emselves had been the sole architects.

The same evening we sailed over to the mainland, took another night
bivouac on the sandy shore, arose with the sun, beat through the Harbor
of Pichilingue, and in the afternoon reached our floating home in the
frigate.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

Long before the arrival of the squadron in La Paz, the natives of Lower
California had been awaiting with the extremest solicitude the
negociations prior to the final ratification of peace. The treaty
arrived--their anxiety and doubts were soon over. They learned with
amazement, that notwithstanding the positive assurances held out by the
United States Government, that "the flag of the United States would for
ever wave, and be unalterably planted over the Californias," and that
under no possible contingency could the U. S. ever give up or abandon
the possession of the Californias, as conveyed through the official
proclamations of the Naval Commanders on the coast, they had been duped,
with these texts for their support--to defend our citizens and to fight
under our colors, at the loss of standing, property, and life itself,
and afterwards were to be taught a commentary upon the good faith of our
Government. In the Treaty of Peace, Lower California was not alluded to,
nor even protection of the Peninsula glanced at. Thus they reaped the
fruits of their too easy credulity, and were about to pay the penalty in
again becoming shuffled off to Mexican authority, and suffer the endless
private and political persecutions attending their apostacy from the
parent stock.

It was assuredly a hard case--for our Government had been solely to
blame. Instead of leaving the Peninsula in a state of neutrality, as it
was, in effect, so far removed from the mother country as to be thought
unworthy of notice, we busied ourselves fomenting disturbances and
planting military posts until the major part of the respectable
inhabitants of the territory became compromised, by espousing our
quarrel.

All were eager to leave for the upper territory, but an entire
emigration was out of the question. Many of the poorer classes, with
numerous families, could not forsake their land, or little property,
without any certain means for future subsistence; but those who could
leave were quickly preparing to avail themselves of the opportunities
afforded by our ships of war and transports for a new and distant home.

We remained nearly a month at La Paz. The only incident