Page:History of California, Volume 3 (Bancroft).djvu/304

286 Antonio Apalátegui, who may have had a personal grievance against Figueroa, was the active instigator, though hardly more prominent than Gallardo; that Torres probably encouraged the plot, though acting with much caution and secrecy; and finally that there is no evidence to connect either the colony or its directors with the movement in any way. There is room, however, for a plausible conjecture that Torres, in behalf of himself and his associates, was disposed to test by experiment the strength of Figueroa's popularity in the south.

Figueroa was at San Juan Bautista on March 13th when he heard of the affair at Los Angeles. His theory was that that revolt was part of a deliberate plan on the part of Padrés and Híjar to overthrow him and seize the mission property. That same day, in addition to the despatches which he sent south, as already noticed, he sent to Híjar an order suspending him and Padrés from their positions as directors, directing them to give up all arms and munitions to Vallejo, and to start at once for Mexico to answer before the supreme government for their conduct in California. At the same time he ordered Vallejo at Solano to receive the surrender of Híjar and Padrés, to seize all the arms and ammunition in possession of the colonists, to arrest Francisco Verduzco and Romualdo Lara, and to embark all on board the Rosa, a Sardinian bark then in the port of San Francisco, to the captain of which vessel the corresponding instructions, or request rather, were forwarded at the same