ABSTRACT:  In 1839, just nine years before the Gold Rush, French captain Cyrille Laplace visited California for a month with one ship, l’Artémise, and some 460 men. In the “village” of San Francisco he saw few signs of habitation or cultivation, and noted that there were no ships in the harbor, which he considered could be the best in the world. The men Laplace encountered here seemed to be generally unkempt and lazy, but many of the women were graceful and pretty. The Commandant of the Presidio was absent when he called. 
In Santa Cruz he was again disappointed to see ruins and neglect, although the priest of the former mission entertained him very kindly. Here again Laplace noted the people were poor and untidy. However, Monterey appeared to him to be a pretty town surrounded by plantations of fruit trees, cultivated fields and lush pastures. He was welcomed by several California residents, and met Governor-General Alvarado who later came aboard l’Artémise. During this encounter Alvarado suffered an angina attack, and was cared for by the ship’s surgeon. Many people Laplace met believed that the invasion of California, as threatened by the Americans, would be a great advantage for this country.

California Cultures : A Monograph Series v. 3. 2015
Oakland, CA: Land of Oaks Institute.
47 Pages. Includes bibliographical references, 4 illustrations.
Design and layout by Timothy Jordan and Brian Gleeson.
CCMS editor, Timothy Jordan.
ISSN 2333-9667 (electronic format) iBooks version

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