Page:History of California, Volume 3 (Bancroft).djvu/316

298 shall have occasion to speak frequently of Figueroa, though in this I leave him in his tomb.

In May 1835 the gefe político had notified the supreme government that he should be obliged to surrender the office temporarily to the senior vocal of the diputacion and seek relief for his illness away from the capital. He then intended to make the change in June, but did not do so until after the diputacion had assembled. On August 29th he issued an order to José Castro as senior vocal to assume the office as acting gefe político during his necessary absence. Corresponding circular orders were sent the same day to the different alcaldes. It is not known what part of the time in September Figueroa was absent from Monterey, nor what duties if any José Castro performed as acting gefe in that month. He doubtless presided at several sessions of the diputacion at any rate. Just before his death, however, in accordance with the national law of May 6, 1822, and with the strong popular feeling in favor of a separation of the commands, Figueroa disposed that Castro should succeed him as gefe político ad interim, while Lieutenant-colonel Nicolás Gutierrez, as the ranking officer in California, was to assume the position of comandante general. Gutierrez had been summoned to the capital by letter of September 22d, and arrived a few days after Figueroa's death. After urging various excuses – ill health, want of ability, aversion from stepping into