Page:History of California, Volume 3 (Bancroft).djvu/443

Rh out by incompetent men, the destruction of property by the padres, the insubordination of the neophytes, and the new complications introduced by the national decree of November 7th, he saw no way of advance or retreat by which to save the missions from total ruin, but would do his best, and would thankfully receive suggestions. Finally he asked indulgence for his errors, in consideration of his zeal for the country's well-being. This discourse, if it displays no extraordinary wisdom on the part of the speaker, shows nothing of weakness, petulance, arrogance, or strong political prejudice, nor does it contain anything specially apt to displease the Californians.

According to the new bases, the republic was to be divided into departments, each ruled by a governor and a junta departamental; and though additional legislation was required to create the departments, and though in reality no change had as yet been legally made in the old names so far as California was concerned, yet the old diputacion was now called a junta departamental, and Chico, in his discourse, even spoke of California as a department. At an election held at Monterey on the 25th — for what reason or by what authority I do not know — four new members were chosen to complete the junta, and one of them tried to avoid serving on the plea that according to a Mexican law the body should have but five members; but Chico decided that there was no new law affecting the number or attributes of the vocales in a territory, and that only the name could properly be considered as changed. The sessions opened, as I have stated, on May 28th with a speech from Chico. He made another speech on June 1st, in advocacy of his proposition to send an agent to represent the interests of California in Mexico, in addition to the diputado in congress. The plan was favorably