Long before the arrival of the squadron in La Paz, the natives of Lower
California had been awaiting with the extremest solicitude the
negociations prior to the final ratification of peace. The treaty
arrived--their anxiety and doubts were soon over. They learned with
amazement, that notwithstanding the positive assurances held out by the
United States Government, that "the flag of the United States would for
ever wave, and be unalterably planted over the Californias," and that
under no possible contingency could the U. S. ever give up or abandon
the possession of the Californias, as conveyed through the official
proclamations of the Naval Commanders on the coast, they had been duped,
with these texts for their support--to defend our citizens and to fight
under our colors, at the loss of standing, property, and life itself,
and afterwards were to be taught a commentary upon the good faith of our
Government. In the Treaty of Peace, Lower California was not alluded to,
nor even protection of the Peninsula glanced at. Thus they reaped the
fruits of their too easy credulity, and were about to pay the penalty in
again becoming shuffled off to Mexican authority, and suffer the endless
private and political persecutions attending their apostacy from the
parent stock.
It was assuredly a hard case--for our Government had been solely to
blame. Instead of leaving the Peninsula in a state of neutrality, as it
was, in effect, so far removed from the mother country as to be thought
unworthy of notice, we busied ourselves fomenting disturbances and
planting military posts until the major part of the respectable
inhabitants of the territory became compromised, by espousing our
quarrel.
All were eager to leave for the upper territory, but an entire
emigration was out of the question. Many of the poorer classes, with
numerous families, could not forsake their land, or little property,
without any certain means for future subsistence; but those who could
leave were quickly preparing to avail themselves of the opportunities
afforded by our ships of war and transports for a new and distant home.
We remained nearly a month at La Paz. The only incidents worth noticing
had been the trivial affair of a volunteer on shore very coolly shooting
his wife to death; and a piece of Sam Patchism of one of the ship's
boys, who, while climbing up the fore royal-mast head, and within grasp
of the truck, became exhausted and fell, pitching heels over head
through the air, tossing from brace to brace, until he finally struck
the awning, bounded up, and fell again motionless--the stout canvas of
the main deck awning having saved him. I was an eye witness to this
performance; the next day he was again on his feet, mischievous as ever;
but a plunge of near two hundred feet, without serious injury, would not
be generally credited.
One morning, the boatswains whistled, the cables rattled, ship unmoored,
sails spread; and as we slowly took the direction of the sea, and left
the "Ohio" astern, down came, for the third time, our red pennant and up
went the blue. We had bid adieu to Commodores, squadrons, and signals,
and were henceforth to cruize in a little fleet of our own.
We were bound on a flying visit to Mazatlan, and, after a tedious
passage, on the fifth day, Cresten reared his castor above the sea, and
the white town and red mountains of the interior became again visible.
The hills and plains were looking fresh and green from recent rains, but
the town was nearly deserted, and not a vestige of life or bustle was to
be seen.
Negrete with his officials were no sooner warm in their nests, when one
Palacios collected a number of discontented followers, entered the city,
occupied the Cuartel, and summarily ejected Anaya's friends. They
declared a more liberal policy than the government party, abolished the
alcobola, reduced duties, and agitated a measure of forming Cinaloa as
part of a Republic, in conjunction with the States of Jalisco and
Sonora. These fragile schemes did not meet the sanction of the
reflecting portion of the community, and the foreign merchants were
particularly disgusted, fearing, as usual during these pronunciamentos,
some forcible extortion from the Palacios, upon refusing to advance
money.
Anaya himself, with a small force, and means insufficient to put down
the opposing faction, occupied the Presidio. Our old friends welcomed us
kindly, and many believed we had returned to re-occupy the town; and
even though the different consuls and foreign residents tried their
utmost to detain us, it was unavailing, and the day succeeding our
arrival the canvas overshadowed the frigate, and we said adieu, for the
last time, to Mazatlan.