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By the end of the first decade of the nineteenth century, revolution was sweeping like a forest fire through all Spain’s colonies in the New World, save only California. In a vague way, this northernmost province of the crown of Castile knew of the blaze of insurgency, yet of its volume and intensity the Californians had but meager information. Happy and contented, they gave small heed to the hints of revolt that, from time to time, drifted into their fair Arcadia, and California remained calm, and continued unswervingly loyal to the Spanish throne.

For nearly three centuries, Spain had ruled all of south America except Brazil, and all that part of North America stretching from the Isthmus of Panama to the Rio Grande, including also what are now the states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Before the close of the eighteenth century, the South American colonies had begun to exhibit signs of restlessness, and mildly to resent the withholding of colonial administration from those born in the colony, notwithstanding they might be of pure Spanish descent.

This local spirit was quickened by the action of the great Napoleon in 1808, when he deposed Ferdinand VII,