Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-05-01
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

MA, DIV Hubert Howe Bancroft E. History
of the Pacific States of America, " treats of
California from 1910 to 1S45. 1t, however,
takes up the thread from the year 1886. II
is as detailed, exhaustive and elaborate as
its predecessors, and more so. California,
as the author remarks, is essentially the
field of modern romance, and we are not at
all surprised that volume of nearly 500
pages is absorbed by the events of but half
a decade of California's history. Probably
as he approaches present times Mr.. Ban
croft finds his labors more difficult. He is
exposed TO the criticism of living witnesses,
many Of whom will prove to be captious
critics likely to take issue with him in his
deductions. But there is no evidence of
any faltering on his part His treatment is
vigorous and fearless, and his conclusions
fortified by exhaustive authoritative cita-
tons. OF the scope of the work a good
synopsis thus speaks
Continuing the history of California from
16S6-local annals from $40 to 1S45-the doings
of foreigners, American occupation, the Graham
affair the coming of Suffer and the establish
mcnt of New Helvetia, are all fascinating sub
iects treated in new light. Not less important
is the record of the successive overland immi-
grant parties, beginning with the BartlesOn or
Bidwell party in 1871, and including the compa-
MES of Workman and Rowland in the same
year; of Hastings, Chiles and Walker in 1913; of
Fremont, Kelsey and Stevens, or Murphy in
1874: and of Mem ahon and Clyman. Swasey and
Todd. Sublette. Grigsby and lde, Fremont and
Walker and Hastings and Semple in 1915. Com
modore Jones achievements in 1872 are given,
and an account of the Russians who left Califor-
mia in ISL. The Hudson's lay Company branch
at San Francisco from 1Si1, is fully noted with
a record of the fur-hunters operations in the
interior, and of the trading caravans from New
Mexico.
What will most forcibly strike the reader
of this volume of history is the record of
social transformation that began to be eff
fected in California, and reached stage of
active progression within the period en-
braced by the historian. 1t would be very
interesting TO outline this process, and to
note the chief ear-marks of the change. but
we must refrain. Nothing in the way of
mere sketch work can do The subject or the
book any sort of justice. But we may, by
way of indexing the order of the treatment,
refer to the chief topics. Thus, the initial
chapters treat of Alvarado's rule, the policy
OF the Executive, and the Graham affair ::
and the following chapters of mission an
nails, commerce, finance aid maritime af-
fairs foreign relations and pioneers SUIT
ter's Fort; the Russians in Califor-
MIA: political affairs, and the condition
of the country; the Hudson's Bay Com
pany; writings on California, visits of ex-
plorers and travellers, progress of settle
ment at Sacramento, the California Indians,
trade, trapping; the United States Explor-
ing Expedition, the trials and tribulations
of General Suffer, Wilkes visit land
Wilkes map, 1S4l, is given) foreign rela-
tons and immigration in 1871, Alvarado,
Vallejo and Micheltorena, and the part
they played in our pioneer history arrival
of Commodore Jones at Monterey, the
commercial and maritime condition in
1928; Micheltorena's rule and the revo-
luton against him and his expulsion the
rule OF Pico and Castro overland immi-
grafton, immigrant companies, routes over
the Sierras, and local annals down to and
including 1915. There are attached nearly
100 pages of the Pioneer Register and
Index" the exceeding valuable quality of
which we enlarged upon in our review of
the preceding volume. Not the least in
tereStinS pages are those that treat of Cen
eral John A. Suffer and his relation to the
country. 1t is made clear,that Sutteris not
to be regarded as q political missionary
who was determined to rear the standard
of American freedom in this distant and
secluded dependency of imbecile Mexico
as Upham and some of his other admirers
have been pleased TO declare. He cared
very little to hasten American occupation.
He sought only to build up his frontier
trading post and better his material condi-
ton. He talked of appealing to France,
and would undoubtedly have turned over
the country, so far as he was concerned, to
France, if needed to .ortify his own
schemes. Mr.. Bancroft says:
Suffer had no feeling whatever of LOYALTY to
his adopted nation, or to the Government that
had treated him so generously, and under which
he held Office; and he would without hesita-
ton have raised the standard of revolt in be-
half OF France or any other nation that could
advance his personal interests; yet it is not to
be supposed that he had at this time any def
mite plan or intention of political conspiracy
Harassed by his creditors partially thwarted in
some OF his schemes for making fortune, ego
tlstlcally looking upon Californians as inferior
beings. and annoyed that he was not allowed TO
control the whole country as arbitrarily as he
qld New Helvetia, he INDUCED in threats that
had not much significance, merely to relieve
his mind in moments of depression and, as
Sir George Simpson expressed it, bully" the
government. In politics. as in commercial en-
terprlses, suffer always-as the distinguished
English traveller might have said, but did not
bit of more than he could chew"
He quotes a letter written by Suffer to
LeeSe in November, fS4l, wherein the Gen
eral clearly states that the first French fri
gate to arrive would do him Justice, if the
Government sought to iniure him-driye
him from the country. All he wanted was
to be " let alone" and he declared that if
he was interfered with he would fight
that he would call in the hunters from the
mountains, send for the Sbawnees and
from Missouri to stand by him. If, how
ever, the Government would pay his ex-
penses-the output to establish and secure
the Sacramento post-he would be 81
faithful Mexican" He added: Il have
10 guns well mounted to protect the for
tress, and two field pieces | have also
about 90 faith full Indians, which shot their
musquet very quick The wole day and
night We are under arms, and you know
that foreigners are very expensive, and for
this trouble | will be payed when French
frigate come here"
We are now beginning to see more
clearly of what immense value Bancroft's
exhaustive library of books and MSS. are
to Mr.. Bancroft, and how ii is that it was
absolutely necessary for him to accumu-
late as he has, such vast store of works
and manuscripts relating, even remotely,
to the conquest and occupation of the
whole western slope of the two Americas
Even cursory glance at the volume we
have just closed after full reading will
convince anyone that there has been no
labor lost in the original method Mr.. Ban
croft has pursued, though the effort was
made, some two or three years ago or more,
TO ridicule and belittle his collection of au-
thorities as unwieldy, as too varied and
disconnected, and his method as false
and unreliable, and all that. Now
that we have got into the time
of the living witnesses, we realize
the profound difficulty experienced in
evolving real myth from apparent fact, and
in reconciling and in correcting conflicting
testimonies. OF this we have ourselves
had some experience, and confess to amaze
ment at the direct conflict of credible wit
nesses to simple historic facts after few
years have elapsed. We shall look for
ward to the next volume on California
with impatient interest. In that Mr. Ban
croft will enter upon an era that will bring
about his ears swarm of directors and
exception-takers. We expect to see him
SO strongly panoplied by irrefutable evil
dences that he will put them all to
flight, and make the work the best
of all his life. Thus far each volume has
been better than its predecessor. While
this is due somewhat to facility gained by
experience in Analysing historical data. it