C-A 27 · Departmental State Papers, Tomos I–II

Manuscript scans: this volume on the Internet Archive (digitized microfilm of the Savage transcripts).

Printable finding aid (PDF) — the full one-line record list with provenance, for offline use and circulation.

Notable documents

• 1824-06-29 · Capt. Pablo de la Portilla (diary) — Diary of the June 1824 expedition into the Tulares to recover the Santa Inés/La Purísima neophytes who fled after the 22 Feb 1824 Chumash Revolt — see Find #6. Spans n40–n50 (Savage pp.41–51); ends w/ neophytes surrendering arms & munitions, copy dated Monterey 27 Jun 1824 (orig. p. 150–157) manuscript scan ↗
• 1824-03-16 · Lt. José Estrada (parte; copy certified by José Mª Estudillo, Monterey 6 Oct 1826) — Verbatim parte y detalle of the assault & retaking of Mission La Purísima (16 Mar 1824): an 80-man force with a 4-lb fieldpiece marched from San Luis Obispo and stormed the loopholed mission held by 400+ armed neophytes (who fought back with a cannon, 2 pedreros, muskets & a rain of arrows); the artisan Fran.co Pacheco charged with 20… (orig. p. 571–576) manuscript scan ↗
• 1827-05-19 · J. S. Smith → Padre Narciso Durán — Jedediah Smith's own letter: he and his men are 'Americanos que vamos en persecución del Río de Columbia'; was at Mission San Gabriel last January, got a passport to San Diego, but deep Sierra snow blocked his crossing to the other side; camped among friendly Indians awaiting the thaw; lost horses; without clothing, subsisting on 'carne… (orig. p. 33–34) manuscript scan ↗
• 1826-12-20 · William G. Dana, William H. Cunningham, William Henderson, James (Diego) Scott, Thomas M. Robbins, Thomas Shaw — Certificate for Capt. Jedediah S. Smith: at his request they attest there is no doubt he was forced into Alta California by want of provisions & water (his horses perished, the barren country lat. 33–42 N); they examined his passports — granted by the U.S. Superintendent of Indian Affairs — and deem them legal & conforming to U.S. law;… (orig. p. 35–37) manuscript scan ↗
• 1827-02-08 · Argüello → Echeandía — Formal averiguación on Capt. Smith & his companions (survey Find #8 Doc A): Smith found at Rancho San Bernardino (escort corporal & mayordomo), a sick man left behind, no verified passport → detain-if-presented order (nothing done, Smith withdrew on the 2nd). Encloses Smith's translated letter to Padre José Sánchez: he hadn't expected to… (orig. p. 35–36, 71–73) manuscript scan ↗
• 1827 · [Smith's representative] — Petition on Jedediah Smith's behalf (survey Find #8 Doc B): the govt has nothing to fear; Smith is no troop captain but of his 'Compañía de Cazadores de Castor' — the firm Smith, Jackson y Sublette — holding a U.S. Government beaver-hunting license 'de suficiente garantía'; asks leave to reside in the country or return to Smith (Savage:… (orig. p. 78–79) manuscript scan ↗
• 1827-11-18 · Argüello → Echeandía — Arrival at SF (from Monterey) of two frigates: the American Franklin carrying Capt. Smith and his beaver-hunter companions (Smith's departure from California), and the English Blossom — the scientific expedition under Capt. Frederick Beechey (orig. p. 93–94) manuscript scan ↗
• 1828-10-13 · Pyotr Chistyakov (Gov. of the Russian establishments in America) → Gobernador de Californias — (survey Find #9) The RAC's long wheat/provisions trade with California; lacking salt at the frequented ports it has had to source it from the Sandwich Islands — requests permission to gather salt at San Quintín; bearer Adolf Etholén (cmdr of the RAC brig *Baykal*) empowered on the salt price/duties AND commissioned to propose the renewal… (orig. p. 193–201) manuscript scan ↗
• 1833-04-28 · Pyotr Kostromitinov → Comandante de Californias [Figueroa] — (survey Find #9b) RAC agent at Fort Ross: owing to his poor knowledge of foreign languages he does not fully grasp the proposed terms & will consult his superiors; forwards an enclosed package for the late Governor-General Baron Ferdinand P. Wrangel; notes Mariano G. Vallejo (SF Commandant) consulted him about certain needed… (orig. p. 197–200) manuscript scan ↗
• 1829-01 · Henry Clay (U.S. Sec. of State) — Translation of a U.S. passport given to Ewing Young, signed by Secretary of State Henry Clay — the fur-trapper's federal passport (a borderlands companion to the Smith dossier) (orig. p. 282–283) manuscript scan ↗
• 1829-11-15 · Joaquín Solís — (Solís revolt) Manifiesto al público + the 9-article Plan of Solís — the complete revolt program (16 leaves, previously only referenced): indictment of Jefe Echeandía (4+ years' abuse, self-enrichment via a clique, ignoring the soldiers' hunger, usurping the treasury from its rightful Jefe de Hacienda [ties to the Herrera affair],… (orig. p. 384–399) manuscript scan ↗
• 1830-01-20 · Joaquín Solís → Alférez José Sánchez — Solís's own first-person account of the revolt's military collapse (Savage: 'no tiene principio'): learning Capt. Portilla was sent with 130 men to surprise them, and defenseless for lack of munitions, he spiked the cannon and retreated toward Monterey; could enter neither the fortified Santa Bárbara presidio nor the loopholed mission,… (orig. p. 404–406) manuscript scan ↗
• 1830-07-15 · José Berreyesa → [Comandante] — On encounters with the Indians — a rich borderlands + Indian-affairs dossier: Ewing Young ('Joaquín Young') and his 22-man party arrive at Mission San José (from the Valle de San Luis, a day from New Mexico), to buy horses & trap beaver; shows two English passports differing only in date (1828 & 1829) [= Clay passports, docs 250/288] +… (orig. p. 445, 136–139, 442–444) manuscript scan ↗
• 1822-06-12 · Solá → cmdts. SB & SD — The McCulloch, Hartnell & Co. contract (margin: '(McCulloch)'): commissioners Luis Nicolás(?) & Guillermo (William) Hartnell ('Comp.ª Inglesa') authorized to trade 2 years with the missions & vecinos; fixed prices — *sebo* (tallow) 2 p., *jabón* (soap), *manteca de res* (lard) 3 p., *carne en salmuera* (salt meat) 4 p., etc.;… (orig. p. 18–20) manuscript scan ↗
• 1824-02-02 · José Romero → Gov. Argüello — Romero's expedition narrative: left Mission San Gabriel 15 Dec 1823 with Lt. Estudillo & 40 men via San Bernardino, hauling the cannon, guided by a San Juan Capistrano Christian Indian, through the Cajuenche nation; on the return the party got lost, the *caballada* collapsed, six days without water, reaching San Gabriel the last day of… (orig. p. 73–78) manuscript scan ↗
• 1824-03-30 · Fran.co Mª Ruiz → Gov. Argüello — 1824 Chumash Revolt: relays Capt. Noriega's plea from Mission La Purísima — 10 Sta Bárbara men already on an 8-day expedition; requests 25 men urgently to San Fernando; Cabo Domingo Carrillo dispatched from SD (24th) deemed sufficient (orig. p. 102–103) manuscript scan ↗
• 1824-04-17 · José Romero → Gov. Argüello — Return delayed by the 1824 Chumash Revolt ('la sublevación de los indios de las Misiones de arriba' — Sta Inés, La Purísima; road cut, few troops left after Sta Bárbara pulled the rest); detained at the request of the mission padres & the Los Ángeles Ayuntamiento; Capt. José Cocomaricopa arrived 15 Apr with letters (orig. p. 112–115, 130–131) manuscript scan ↗
• 1824-06-27 · Pablo de la Portilla → Gov. Argüello — Official report on the campaign's success: received by the armed Chumash, he persuaded them to return in peace via the indulto (pardon); arms surrendered gradually (3 sables returned to the padres, rest in deposit); recommends his men for valor (orig. p. 158–159) manuscript scan ↗
• 1824-06-28 · Pablo de la Portilla → Gov. Argüello — Follow-up + statistical note of Chumash remaining in the Sierra/Tular vs. returned: 92 men + 65 women = 165 still out; 345 adults back at the mission; 453 in the Sierra/Tular; some old/sick/dead; arms handed to Capt. Noriega (orig. p. 171–173) manuscript scan ↗
• 1825-08-04 · Luis Antonio Argüello → Echeandía — Capitulation of the Spanish warships *Asia* & *Constante* at Monterey (22 May 1825): crews swore obedience to the new nation, ships sent to Acapulco; Juan Malarín commissioned to deliver/report. Confirms the C-A 46 overlap (C-A 46 docs 49–52) & the [[project_mathes_ca_crosslink]] (orig. p. 258–264) manuscript scan ↗
• 1826 · José Mª Echeandía (dossier) — Friar constitutional-oath + secularization / neophyte-emancipation dossier — see Find #7 (spans n124–n125, Tomo ~470–477) (orig. p. ~470–477) manuscript scan ↗
• 1826-11-03 · José Ignacio Bernal(?) → Cmdt — 21 Christian Indians killed by Gentile Indians: a party's Indian alcalde went to the vanguard where the Gentiles killed 21 neophytes; news from a survivor who fled the combat; the settlement much alarmed (orig. p. 498–500) manuscript scan ↗
• 1827-02-08 · Argüello → Comandante Accidental del Presidio de San Diego — Indagación on Smith's whereabouts: a guide ('un tal Manuel') who presented at the Mission testifies he saw Capt. Smith two weeks earlier at the boca del Cajón de Musupiabit and guided the party (5 men on horseback) toward the interior rancherías; nothing can be done to detain the Americans; reported to the Comandante Gral (orig. p. 65–66) manuscript scan ↗
• 1827-02-08 · Argüello → Echeandía — One of Smith's American companions presented himself, but nothing could be learned as he speaks no Spanish; Argüello asks the alcalde of Los Ángeles to provide an American interpreter to take the companion's declarations (orig. p. 69–70) manuscript scan ↗
• 1827-10-04 · Argüello → Estudillo — 'Sobre Smith' (survey Find #8 Doc C): the escort corporal reported Smith near San Bernardino; the sick man stayed there; the Indians took the party's horses, packs & some firearms at the river crossing (the 8 carried only 5 arms), with the killings the corporal reported; they came seeking provisions (killed 4 reses); Smith brought a… (orig. p. 84–86) manuscript scan ↗

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