Page:History of California, Volume 3 (Bancroft).djvu/504

456 said authorities were loyal! Finally the comandante ought to assemble his officers in a council of war to put on record their patriotic purposes. Thus might they hope to escape the terrible consequences of revolt against Mexico.

The licenciado's letters had a semi-official character, as his communication to Carrillo had been written in his capacity of legal adviser of the comandancia, and the other two as district judge of California under the overthrown administration. From on board the Leonidas at San Diego, Don Luis in December directed to the ayuntamiento of Los Angeles a long exposition on the state of affairs. I regret that I have not space to reproduce it nearly in full, for a résumé does it no justice; but I present a few quotations in a note.Castillo Negrete, Exposicion que dirige el Juez de Distrito al Ayuntamiento de Los Angeles sobre el Plan revolucionario de Monterey, Dec. 1836, MS. The day is left blank, but was probably Dec. 5th or 6th. 'A power usurpatory of our rights, disturber of our repose, pretends to take from us at the same time order and liberty ... California's first necessity is to reëstablish a legitimate government ... Californian inexperience may be the victim of revolutionists, who, seducing some incautious ones and favored by foreign smugglers, have set up in Monterey the throne of anarchy, and fixed the focus of a faction which is moved by unnatural men, without God, law, or country, and headed by four hallucinated deputies without skill or foresight, as blind instruments of the former ... American adventurers and corrupt citizens found their hopes on public calamity, on the ruin of the national treasury, on the protection of smuggling, and on the squandering of mission property ... Four ill-advised diputados, abusing the name of diputacion, without powers, mission, or faculties, without having consulted public opinion, constitute themselves sovereigns and arrogate to themselves perpetually all legislative, executive, and judicial powers ... It is not our duty to obey a diputacion not legally convoked.' (Yet there is no evidence that the dip. convoked by Chico had ever been permaniently adjourned.) ... 'They are perjurers, breaking the oaths they took before God and men; traitors to the country, having forgotten the holy principle "against the country there is no right." ... The so-called congreso constituyente merely follows the inspirations of a frantic philosopher, an old revolutionist, and a vicious foreign smuggler ... The universal and urgent interest of the territory is to preserve peace, prevent the shedding of blood, and protect life and property, being ruled by our respective ayunt. until the laws are again enforced ... Let us check that faction which seeks to rule us without our consent, else the country will be covered with laws, the legislators will be loaded with salaries and privileges. With republican phrases they will sow discord, plunder the treasury, and attack private