facturing outfit, $5,043; garden with 166 vines and fence, $584; ranchos, S. Simeon, Sta Rosa, Paso de Robles, and Asuncion, with buildings $10,211; vineyards of Aguage and Sta Isabel with 5,500 vines, $22,162; live-stock (in- cluding $2,400 in wild cattle at La Estrella) $20,782; crops growing $387; credits $906; total $82,806; debts $231. St. Pap., Miss., MS., viii. 24-6. Jan. 31, 1839, administrator's account for 1837-8; inventory on taking charge $79,268 (why not $82,806?), additions to goods in store $6,092, supplied to troops (?) $9,001, cellar $807, cattle $1,340, total charged $96,508; paid to employés, etc., $4,748, supplies to neophytes of home products $4,381, id. for- cign goods $2,030, house expenses $1,302, paid out for goods and produce $4,469, live-stock purchased $3,457, total credited $20,5SS; balance, or present valuation $75,919. As will be noticed this account is not wholly intelligible. By the end of June the valuation had been reduced to $74,763. Salary list; admin. $S00, clerk $240, two majordomos each $144, total $1,328; credits in Jan. $278; debts $947. Population in Jan. 525 at the mission and 75 absent. Id., 16-23. Ang. 1839, Hartnell's census and inventory. Pop. 361 souls; 900 cattle, 249 horses, 3,800 sheep, 28 mules, 52 asses, 46 goats, 44 swine, 700 fan. grain, etc. Ilartnel/, Diario, MS., 25; St. Pap., Miss., MS., viii. 15.
Statistics of 1797-1834. Total of baptisms 2,588, of which 1,285 Ind. adults, 1,277 Ind. children, 26 children de razon; annual average of Ind. 67. Total of deaths 2,038, of which 1,225 Ind. adults, 796 Ind. children, 6 and 11 de razon; annual average 53; average death rate 6.91 per cent of pop. Largest pop. 1,076 in 1814; sexes about equal to 1805, males in excess later; children about §. Largest no. of cattle 10,558 in 1822; horses 1,560 in 1822; mules 140 in 1817, sheep 14,000 in 1820; goats 66 in 1834; swine 245 in IS13; asses 59 in 1818; all kinds 24,393 animals in 1822. Total product of wheat 72,541 bush., yield 12 fold; barley 9,727 bush., 9 fold; maize 6,417 bush., 68 fold; beans 616 bush., 7 fold; miscell. grains 1,344 bush., 15 fold.
Summary of events etc. 1831. Status under Echeandía's decree, José
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SAN MIGUEL.
rapid. The mission was secularized in 1836 by Ig- nacio Coronel; and Inocente García was the adminis- trator in 1837-40. The inventory of transfer showed a valuation, not including church property, of $82,000, which in the middle of 1839 had been reduced to $75,000. There were several ranchos with buildings, and two large vineyards, none of the lands being granted to private ownership during the decade. The
Castro being appointed comisionado, and the Ind. manifesting a preference for the old system. Nothing done. This vol., p. 306-8. 1833. Jan., P. Cabot to gov., announcing election of native alcaldes and regidores. Gomez, Doc., MS., 22. Feb., a large quantity of growing wheat destroyed by flood. Vallejo, Doc., MS., xxxi. 4. Mrs Ord, Occurrencias, MS., 69, visiting the mission this year noted the prevalent prosperity and the large amount of property, there being a notable change for the worse at her next visit two years later. Lat. and long. as taken by Douglas. This vol., p. 404. 1836. June 30th, secularization considered in the diputacion. Leg. Rec., MS., iii. 23. July 14th, Ignacio Coronel put in charge, probably as comisionado, at $600 salary. Cor- onel, Doc., MS., 189. Sept. 30th, P. Moreno writes that on the coming of the admin. all property was distributed among the Ind. except the grain, and of that they carried off more than half. Guerra, Doc., MS., vii. 4. Oct. 16th, P. Abella writes that P. Moreno refuses, very properly, to render accounts; and the govt seems disposed to bother the padres in every possible way. Car- rillo (J.), Doc., MS., 37. 1837. Inocente García takes possession as adminis- trator by inventory. March 30th, Mariano Bonilla served as his clerk. Gar- cía, Hechos, MS., 73-4, relates that on one occasion a party of men under Isaac Graham forced the doors of the monjería, after which G. abolished the institution, leaving each family to care for their women. G. says he raised large crops until he found it was of no use, as there was no market and there was more food than the Ind. could cat. He gives many details in a confused way about S. Miguel affairs. The Ind. were addicted to theft and could not be controlled. Hechos, 57 et seq. 1838. P. Moreno complains bitterly of his poverty and the disappearance of the mission property. Guerra, Doc., MIS., viii. 2-3. 1839. Garcia still admin., but Bonilla acting in June-July. Mon- terey, Arch., MS., ix. 12; St. Pap., Miss., MS., x. 18. Hartnell's visit was carly in Aug. His reports do not indicate a bad state of affairs, though there was a dispute pending about some blankets which the Ind. claimed not to have been distributed; and at their request he dismissed the majordomo at S. Simeon, Manuel Ortega. The Ind. wished to have no administrator and to be left with the padre-anything for a change. They were also afraid of losing their lands at S. Simcon, Asuncion, Paso de Robles, and Sta Rosa; but they were willing to spare La Estrella, Cholam, Gueguero, and Canamo. Orders were given to investigate the case of men said to be 'euercando' or killing cattle for their hides on the mission lands; also permission for P. Mo- reno to cultivate the Huerta de Asuncion on his own account. In Nov. there were complaints from the admin. that the Ind. were running away, and from the padres that Garcia was not obeying the visitador's instructions, flogging the Ind. excessively, and otherwise interfering with the padre's prerogatives. Hartnell, Diario, MS., 25-7, 34, 47-8, 83-4. Ang., a majordomo poisoned by two Ind., who were arrested for the murder. St. Pap., Miss., MS., x. 18. Hartnell's instructions for the administrator, including repairs, con- centration of industries, payment of debts, etc. Id., viii. 17-20. 1840. No record. Hartnell was here in Sept. but says nothing of mission affairs. Di- ario, MS., 93.
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LOCAL ANNALS OF MONTEREY DISTRICT.
Indians lived at the ranchos as well as at the mission proper, and were somewhat unmanageable at times, on account of their intimate relations with the Tula- reño gentiles; yet though the padre complained of poverty and mismanagement, the absolute ruin of the establishment does not appear to have begun until after 1840.
Padre Pedro Cabot remained at San Antonio until 1834, and Padre Jesus María Vasquez del Mercado, one of the newly arrived Zacatecanos, succeeding Cabot in that year, remained till 1839, to be suc- ceeded in his turn by Padre José de Jesus Maria Gutierrez. Down to 1834 the neophyte population was reduced by deaths from 681 to 567; and five years later Visitador Hartnell found 270 living at the mission and its adjoining ranchos, though as the number was reported as 520 in the same year, it is likely that in 1840, there were 500 Indians connected with the establishment, half of the number being scat- tered at some distance.12 Live-stock decreased about
12 S. Antonio statistics 1831-4. Decrease in pop. 681 to 567. Baptisms 51; 17 in 1832, 9 in 1834. Deaths 184; 53 in 1833, 38 in 1832. Loss in large stock 5,000 to 2,540, horses and mules 1,000 to 540; gain in sheep 10,000 to 11,000. Largest crop 2,718 bush. in 1832; smallest 2,100 bush. in 1833; aver- age 2,448 bush., of which 1,527 wheat, yield 10 fold; 555 barley, 15 fold; 168 maize, 50 fold; 36 beans, 19 fold; 159 miscel. grains, 38 fold.
Statistics of 1835-40. Sept. 10, 1835. Inventory of produce, implements, furniture, and goods, $7,883. St. Pap., Miss., MS., vi. 16. April 27, 1835 (1833?). Inventory; credits (?) $18,642, buildings $11,197, vineyards, imple- ments, furniture, and goods in store $22,671, ranchos (S. Carpóforo ?, S. Bar- tolomé or Pleito, Tule, S. Lúcas, S. Benito, S. Bernabé, S. Miguelito, Ojitos, S. Timoteo, and S. Lorenzo) $32,834, live-stock $1,000; total $93,122, bc- sides church property $7,617; but there should be deducted $16, SS3 for prop- certy distributed among the Ind. St. Pap., Miss., v. 51-3. May 3, 1835, a minute and descriptive inventory of church property, total value $7,617. Pico, Pap. Mis., MS., 17-25. Inventories of Sept. 7, 1836, deducting debts, $35,703; Dec. 30, 1836, $36,355; Sept. 1, 1837, $37,639, and without date $33,399 (apparently none of these including lands or buildings). St. Pap. Miss., MS., viii. 27-29. General accounts, not intelligible, Sept. 10, 1835, on delivery to Ramirez, debit $15,587; credit $15,098, balance $489. Dec. 31, 1836, Andrade to Abrego, dr. $35,703; er. $38, 892; gain $3,188. Sept. 1, 1837, Abrego to Villavicencio, dr. $36,121; er. $41,477; gain $5,356. Id., 33-0. 1839. Feb., salaries, $500 to padre, $500 to admin., and $180 cach to two majordomos. Id., 37. Pop. in Jan. acc. to Pico's report 520, inelnding 53 absent. Id., 36. Pico's accounts of Oct. 1838 to April 1840 show an excess of expenditures over receipts of $500. Id., 33-7. Aug. 6, 1839. Hartnell's census and inventory; pop. 270; 1,462 cattle, 306 horses, 2,612 sheep, 15 mules, 9 swine; 130 hides, 240 fan. grain, 114 arr. tallow, 10 arr. lard, 100
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SAN ANTONIO.
50 per cent before 1834, except sheep, in which there was a small gain; but by the end of the decade cattle and horses had lost another 50 per cent, and sheep
arr. wool; crops in good condition. Hartnell, Diario, MS., 27; St. Pap. Miss., MS., viii. 30. Debts $499, including those to Jose M. Aguila, clerk, and Manuel Lopez, ex-llavero. Pico, Pap. Mis., MS., 47-51.
Statistics of 1771-1834. Total of baptisms 4,456, of which 1,761 Ind. adults, 2,587 Ind. children, 1 and 107 gente de razon; annual average GS. Total of deaths 3,772, of which 2,000 Ind. adults, 1,763 Ind. children, 5 and 4 gente de razon; annual average 58; average death rate 7.66 per cent of pop. Largest pop. 1,296 in 1803; males always in excess of females, notably so after 1805; children } to , and in the last years §. Largest no. of cattle 8, 000 in 1828; horses 1,030 in 1831; mules 82 in 1832; sheep 11,500 in 1816; goats 293 in 1790; swine 150 in 1817; all kinds 20,118 in 1318. Total product of wheat 99,713 bush., yield 10 fold; barley 12,097 bush., 11 fold; maize 19,- 591 bush., S5 fold; beans 2,514 bush., 15 fold; miscel. grains 4,500 bush., 21 fold.
Summary of events, etc. 1831. Status under Echeandia's decree, never put in execution, Antonio Castro being appointed comisionado. This vol., p. 306-7. 1833. Duran favors partial secularization. Id., 335. Lat. and long. by Douglas. Id., p. 404. 1834. Rumors of colony plots. Id., 281. S. Antonio to be a parish of the 2d class under the reglamento. Id., 318. 1835. Secularization by Manuel Crespo as comisionado in June, with Mariano So- beranes as majordomo till Sept., when he turned over the estate to José M. Ramirez, R.'s appointment being on Aug. 16th. Id., 353-4; St. Pap. Miss., MS., vi. 16; xi. 30-3; Leg. Rec., MS., iii. 4, 8, 9. Florencio Serrano was employed as teacher. June 22d, P. Mercado complains that all his efforts for the good of the Ind. are rendered futile by the persons in authority, who commit adultery openly and other excesses. The gov. orders an investiga- tion. St. Pap. Miss., MS., xi. 32-7. Aug. 12th, the debt of P. Pedro Cabot to the mission, SSO8, was annulled on account of his poverty. l'allejo, Doc., MS., iii. 48-9. Ramirez declares that on his taking charge there was no money, no cloth, no table furniture; the shops closed, only a few poor and dying horses, very little other live-stock; the year's yield of hides and tallow estimated at $1,500; and expenses over $2,500. Dept. St. Pap., B. M., Ixxxi. 73-4. Dec. 28th, P. Mercado writes to the gov. on the unjust and even in- human treatment of the Ind., who are beaten and starved in defiance of the laws under Ramirez' management. He also claims that their spiritual inter- ests are neglected, because the admin. will not provide horses for the padre, and the Ind. are allowed to live at S. Lorenzo and other distant points; more- over he cannot collect his pay as minister. Id., 57; Leg. Rec., MS., iii. 3-6. Dec. 31st, Mercado's report to same general effect; heathenism gaining on christianity; Ind. naked and starving, and two thirds of them absent in quest of food not to be had at the mission. S. Antonio, Doc. Sueltos, MS., 120-1. 1836. Ramirez succeeded by José María Andrade on Sept. 7th, and the latter by Jose Abrego on Dec. 30th. St. Pap. Miss., MS., viii. 27, 29, 38. P. Mercado continued his charges of mismanagement and cruelty against Rami- rez, declaring that the Ind. had passed from their former condition of minors under guardianship to that of slaves under inhuman and irresponsible mas- ters. IIe cited several instances of excessive punishment. In March an in- vestigation was ordered by the gov., Jose M. Cosio being tho fiscal. Many witnesses were examined, including Mercado, Ramirez, and several neophytes. The testimony indicates that the padre, angry because the admin. could not pay him all his salary, had greatly exaggerated his charges of cruelty; and that Ramirez, a comparatively efficient manager, had resorted to the lash in accordance with Figueroa's regulations, as the only means of controlling the vicious and lazy Ind., whose complaints it suited the padre's purposes to en-
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LOCAL ANNALS OF MONTEREY DISTRICT.
about 80 per cent. Evidently there were but slight traces of former prosperity; and matters were not mended by the interference of a quarrelsome friar and frequent changes in the administration. Manuel Crespo was the comisionado for secularization in 1835, and the successive administrators were Mariano Sobe- ranes, José M. Ramirez, José M. Andrade, José Ábrego, José M. Villavicencio, and Jesus Pico ad int. Padre Mercado was loud and constant in his com- plaints and charges, especially against Ramirez, who was exonerated after a formal investigation; and the Indians were always discontented and unmanageable.
The venerable friar and ex-prefect Vicente Fran- cisco Sarría died at Soledad in 1835; 13 and from that
courage. The result was the acquittal of Ramirez, with an earnest admoni- tion to him and Mercado to work harmoniously for the good of the mission. Dept. St. Pap., B. M., MS., Ixxxi. 33, 48-78; Leg. Rec., MS., ii. 7-12. Yct, as we have seen, a change of administrators was made in Sept. with a view to promote harmony. 1837. Abrego was replaced by José M. Villavicencio on Sept. Ist. St. Pap. Miss., MS., viii. 29. García, Hechos, MS., 72-3, relates that the Ind. rose against Abrego, accusing him of sending off hides and tal- low, and giving them nothing. Abrego was besieged in his house, but re- leased by Garcia who came from S. Miguel with 30 men. There is nothing in the records about this affair; nor are there any of P. Mercado's complaints ex- tant for this year. 1838. Villavicencio was succeeded on Oct. 15th by Jesus Pico, with Jose M. Aguilar as clerk. St. Pap. Miss., MS., viii. 30-1; Pico, Pap., Mix., MS., 48. 1839. Pico, Acont., MS., 53-4, says he merely acted ad int. during the absence of Capt. Villavicencio in the south. He says the padre was arrogant and himself quick-tempered, and they quarrelled at first; but soon became friends and associates in cock-fighting and gambling. April- May, P. Mercado and Angel Ramirez arrested for plots against the govt. This vol., p. 586-7. Ang. 6th-7th. Hartnell found the mission accounts in a sad state of confusion, and the Ind. much discontented, complaining of harsh treat- ment, and that of all the produce sent away and the effects received they get nothing but threats and blows. They wished to live without any admin., and were very bitter against the incumbent. (Pico or Villavicencio? H. also names José Ant. Rodriguez as the man who gave up the administration to the incumbent.) Diego Felix was majordomo, and he made charges against the administrator. The Ind. also complainec. of a bad man de razon living at S. Bernabé, who had given venereal disease to many of the mission women. Hartnell's instructions required the admin. to expel all gente de razon not employed by the mission, and to seek a new majordomo with a smaller family. Hartnell, Diario, MS., 27-8, 34, 47-8, 51, 84; St. Pap., Miss., MS., viii. 31-2. 1840. Vicente Moraga seems to have succeeded Pico in the temporary management under Villavicencio, who on June 20th orders M. not to deliver the property to Hartnell when he comes. He proposes to give up nothing till his own claims are paid. If his (V.'s) wife needs anything, she is to have it, if the inission has to be sold to pay for it ! Guerra, Doc., MS., ii. 192-3; Vallejo, Doc., MS., xxxiii. SI. There is no record of the result. Ang. 5th, P. Gutierrez writes to Hartnell that the mission is advancing every day toward complete destruction. Id., ix. 214.
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