The times., 1897-09-05
HELPED TAKE CALIFORNIA.
The Last survivor of the Expedition
Tells His story.

The Last survivor of the Expedition
Tells His Story.
'AFrom all / have been able to learn. -
said william Hill, OF Honesdale, Pa. /
an the sole survivor OF the United states
naval force that took possession OF Calir3r-
MIA and held It in the interest of our Gov-
ment in lS46 | had run away from my
home In Honesdaie in 1S43 and siIippeI OH
the whaling vessel Marcha from New
Bedford for three years' cruise i'll the
Indian ocean We got full cargo OF oil
In two years and sailed hoIneward. We
touched at Honolulu, and there /, IN com
pany with Others of the crew, quit the
ship, because the captain insisted on max
ing the long voyage home without fresh
meat on board The United states con-
sui at Honolulu took our part in the .:on-
tention, aud the Marcia sailed witho 1t ds.
/ shipped at Honolulu on the merchant zes-
sci 4 A1ax, aud sailed to India and back 10
| Honolulu.
"One day a number of us sailors We're
ashore We were looking seaward over the
coral reef toward Diamond Head and sight
| ed a United States man-of-war rounding
the head We had heard that war had
broken out between our country aud MeXi-
co, and we were all wildto have some kind
of hand in it. The man-of-war cast an
| chor outside the reef, and we gave her
three Hearty cheers. She proved TO be
| the Cayenne, commanded by Capt. Mervine
| A boat came ashore from the vessel in
| charge of au officer, who was looking for
men to enter the United states naval
| service for three years or during the war
We were getting from SIS to 500 a
| month in the merchant service, but wages
were no object when war was concerned
| We were eager to enlist, and when the
| boat pulled off shore TO return TO the YES
| sci / and three Others jumped in and We're
hurried off with them. We signed the en-
listment papers on board ship. Capt. Mer-
vine lost no time in sailing. | was by far
the youngest person in the crew, being not
! quite twenty years old
| I'VE sailed straight for Monterey and
| arrived III the harbor ou July 8, 1S46,
| The frigate Savannah commanded by Com
| modore Sloau, and the sloUp of war Levant
| were there The commodore was waiting
| tor "a larger force. 1t did not come, aud
| the next day We went ashore ard hoisted
| the American flag over Monterey, put
| ting out Fremont and his troops The
proclamation OF possession was read III
English aud Spanish. That's the way we
took California for the United States,
| and we did not take IL any too soon. III
we had been forty-eight hours later the
| United states would have had to fight
| England oI give up all claim TO California
| FOR wniie the excitement over the occupying
| OF Monterey by our forces was at its height
| on July 8, British line of battleship APP
| peared in the offing. She was formi-
| dabie-looking vessel, l tell you'll She car
| ried more guns than our three ships com
| bined. Nevert heless, our dec ks Were
| cleared for action Ill short order. Every
| man was at his post ,aud every gunready to
/ be fired at the word. The great British
| ship sailed straight for the harbor but
as she entered it she tackled and her band
| struck up Yankee Doodle Our flag
| ships band res ponded with God Save the
Queen The British vessel was under the
command of Seymour He entered boat
| aud WAS rowed to the Savannah. where lie
| paid his respects to Commodore Sloat
Il see tire American flag is flying or
Shore, said he. If it were not l should
| Immediate have raised the British fla
| and taken possession of California in the
| name of her ma jesty, the Queen!
1.-The people of California wanted Eng
| lish protection rather than ours, and if our
| little fleet hadn't got there first aud lost
no time the history OF those times would
| read little differently today.
4 Two or three days after this episode
Commodore Stockton joined our fleet with
the frigate Congress. l was transferred
from the Cayenne to the Congress, and re
named in service on her until the war was
over, helping to protect the California
coast All through the war British battle
ships lowered about that coast, as well as
the Mexican coast for some reason or other.
but they never came as nea taking hand
in the game as Seymour did at Monterey
At the close OF the war the Congress wa'
at San Diego, and we gave grand Jubilee
ball aboard of her. We decorated her Wit.
the flags CT all nations, and the Old shlI
looked fine. We invited the officers and
crew of the British war frigate Grampus
which lay close by and many friendly Cali
fornians, rancheros. and their wives ant
daughters, to join in the festivities, anl
they alIdid so with will. The bah lasted
all night, and no one was able to do thing
all next day. I've danced with women IL
| all parts of the world, but never saw any
one who were a match for these native
California women who danced aboard tn.
United States flagship Congress that gaia
night.
'sSoon afterward the Congress was or
dered to San Francisco and placed under
the command of Capt. Avealet, the Inde
pendence being made the Flagship. Commo
| dore Stockton, with seventy-fiye men a