William Hepworth Dixon, White Conquest: Volume 1

[37]

Chapter 5: Don Mariano.

No one can say whether the Vallejo family-of which Don Mariano is the head-derive their line from Hercules or only from Caesar. Nothing in the way of long descent would be surprising in Don Mariano; even though his race ran up to Adam, like the pedigree made out by heralds for his countryman Charles the Fifth. “ You ask about the history of California,” he remarks; “my biography is the history of California.”

In one sense he is right. Don Mariano's story is that of nearly every Mexican of rank. In olden times (now thirty years ago!) he was the largest holder of land in California. Besides his place at Monterey, the family-seat, he owned a sheep-run on San Benito River, an estate sixty miles long in San Joaquin Valley, a whole county on San Pablo Bay, and many smaller tracts in other parts. High