▁California ." ▁Im ag ining ▁British ▁naval ▁assault ▁on ▁Spain ' s ▁California ▁ports ▁followed ▁by ▁Britain ' s ▁colon ization ▁of ▁California ▁from ▁its ▁settlement s ▁in ▁" Gre ater ▁China ," ▁Cost ans ó ▁pointed ▁to ▁the ▁sparse ▁population ▁of ▁Spanish / M ex ican ▁colon ists ▁in ▁California ▁as ▁the ▁root ▁source ▁of ▁Spain ' s ▁military ▁weak ness ▁there . ▁He ▁went ▁on ▁to ▁l ament ▁the ▁st agn ation ▁of ▁many ▁Catholic ▁miss ions ▁in ▁New ▁Spain : ▁" There ▁are ▁miss ions ▁that ▁are ▁over ▁a ▁hundred ▁years ▁old ," ▁wrote ▁Cost ans ó , ▁" and ▁we ▁still ▁see ▁them ▁staff ed ▁by ▁padre - minister s ▁and ▁by ▁the ▁same ▁military ▁esc ort ▁as ▁in ▁the ▁beginning . ▁But ▁it ▁has ▁to ▁be ▁that ▁way ▁because , ▁in ▁those ▁redu ctions ▁[ m issions ], ▁there ▁are ▁scarcely ▁any ▁other ▁inhabitants ▁except ▁those ▁native ▁to ▁the ▁territory , ▁whose ▁in const ancy ▁must ▁be ▁contin ually ▁observed ▁so ▁that ▁the ▁rest less ▁ones ▁do ▁not ▁fle e ▁and ▁disturb ▁the ▁tran qu ility ▁of ▁the ▁land ." ▁ ▁Ur ging ▁the ▁vic ero y ▁to ▁promote ▁migration ▁of ▁Spanish / M ex ican ▁civ ili ans ▁to ▁California , ▁Cost ans ó ▁suggested ▁that ▁the ▁king ▁provide ▁those ▁colon ists ▁with ▁tools ▁and ▁far ming ▁equipment . ▁" By ▁such ▁a ▁measure ," ▁Cost ans ó ▁added , ▁" the ▁Indians , ▁a ided ▁by ▁the ▁pat ernal ▁love ▁and ▁Christian ▁ze al ▁of ▁His