many words. It was apparently the production of Juan Bandini.
In a day or two the pronunciados, with about fifty men under Portilla, set out northward, Argüello being left behind in command of San Diego. The little army arrived at Los Angeles December 4th, learning now, or perhaps the day before, that Victoria was approaching from the north and was not far distant. Of occurrences at the pueblo since the imprisonment of eight citizens by Alcalde Sanchez at Victoria's order, as already related, we know very little; but it would seem that there had been further trouble, and that more citizens, perhaps many more, had been added to the eight in jail, Andrés Pico being one of the new victims. The captives were at once set free by the San Diegans, and the obnoxious alcalde, Vicente Sanchez, was in turn put in irons. The Angelinos accepted the plan with great enthusiasm, and next morning the rebel army, probably numbering about one hundred and fifty, marched out to meet Victoria, who at the same time started with about thirty men from San Fernando.
The date of Victoria's departure from Monterey is unknown, as are his motives, and most details respecting his southward march. He must have started before the proceedings of November 29th could have been known at the capital; but he probably was warned of prospective troubles by letters from southern friends.[1] Full of confidence as usual in his abil-
- ↑ David Spence, Hist. Notes, MS., Robinson, Life in Cal., 118-21, and Tuthill, Hist. Cal., 131-4, state that Portilla was the man who warned Victoria, urging him to come south, and promising the support of his company, but treacherously joining the rebels and leading them against the man he had agreed to defend. I think there was some truth in this charge. That is, Portilla was a Mexican officer in command of a Mexican company, and naturally a partisan of Victoria rather than of the Californians. He had a perfect right to warn the comandante, and very likely did so, intending to support him; but it would have required much more strength than he ever possessed to withstand the movement of Nov. 29th; and the indications are
day between 11 and 12 o'clock, on Dec. 1, 1831. José María Echeandía, Pio Pico, Juan Bandini, José Antonio Carrillo, Pablo de la Portilla, Santiago Argüello, José María Ramirez, Ignacio del Valle, Juan José Rocha, and as comandante of the artillery detachment, Sergt Andrés Cervantes.'
