independent CA? Not sure there would be any sentiment for that among the people there. IIRC, about 2/3 of the population was solidly for the Union, and about 1/3 had sympathies for the Confederacy. The Brits don't have a lot of choices here. If they try to give CA to the CSA, they'll irk 2/3 of the population. If they try to make CA independent, no one will be happy with that. If they try to annex the place, they'll make everyone there mad. Seems to me that the best thing to do with CA once they've captured it is use it as one more lever to force the USA to the bargaining table, get the terms they want, and then leave...