Page:History of California, Volume 3 (Bancroft).djvu/617

Rh, who was perhaps absent – and such an interview was held on October 30th. Doubtless the comandante was independent and dictatorial in manner, and Jimeno stubborn rather than conciliatory. Next day the former wrote a letter, stating that the conference had ended without results; that he had been able to get no satisfaction for Alvarado's interference in military affairs; and that not the slightest attention had been paid to his pleas for reforms in financial and commercial management. He would therefore go home to attend to his duties as best he could without support, and to hope that the 'ruler of nations' might save California from the impending ruin. He soon resolved, however, to go to the national capital to lay before the president in person California's needs — a project he had had in mind for some months, but which, after ordering all officers to vote for a comandante to serve during his absence, he abandoned before December, and decided to send Captain Castañeda instead as his comisionado. The captain, after some trouble in raising funds for his journey, sailed from San Diego late in December. Later there came from Mexico a denial of Vallejo's request for leave of absence.