Page:Dawn and the Dons.pdf/250

DAWN AND THE DONS 96 228 When “the gringo came” Monterey was not only California’s chief city and the provincial seat of government, but it was also the social center of a ceremonious and pleasure loving people. Through nearly a century of time she had, in her isolation, developed those customs, manners and habits, and those delightful outdoor pleasures, that had become a very part of her life and being. When the great epochal change came in 1849, Monterey was shunted to one side. The flood of stirring events that followed the momentous migratory movement inaugurated in that year did not reach the “Old Pacific Capital.” The swirl and eddy of feverish activity that

fashioned the history of that eventful time left Monterey in the calm waters beyond the compass of the whirlpool’s mighty sweep.

Rarely has history disclosed a succession of events that marched with such unerring precision to such a happy destination. International rivalry gave birth to Vizcaino’s history making voyage and sent Portola to