ont and Surgeon
Morelos assisted.

In June, 1809, the image of San Juan was placed on the high altar in the
sacristy, which served for purposes of worship until the completion of
the church.

By the end of the decade the population had grown to 702, though the
number of deaths was large, and it continued slowly to increase until in
1823 it reached its greatest population with 1248 souls.

The new church was completed and dedicated on June 23, 1812. In 1818 a
new altar was completed, and a painter named Chavez demanded six reals a
day for decorating. As the Mission could not afford this, a Yankee,
known as Felipe Santiago--properly Thomas Doak--undertook the work,
aided by the neophytes. In 1815 one of the ministers was Esteban Tapis,
who afterwards became the presidente.

In 1836 San Juan was the scene of the preparations for hostility begun
by Jose Castro and Alvarado against Governor Gutierrez. Meetings were
held at which excited speeches were made advocating revolutionary
methods, and the fife and drum were soon heard by the peaceful
inhabitants of the old Mission. Many of the whites joined in with
Alvarado and Castro, and the affair ultimated in the forced exile of the
governor; Castro took his place until Alvarado was elected by the
_diputacion_.

The regular statistics of San Juan cease in 1832, when there were 916
Indians registered. In 1835, according to the decree of secularization,
63 Indians were "emancipated." Possibly these were the heads of
families. Among these were to be distributed land valued at $5120,
live-stock, including 41 horses, $1782, implements, effects,
etc., $1467.

The summary of statistics from the founding of the Mission in 1797 to
1834 shows 4100 baptisms, 1028 marriages, 3027 deaths. The largest
number of cattle owned was 11,000 in 1820, 1598 horses in 1806, 13,000
sheep in 1816.

In 1845, when Pico's decree was issued, San Juan was considered a
pueblo, and orders given for the sale of all property except a curate's
house, the church, and a court-house. The inventory gave a value of
$8000. The population was now about 150, half of whom were whites and
the other half Indians.

It will be remembered that it was at San Juan that Castro organized his
forces to repel what he considered the invasion of Fremont in 1846. From
Gavilan heights, near by, the explorer looked down and saw the warlike
preparations directed against him, and from there wrote his declaration:
"I am making mys