American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1846-10-28

Interesting FROM THE Pacific SQUADRON
TIE Seizure Of California The Progress Of our
3rm,, &c. The Union contains the following
Interesting extracts of letter from an officer
m board the U. S. frigste Savannah, dated,
At sea, July 81, 1876"
"On the 7th of June, the commodore re-
eived information at Mazatlan, that the Mexi-
an troops, six or seven thousand strong, had,
~ order of the Mexican government, invaded
i he territory ofthe United States, north of the
Trio Grande, and had attacked the forces under
lGen. Taylor, and that the squadron of the Uni
4 ed States was blockading the coast of Mexico
on the Gulf.
"These hostilites, he considered, would JUS
4 nfy commencing offensive operations on the
vest coast. He therefore sailed on the Sth, liz
| the Savannah, for the coast of California, leav-
| ing the Warren at Mszatlan, to bring any des-
patches or important information that might
| reach there. We arrived at Monterey, on the
I'd of July, where we found the Cyane and Lee
want. and learned that the Portsmouth was at
San Francisco.
"On the morning Of the 18th, having previ-
ously examined the defences and localities OF
the town, the commodore sent captain Mervine
with summons to the military commandant OF
Monterey, requiring him to surrender the place
forthwith to the forces of the United States. In
reply, he stated that he was not authorized to
surrender the place, and referred the commo-
dore to the commanding general of California,
Don Jose Castro.
EVERY arrangement having been made the
day previous, the commodore Immediately en-
barked the necessary force (about two hundred
and fifty seamen and marines) in the boats OF
the squadron, which landed at ten o'clock, I'M
der cover of the guns of the ships, with great
promptitude and good order, under the imme-
date command of Captain VIM Mervine,
assisted by Commander II. N. Page, as Sc
cond.
"The forces were Immediately formed and
marched to the custom house, where Commo-
dore Sloat's proclamation to the inhabitants Of
California was read, the standard of the United
States hoisted, amid three hearty cheers by the
troops and foreigners present, and salute oil
twenty-one guns fired by all the ships. Imme-
diately afterwards, the proclamation, both in
English and Spanish, was posted up about the
town, and two justices of the peace appointed
to preserve order and punish delinquences-the
alcaldes declining to serve.
previous TO landing, general ORDER was
read to the crews of all the ships for their guild
ance under the new circumstances in which
they were placed. We feel confident that the
inhabitants of Monterey, and all other places,
where our forces were, have been safe from the
least depreciation or the slightest insult
Immediately after taking possession of Mon
terey, Com. Sloat despatched courier to Gen.
Castro, the military comnandant of California,
with letter and copy of his proclamation, to
which he received reply. On the 9th, no des-
patched q letter By courier to Sr. Pho Pico, the
governor at Santa Barbara.
son the 9th Of July, he despatched orders by
sea to Commander Montgomery, to take i'm
mediate possession of the bay of San Francisco,
&C., and at a. m. of the 9th, that officer hoist
ed the flag at San Francisco-read and posted
up Commodore Sloat's proclamation, ard took
possession of that part of the country in the
name OF the United States.
son the 18th, at the request of the foreign
ers at the Pueblo of San Jose, the commodore
furnished flag TO be hoisted at that place-a-
bout 10 miles interior from Monterey, and APP
pointed Justice of the peace to preserve or
der in the town-the alcaldes declining to
serve. The flag was hoisted on The l6.h
"On the Slh, Commodore Sloat selected Pur-
ser D. Fauntleroy to Organizes company Of So