ceived no official notice respecting the colonists, but he had deemed it best to make preparations for their arrival, and with that object in view had visited the Santa Rosa Valley, as already related, and there selected a site for the new town. It was on his return, one day's journey before reaching the capital, that he received the countermand from Mexico. He sent to Santa Cruz and other places for such supplies as could be furnished, and awaited the arrival of the colonists. It may be here stated that secularization had been already begun in accordance with the law of 1833 and regulations of 1834; and several of the missions were in charge of administrators.
The Morelos entered the harbor on September 25th, and the immigrants, as we have seen, were made as comfortable as possible. Padrés at first claimed the position of comandante general, but of course in vain, since his claim was conditional on Figueroa's illness;[1] then he presented his appointment as sub-director of colonization and officially demanded aid for his colonists. The situation was embarrassing. In the absence of instructions to the contrary from the war department, Padrés as ayudante inspector was Figueroa's subordinate officer, notwithstanding his appointment of sub-director from the minister of relations; and there was no legal authority for expending public funds for the support of the colony. So confident had been the directors in the success of their plan in every detail, that they had made no provision for the slightest contretemps. There was, however, as yet no controversy.
The 14th of October Híjar arrived by land from San Diego, and after the customary courtesies of re-
- ↑ St. Pap., Miss. and Colon., MS., ii. 285-6, 290-1. An order of Dec. 7th (1833 ?) is alluded to as countermanding that of July 12th.
tination and gone to Monterey in N. Leon. Gonzalez recalls the meeting of the courier and Figueroa at the writer's rancho of Leñadero. Galindo thinks the man was to receive $1 per hour, if successful. Híjar affirms that the man was sick and had to stop at S. Juan Bautista, where the writer was, another man being sent on in his place. J. J. Vallejo calls him Hidalgo. I may perhaps safely suggest that some of the items cited are not quite accurate.
