Page:History of California, Volume 3 (Bancroft).djvu/438

420 the decadence of the missions under the reglamento of secularization, the decline of agriculture and trade, and the lack of tribunals of justice, proposing as a remedy the calling for a general assembly of military, civil, and missionary representatives, which body should proceed to reorganize the military, industrial, financial, and judicial system of California without awaiting approval from Mexico. On April 14th an extra session of the ayuntamiento was held, at which the news from Los Angeles was received and considered, together with the current rumors of trouble nearer home. It was decided to send the governor a record of the meeting, with an assurance of San Diego's loyalty, the rumors being groundless. They also forwarded the citizens' memorial. April 23d, Gutierrez replied, accepting in good faith and with gratitude the assurance of San Diegan patriotism, but declaring that the formation of the proposed assembly could not be carried out consistently with fidelity to the national government. There is no evidence that the occurrences at either Los Angeles or San Diego had any political or revolutionary meaning whatever, or that Gutierrez regarded them as having any such meaning.

But a new ruler was en route for California, sent to rule that country in accordance with the bases of October 1835, which overthrew the federal constitution and system of 1824, but which provided for no very radical immediate changes in the territory. The president's choice fell upon Colonel Mariano Chico, a member of congress at the time from Guanajuato, who