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RULE AND OVERTHROW OF VICTORIA.

failure to obtain relief from Mexico. Under other circumstances, Victoria might have been an excellent ruler for California.

Thus far San Francisco in the extreme north had been the centre of opposition to Victoria, but the final revolt broke out in the extreme south at San Diego.^[1] Some prominent men of the north are of opinion that the abajeños should not have all the glory, but I fear there is hardly enough of it to bear division. José Antonio Carrillo, supposed to be in exile on the frontier, but who came secretly to the vicinity of San Diego in November, was the real instigator of the revolt, seconded by Abel Stearns, another exile; but the active and ostensible leaders were Juan Bandini, diputado suplente to congress and sub-comisario of hacienda, and Pio Pico, senior vocal of the diputacion. Bandini in his history gives but a general account of the affair, but Pico enters into some detail, both of the actual revolt and of preliminary movements.^[2] After ten or twelve days of preparatory plotting, Pico, Bandini, and Carrillo, on November 29th, drew up and signed a formal pronunciamiento, and that evening

↑ Vallejo, Hist. Cal., MS., ii. 142-7, and Alvarado, Hist. Cal., MS., ii. 172-3, state that the former, a member of the diputacion, was urged in letters from leading men in the south to take the initiative in a revolution to overthrow the tyrant. Vallejo went to Monterey to consult with the other northern vocales, but found them timid about resorting to rebellion. On his way back to S. F. he met V. at Sta Clara, and was offered by him all kinds of official favors if he would abandon the party of Padrés. This was just before the exile of the latter, and V. had received alarming news of growing uneasiness in the south.
↑ Bandini, Hist. Cal., MS., 73-5; Pico, Hist. Cal., MS., 24-34. Pico says that in the middle of Nov. his brother-in-law, José J. Ortega, came down from Monterey with news that V. was preparing to come south, and that he intended to hang Pico and Bandini for their efforts in behalf of the diputacion. He at once sent for J. A. Carrillo — also his brother-in-law — who came to his rancho of Jamul; both came to S. Diego in the night and had an interview with Bandini, and the three resolved on a pronunciamiento as the only means of thwarting V.'s plans. It took about two weeks to perfect their plans and to learn what men could be relied on. During this time Pico and Juan Lopez made visits to Los Angeles to enlist the Angelinos in the cause. They found that Alcalde Sanchez had about 70 (some others say 30 or 40) of the citizens in jail; but Ávila and other leaders disapproved of any rising until V. should have passed Angeles, when they would attack him in the rear, and the Dieguinos in front. Finally they heard from Stearns a confirmation of V.'s schemes as before reported.

[1] Vallejo, Hist. Cal., MS., ii. 142-7, and Alvarado, Hist. Cal., MS., ii. 172-3, state that the former, a member of the diputacion, was urged in letters from leading men in the south to take the initiative in a revolution to overthrow the tyrant. Vallejo went to Monterey to consult with the other northern vocales, but found them timid about resorting to rebellion. On his way back to S. F. he met V. at Sta Clara, and was offered by him all kinds of official favors if he would abandon the party of Padrés. This was just before the exile of the latter, and V. had received alarming news of growing uneasiness in the south.

[2] Bandini, Hist. Cal., MS., 73-5; Pico, Hist. Cal., MS., 24-34. Pico says that in the middle of Nov. his brother-in-law, José J. Ortega, came down from Monterey with news that V. was preparing to come south, and that he intended to hang Pico and Bandini for their efforts in behalf of the diputacion. He at once sent for J. A. Carrillo — also his brother-in-law — who came to his rancho of Jamul; both came to S. Diego in the night and had an interview with Bandini, and the three resolved on a pronunciamiento as the only means of thwarting V.'s plans. It took about two weeks to perfect their plans and to learn what men could be relied on. During this time Pico and Juan Lopez made visits to Los Angeles to enlist the Angelinos in the cause. They found that Alcalde Sanchez had about 70 (some others say 30 or 40) of the citizens in jail; but Ávila and other leaders disapproved of any rising until V. should have passed Angeles, when they would attack him in the rear, and the Dieguinos in front. Finally they heard from Stearns a confirmation of V.'s schemes as before reported.

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