Page:History of California (Bancroft) volume 6.djvu/77



could be  kept  to  service,  the  wheels  of  progress  here must rest  a  while.

So also  came  to  an  end  for  a  time  the  sittings  of the  town  council,  and  the  services  of  the  sanctuary, all having  gone  after  other  gods. All through  the Sundays the  little  church  on  the  plaza  was  silent,  and all through  the  week  days  the  door  of  Alcalde  Towns- end's office  remained  locked. As for  the  shipping,  it was  left  to  the  anchor,  even  this  dull  metal  some- times being inconstant. The sailors  departing,  cap- tain and officers  could  only  follow  their  example. One commander, on  observing  the  drift  of  affairs,  gave promptly the  order  to  put  to  sea. The crew  refused to work,  and  that  night  gagged  the  watch,  lowered the boat,  and  rowed  away. In another  instance  the watch joined  in  absconding. Not long  afterward  a Peruvian  brig  entered  the  bay,  the  first  within  three weeks. The houses  were  there,  but  no  one  came  out to welcome  it. At length,  hailing  a  Mexican  who was passing,  the  captain  learned  that  everybody  had gone northward,  where  the  valleys  and  mountains were of  gold. On the  instant  the  crew  were  off.^

'*So mn  these  stories. Ferry, Cal.,  306-13. The captain  who  sought  to pat  to  sea  comTnanded  the  Flora,  according  to  a  letter  in  June  of  a  merchant. JiobinsoH'9 Oold  Beyiona,  29-30;  Bevere'a  Tour  of  Duty,  254. One of  the  first vessels to  be  deserted  was  a  ship  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Ck)mpany  lying  at anchor  in  the  bay;  the  sailors  departing,  the  caotain  followed  them,  leaving the  vessel  in  charge  of  his  wife  and  daughter.  McKinstry,  in  the  Lancanter Examiner,  Loud  complaints  appear  in  the  Cnl^fomian,  Sept.  5,  1848;  every ship  loses  most  of  her  crew  within  forty -eight  hours  after  arrival.  See  Brachttt, U,  8,  Cavalry,  125-7.  The  first  steamship,  the  California,  arriving  Feb.  28, 1840,  was  immediately  deserted  by  her  crew;  Forbes  asked  Joues  of  the  U.  S. squadron  for  men  to  take  charge  of  the  ship,  but  the  poor  commodore  had none.  Cro8by*8  SUU,,  MS.,  12;  AnnaUS,  F.,  220;  First  Steamship  Pioneers, 124.  To  prevent  desertion,  the  plan  was  tried  of  giving  sailors  two  months' furlough;  whereby  some  few  returned,  but  most  of  them  preferred  liberty, wealth, and  dissipation  to  the  tyranny  of  service. Swanks Trip  to  the  OM Mines,  in  C(U,  Pioneers,  MS.,  no.  49.  Some  Mexixams  arriving,  and  finding the  town  depopulated  of  its  natural  defenders,  broke  into  vacant  houses  auu took  what  they  would.  The  Di(j(jer*s  Iland-Book,  63.  See  also  the  Cali/or- ftian,  Aug.  4, 1848;  George  McKinstry,  in  Lancaster  Examiner ;St(M:kton  J nd., Oct 19,  1875;  Barstow^s Stat.^  MS.,  3-4;  Sac,  111.,  7;  Forbes'  Gold  Betjion, 17-18; TuthilCsCal,  235-44;  Three  Weeks  in  Oold  MineM,  4;  Canon's  Early Bee., 8-4;  Lants,  Kal,,  24-31;  Hayes*  Col. Cal. Notes, v.  85;  Berue  des  Deux Mondes, Feb. 1, 1849,  469;  Quarterly  Beview,  no.  91,  1852,608;  nUi^Ws  Min- ing, 17; Brooks*  Four  Months,  18;  Overland  Monthly,  xi. 12-13; Byan's  Judget and Crim,^  72-7;  Am,  Quat,  Beg.,  ii. 288-95, giving  the  rejK>rts  of  Larkin,