Page:History of California, Volume 3 (Bancroft).djvu/592

574 blame can be attached to General Vallejo for his course in this matter; but he was unfortunate in his choice of a time for proposing his plan, and was over-credulous in listening to the special pleading of Don José Antonio.

The California had been expected to follow the Catalina in a few weeks at most; troubles with France and other obstacles, however, caused Castillero's departure from Mexico to be delayed from July to September. On November 15th, the schooner anchored at Santa Bárbara, and Captain Castillero, now comisionado of the supreme government, landing in bad health, sent communications to Alvarado, who was absent, and to Vallejo at Sonoma. These communications informed the governor and general that by virtue of documents brought by the writer in his official capacity they would be able to retain their positions, that the California had also brought arms and other war-stores, and that a personal conference was necessary at the earliest opportunity.

The most important of the documents brought from Mexico by Castillero were as follows, in the order of their respective dates: a decree of June 30th dividing the republic into twenty-four departments, one of them the Californias, with capitals as before; a commission as captain of the presidial company of San Francisco for Lieutenant Guadalupe Vallejo; an expression of thanks for the gift of the California from the departmental to the national government;