VALLEJO'S CUSTOMS-HOUSE MEMORIAL — copied VERBATIM by Savage across ~8 leaves (n288≡n289 = duplicate scan of tomo fol.108). 'Propuestas para impedir el comercio de buques estrangeros. Descripción de la Bahía de San Francisco y sus recursos.' A fiscal-military-commercial treatise arguing to (1) absolutely prohibit foreign ships from the *comercio de escala y cabotaje* (citing the law of 16 Nov 1827, art. 5 cap. 1: '*Los buques estrangeros no podrán hacer el comercio de escala, ni el de cabotaje en los puertos de la república*'); (2) transfer the Aduana Marítima from Monterey to San Francisco (recalling the 1829 order that let the *gefe político* choose the port + the 1829 move to San Diego); vivid on the contraband economy — ships tolerated to touch Sta Bárbara/SF 'antes y despues de su aforo,' ballast-trick declarations ('cajas de tabaco vacías, petates de Sandwich, escobas, millares de cohetitos de china'), reloading contraband from 'lugares poco frecuentados.' Then a detailed description of San Francisco Bay: the Golden Gate ('dos grandes cabos que distan… mas de una milla,' puntas de los Reyes y Lobos), Angel I. ('la de los Ángeles… la llave de todo el [golfo]') + Fort Point castillo ('por naturaleza una fortaleza invencible'); the three rivers Sacramento, San Joaquín y Jesús María navigable >100 leguas; the 'mar de Sta Clara' (South Bay); abundant shipbuilding timber; climate 'mas benigna que la de Monterey'; the settlements S. Francisco, Dolores, Alvarado (San José Guadalupe), ex-misión de San José, Sta Clara, Sonoma, San Rafael + 17 haciendas (Buriburi, S. Antonio, El Pinole, S. Pablo, Sta Teresa, Pulgas…) + >25 ranchos owning 'mas de ciento cincuenta mil reses.' Concludes SF is the ideal *puerto habilitado*/customs seat. → / foreign-commerce control, economy/self-rule, the SF-Bay. ⚠ VERIFY against Bancroft before claiming uncited — this is a substantial known-type memorial; NOT yet confirmed whether Bancroft (Hist. Cal. iii/iv) cites it. Flag = check Vallejo *Documentos* / Hist. Cal. index.
| Date | 1837-08-24 (exact) |
|---|---|
| From | Mariano G. Vallejo |
| To | ayuntamiento de Alvarado |
| Place | Sonoma |
| Series | Departmental State Papers, San José |
| Tomo | IV+ |
| Original tomo page | p.~441–452 (Sav pp.286–293) |
| Savage copy page | — |
| Scan leaf | n287–n295 |
| Document type | verbatim (memorial) |
| Source | verbatim transcription |
Read this leaf on the Internet Archive ↗ · leaf n287–n295
Mariano G. Vallejo to ayuntamiento de Alvarado, Sonoma, 1837-08-24, Departmental State Papers, San José, IV+, p.~441–452 (Sav pp.286–293), Archives of California, C-A 45, Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. [page interpolated; verify at the leaf]Cite the document by series, tomo and original tomo page, as the literature does; the C-A number locates it in the repository. To cite this catalogue entry itself, use https://archivesofcalifornia.com/record/ca45/ca45-d146.html