Excerpt from The Transition Period of California: From a Province of Mexico in 1846 to a State of the American Union in 1850

The writer's home was in Monterey in 1849. It was then the capital of the territory and the head quarters oi the United States army. The governor and his staff resided there, and there were the offices of the civil government.

The officers and their employees constituted the larger part of the English-speaking portion of the population, and among them the very important questions concerning a Civil government to take the place of military rule, which was now at an end, were constantly discussed. Although my vocation as a clergyman left me little time to look into these things, I became very much interested in them, and in all that pertained to the history of this new country to which I had come. I took every Opportunity to gather information from those who had been long residents here, and carefully preserved such historical papers and documents as fell into my hands. All the events that led up to the calling of the convention which formed the state constitution in September, 1849, were familiar to me, and being connected with that body as chaplain, all its proceedings were familiar also. I never had time, however, in a busy life that followed, to make any use of the historical materials that had accumulated by the way, till within a few years past. Then, in looking over events in the past perspective, it seemed clear to me that the transition of California from its connection with Mexico to become one of the United States of America, especially at the time at which this took place, and under the unprecedented circumstances which surrounded it, and in view of the amazing consequences that followed, made it an event that ought to be considered by itself.

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