sent reports of the gefe político explaining his action in the matter, together with the indictments more or less legally substantiated in each case. The documentary process against Apalátegui and Torres was quite elaborate and has been sufficiently noticed; that against the parties arrested in the north is not extant, if it ever existed in any more definite form than the somewhat vague accusations of Figueroa and Vallejo.[1]
On the sailing of the Loriot from San Pedro, in May 1835, the famous colonization scheme of Híjar and Padrés, with its attendant controversies, may be regarded as having come to an end, though over two hundred of the colonists remained to swell the population of Califòrnia. Figueroa devoted the remaining few months of his life to the preparation of an elabo-
- ↑ Mar. 31st, F. to sec. of the interior, reporting the plots of H. and P. and his own policy, without mention of the arrests in the north — also some accompanying correspondence. Vallejo, Doc., MS., xxxi. 182-3, 185, 198. May 5th, F. to sec. of state. Reports his later proceedings. H. and P. go to Mex. to answer to the sup. govt, whose employees they are; Torres and Apalátegui go as prisoners at the disposal of the sup. court; Verduzco, Lara, and Rafael Padrés are also implicated in the revolt, and are to await the result of their trial (that is, probably the sumario in a complete form was not sent with them); and Lieut Araujo goes because he is of no use in Cal., is sick, and has asked to be removed, besides being being an adherent of Híjar. Dept. St. Pap., MS., iv. 29-31. April 15th, Vallejo at Solano sends to F. the proceedings or investigations against the colonists. The documents are not given; but in his letter V. states that the coming of Híjar, Verduzco, and Lara caused great excitement; that they openly talked of surprising the garrison; that he overheard them plan to capture him, first occupying the church; that he was on the watch for 9 days until the order came from F.; that he seized and disarmed them on the 16th, as they were cleaning their weapons; and that the wife of Padrés exclaimed on that occasion, 'I am glad they have been headed off for being so slow.' Vallejo, Doc., MS., iii. 28. May 21st, F. sends V. 27 pages of proceedings against Padrés and associates, instructing him to continue them as fiscal. Other allusions to these papers. Id., iii. 23, 50, 52. Vallejo, Hist. Cal., MS., iii. 39-42, says that the colonists at Solano instead of going to work spent their time in plotting and gaining the good will of the Indians, Lara and Verduzco spending in presents for the Indians the $2,000 that F. had paid for the support of the colony: They told him he was lucky in making the arrest just when he did, for half an hour later they would have seized him. They accused Pepe de la Rosa of having betrayed their plots, but unjustly, since Rosa's interviews with Vallejo were as a printer and not as a politician. Brown, Statement, MS., 9-10, who was at Solano at the time of the arrests, thinks Rosa did give the information. Alf. Ignacio del Valle took a prominent part in protecting the country from imaginary plots, as is shown by the records and by his own statement. Valle, Lo Pasado de Cal., MS., 13-14. Coronel, Cosas de Cal., MS., 12-14, is sure there were no thoughts of revolt at Sonoma. Janssens, Vida y Aven., MS., 51-7, also regards the charges as having been invented by F. and v. to get rid of H. and P.
