Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-04-12

in critical and public esteem We have
no heSitancy in predicting So far as
Mr.. Bancroft's method of historical labor,
his style, his capacity, and his adherence to
the admirable plan upon which he started
out IN this great task. and which, from the
| outset, had the approval of the best minds
| OF the age, are concerned we have hereto
| fore made full expression. But we may add,
| as the work grows upon him, it is evident TO
even the rapid reader, that the authors
| style augments in vigor, and while marked
| by still greater conciSeness, is yet more
| finished, and in literary sense, ornate
workmanship. There has disappeared most
| of that which laid him open TO the charge
of being fiorid, in the effort to illuminate
what perhaps, he feared would be dull
recitative.. His narrative is never obscure
and at no time dull He invests the mere
recital of fact with the romantic interest of
the period and the reader moves as he
reads in an atmosphere congenial to the
| time and the place of treatment, with the
poetic harmony of the period translated
into the practical present. and this without
the evidences being manifest of purpose
fulness in producing the effect
To the author the Mexico of the past Is
like series of vast empty chambers which
once were filled with the activity of strange
and romantic peoples. but of whom now
only the stained record remains upon the
time-worn walls that once echoed their
JOYS and were resonant with their sorrows
These halls resounded with the crash Of
the conquerorS' battle-aX and the cries of
the victims of the barbaric invasion; they
| were once respondent with the fantastic
uappingS of Semi-Savage royalty, and again
furnished with the blood of peoples whose
only crime was that of being obstacles in
| the pathway of unholy ambition. These
cabinets Of royal wealth were dcSpOiled 70
fill the freebOOterS' Oaken chests these house
| hold affairs deSccrated for the amusement
OF brutal corsairs. These thresholds. over
which swept the robes Of free and inde-
pendent chiefs and princes, in the cruel
heel prints OF buccaneers tell the story Of
conquest and slavery. Absolute power here
manifested Its determination 10 crush out
nations and supplant them with bastard
! growths. Religious intolerance here justi-
| fled the cruel means TO inhuman ends and
AT the same time 4 missionary church Strug-
gied against the autocratiC authority
of yiceroys and audiencias In this
decayed but to be rejuvenated structure,
| through whose historic galleries we are led
with ever-increasing interest We are intro
| duced at the beginning of this century
! Hist Mex. Vol. HI 10 society present
| ing the distinct features of new race,
| sprung from the union of the proudest Flu
ropean peoples and the most advanced
Americans " the former itself an anOma-
| louS mixture, wherein lay blended the
physical and mental characteristics of half
4 dozen nations. from sturdy Goth 10 1.-the
| and fiery Arab the other possibly autoch-
thonic. and evolved amidst the rise and fall
of mighty empires whose records are en-
tombed in the most imposing monuments
of the continent This volume takes
| in, in It's broad sweep, the period between
1901 and 1903 beginning with the char
actcr and policy of the Count of Monterey
and whose name has been retained in the
first capital of California and takes Us
through the rule of NelaSco, the revolt of
1901 against the Spaniards, and of 1909 by
the slaves against their masters the rules
of GuadalcaZar. Gelves. EScalona, Saliva
terra and the fifty ViCeroys who succeeded
them. up to 1908, the eve of the close of
SPANS long dominion in the New World,
and the DAYS of which were then num-
bered, and the decree against which was
already engroSsed upon the walls of
her palaces, while her hordes of indolent
and dishonest officers lived in luxury al the
public expense, and fattened upon
pilferings from the public purse Not the
| least instructive chapters of the volume are
those devoted to the administrative and ju-
dcal systems of Mexico at the beginning
of this century, the methods and costs of
litigation, and the chapters devoted TO
mines and mining, agriculture and manu-
features, commerce, revenue and finance,
the secular clergy, the religious orders and
society
The latest volume of these histories
proves of most immediate interest. since it
treats of the North American States Vol. l.,
1j31-1S00l. These States correspond To the
modern Texas, Cohuila. Durango, Chihua-
hua. New Mexico. Sinloa. Sonora, Arizona,
and Upper and Lower California But, in
aSmuch as the CALIFORNIA;. New Mexico and
Arizona are to be fully treated in separate
works, but brief outlines of them are given
now No part of the Mexican area is more
repletc with historic interest than that de
scribed 1t very early attracted the special
attention of the Spaniards, and the stories
of its vast Mealth and marvelS of climatic
scenery and field for exploration drew
adventures in great numbers 1t was
a country of bitter war and bloody re-
suit" but of tribes of men some of
whom have left enyiable records
of honor and good faith and bravery.
The area was the great missionary field Of
the Jesuit and the Franciscan, and where
they achieved their highest tIiumphs. The
cross went side by side with the sword in
driving savagery northward and conquer
ing the Indians 70 the rule of peace and
love In this early history is implanted the
root of our own record of occupancy, the
foundations of the great empire of the Pa
citic States, just now in the formative
period and the Respondent future of which
is conceived OF by but few of this day. In
no part of the colossal work of Mr. Ban
4.
this volume, nor has he had in any
period of his task ampler resources
as is evidenced by the yoluminous citation
of authorities that preccde the opening
chapters. The map exhibits are also eS
pecially numerous and valuable. 1t Is
not possible 10 satisfactorily outline the
work in the space available i'll these
columns, nor would it be desirable TO do
so. The period covered was too eventful to
bear more concise treatment than that given
il. Unjust suffice to refer to the main topics
of the several divisions. The opening chap
ter returns TO consideration of the mo-
tive of northwestern discovery that
had its genesis in the day when Mexico
Tcwchttlan submitted To the arms of
Spain. The geographical ideas of the
period were crude and erroneous
and the means of transport to new regions
rude and slow Discovery was then a mat
ter of vast importance, and only such in
trepid souls as those of Herman Cortes
and Nuno De Guzman were equal to such
undertakings This latter was the first to
explore to the northward, his departure be
ing in reality a flight from deposition as
Governor of New Spain and consequent
disgrace His expedition in 1881 was
marked by cruel murders and vicious con-
quests, and reached as far northward as the
Rio de PetaIan, whence, in search of the
famous Seven Cities, he moved eastward
across the Sierras and finally returned to
Jalisco, from which time he dropped out of
sight The explorations of 1882 s fol-
low in the narrative, and the entry into
Sonora From this on the volume is a
deeply interesting story of exploration
and adventure northward and northeasterly
and northwesterly by such bold spirits as
Ibarra Mendoza, Cabrillo, Yizcaino and
Pinadero, the pearl fishery and gulf ex
petitions, the Jesuit occupation of Baja