VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC

AND BEERING'S STRAIT,

TO CO-OPERATE WITH

THE POLAR EXPEDITIONS

HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP BLOSSOM,

UNDER THE COMMAND OF

CAPTAIN F. W. BEECHEY, R.N.

F.R.S. &c.
IN THE YEARS 1825, 26, 27, 28.

PUBLISHF.D BY AUTHORITY OF THE LORDS COMMISSIONERS OF
THE ADMIRALTY.

IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. II.

HENRY COLBURN AND RICHARD BENTLEY,

NEW BURLINGTON STREET.

OF THE SECOND VOLUME.

Arrive at S&n Francisco�Description of the Harbour, Presi-
sidio, and the Missions�Occupations�Dissatisfied State of the
Garrison and the Priesthood�Contemplated Plan of settling the
Indians in the Missions�Occupations of the converted Indians�
Manner of making Converts�Expedition against the Tribe of
Cosemenes�Official Despatch�Overland Journey to Monterey�
Scarcity of Provisions at that place�Plan of the Voyage altered
in consequence�Departure..........................Page I

Observations on the Country of California and its Trade�Cli-
mate�Meteorological Remarks�Short Account of the Wild In-
dians�Natural Productions�Monterey�Mission of San Carlos
�Departure.......................................... 66

Passage to the Sandwich Islands�Woahoo�Historical Sketch
of the Islands�Progress in Civilization�Sandal Wood�Re-
sources of the Government�Slow Progress of Education�Efforts
of the Missionaries�Unsuccessful Result of their Zeal�Senti-
ments of the King and Chiefs�Entertainment given by the King
�Death of Krymakoo�Wailing Scene�Departure of Kahumana
for Owyhee J.......................................... 88

Further Remarks on the Inhabitants�Treaty of Alliance�
Climate�Medicinal Properties of the Ava�Supplies�Departure
�Passage to China�Ladrone and Bashee Islands�Arrival at
Macao�Transactions there�Departure�Botel Tobago Xima�
Arrival at the Great Loo Choo ........................ 112

Appearance of Loo Choo�Visits of the Natives�Deputation
�Permission given to land�Excursions into the Country�Dis-
cover Money in circulation�Mandarin visits the Ship�Departure
of a Junk with Tribute�Visit of the Mandarin returned�Further
Intercourse�Transactions of the Ship�Departure�Observations

upon the Religion, Manners, and Customs of the People; upon
their Laws, Money, Weapons, and Punishments; their Manufac-
tures and Trade�Remarks upon the Country, its Productions,
and Climate�Directions for entering the Port�Historical Sketch
of the Kingdom of Loo Choo.......................... 143

Passage from Loo Choo eastward�Arrive at Port Lloyd in the
Yslas del Arzobispo�Description of those Islands4-Passage to
Kamtchatka�Arrival at Petropaulski�Notice of that Place�
Departure�Pass Beering's Strait�Enter Kotzebue Sound�Pro-
secute the Voyage to the Northward Stopped by the Ice�Return
to the Southward�Discover Port Clarence and Grantley Harbour
�Description of these Harbours�Return to Kotzebue Sound�
Ship strikes upon a Shoal.............................. 227

Arrive at Chamisso Island�Find the Barge wrecked�Lieute-
nant Belcher's Proceedings�Conduct of the Natives�Approach
of Winter�Final Departure from the Polar Sea�Observations
upon the Probability of-the North-West Passage from the Paci-
fic�Remarks upon the Tribe inhabiting the North-West Coast of
America�Return to California�Touch at San Bias, Valparaiso,
Coquimbo, Rio Janeiro�Conclusion.................... 273

Fossil Remains ...................................... 331

Mexican Bees........................................ 357

Esquimaux Vocabulary................................ 366

Nautical Remarks.................................... 384

Geographical Positions................................ 341

Aurora Borealis...................................... 345

Directions to the Binder for inserting the Plates and Charts.

Californians throwing the Lasso .. to face page 63 s

View of Napa-Kiang (Loo Choo)

Departure of a Loo Choo Junk with Tribute

Kwan-yin (Loo Choo Deity) ..

Fossil Remains, Plate 1

.--------------------Plate 2

.--------------------Plate 3

Section of a Mexican Bee-hive

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT.

Arrive at Sim Francisco�Description of the Harbour, Presidio,
and the Missions�Occupations�Dissatisfied State of the Gar-
rison and the Priesthood�Contemplated Plan of settling the
Indians in the Missions�Occupations of the converted Indians
�Manner of making Converts�Expedition against the Tribe
of Cosemenes�Official Despatch�Overland Journey to Mon-
terey�Scarcity of Provisions at that Place�Plan of the Voy-
age altered in consequence�Departure.

When the day broke, we found ourselves about chap.

four miles from the land. It was a beautiful morning, _t__'

with just sufficient freshness in the air to exhilarate Nov.
without chilling. The tops of the mountains, the
only part of the land visible, formed two ranges, be-
tween which our port was situated; though its en-
trance, as well as the valleys and the low lands, were
still covered with the morning mist condensed around
the bases of the mountains. We bore up for the
opening between the ranges, anxious for the rising sun
to withdraw the veil, that we might obtain a view of

the harbour, and form our judgment of the country in
which we were about to pass the next few weeks. As
we advanced, the beams of the rising sun gradually
descended the hills, until the mist, dispelled from the
land, rolled on before the refreshing sea wind, disco-
vering cape after cape, and exhibiting a luxuriant
country apparently abounding in wood and rivers. At
length two low promontories, the southern one dis-
tinguished by a fort and a Mexican flag, marked the
narrow entrance of the port.

"We spread our sails with all the anxiety of persons
who had long been secluded from civilized society, and
deprived of wholesome aliment; but after the first
effort of the breeze, it died away and left us becalmed
in a heavy N. W. swell.

Off the harbour of San Francisco there is a bar
which extends from the northern shore, gradually
deepening its water until it approaches the peninsula
on the opposite side *, where nine fathoms may be
carried over it. Of this bar, however, we were igno-
rant, and naturally steered directly for the harbour, in
doing which the depth of water gradually diminished
to five fathoms. This would have been of no conse-
quence, had it not been for a swell which rolled so
heavily over the bank that it continually broke ; and
though our depth of water was never less than 4§
fathoms, the ship on two or three occasions disturbed
the sand with her keel. The tide was unfortunately
against us, and the swell propelled the ship just suf-
ficiently fast for her to steer without gaining any
ground, so that we remained in this unpleasant situa-
tion several hours.

* The best part for crossing is with the island of Alcatrasses in
one with the fort.

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT.

At length a breeze sprung up, and we entered the
port, and dropped our anchor in the spot where Van-
couver had moored his ship thirty-three years before.
As we passed the entrance, a heavy sea rolling vio-
lently upon a reef of rocks on our left * bespoke the
danger of approaching that side too close in light or
baffling winds ; while some scattered rocks with deep
water round them skirting the shore on our right,
marked that side also as dangerous; so that the en-
trance may be justly considered difficult. Beyond
these rocks, however, near the fort, there is a bay in
which, if necessary, ships may drop their anchor.

The fort, which we passed upon our right, mounts
nine guns, and is built upon a promontory on the
south side of the entrance, apparently so near to the
precipice, that one side will, before long, be precipi-
tated over it by the gradual breaking away of the
rock. Its situation, nevertheless, is good, as regards
the defence of the entrance; but it is commanded by
a rising ground behind it. As we passed, a soldier
protruded a speaking-trumpet through one of the
embrasures, and hailed us with a stentorian voice, but
we could not distinguish what was said. This custom
of hailing vessels has arisen from there being no boat
belonging to the garrison, and the inconvenience felt
by the governor, in having to wait for a report of
arrivals, until the masters of the vessels could send
their boats on shore.

The port of San Francisco does not show itself to
advantage until after the fort is passed, when it breaks
upon the view, and forcibly impresses the spectator
with the magnificence of the harbour. He then be-

* This reef lies three quarters of a mile from Punta Boneta.

holds a broad sheet of water, sufficiently extensive to
contain all the British navy, with convenient coves,
anchorage in every part, and, around, a country diver-
sified with hill and dale, partly wooded, and partly dis-
posed in pasture lands of the richest kind, abounding
in herds of cattle. In short, the only objects wanting
to complete the interest of the scene arc some use-
ful establishments and comfortable residences on the
grassy borders of the harbour, the absence of which
creates an involuntary regret, that so fine a country,
abounding in all that is essential to man, should be
allowed to remain in such a state of neglect. So
poorly did the place appear to be peopled that a sickly
column of smoke rising from within some dilapidated
walls, misnamed the presidio or protection, was the
only indication we had of the country being inhabited.
The harbour stretches to the S. E. to the distance of
thirty miles, and affords a water communication be-
tween the missions of San Jos�, Santa Clara, and the
presidio, which is built upon a peninsula about five
miles in width. On the north the harbour is con-
tracted to a strait, which communicates with a basin
ten miles wide, with a channel across it sufficiently
deep for frigates, though they cannot come near the
land, on account of the mud. A creek on the N. W.
side of this basin leads up to the new mission of San
Francisco Solano; and a strait to the eastward, named
Estr^cho de Karquines, communicates with another
basin into which three rivers discharge themselves,
and bring down so large a body of water that the
cstrecho is from ten to eleven fathoms deep. These
rivers are named Jesus Maria, El Sacramento, and
San Joachin: the first, I was informed, takes a north-
erly direction, passes at the back of Bodega, and ex-

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 5

tends beyond Cape Mendocino. El Sacramento
trends to the N. E., and is said to have its rise in the
rocky mountains near the source of the Columbia.
The other, San Joachin, stretches to the southward,
through the country of the Bolbones, and is divided
from the S. E. arm of the harbour by a range of
mountains.

When LangsdorfF was at this port, an expedition
was undertaken by Don Louis Arguello and Padre
Uria to make converts, and to inquire into the nature
of the country in the vicinity of the Sierra nevada;
and I learned from Don Louis, I believe a son of the
commander, that they traced the Sacramento seventy
or eighty leagues up, and that it was there very wide
and deep, but that he had no boat to ascertain its
depth. The Padre had it in contemplation to form a
settlement in that direction, which he thought would
become very rich in a short time by the number of
Indians who would flock to it; but as it was never
done, I presume he found material obstacles to his
design.

As we opened out the several islands and stopping
places in the harbour, we noticed seven American
whalers at anchor at Sausalito, not one of which
showed their colours ; we passed them and anchored
off a small bay named Yerba Buena, from the luxuri-
ance of its vegetation, about a league distant from
both the presidio and the mission of San Francisco.
I immediately went on shore to pay my respects to
Don Ignacio Martinez, a lieutenant in the Mexican
army, acting governor in the absence of Don Louis,
and to the priest, whose name was Tomaso, both of
whom gave me a very hospitable and friendly recep-
tion, and offered their services in any way they might

be required. Our first inquiries naturally related to
supplies, which we were disappointed to find not at all
equal to what had been reported ; in short, it seemed
that with the exception of flour, fresh beef, vegetables,
and salt, which might be procured through the mis-
sions, we should have to depend upon the American
vessels for whatever else we might want, or upon what
might chance to be in store at Monterey, a port of
more importance than San Francisco, and from being
the residence of a branch of a respectable firm in
Lima, better supplied with the means of refitting ves-
sels after a long sea voyage.

It was evident from this report that the supplies
were likely to be very inadequate to our wants; but
that no opportunity of obtaining them might be lost,
I despatched Mr. Collie the surgeon, and Mr. Marsh
the purser, overland to" Monterey with Mr. Evans as
interpreter, with orders to procure for the ship what
medicines, provisions, and other stores were to be
had, and to negotiate government bills, on which the
exchange was far more favourable there than at the
Sandwich Islands. The governor politely furnished
a passport and a guard for this service ; and our hos-
pitable friend Tornaso, the padre of the mission, pro-
vided horses for them free of any charge. In the
mean time we arranged with a relation of the go-
vernor for the daily supply of the ship's company, an
arrangement which it afterwards appeared increased
the jealousy that had long existed between the pre-
sidio and the missions, by transferring to the pocket
of the commandant the profits that would otherwise
have been reaped by the padre.

We were happy to find the country around our an-
chorage abounding in game of all kinds, so plentiful,

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 7

indeed, as soon to lessen the desire of pursuit; still
there were many inducements to both the officers and
seamen to land and enjoy themselves ; and as it was
for the benefit of the service that they should recruit
their health and strength as soon as possible, every
facility was afforded them. Horses were fortunately
very cheap, from nine shillings to seven pounds
apiece, so that riding became a favourite amusement;
and the Spaniards finding they could make a good
market by letting out their stud, appeared with them
every Sunday opposite the ship, ready saddled for the
occasion, as this was a day on which I allowed every
man to go out of the ship. Some of the officers pur-
chased horses and tethered them near the place, but
the Spaniards finding this to interfere with their
market, contrived to let them loose on the Saturday
night, in order that the officers might be compelled
to hire others on the following day. The only ob-
stacle to the enjoyment of this amusement was the
scarcity of saddles and bridles, some of which cost ten
times as much as a decent horse. The ingenuity of
the seamen generally obviated these difficulties, while
some borrowed or hired saddles of the natives: for my
own part, I purchased a decent looking horse for
about thirty-five shillings sterling, and on my depar-
ture presented it to a Spaniard, who had lent me the
necessary accoutrements for it during my stay, which
answered the purpose of both parties, as he was
pleased with his present, and I had my ride for about
a shilling a day : a useful hint to persons who may be
similarly circumstanced.

Such of the seamen as would not venture on horse-
back made parties to visit the presidio and mission,
where they found themselves welcome guests with the

Spanish soldiers. These two places were the only
buildings within many miles of us, and they fortu-
nately supplied just enough spirits to allow the people
to enjoy themselves with their friends, without in-
dulging in much excess�a very great advantage in a
seaport.

The roads leading to these two great places of
attraction in a short time became well beaten, and
that to the mission very much improved, by having
the boughs removed which before overhung it. It
was at first in contemplation to hire a Spaniard to lop
them; but our pioneers, who stopped at nothing, soon
tore them all away, except one, a large stump, which
resisted every attack, and unhorsed several of its
assailants.

Martinez was always glad to see the officers at the
presidio, and made tbein welcome to what he had.
Indeed, nothing seemed to give him greater pleasure
than our partaking of his family dinner ; the greater
part of which was dressed by his wife and daughters,
who prided themselves on their proficiency in the art
of cooking. It was not, however, entirely for the
satisfaction of presenting us with a well-prepared
repast that they were induced to indulge in this
humble occupation : poor Martinez had a very nu-
merous offspring to provide for out of his salary,
which was then eleven years in arrears. He had
a sorry prospect before him, as, a short time pre-
vious to our visit, the government, by way of pay-
ing up these arrears, sent a brig with a cargo of
paper cigars to be issued to the troops in lieu of
dollars; but, as Martinez justly observed, cigars
would not satisfy the families of the soldiers, and the
compromise was refused. The cargo was, however,

PACIFIC AND BEERTNG'S STRAIT. 9

landed at Monterey and placed under the charge of
the governor, where all other tohacco is contraband ;
and as the Spaniards are fond of smoking, it stands a
fair chance, in the course of time, of answering the
intention of the government, particularly as the troops
apply for these oftener than they otherwise would,
under the impression of clearing off a score of wages
that will never be settled in any other manner. For-
tunately for Martinez and other veterans in this
country, both vegetable and animal food are uncom-
monly cheap, and there are no fashions to create any
expense of dress.

The governor's abode was in a corner of the pre-
sidio, and formed one end of a row, of which the other
was occupied by a chapel; the opposite side was
broken down, and little better than a heap of rubbish
and bones, on which jackals, dogs, and vultures were
constantly preying, the other two sides of the qua-
drangle contained storehouses, artificers' shops, and
the gaol, all built in the humblest style with badly
burnt bricks, and roofed with titles. The chapel and
the governor's house were distinguished by being
whitewashed.

Whether viewed at a distance or near, the esta-
blishment impresses a spectator with any other senti-
ment than that of its being a place of authority; and
but for a tottering flag-staff, upon which was occa-
sionally displayed the tri-coloured flag of Mexico,
three rusty field pieces, and a half accoutred sentinel
parading the gateway in charge of a few poor wretches
heavily shackled, a visitor would be ignorant of the
importance of the place. The neglect of the govern-
ment to its establishments could not be more tho-
roughly evinced than in the dilapidated condition of

the building in question; and such was the dissatis-
faction of the people that there was no inclination to
improve their situation, or even to remedy many of
the evils which they appeared to us to have the
power to remove.

The plain upon which the presidio stands is well
adapted to cultivation ; but it is scarcely ever touched
by the plough, and the garrison is entirely beholden
to the missions for its resources. Each soldier has
nominally about three pounds a month, out of which
he is obliged to purchase his provision. If the go-
vernor were active, and the means were supplied, the
country in the vicinity of the establishment might be
made to yield enough wheat and vegetables for the
troops, by which they would save that portion of their
pay which now goes to the purchase of these neces-
sary articles.

The garrison of San Francisco consists of seventy-
six cavalry soldiers and a few artillerymen, distributed
between the presidios and the missions, and conse-
quently not more than half a dozen are at any time
in one place.

They appeared to us to be very dissatisfied, owing
not only to their pay being so many years in arrear,
but to the duties which had been imposed both on the
importation of foreign articles, and on those of the
Mexican territory, amounting in the first instance to
forty-two and a half per cent.; whereas, under the old
government, two ships were annually sent from Aca-
pulco with goods, which were sold duty free, and at
their original cost in that country, and then, also, their
pay being regularly discharged, they were able to pur-
chase what they wanted. A further grievance has
arisen by the refusal of the government to continue

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT.

certain privileges which were enjoyed under the old
system. At that time soldiers entered for a term of
ten years, at the expiration of which they were allowed
to retire to the Pueblos�villages erected for this pur-
pose, and attached to the missions, where the men
have a portion of ground allotted to thern for the sup-
port of their families. This afforded a competency to
many; and while it benefited them, it was of service
to the government, as the country by that means
became settled, and its security increased. But this
privilege has latterly been withheld, and the applicants
have been allowed only to possess the land and feed
their cattle upon it, until it shall please the govern-
ment to turn them off. The reason of this, I believe,
was that Mexico was beginning to turn her attention
to California, and was desirous of having settlers there
from the southern districts, to whom it would be ne-
cessary to give lands; and until they could see what
would be required for this purpose and for the govern-
ment establishments, and had the limits of the pro-
perty already allotted, defined, they did not wish to
make any new grants. The real cause, however, was
not explained to the soldiers ; they merely heard that
they would not have the land ceded to them for life as
usual, and they were consequently much dissatisfied.

The same feeling of discontent that was experienced
by the garrison, pervaded the missions, in consequence
of some new regulations of the republican govern-
ment, the first and most grievous of which was the
discontinuance of a salary of 400 dollars per annum,
heretofore allowed to each of the padres: the support
the former government had given to the missions
amounted, according to Langsdorff, to a million
piastres a year. Another grievance was, the requisi-

tion of an oath of allegiance to the reigning authori-
ties, which these holy men considered so egregious a
violation of their former pledge to the king of Spain,
that, until he renounced his sovereignty over the
country, they could not conscientiously take it; and,
much as they were attached to the place in which they
had passed a large portion of their lives, and though
by quitting it they would be reduced to the utmost
penury�yet, so much did they regard this pledge,
that they were prepared to leave the country, and to
seek an asylum in any other that would afford it them.
Indeed, the Prefect preferring his expulsion to re-
nouncing his allegiance, had already received his dis-
missal, and was ready at the seaport of Monterey to
embark in any vessel the government might appoint
to receive him. A third grievance, and one which,
when duly considered, was of some importance, not
only to the missions but to the country in general,
was an order to liberate all those converted Indians
from the missions who bore good characters, and had
been taught the art of agriculture, or were masters of
a trade, and were capable of supporting themselves,
giving them portions of land to cultivate, so arranged
that they should be divided into parishes, with curates
to superintend them, subservient to the clergy of the
missions, who were to proceed to the conversion of the
Indians as usual, and to train them for the domesti-
cated state of society in contemplation.

This philanthropic system at first sight appeared to
be a very excellent one, and every friend to the rights
of man would naturally join in a wish for its prospe-
rity ; but the Mexican government could not have suf-
ficiently considered the state of California, and the dis-
position of the Indians, or they would have known it

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 13

could not possibly succeed without long previous
training, and then it would require to be introduced
by slow degrees.

The Indians whom this law emancipated were essen-
tial to the support of the missions, not only for con-
ducting their agricultural concerns, but for keeping in
subordination by force and example those whom dis-
obedience and ignorance would exempt from the pri-
vilege ; and as a necessary consequence of this indulg-
ence the missions would be ruined before the system
could be brought into effect, even supposing the In-
dians capable of conducting their own affairs. So far
from this being the case, however, they were known
to possess neither the will, the steadiness, nor the pa-
tience to provide for themselves. Accustomed, many
of them from their infancy, to as much restraint as
children, and to execute, mechanically, what they were
desired and no more, without even entertaining a
thought for their future welfare, it was natural that
such persons, when released from this discipline,
should abandon themselves entirely to their favourite
amusements, pastimes, and vices. Those also who had
been converted in later life would return to their
former habits, and having once again tasted the bless-
ings of freedom, which confinement and discipline
must have rendered doubly desirable, would forget all
restraint, and then being joined by the wild discon-
tented Indians, they would be more formidable ene-
mies to the missions than before, inasmuch as they
would be more .enlightened. But I will not antici
pate the result, which we had an opportunity of see-
ing on our return the following year; and from which
the reader will be able to judge how the system
worked.

The padres, however, dreading the worst, were very
discontented, and many would willingly have quitted
the country for Manilla. The government appeared
to be aware of this feeling, as they sent some young
priests from Mexico to supplant those who were dis-
affected, and desired that they should be trained up in
the mission, and should make themselves acquainted
with the language and usages of the Indians, in order
that they might not promote discontent by any sudden
innovation.

The missions have hitherto been of the highest im-
portance to California, and the government cannot be
too careful to promote their welfare, as the prosperity
of the country in a great measure is dependent upon
them, and must continue to be so until settlers from
the mother country can be induced to resort thither.
As they are of such consequence, I shall enter some-
what minutely into a description of them. In Up-
per California there' are twenty-one of these estab-
lishments, of which nine are attached to the presidios
of Monterey and Sdn Francisco, and contain about
7000 converts. They are in order as follow from north
to south :�

'San Francisco Solano.

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 15

San Antonio Buena Vistura

San Miguel San Fernando

San Luis San Gabriel

De la Purissima San Juan Capistram

Santa Ignes San Luis Rey 3000

Santa Barbara San Tomaso

I could not learn the number of Indians which are
in each of the missions to the southward of Soledad,
but they were stated collectively to amount to 20,000 :
on this head I must observe that the padres either
would not say, or did not know exactly, how many
there were, even in their own missions, much less the
number contained in those to the southward: and the
accounts were at all times so various that the above
computation can be only an approximation. Almost
all these establishments cultivate large portions of
of land, and rear cattle, the hides and tallow of which
alone form a small trade, of which the importance may
be judged from the fact of a merchant at Monterey
having paid 36,000 dollars in one year to a mission,
which was not one of the largest, for its hide, tallow,
and Indian labour. Though the system they pursue
is not calculated to raise the colony to any great pros-
perity, yet the neglect of the missions would not long
precede the ruin of the presidios, and of the whole of
the district. Indeed, with the exception of two pueb-
los, containing about seven hundred persons, and a
few farm houses widely scattered over the country,
there are no other buildings to the northward of Mon-
terey : thus, while the missions furnish the means of
subsistence to the presidios, the body of men they con-
tain keeps the wild Indians in check, and prevents
their making incursions on the settlers.

Each mission has fifteen square miles of ground
allotted to it. The buildings are variously laid out,
and adapted in size to the number of Indians which
they contain; some are inclosed by a high wall, as at
San Carlos, while others consist merely of a few rows
of huts, built with sun-burnt mud-bricks; many are
whitewashed and tiled, and have a neat and comfort-
able appearance. It is not, however, every hut that
has a white face to exhibit, as that in a great mea-
sure depends upon the industry and good conduct
of the family who possess it, who are in such a
case supplied with lime for the purpose. It is only
the married persons and the officers of the establish-
ment who are allowed these huts, the bachelors and
spinsters having large places of their own, where they
are separately incarcerated every night.

To each mission is attached a well-built church,
better decorated in the interior than the external ap-
pearance of some-would lead a stranger to suppose:
they are well supplied with costly dresses for proces-
sions and feast days, to strike with admiration the
senses of the gazing Indians, and on the whole are
very respectable establishments. In some of these are
a few tolerable pictures, among many bad ones ; and
those who have been able to obtain them are always
provided with representations of hell and paradise :
the former exhibiting in the most disgusting manner
all the torments the imagination [can fancy, for the
purpose of striking terror into the simple Indians, who
look upon the performance with fear and trembling.
Such representations may perhaps be useful in exhibit-
ing to the dull senses of the Indians what could not
be conveyed in any other way, and so far they are de-
sirable in the mission; but to an European the one is

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 17

disgusting, and the other ludicrous. Each establish-
ment is under the management of two priests if pos-
sible, who in Upper California belong to the mendi-
cant order of San Francisco. They have under them
a major-domo, and several subordinate officers, gene-
rally Spaniards, whose principal business is to overlook
the labour of the Indians.

The object of the missions is to convert as many of
the wild Indians as possible, and to train them up
within the walls of the establishment in the exercise
of a good life, and of some trade, so that they may in
time be able to provide for themselves and become
useful members of civilized society. As to the various
methods employed for the purpose of bringing prose-
lytes to the mission, there are several reports, of which
some were not very creditable to the institution : ne-
vertheless, on the whole I am of opinion that the
priests are innocent, from a conviction that they are
ignorant of the means employed by those who are
under them. Whatever may be the system, and
whether the Indians be really dragged from their
homes and families by armed parties, as some assert,
or not, and forced to exchange their life of freedom
and wandering for one of confinement and restraint
in the missions, the change according to our ideas of
happiness would seem advantageous to them, as they
lead a far better life in the missions than in their
forests, where they are in a state of nudity, and are
frequently obliged to depend solely upon wild acorns
for their subsistence.

Immediately the Indians are brought to the mission
they are placed under the tuition of some of the most
enlightened of their countrymen, who teach them to
repeat in Spanish the Lord's Prayer and certain pas-

sages in the Romish litany ; and also, to cross them-
selves properly on entering the church. In a few days
a willing Indian becomes a proficient in these mys-
teries, and suffers himself to be baptized, and duly
initiated into the church. If, however, as it not un-
frequently happens, any of the captured Indians show
a repugnance to conversion, it is the practice to im-
prison them for a few days, and then to allow them to
breathe a little fresh air in a walk round the mission,
to observe the happy mode of life of their converted
countrymen ; after which they are again shut up, and
thus continue to be incarcerated until they declare
their readiness to renounce the religion of their fore-
fathers.

I do not suppose that this apparently unjustifiable
conduct would be pursued for any length of time; and
I had never an opportunity of ascertaining the fact, as
the Indians are so averse to confinement that they very
soon become impressed with the manifestly superior
and more comfortable mode of life of those who are
at liberty, and in a Very few days declare their readiness
to have the new religion explained to them. A person
acquainted with the language of the parties, of which
there are sometimes several dialects in the same mis-
sion, is then selected to train them, and having duly
prepared them takes his pupils to the padre to be bap-
tized, and to receive the sacrament. Having become
Christians they are put to trades, or if they have good
voices they are taught music, and form part of the
choir of the church. Thus there are in almost every
mission weavers, tanners, shoemakers, bricklayers, car-
penters, blacksmiths, and other artificers. Others
again are taught husbandry, to rear cattle and horses ;
and some to cook for the mission : while the females

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 19

card, clean, and spin wool, weave, and sew ; and those
who are married attend to their domestic concerns.

In requital of these benefits, the services of the In-
dian, for life, belong to the mission, and if any neo-
phyte should repent of his apostacy from the religion
of his ancestors and desert, an armed force is sent in
pursuit of him, and drags him back to punishment
apportioned to the degree of aggravation attached to
his crime. It does not often happen that a voluntary
convert succeeds in his attempt to escape, as the wild
Indians have a great contempt and dislike for those
who have entered the missions, and they will fre-
quently not only refuse to re-admit them to their tribe,
but will sometimes even discover their retreat to their
pursuers. This animosity between the wild and con-
verted Indians is of great importance to the missions,
as it checks desertion, and is at the same time a pow-
erful defence against the wild tribes, who consider
their territory invaded, and have other just causes of
complaint. The Indians, besides, from political mo-
tives, are, I fear, frequently encouraged in a con-
temptuous feeling towards their unconverted country-
men, by hearing them constantly held up to them in
the degrading light of bdstias ! and in hearing the
Spaniards distinguished by the appellation of ginte de
razdn.

The produce of the land, and of the labour of the
Indians, is appropriated to the support of the mission
and the overplus to amass a fund which is entirely at
the disposal of the padres. In some of the establish-
ments this must be very large, although the padres
will not admit it, and always plead poverty. The go-
vernment has lately demanded a part of this profit,
but the priests who, it is said, think the Indians are

more entitled to it than the government, make small
donations to them, and thus evade the tax by taking
care there shall be no overplus. These donations in
some of the missions are greater than in others, ac-
cording as one establishment is more prosperous than
another ; and on this also, in a great measure, depends
the comforts of the dwellings, and the neatness, the
cleanliness, and the clothiug of the people. In some
of the missions much misery prevails, while in others
there is a degree of cheerfulness and cleanliness which
shows that many of the Indians require only care and
proper management to make them as happy as their
dull senses will admit of under a life of constraint.

The two missions of San Francisco and San Jose
are examples of the contrast alluded to. The former
in 1817 contained a thousand converts, who were
housed in small huts around the mission ; but at
present only two hundred and sixty remain�some
have been sent, it is true, to the new mission of San
Francisco Solano, but sickness and death have dealt
with an unsparing" hand among the others. The huts
of the absentees, at the time of our visit, had all fallen
to decay, and presented heaps of filth and rubbish ;
while the remaining inmates of the mission were in as
miserable a condition as it was possible to conceive,
and were entirely regardless of their own comfort.
Their hovels afforded scarcely any protection against
the weather, and were black with smoke : some of the
Indians were sleeping on the greasy floor; others were
grinding baked acorns to make into cakes, which con-
stitute a large portion of their food. So little atten-
tion indeed had been paid even to health, that in one
hut there was a quarter of beef suspended opposite a
window in a verv offensive and unwholesome state,

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT.

but its owners were too indolent to throw it out.
San Jos6, on the other hand, was all neatness, cleanli-
ness, and comfort; the Indians were amusing them-
selves between the hours of labour at tbeir games ;
and the children, uniformly dressed in white bodices
and scarlet petticoats, were playing at bat and ball.
Part of this difference may arise from the habits of
the people, who are of different tribes. Langsdorff
observes, that the Indians of the mission of San Jose*
are the handsomest tribe in California, and in every
way a finer race of men; and terms the neophytes of
San Francisco pigmies compared with them. I cannot
say that this remark occurred to me, and I think it
probable that he may have been deceived by the appa-
rently miserable condition of the people of San Fran-
cisco.

The children and adults of both sexes, in all the
missions, are carefully locked up every night in sepa-
rate apartments, and the keys are delivered into the
possession of the padre; and as, in the daytime, their
occupations lead to distinct places, unless they form
a matrimonial alliance, they enjoy very little of each
other's society. It, however, sometimes happens that
they endeavour to evade the vigilance of their keepers,
and are locked up with the opposite sex; but severe
corporeal punishment, inflicted in the same manner as
is practised in our schools, but with a whip instead of
a rod, is sure to ensue if they are discovered. Though
there may be occasional acts of tyranny, yet the ge-
neral character of the padres is kind and benevolent,
and in some of the missions, the converts are so much
attached to them that I have heard them declare they
wonld go with them, if they were obliged to quit the
country. It is greatly to be regretted that with the

influence these men have over their pupils, and with
the regard those pupils seem to have for their mas-
ters, that the priests do not interest themselves a little
more in the education of their converts, the first step
to which would be in making themselves acquainted
with the Indian language. Many of the Indians sur-
pass their pastors in this respect, and can speak the
Spanish language, while scarcely one of the padres
can make themselves understood by the Indians.
They have besides, in general, a lamentable contempt
for the intellect of these simple people, and think
them incapable of improvement beyond a certain point.
Notwithstanding this, the Indians are, in general, well
clothed and fed; they have houses of their own, and
if they are not confortable, it is, in a great measure,
their own fault; their meals are given to them three
times a day, and consist of thick gruel made of wheat,
Indian corn, and sometimes acorns, to which at noon
is generally added meat. Clothing of a better kind
than that worn by the Indians is given to the officers
of the missions, both as a reward for their services,
and to create an emulation in others.

If it should happen that there is a scarcity of pro-
visions, either through failure in the crop, or damage
of that which is in store, as they have always two or
three years in reserve, the Indians are sent off to the
woods to provide for themselves, where, accustomed
to hunt and fish, and game being very abundant, they
find enough to subsist upon, and return to the mis-
sion, when they are required to reap the next year's
harvest.

Having served ten years in the mission, an Indian
may claim his liberty, provided any respectable settler
will become surety for his future good conduct. A

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 23

piece of ground is then allotted for his support, hut
he is never wholly free from the establishment, as part
of his earnings must still be given to them. We heard
of very few to whom this reward for servitude and
good conduct had been granted; and it is not impro-
bable that the padres are averse to it, as it deprives
them of their best scholars. When these establish-
ments were first founded, the Indians flocked to them
in great numbers for the clothing with which the
neophytes were supplied; but after they became ac-
quainted with the nature of the institution, and felt
themselves under restraint, many absconded. Even
now, notwithstanding the difficulty of escaping, de-
sertions are of frequent occurrence, owing probably,
in some cases, to the fear of punishment�in others
to the deserters having been originally inveigled into
the mission by the converted Indians or the neophytes,
as they are called by way of distinction to Los Gentiles,
or the wild Indians�in other cases again to the fickle-
ness of their own disposition.

Some of the converted Indians are occasionally sta-
tioned in places which are resorted to by the wild
tribes for the purpose of offering them flattering ac-
counts of the advantages of the mission, and of per-
suading them to abandon their barbarous life ; while
others obtain leave to go into the territory of the
Gentiles to visit their friends, and are expected to
bring back converts with them when they return. At
a particular period of the year, also, when the Indians
can be spared from the agricultural concerns of the
establishment, many of them are permitted to take
the launch of the mission, and make excursions to the
Indian territory. All are anxious to go on such occa-
sions, some to visit their friends, some to procure the

chap, manufactures of their barbarous countrymen, which,

_v__' , by the by, are often better than their own ; and some

Nov. with the secret determination never to return. On
these occasions the padres desire them to induce as
many of their unconverted brethren as possible to
accompany them back to the mission, of course,
implying that this is to be done only by persua-
sion ; but the boat being furnished with a cannon
and musketry, and in every respect equipped for war,
it too often happens that the neophytes, and the g^nte
de razon, who superintend the direction of the boat,
avail themselves of their superiority, with the desire
of ingratiating themselves with their masters, and of
receiving a reward. There are, besides, repeated acts
of aggression which it is necessary to punish, all of
which furnish proselytes. Women and children are
generally the first objects of capture, as their hus-
bands and parents sometimes voluntarily follow them
into captivity. These misunderstanding and captivities
keep up a perpetual enmity amongst the tribes, whose
thirst for revenge is almost insatiable.

We had an opportunity of witnessing the tragical
issue of one of these' holyday excursions of the neo-
phytes of the mission of San Jose. The launch was
armed as usual, and placed under the superintendance
of an alcalde of the mission, who, it appears from one
statement (for there are several), converted the party
of pleasure either into one of attack for the purpose
of procuring proselytes, or of revenge upon a particu-
lar tribe for some aggression in which they were con-
cerned. They proceeded up the Rio San Joachin until
they came to the territory of a particular tribe named
Cosemenes, when they disembarked with the gun,
and encamped for the night near the village of Los

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 25

Gentiles, intending to make an attack upon them
the next morning; but before they were prepared,
the Gentiles, who had been apprised of their intention,
and had collected a large body of friends, became the
assailants, and pressed so hard upon the party that,
notwithstanding they dealt death in every direction
with their cannon and musketry, and were inspired
with confidence by the contempt in which they held
the valour and tactics of their unconverted country-
men, they were overpowered by numbers, and obliged
to seek their safety in flight, and to leave the gun in
the woods. Some regained the launch and were saved,
and others found their way overland to the mission ;
but thirty-four of the party never returned to tell their
tale.

There were other accounts of this unfortunate affair,
one of which accused the padre of authorising the
attack; and another stated that it was made in self-
defence ; but that which I have given appeared to be
the most probable. That the reverend father should
have sanctioned such a proceeding is a supposition so
totally at variance with his character, that it will not
obtain credit; and the other was in all probability the
report of the alcalde to excuse his own conduct. They
all agreed, however, in the fatal termination of their
excursion, and the neophytes became so enraged at
the news of the slaughter of their companions, that it
was almost impossible to prevent them from proceed-
ing forthwith to revenge their deaths. The padre was
also greatly displeased at the result of the excursion,
as the loss of so many Indians to the mission was of
the greatest consequence, and the confidence with
which the victory would inspire the Indians was
ecmally alarming. He, therefore, joined with the

converted Indians in a determination to chastise and
strike terror into the victorious tribe, and in concert
with the governor planned an expedition against them.
The mission furnished money, arms, Indians, and
horses, and the presidio provided troops, headed by
the alfeVez, Sanchez, a veteran who had been fre-
quently engaged with the Indians, and was acquainted
with every part of the country. The troops carried
with them their armour and shields, as a defence
against the arrows of the Indians : the armour con-
sisted of a helmet and jerkin made of stout skins,
quite impenetrable to an arrow, and the shield might
almost vie with that of Ajax in the number of its
folds.

The expedition set out on the 19th of November,
and we heard nothing of it until the 27th; but two
days after the troops had taken the field, some im-
mense columns of smoke rising above the mountains
in the direction of the Cosemenes, bespoke the con-
flagration of the village of the persecuted Gentiles.
And on the day above-mentioned, the veteran San-
chez made a triumphant entry into the mission of
San Jos6, escorting forty miserable women and child-
ren, the gun that had been taken in the first battle,
and other trophies of the field. This victory, so glo-
rious, according to the ideas of the conqueror, was
achieved with the loss of only one man on the part of
the Christians, who was mortally wounded by the
bursting of his own gun ; but on the part of the
enemy it was considerable, as Sanchez the morning
after the battle counted forty-one men, women, and
children, dead. It is remarkable that none of the
prisoners were wounded, and it is greatly to be feared
that the Christians, who could scarcely be prevented

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 27

from revenging the death of their relations upon those
who were brought to the mission, glutted their brutal
passion on all the wounded who fell into their hands.
The despatch which the alferez wrote to his com-
manding officer on the occasion of this successful ter-
mination of his expedition, will convey the best idea
of what was executed, and their manner of conducting
such an assault.

Translation�" Journal kept by citizen Jose Anto-
nio Sanchez, qnsign of cavalry of the presidio of San
Francisco, during the enterprise against the Gen-
tiles, called Cosemenes, for having put to death the
neophytes of the mission of San Jose."�Written with
gunpowder on the field of battle!

" On the morning of the 20th the troop commenced
its march, and, after stopping to dine at Las Positas,
reached the river San Joachin at eleven o'clock at
night, when it halted. This day's march was per-
formed without any accident, except that neighbour
Jose Ancha was nearly losing his saddle. The next
day the alferez determined to send forward the ' auxi-
liary neophytes' to construct balsas* for the troop to
pass a river that was in advance of them. The troop
followed, and all crossed in safety ; but among the
last of the horses that forded the river was one be-
longing to soldier Leandro Flores, who lost his bridle,
threw his rider, and kicked him in the face and fore-
head ; and as poor Flores could not swim, he was in
a fair way of losing his life before he came within
sight of the field of battle: assistance was speedily
rendered, and he was saved. As Sanchez wished to
surprise the enemy, he encamped until dusk, to avoid

* These are rafts made of rushes, and are the Indian substitute
for canoes.

being seen by the wild Indians, who were travelling
the country ; several of whom were met and taken
prisoners. At five they resumed their march; but
neighbour Gexbano Chaboya being taken ill with
a pain in his stomach, there was a temporary halt of
the army: it however soon set forward again, and ar-
rived at the river of Yachicume at eleven at night,
with only one accident, occasioned by the horse of
neighbour Leandro Flores again throwing up his
heels, and giving him a formidable fall.,

" The troop lay in ambush until five o'clock the
next evening, and then set out but here they were
distressed by two horses running away ; they were
however both taken after a short march, which
brought them to the river San Francisco, near the
rancheria of their enemy the Cosemenes, and where
the alferez commanded his troops to prepare for
battle, by putting on their cueros, or armour. The
23d the troop divided, and one division was sent
round to intercept the Cosemenes, who had discovered
the Christians, and were retreating; some of whom
they made prisoners, and immediately the firing be-
gan. It had lasted about an hour, when the musket
of soldier Jose Maria Garnez burst, and inflicted a
mortal wound in his forehead; but this misfortune did
not hinder the other soldiers from firing. The Gen-
tiles also opened their fire of arrows, and the skirmish-
ing became general. Towards noon a shout was
heard in the north quarter, and twenty Gentiles were
seen skirmishing with three Christians, two on foot
and one on horseback, and presently another shout
was heard, and the Christians were seen flying, and
the Gentiles in pursuit of them, who had already cap-
tured the horse.

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 29

" It was now four o'clock, and the alferez, seeing
that the Gentiles, who were in ambush, received little
injury, disposed every thing for the retreat of the
troops, and having burnt the rancheria, and seen some
dead bodies, he retreated three quarters of a league,
and encamped for the night. On the 24th the troops
divided into two parties, one charged with booty
and prisoners amounting to forty-four souls, mostly
women.

" The other party went with the veteran Sanchez to
the rancheria, to reconnoitre the dead bodies of which
he counted forty-one men, women, and children. They
met with an old woman there, the only one that was
left alive, who was in so miserable a state that they
showed their compassion by taking no account of her.
The alferez then set out in search of the cannon that
had been abandoned by the first expedition. The
whole of the troop afterwards retreated, and arrived
at the mission of San Jos� on the night of the 27th."

This truly ludicrous account of an expedition of
such trifling importance might appear to require an
apology for its insertion, but it conveys so good an
idea of the opposition to be expected by any power
which might think proper to land upon the coast of
California, that its omission might fairly be considered
a neglect.

The prisoners they had captured were immediately
enrolled in the list of the mission, except a nice little
boy, whose mother was shot while running away with
him in her arms, and he was sent to the presidio, and
was, I heard, given to the alferez as a reward for his
services. The poor little orphan had received a slight
wound in his forehead; he wept bitterly at first, and
refused to eat, but in time became reconciled to his
fate.

Those who were taken to the mission were imme-
diately converted, and were daily tanght by the neo-
phytes to repeat the Lord's prayer and certain hymns
in the Spanish language. I happened to visit the mis-
sion about this time, and saw these unfortunate beings
under tuition ; they were clothed in blankets, and
arranged in a row before a blind Indian, who under-
stood their dialect, and was assisted by an alcalde to
keep order. Their tutor began by desiring them to
kneel, informing them that he was going to teach
them the names of the persons composing the Tri-
nity, and that they were to repeat in Spanish what he
dictated.

The neophytes being thus arranged, the speaker be-
gan, " Santissima Trinidada, Dios, Jesu Cristo, Espi-
ritu Santo"�pausing between each name, to listen if
the simple Indians, who had never spoken a Spanish
word before, pronounced it correctly, or any thing near
the mark. After they had repeated these names satis-
factorily, their blind tutor, after a pause added, " San-
tos"�and recapitulated the names of a great many
saints, which finished the morning's tuition. I did
not attend the next schooling to hear what was the
ensuing task, but saw them arranged on their knees,
repeating Spanish words as before.

They did not appear to me to pay much attention
to what was going forward, and I observed to the
padre that I thought their teachers had an arduous
task ; but he said they had never found any difficulty ;
that the Indians were accustomed to change their
own gods, and that their conversion was in a measure
habitual to them. I could not help smiling at this
reason of the padre, but have no doubt it was very
true; and that the party I saw would feel as little

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 31

compunction at apostatizing again, whenever they
should have an opportunity of returning to their own
tribe.

The expenses of the late expedition fell heavy upon
the mission, and I was glad to find that the padre
thought it was paying very dear for so few converts,
as in all probability it will lessen his desire to under-
take another expedition ; and the poor Indians will
be spared the horrors of being butchered by their own
countrymen, or dragged from their homes into perpe-
tual captivity. He was also much concerned to think
the Cosemenes had stood their ground so firmly, and
he was under some little apprehension of an attack
upon the mission. Impressed with this idea, and in
order to defend himself the more effectually, he begged
me to furnish him with a few fireworks, which he
thought would strike terror into his enemies in case of
necessity.

Morning and evening mass are daily performed in
the missions, and high mass as it is appointed by the
Romish Church, at which all the converted Indians
are obliged to attend. The commemoration of the
anniversary of the patroness saint took place during
my visit at San Jos6, and high mass was celebrated in
the church. Before the prayers began, there was a
procession of the young female Indians, with which I
was highly pleased. They were neatly dressed in
scarlet petticoats, and white bodices, and walked in a
very orderly manner to the church, where they had
places assigned to them apart from the males. After
the bell had done tolling, several alguazils went round
to the huts, to see if all the Indians were at church,
and if they found any loitering within them, they
exercised with tolerable freedom a long lash with a

broad thong at the end of it; a discipline which ap-
peared the more tyrannical, as the church was not
sufficiently capacious for all the attendants, and seve-
ral sat upon the steps without; but the Indian women
who had been captured in the affair with the Cose-
menes were placed in a situation where they could see
the costly images, and vessels of burning incense, and
every thing that was going forward.

The congregation was arranged on both sides of
the building, separated by a wide aisle passing along
the centre, in which were stationed several alguazils
with whips, canes, and goads, to preserve silence and
maintain order, and, what seemed more difficult than
either, to keep the congregation in their kneeling
posture. The goads were better adapted to this pur-
pose than the whips, as they would reach a long way,
and inflict a sharp puncture without making any
noise. The end of the church was occupied by a
guard of soldiers under arms, with fixed bayonets; a
precaution which I suppose experience had taught
the necessity of observing. Above them there was a
choir consisting of several Indian musicians, who
performed very well indeed on various instruments,
and sang the Te Deum in a very passable manner.
The congregation was very attentive, but the gratifi-
cation they appeared to derive from the music fur-
nished another proof of the strong hold this portion
of the ceremonies of the Romish church takes upon
uninformed minds.

The worthy and benevolent priests of the mission
devote almost the whole of their time to the duties of
the establishment, and have a fatherly regard for those
placed under them who are obedient and diligent;
and too much praise cannot be bestowed upon them,

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT.

considering that they have relinquished many of the
enjoyments of life, and have embraced a voluntary
exile in a distant and barbarous country. The only
amusement which my hospitable host of the mission
of San Jos6 indulged in, during my visit to that place,
was during meal times, when he amused himself by
throwing pancakes to the muchachos, a number of
little Indian domestics, who stood gaping round the
table. For this purpose, he had every day two piles
of pancakes made of Indian corn ; and as soon as the
611a was removed, he would fix his eyes upon one of
the boys, who immediately opened his mouth, and the
padre, rolling up a cake, would say something ludi-
crous in allusion to the boy's appetite, or to the size
of his mouth, and pitch the cake at him, which the
imp would catch between his teeth, and devour with
incredible rapidity, in order that he might be ready
the sooner for another, as well as to please the padre,
whose amusement consisted in a great measure in
witnessing the sudden disappearance of the cake. In
this manner the piles of cakes were gradually distri-
buted among the boys, amidst much laughter, and
occasional squabbling.

Nothing could exceed the kindness and considera-
tion of these excellent men to their guests and to
travellers, and they were seldom more pleased than
when any one paid their mission a visit: we always
fared well there, and even on fast days were provided
with fish dressed in various ways, and preserves made
with the fruit of the country. We had, however,
occasionally some difficulty in maintaining our good
temper, in consequence of the unpleasant remarks
which the difference of our religion brought from the
padres, who were very bigoted men, and invariably

introduced this subject. At other times they were
very conversible, and some of them were ingenious
and clever men; but they had been so long excluded
from the civilized world, that their ideas and their
politics, like the maps pinned against the walls, bore
date of 1772, as near as I could read it for fly spots.
Their geographical knowledge was equally backward,
as my host at San Jos� had never heard of the dis-
coveries of Captain Cook; and because Otaheite was
not placed upon his chart, he would scarcely credit its
existence.

The Indians after their conversion are quiet and
tractable, but extremely indolent, and given to intoxi-
cation, and other vices. Gambling in particular they
indulge in to an unlimited extent: they pledge the
very clothes on their backs, and not unfrequently
have been known to play for each other's wives.
They have several games of their own, besides some
with cards, which have been taught them by the
Spaniards. Those which are most common, and are
derived from the wild Indians, are touss6, called by
the Spaniards pares y nones, odd or even ; escondido,
or hunt the slipper; and takersia.

The first, though sometimes played as in England,
generally consists in concealing a piece of wood in
one hand, and holding out both for the guessing
party to declare in which it is contained. The intense
interest that is created by its performance has been
amusingly described by Perouse. The second, escon-
dido, needs no description; the last, takersia, requires
some skill to play well, and consists in rolling a cir-
cular piece of wood with a hole in its centre along
the ground, and throwing a spear through it as it
rolls. If the spear pierces the hole, it counts ten

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 35

towards the game; and if it arrests the wood in such
a manner that it falls upon the spear, two is reckoned.
It is a sport well calculated to improve the art of
throwing the spear: but the game requires more
practice to play it well than the Indians usually
bestow upon it.

At some of the missions they pursue a custom said
to be of great antiquity among the aborigines, and
which appears to afford them much enjoyment. A
mud house, or rather a large oven, called temeschal
by the Spaniards, is built in a circular form, with a
small entrance, and an aperture in the top for the smoke
to escape through. Several persons enter this place
quite naked and make a fire near the door, which
they continue to feed with wood as long as they can
bear the heat. In a short time they are thrown into
a most profuse perspiration, they wring their hair,
and scrape their skin with a sharp piece of wood or
an iron hoop, in the same manner as coach horses
are sometimes treated when they come in heated; and
then plunge into a river or pond of cold water, which
they always take care shall be near the temeschal.

A similar practice to this is mentioned by Shelekoff
as being in use among the Konaghi, a tribe of Indians
near Cook's River, who have a method of heating the
oven with hot stones, by which they avoid the discom-
fort occasioned by the wood smoke; and, instead of
scraping their skin with iron or bone, rub themselves
with grass and twigs.

Formerly the missions had small villages attached to
them, in which the Indians lived in a very filthy state;
these have almost all disappeared since Vancouver's
visit, and the converts are disposed of in huts as before
described; and it is only when sickness prevails to a

great extent that it is necessary to erect these habita-
tions, in order to separate the sick from those who are
in health. Sickness in general prevails to an incredi-
ble extent in all the missions, and on comparing the
census of the years 1786 and 1813, the proportion of
deaths appears to be increasing. At the former period
there had been only 7,701 Indians baptized, out of
which 2,388 had died ; but in 1813 there had been
37,437 deaths to only 57,328 baptisms.

The establishments are badly supplied with medi-
cines, and the reverend fathers, their only medical ad-
visers, are inconceivably ignorant of the use of them.
In one mission there was a seaman who pretended to
some skill in pharmacy, but he knew little or nothing
of it, and perhaps often did more harm than good.
The Indians are also extremely careless and obstinate,
and prefer their own simples to any other remedies,
which is not unfrequently the occasion of their dis-
ease having a fatal termination.

The Indians in general submit quietly to the disci-
pline of the missions, yet insurrections have occasion-
ally broken out, particularly in the early stage of the
settlement, when father Tamoral and other priests
suffered martyrdom.* In 1823, also, a priest was mur-
dered in a general insurrection in the vicinity of San
Luis Rey; and in 1827, the soldiers of the garrison
were summoned to quell another riot in the same
quarter.

The situations of the missions, particularly that of
San Jose, are in general advantageously chosen. Each
establishment has fifteen square miles of ground, of
which part is cultivated, and the rest appropriated to

* Noticias de California, by Miguel Venegas.

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. ftf

the grazing and rearing of cattle; for in portioning
out the ground, care has been taken to avoid that
which is barren. The most productive farms are held
by the missions of San Jose, Santa Clara, San Juan,
and Santa Cruz. That of San Francisco appears to
be badly situated, in consequence of the cold fogs from
the sea, which approach the mission through several
deep valleys, and turn all the vegetation brown that is
exposed to them, as is the case in Shetland with the
tops of every tree that rises above the walls. Still,
with care, more might be grown in this mission thari
it is at present made to produce. Santa Cruz is rich
in supplies, probably on account of the greater demand
by merchant vessels, whalers in particular, who not
unfrequently touch there the last thing on leaving the
coast, and take on board what vegetables they require;
the quantity of which is so considerable, that it not
unfrequently happens that the missions are for a time
completely drained. On this account it is advisable,
on arriving at any of the ports, to take an early oppor-
tunity of ordering every thing that may be required.

A quantity of grain, such as wheat and Indian corn,
is annually raised in all the missions, except San
Francisco, which, notwithstanding it has a farm at
Burri Burri, is sometimes obliged to have recourse to
the other establishments. Barley and oats are said to
be scarcely worth the cultivation, but beans, pease,
and other leguminous vegetables are in abundance,
and fruit is plentiful. The land requires no manure at
present, and yields on an average twenty for one. San
Jose^- reaps about 3,000 fanegas * of wheat annually.

Hides and tallow constitute the principal riches of the

* A fanega is one hundred pounds weight.

chap, missions, and the staple commodity of the commerce
, of the country : a profitable revenue might also be de-
Nov. rived from grain were the demand for it on the coast
such as to encourage them to cultivate a larger quantity
than is required by the Indians attached to the missions.
San Jos�, which possesses 15,000 head of cattle, cures
about 2,000 hides annually, and as many botas of tal-
low, which are either disposed of by contract to a
mercantile establishment at Monterey, or to vessels in
the harbour. The price of these hides may be
judged by their finding a ready market on the Lima
coast. Though there are a great many sheep in the
country, as may be seen by the mission, San Jos6
alone possessing 3,000, yet there is no export of
wool, in consequence of the consumption of that arti-
cle in the manufacture of cloth for the missions.

Husbandry is still in a very backward state, and it
is fortunate that the- soil is so fertile, and that there
are abundance of labourers to perform the work, or I
verily believe the people would be contented to live
upon acorns. Their ploughs appear to have descended
from the patriarchal ages, and it is only a pity that a
little of the skill and industry then employed upon
them should not have devolved upon the present ge-
neration. It will scarcely be credited by agricul-
turists in other countries, that there were seventy
ploughs and two hundred oxen at work upon a piece
of light ground of ten acres; nor did the overseers
appear to consider that number unnecessary, as the
padre called our attention to this extraordinary ad-
vancement of the Indians in civilization, and pointed
out the most able workmen as the ploughs passed us
in succession. The greater part of these ploughs fol-
lowed in the same furrow without making much im-

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 39

pression, until they approached the padre, when the
ploughman gave the necessary inclination of the hand,
and the share got hold of the ground. It would have
heen good policy for the padre to have moved gradu-
ally along the field, by which he would have had it
properly ploughed; but he seemed to be quite satisfied
with the performance. Several of the missions, but
particularly that of Santa Barbara, make a wine re-
sembling claret, though not near so palatable, and
they also distil an ardent spirit resembling arrack.

In this part of California, besides the missions,
there are several pueblos, or villages, occupied by
Spaniards and their families, who have availed them-
selves of the privileges granted by the old govern-
ment, and have relinquished the sword for the plough-
share. There are also a few settlers who are farmers,
but, with these exceptions, the country is almost un-
inhabited. Perhaps I cannot convey a better idea of
the deserted state of the country, or of the capability
of its soil, than by inserting a short narrative which I
have compiled from the journals of three of my offi-
cers who travelled over land from San Francisco to
" the famous port of Monterey."

I have already stated that it was found expedient to
make this journey to learn whether any supplies could
be procured for the ship ; and in consequence Mr.
Collie, the surgeon, Mr. Marsh, the purser, and Mr.
Evans, who was well acquainted with the Spanish lan-
guage, were requested to proceed on this service. As
it was of importance that no time should be lost in
acquiring this information, they had very little time
allowed them to prepare for so long, and, to seamen,
so unusual a journey; but as the mode of travelling in
that rude country admitted but few incumbrances, the

omission of these preparations was of less conse-
quence.

In order to reach a tolerable halting place for the
night, the first day's journey was necessarily long, and
consequently by daylight on the 9th November the
three officers were on their road to the mission; hav-
ing found horses and an escort prepared in pursuance
of previous arrangements.

Setting off at a round trot, they made the best of
their way over three or four miles of ground so over-
grown with dwarf oaks and other trees, that they were
every moment in danger of being thrown from their
horses, or having their eyes torn out by the branches
as they passed. In half an hour, however, they
reached the mission of San Francisco, and soon for-
got the little annoyances they had hitherto met with
in the hospitable welcome of the good priest, who re-
galed them with excellent pears and new milk. Nor
was his conversation less palatable than his cheer; for,
notwithstanding the introduction of half a dozen un-
necessary si senors in each sentence, he contrived to
amuse the vacant time with a flow of most genuine
humour, for which Tomaso was always prepared, till
the rattling accoutrements of a Californian dragoon
announced the arrival of the passport from the go-
vernor. Intrusting their baggage to the care of two
vaqueros (Indian cattle drivers) who were to accom-
pany them, and receiving each a blessing from the
padre, they set off with their escort about ten o'clock
in the forenoon. The cavalcade consisted of three
officers of the Blossom, the two vaqueros, and their
champion the dragoon, preceded by nine or ten loose
horses, driven on before as a relay, to be used when
those they mounted should become fatigued. These

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 41

Rozinantes are not much inclined to deviate from the
road, hut if any thing should inspire them with a
spirit of straying, the unerring lasso, the never-failing
appendage to a Californian saddlebow, soon embraces
their neck or their feet, and brings them back again
to the right way.

I must not, however, permit the party to proceed
farther without introducing to the notice of the reader
the costume and equipment of this dragoon of Cali-
fornia. As for his person, I do not find it described,
but his dress consisted of a round blue cloth jacket
with red cuffs and collar; blue velvet breeches, which
being unbuttoned at the knees, gave greater display
to a pair of white cotton stockings, cased more than
halfway in a pair of deer-skin boots. A black hat,
as broad in the brim as it was disproportionably low
in the crown, kept in order, by its own weight, a pro-
fusion of dark hair, which met behind, and dangled
half way down the back in the form of a thick cmeue.
A long musket, with a fox skin bound round the
lock, was balanced upon the pummel of the saddle;
and our hero was further provided for defence against
the Indians with a bull's hide shield, on which, not-
withstanding the revolution of the colony, were em-
blazoned the royal arms of Spain, and by a double-
fold deer skin cuirass as a covering for his body.
Thus accoutred he bestrode a saddle, which retained
him in his seat by a high pummel in front and a cor-
responding rise behind. His feet were armed at the
heels with a tremendous pair of iron spurs, secured
by a metal chain ; and were thrust through an enor-
mous pair of wooden box shaped stirrups. Such was
the person into whose charge our shipmates were,
placed by the governor, with a passport which com-

manded him not to permit any person to interfere
with the party either in its advance or on its return,
and that it was to be escorted from place to place by
a soldier.

Leaving the mission of San Francisco, the party
receded from the only part of the country that is
wooded for any considerable distance, and ascended a
chain of hills about a thousand feet in height, where
they had an extensive view, comprehending the sea,
the Farallones rocks, and the distant Punta de los
Reyes, a headland so named by the expedition under
Sebastian Viscaino in 1602. The ridge which afforded
this wide prospect was called Sierra de San Bruno,
and for the most part was covered with a burnt-up
grass, but such places as were bare presented to the
eye of the geologist rocks of sandstone conglomerate,
intersected by a few veins of jaspar. Winding through
the Sierre de San Bruno, they crossed a river of that
name, and opened out the broad arm of the sea which
leads from the port to Santa Clara, and is confined
between the chain they were traversing and the Sierra
de los Bolbones, distinguishable at a distance by a
peaked mountain 3,783 feet high by trigonometrical
measurement. Upon the summit of that part of the
sierra bordering the arm of sea called Estrecho de San
Jos�, a thick wood, named Palos Colorados from its
consisting principally of red cedar pine, stands con-
spicuous on the ridge. I mention this particularly,
and wish to call attention to the circumstance, as
the straggling trees at the south extreme of the wood
are used as landmarks for avoiding a dangerous rock
which we discovered in the harbour, and named after
the Blossom.

About noon they reached a small cottage named

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 43

Burri Burri, about twelve miles from San Francisco;
and being unused to travelling, especially upon Cali-
fornian saddles, which are by no means constructed
for comfort, they determined to rest, until the baggage
that had been left in the rear should overtake them.
The house in which they lodged was a small mi-
serable mud cottage full of holes, which, however,
afforded them some repose and some new milk. Its in-
habitants had been engaged in tanning, in which pro-
cess they used a liquid extracted from oak bark, con-
tained in a hide suspended by the corners. They had
also collected in great quantities a very useful root
called in that country amoles, which seems to answer
all the purposes of soap.

From Burri Burri, a continuation of the Sierra de
San Bruno passes along the centre of the peninsula
formed by the sea and the Estrecho de San Jos�, and
is separated from this arm of the harbour by a plain,
upon which the travellers now descended from the
mountains, and journied at a more easy and agreeable
rate than they had done on the rugged paths among the
hills. This plain near the sea is marshy, and having
obtained the name of Las Salinas is probably over-
flowed occasionally by the sea. The number of wild
geese which frequent it is quite extraordinary, and
indeed would hardly be credited by any one who had
not seen them covering whole acres of ground, or
rising in myriads with a clang that may be heard at a
very considerable distance. They are said to arrive
in California in November, and to remain there until
March. Their flesh in general is hard and fishy, but
it was reported by padre Luis Gil, of the mission of
Santa Crux, that those which bave yellow feet are
exceptions to this, and are excellent eating. The

blackbirds are almost equally numerous, and in their
distant flight resemble clouds. Among the marshes
there were also a great many storks and cranes,
which in San Francisco have the reputation of afford-
ing a most delicious repast.

Travelling onward, the hills on their right, known
in that part as the Sierra del Sur, began to approach
the road, which passing over a small eminence, opened
out upon a wide country of meadow land, with clusters
of fine oak free from underwood. It strongly re-
sembled a nobleman's park: herds of cattle and
horses were grazing upon the rich pasture, and nume-
rous fallow-deer, startled at the approach of strangers
bounded off to seek protection among the hills. The
resemblance, however, could be traced no further.
Instead of a noble mansion, in character with so fine a
country, the party arrived at a miserable mud dwel-
ling, before the door of which a number of half-naked
Indians were basking in the sun. Several dead geese,
deprived of their entrails, were fixed upon pegs around
a large pole, for the purpose of decoying the living game
into snares, which were placed for them in favourable
situations. Heaps of bones also of various animals
were lying about the place, and sadly disgraced the
park-like scenery around. This spot is named San
Matheo, and belongs to the mission of San Francisco.

Quitting this spot, they arrived at a farm-house
about half way between San Francisco and Santa
Clara, called Las Pulgas (fleas); a name which af-
forded much mirth to our travellers, in which they
were heartily joined by the inmates of the dwelling,
who were very well aware that the name had not been
bestowed without cause. It was a miserable habita-
tion, with scarcely any furniture, surrounded by

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRATT. 45

decaying hides and bones. Still, fatigue, renders re-
pose sweet upon whatsoever it can be indulged, and
our party were glad enough to stretch themselves
awhile upon a creaking couch, the only one in the
hut, notwithstanding that the owner had a numerous
family. Here, had there been accommodation, and had
the place not acquired the reputation its name conveys,
they would willingly have ended their day's journey ;
but the idea of las pulgas, sufficiently numerous in all
the houses of California, determined them to proceed
as soon as they conveniently could. The plain still
continued animated with herds of cattle, horses, and
sheep grazing; but the noble clusters of oak were
now varied with shrubberies, which afforded a retreat
to numerous coveys of Californian partridges, of
which handsome species of game the first specimen
was brought to England by the Blossom, and is now
living in the gardens of the Zoological Society.
They are excellent food ; and the birds, in the coun-
try now under description, are so tame that they
would often not start from a stone directed with
Indian skill.

The sun went down before they reached Santa
Clara, which was to terminate that day's journey,
and being unaccustomed to ride, the whole party
were thoroughly fatigued. Indeed, so wearying was
the journey even to the animals that bore them, that
but for the relays of horses, which were now brought
in with a lasso, they might have- been compelled to
pass the night upon the plain among the geese, the
jackals, and the bears, which in the vicinity of Santa
Clara are by no means scarce. The pleasure of re-
moving from a jaded horse to one that is fresh is not
unknown probably to my readers, and our party rode

in comparative comfort the remainder of the journey,

and reached the mission of Santa Clara at eight

Santa Clara, distant by the road about forty miles

from San Francisco, is situated in the extensive plain
before described, which here, however, becomes more
marshy than that part of the ground over which they
had just travelled. It nevertheless continues to be
occupied by herds of cattle, horses, sheep, and flocks
of geese. Here, also, troops of jackals prowl about
in the most daring manner, making the plain resound
with their melancholy howlings; and indeed both
wild and domesticated animals seem to lose their fear
and become familiar with their tyrant man. The
buildings of the establishment, which was founded in
1768, consists of a church, the dwelling-house of the
priests, and five rows of buildings for the accommoda-
tion of 1,400 Indians, who since Vancouver's visit, have
been thus provided with comparatively comfortable
dwellings, instead of occupying straw huts, which
were always wet and miserable. Attached to these
are some excellent orchards, producing an abundance
of apples and pears. Olives and grapes are also plen-
tiful, and the padres are enabled to make from the
latter about twenty barrels of wine annually. They
besides grow a great quantity of wheat, beans, peas,
and other vegetables. On the whole this is one of
the best regulated and most cleanly missions in the
country. Its herds of cattle amount to 10,000 in
number, and of horses there are about 300.

When our travellers visited the mission it was
governed by padres Jose and Machin, two priests of
the mendicant order of San Francisco, to which class
belong all the priests in Upper California. They ap-

PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 47

peared to lead a comfortable life, though not over well
provided with its luxuries.

We will not, however, pry too narrowly into the
internal arrangements of the good fathers' dwelling;
let it suffice, that they gave our travellers a cordial
welcome, and entertained them at their board in a
most hospitable manner. After joining them in a
dram of aquadente, they allowed their guests to retire
to their sleeping apartment, where, stretched upon
couches of bull-hide as tough and impenetrable as the
cuirass of their friend the dragoon (who left them at
this place), they soon fell asleep�thanks to exces-
sive weariness�and slept as soundly as las pulgas
would let them.

Having breakfasted the. following morning with the
padres, and being provided with fresh horses, a new
escort and vaqueros, the party was about to start, but
were delayed by the punishment of an Indian who
had stolen a blanket, for which he received two
dozen lashes with a leathern thong upon that part of
the human frame, which, we learn from Hudibras, is the
most susceptible of insult. Some other Indians were
observed to be heavily shackled, but the causes of
their punishment were not stated.

A beautiful avenue of trees, nearly three miles in
length, leads from the mission to the pueblo of Sdn
Jose, the largest settlement of the kind in Upper
California. It consists of mud houses miserably
provided in every respect, and contains about 500
inhabitants�retired soldiers and their families, who
under the old government were allowed the privilege
of forming settlements of this nature, and had a
quantity of ground allotted to them for the use of
their cattle. They style themselves Gdnte de Razwi,

chap, to distinguish them from the Indians, whose intel-



	94	VOYAGE TO THE
	94

subjects gave him, suited the plan of his government better than any other religion, and he, consequently, opposed every attempt to propagate the gospel among his people. Up to this period no missionaries had reached the Sandwich Islands, and for nearly a year there might be said to be no religion in the country; but at the expi- ration of that period (in 1820), several missionary gentlemen arrived from the United States, and imme- diately entered upon their vocations. Keopuolani be- came the first actual convert to the Christian religion, though in 1819 both Boki and Krymhakoo were bap- tized by the clergyman of Captain Freycinet's ship. Keopuolani being a chief of powerful influence, her example was followed by a great many persons, and the missionaries have since added daily to the num- ber of their converts, and have been protected by the government, particularly by Kahumana and Kapeo- lani, two female chiefs next in rank to Keopuolani, and probably first in power in the islands. Keopuolani died in 1823, after having received the sacrament. She was a grandchild of Terreeoboo, and a daughter of Kevalao, who was slain at Mowee. At the time of this victory, which added Mowee to the dominion of Tamehameha, Keopuolani was only thir- teen years of age. She happened to be on the field at the moment of the defeat of her party, and became the prisoner of the conqueror, who, in order to secure his conquest by right as well as by victory, united her to himself in marriage. She had, however, afterwards, agreeably to the custom of the country, several hus- bands, of which one was Krymakoo, who also fell into the hands of the king at Mowee, and whose life was generously spared ; and another, Hoapiri, who, though



	158	VOYAGE TO THE
	158

was manifested by our guides from Napa, who were evidently acting under much constraint. Lieutenant Wainwright, who, since leaving San Francisco, had been an invalid, having suffered severely from a disease of the heart, was provided with a horse by the natives, and permitted to ride every day for his health. He was attended by a guide, and received much kindness and attention from the humane Loo Chooans, who, though they often gave us many rea- sons to suspect the purity of their intentions, were, by their acts, certainly entitled to our gratitude. On the 19th we received a bullock weighing lOOlbs., five pigs, a bag of sweet potatoes, some firewood, and some more water. Several of the officers landed and walked into the country, attended by the natives, who endeavoured by every species of cunning, and even by falsehood, to prevent their going near the villages, or penetrating far inland. We had again a ship full of visiters, and the two artists were employed the greater part of the day in completing their drawing, which they refused to part with. After the strangers were gone on shore, a thermometer that was kept upon deck for the purpose of registering the temperature was missed, and the natural conclusion was, that it had attracted the attention of some of our visiters, who, it must be remembered, were of all classes. It was a curious coincidence, but I believe perfectly accidental, that the day after the instrument was missed not a single person came off to the ship, except those employed in bringing water: when An-yar came on board the next morning I made our loss known to him ; he was much distressed at hearing of it, and said he would make every inquiry about it on shore, and added�" plenty Doo Choo man teef�plenty



	194
			VOYAGE TO THE


mory was further honoured by a temple being erected to him in Loo Choo, in 1663, by the Manshur Tartar, Emperor Kang-hi. Confucius is now honoured and revered by all classes in Loo Choo. The sect Taou, which is equally corrupt with that of Foo, has but few advocates among the better classes of society. Like the Chinese, the Loo Chooans are extremely superstitious, and invoke their deities upon every oc- casion, sometimes praying to the good spirit, and at others to the evil. Near the beach to the northward of Potsoong, upon the shore which faces the coast of China, there were several square stones with pieces of paper attached to them. The natives gave us to un- derstand they were the prayers of individuals ; but we could not exactly understand the nature of them. A label similarly placed to those upon the beach was car- ried away by Captain Hall, and found to contain a prayer for the safe voyage of a friend who had gone from Loo Choo to China; it is very probable, there- fore, that those which we saw were for similar pur- poses. At the Jos House at Potsoong I have men- tioned pieces of paper being suspended between the panels, and have also suggested the probability of their being supplications of a similar nature. Indeed one of these also was taken to Macao by Lieutenant Clif- ford, and found to be an invocation of the devil.* In a natural cave near Abbey Point, I found a rudely carved image, about three feet in height, of the goddess Kwan-yin (pronounced Kwan-yong by the Loo Chooans). In front of the deity there were several square stone vessels for offerings, and upon one of them some short pieces of polished wood were

		* Hall's Loo Choo, 4to. p. 203.



	PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT.
	PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT.	215
		215

his accession his title was disputed by a nobleman named Li-yong; but he being defeated and killed, Chun-tien was acknowledged King of Loo Choo by the people. Having reigned fifty-one years, and be- stowed many benefits upon his subjects, whose hap- piness was his principal care, he died at the age of seventy-two. In this reign reading and writing are said to have been first introduced from Japan, the character being that of Y-rofa. Very little mention is made of the son and successor of Chun-tien ; but the reign of his grandson Y-pen is marked by the occurrence of a famine and a plague, which nearly desolated the island; and by his abdica- tion in favour of any person whom the people might appoint to succeed him. The choice fell upon Ynt- sou, the governor of a small town ; but the king, desirous of ascertaining whether he was a competent person to succeed him, first made him prime minister ; and being at length satisfied that the choice of the peo- ple was judicious, he abdicated in his favour, reserving a very moderate provision for himself and family. Ynt-sou ascended the throne A. D. 1260, and reigned forty years. He is said to have been the first to levy taxes, and to have introduced useful regulations for the cultivation of the soil. In his reign Ta-tao, Ki- ki-ai, and other islands to the north-east and north- west came under the dominion of Loo Choo. This reign was also marked by an attempt of the Emperor of China to renew his demand of tribute, which had not been made for so many generations that the Loo Chooans began to consider themselves absolved from the obligation. The Emperor of China, however, determining not to relinquish the advantages which had been gained by his predecessor Yang-ti, equipped a



	236	VOYAGE TO THE
	236

east angle of the island, which afforded very secure anchorage from all winds except the south-east; as this is the prevalent wind during the summer, it is not advisable to anchor there in that season. I named it Fitton Bay, in compliment to Dr. Fitton, late pre- sident of the Geological Society. Mr. Elson also was employed outside the harbour, and discovered some sunken rocks to the southward of the entrance to the port, on which account ships should not close the land in that direction, so as to shut in two paps at the north-east angle of Port Lloyd with the south bluff of the harbour. With these objects open there is no danger. On the 15th of June, we put to sea from Port Lloyd; and finding the wind still from the southward, and that we could not reach the islands in that di- rection without much loss of time, I bore away to ascer- tain the northern limit of the group. We ran along the western shore, and at noon on the 16th observed the meridian altitude off the northernmost islet. The group consists of three clusters of islands lying nearly N. by E., and extending from the lat. of 27" 44'35" N. to 26° 30' N. and beyond, but that was the utmost limit of our view to the southward. The northern cluster consists of small islands and pointed rocks, and has much broken ground about it, which renders cau- tion necessary in approaching it. I distinguished it by the name of Parry's Group, in compliment to the late hydrographer, under whose command I had the plea- sure to serve on the northern expedition. The middle cluster consists of three islands, of which Peel's Island₅four miles and a fifth in length, is the largest. This group is nine miles and a quarter in length, and is divided by two channels so narrow that they can only



			CONTENTS OF THE SECOND VOLUME.

		CHAPTER I. Arrive at S&n Francisco�Description of the Harbour, Presi- sidio, and the Missions�Occupations�Dissatisfied State of the Garrison and the Priesthood�Contemplated Plan of settling the Indians in the Missions�Occupations of the converted Indians� Manner of making Converts�Expedition against the Tribe of Cosemenes�Official Despatch�Overland Journey to Monterey� Scarcity of Provisions at that place�Plan of the Voyage altered in consequence�Departure..........................Page I CHAPTER II. Observations on the Country of California and its Trade�Cli- mate�Meteorological Remarks�Short Account of the Wild In- dians�Natural Productions�Monterey�Mission of San Carlos �Departure.......................................... 66 CHAPTER III. Passage to the Sandwich Islands�Woahoo�Historical Sketch of the Islands�Progress in Civilization�Sandal Wood�Re- sources of the Government�Slow Progress of Education�Efforts of the Missionaries�Unsuccessful Result of their Zeal�Senti- ments of the King and Chiefs�Entertainment given by the King �Death of Krymakoo�Wailing Scene�Departure of Kahumana for Owyhee J.......................................... 88 CHAPTER IV. Further Remarks on the Inhabitants�Treaty of Alliance� Climate�Medicinal Properties of the Ava�Supplies�Departure �Passage to China�Ladrone and Bashee Islands�Arrival at Macao�Transactions there�Departure�Botel Tobago Xima� Arrival at the Great Loo Choo ........................ 112 CHAPTER V. Appearance of Loo Choo�Visits of the Natives�Deputation �Permission given to land�Excursions into the Country�Dis- cover Money in circulation�Mandarin visits the Ship�Departure of a Junk with Tribute�Visit of the Mandarin returned�Further Intercourse�Transactions of the Ship�Departure�Observations a2



			VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT.

		CHAPTER I. Arrive at Sim Francisco�Description of the Harbour, Presidio, and the Missions�Occupations�Dissatisfied State of the Gar- rison and the Priesthood�Contemplated Plan of settling the Indians in the Missions�Occupations of the converted Indians �Manner of making Converts�Expedition against the Tribe of Cosemenes�Official Despatch�Overland Journey to Mon- terey�Scarcity of Provisions at that Place�Plan of the Voy- age altered in consequence�Departure. When the day broke, we found ourselves about chap. four miles from the land. It was a beautiful morning, _t__' with just sufficient freshness in the air to exhilarate Nov. without chilling. The tops of the mountains, the only part of the land visible, formed two ranges, be- tween which our port was situated; though its en- trance, as well as the valleys and the low lands, were still covered with the morning mist condensed around the bases of the mountains. We bore up for the opening between the ranges, anxious for the rising sun to withdraw the veil, that we might obtain a view of vol. n. b



		2 VOYAGE TO THE the harbour, and form our judgment of the country in which we were about to pass the next few weeks. As we advanced, the beams of the rising sun gradually descended the hills, until the mist, dispelled from the land, rolled on before the refreshing sea wind, disco- vering cape after cape, and exhibiting a luxuriant country apparently abounding in wood and rivers. At length two low promontories, the southern one dis- tinguished by a fort and a Mexican flag, marked the narrow entrance of the port. "We spread our sails with all the anxiety of persons who had long been secluded from civilized society, and deprived of wholesome aliment; but after the first effort of the breeze, it died away and left us becalmed in a heavy N. W. swell. Off the harbour of San Francisco there is a bar which extends from the northern shore, gradually deepening its water until it approaches the peninsula on the opposite side , where nine fathoms may be carried over it. Of this bar, however, we were igno- rant, and naturally steered directly for the harbour, in doing which the depth of water gradually diminished to five fathoms. This would have been of no conse- quence, had it not been for a swell which rolled so heavily over the bank that it continually broke ; and though our depth of water was never less than 4§ fathoms, the ship on two or three occasions disturbed the sand with her keel. The tide was unfortunately against us, and the swell propelled the ship just suf- ficiently fast for her to steer without gaining any ground, so that we remained in this unpleasant situa- tion several hours. The best part for crossing is with the island of Alcatrasses in one with the fort.



		4 VOYAGE TO THE holds a broad sheet of water, sufficiently extensive to contain all the British navy, with convenient coves, anchorage in every part, and, around, a country diver- sified with hill and dale, partly wooded, and partly dis- posed in pasture lands of the richest kind, abounding in herds of cattle. In short, the only objects wanting to complete the interest of the scene arc some use- ful establishments and comfortable residences on the grassy borders of the harbour, the absence of which creates an involuntary regret, that so fine a country, abounding in all that is essential to man, should be allowed to remain in such a state of neglect. So poorly did the place appear to be peopled that a sickly column of smoke rising from within some dilapidated walls, misnamed the presidio or protection, was the only indication we had of the country being inhabited. The harbour stretches to the S. E. to the distance of thirty miles, and affords a water communication be- tween the missions of San Jos�, Santa Clara, and the presidio, which is built upon a peninsula about five miles in width. On the north the harbour is con- tracted to a strait, which communicates with a basin ten miles wide, with a channel across it sufficiently deep for frigates, though they cannot come near the land, on account of the mud. A creek on the N. W. side of this basin leads up to the new mission of San Francisco Solano; and a strait to the eastward, named Estr^cho de Karquines, communicates with another basin into which three rivers discharge themselves, and bring down so large a body of water that the cstrecho is from ten to eleven fathoms deep. These rivers are named Jesus Maria, El Sacramento, and San Joachin: the first, I was informed, takes a north- erly direction, passes at the back of Bodega, and ex-



		PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 5 tends beyond Cape Mendocino. El Sacramento trends to the N. E., and is said to have its rise in the rocky mountains near the source of the Columbia. The other, San Joachin, stretches to the southward, through the country of the Bolbones, and is divided from the S. E. arm of the harbour by a range of mountains. When LangsdorfF was at this port, an expedition was undertaken by Don Louis Arguello and Padre Uria to make converts, and to inquire into the nature of the country in the vicinity of the Sierra nevada; and I learned from Don Louis, I believe a son of the commander, that they traced the Sacramento seventy or eighty leagues up, and that it was there very wide and deep, but that he had no boat to ascertain its depth. The Padre had it in contemplation to form a settlement in that direction, which he thought would become very rich in a short time by the number of Indians who would flock to it; but as it was never done, I presume he found material obstacles to his design. As we opened out the several islands and stopping places in the harbour, we noticed seven American whalers at anchor at Sausalito, not one of which showed their colours ; we passed them and anchored off a small bay named Yerba Buena, from the luxuri- ance of its vegetation, about a league distant from both the presidio and the mission of San Francisco. I immediately went on shore to pay my respects to Don Ignacio Martinez, a lieutenant in the Mexican army, acting governor in the absence of Don Louis, and to the priest, whose name was Tomaso, both of whom gave me a very hospitable and friendly recep- tion, and offered their services in any way they might



		PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 7 indeed, as soon to lessen the desire of pursuit; still there were many inducements to both the officers and seamen to land and enjoy themselves ; and as it was for the benefit of the service that they should recruit their health and strength as soon as possible, every facility was afforded them. Horses were fortunately very cheap, from nine shillings to seven pounds apiece, so that riding became a favourite amusement; and the Spaniards finding they could make a good market by letting out their stud, appeared with them every Sunday opposite the ship, ready saddled for the occasion, as this was a day on which I allowed every man to go out of the ship. Some of the officers pur- chased horses and tethered them near the place, but the Spaniards finding this to interfere with their market, contrived to let them loose on the Saturday night, in order that the officers might be compelled to hire others on the following day. The only ob- stacle to the enjoyment of this amusement was the scarcity of saddles and bridles, some of which cost ten times as much as a decent horse. The ingenuity of the seamen generally obviated these difficulties, while some borrowed or hired saddles of the natives: for my own part, I purchased a decent looking horse for about thirty-five shillings sterling, and on my depar- ture presented it to a Spaniard, who had lent me the necessary accoutrements for it during my stay, which answered the purpose of both parties, as he was pleased with his present, and I had my ride for about a shilling a day : a useful hint to persons who may be similarly circumstanced. Such of the seamen as would not venture on horse- back made parties to visit the presidio and mission, where they found themselves welcome guests with the



		g VOYAGE TO THE Spanish soldiers. These two places were the only buildings within many miles of us, and they fortu- nately supplied just enough spirits to allow the people to enjoy themselves with their friends, without in- dulging in much excess�a very great advantage in a seaport. The roads leading to these two great places of attraction in a short time became well beaten, and that to the mission very much improved, by having the boughs removed which before overhung it. It was at first in contemplation to hire a Spaniard to lop them; but our pioneers, who stopped at nothing, soon tore them all away, except one, a large stump, which resisted every attack, and unhorsed several of its assailants. Martinez was always glad to see the officers at the presidio, and made tbein welcome to what he had. Indeed, nothing seemed to give him greater pleasure than our partaking of his family dinner ; the greater part of which was dressed by his wife and daughters, who prided themselves on their proficiency in the art of cooking. It was not, however, entirely for the satisfaction of presenting us with a well-prepared repast that they were induced to indulge in this humble occupation : poor Martinez had a very nu- merous offspring to provide for out of his salary, which was then eleven years in arrears. He had a sorry prospect before him, as, a short time pre- vious to our visit, the government, by way of pay- ing up these arrears, sent a brig with a cargo of paper cigars to be issued to the troops in lieu of dollars; but, as Martinez justly observed, cigars would not satisfy the families of the soldiers, and the compromise was refused. The cargo was, however,



		PACIFIC AND BEERTNG'S STRAIT. 9 landed at Monterey and placed under the charge of the governor, where all other tohacco is contraband ; and as the Spaniards are fond of smoking, it stands a fair chance, in the course of time, of answering the intention of the government, particularly as the troops apply for these oftener than they otherwise would, under the impression of clearing off a score of wages that will never be settled in any other manner. For- tunately for Martinez and other veterans in this country, both vegetable and animal food are uncom- monly cheap, and there are no fashions to create any expense of dress. The governor's abode was in a corner of the pre- sidio, and formed one end of a row, of which the other was occupied by a chapel; the opposite side was broken down, and little better than a heap of rubbish and bones, on which jackals, dogs, and vultures were constantly preying, the other two sides of the qua- drangle contained storehouses, artificers' shops, and the gaol, all built in the humblest style with badly burnt bricks, and roofed with titles. The chapel and the governor's house were distinguished by being whitewashed. Whether viewed at a distance or near, the esta- blishment impresses a spectator with any other senti- ment than that of its being a place of authority; and but for a tottering flag-staff, upon which was occa- sionally displayed the tri-coloured flag of Mexico, three rusty field pieces, and a half accoutred sentinel parading the gateway in charge of a few poor wretches heavily shackled, a visitor would be ignorant of the importance of the place. The neglect of the govern- ment to its establishments could not be more tho- roughly evinced than in the dilapidated condition of



		10 VOYAGE TO THE the building in question; and such was the dissatis- faction of the people that there was no inclination to improve their situation, or even to remedy many of the evils which they appeared to us to have the power to remove. The plain upon which the presidio stands is well adapted to cultivation ; but it is scarcely ever touched by the plough, and the garrison is entirely beholden to the missions for its resources. Each soldier has nominally about three pounds a month, out of which he is obliged to purchase his provision. If the go- vernor were active, and the means were supplied, the country in the vicinity of the establishment might be made to yield enough wheat and vegetables for the troops, by which they would save that portion of their pay which now goes to the purchase of these neces- sary articles. The garrison of San Francisco consists of seventy- six cavalry soldiers and a few artillerymen, distributed between the presidios and the missions, and conse- quently not more than half a dozen are at any time in one place. They appeared to us to be very dissatisfied, owing not only to their pay being so many years in arrear, but to the duties which had been imposed both on the importation of foreign articles, and on those of the Mexican territory, amounting in the first instance to forty-two and a half per cent.; whereas, under the old government, two ships were annually sent from Aca- pulco with goods, which were sold duty free, and at their original cost in that country, and then, also, their pay being regularly discharged, they were able to pur- chase what they wanted. A further grievance has arisen by the refusal of the government to continue



		12 VOYAGE TO THE tion of an oath of allegiance to the reigning authori- ties, which these holy men considered so egregious a violation of their former pledge to the king of Spain, that, until he renounced his sovereignty over the country, they could not conscientiously take it; and, much as they were attached to the place in which they had passed a large portion of their lives, and though by quitting it they would be reduced to the utmost penury�yet, so much did they regard this pledge, that they were prepared to leave the country, and to seek an asylum in any other that would afford it them. Indeed, the Prefect preferring his expulsion to re- nouncing his allegiance, had already received his dis- missal, and was ready at the seaport of Monterey to embark in any vessel the government might appoint to receive him. A third grievance, and one which, when duly considered, was of some importance, not only to the missions but to the country in general, was an order to liberate all those converted Indians from the missions who bore good characters, and had been taught the art of agriculture, or were masters of a trade, and were capable of supporting themselves, giving them portions of land to cultivate, so arranged that they should be divided into parishes, with curates to superintend them, subservient to the clergy of the missions, who were to proceed to the conversion of the Indians as usual, and to train them for the domesti- cated state of society in contemplation. This philanthropic system at first sight appeared to be a very excellent one, and every friend to the rights of man would naturally join in a wish for its prospe- rity ; but the Mexican government could not have suf- ficiently considered the state of California, and the dis- position of the Indians, or they would have known it



			PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 15

		San Antonio Buena Vistura San Miguel San Fernando San Luis San Gabriel De la Purissima San Juan Capistram Santa Ignes San Luis Rey 3000 Santa Barbara San Tomaso I could not learn the number of Indians which are in each of the missions to the southward of Soledad, but they were stated collectively to amount to 20,000 : on this head I must observe that the padres either would not say, or did not know exactly, how many there were, even in their own missions, much less the number contained in those to the southward: and the accounts were at all times so various that the above computation can be only an approximation. Almost all these establishments cultivate large portions of of land, and rear cattle, the hides and tallow of which alone form a small trade, of which the importance may be judged from the fact of a merchant at Monterey having paid 36,000 dollars in one year to a mission, which was not one of the largest, for its hide, tallow, and Indian labour. Though the system they pursue is not calculated to raise the colony to any great pros- perity, yet the neglect of the missions would not long precede the ruin of the presidios, and of the whole of the district. Indeed, with the exception of two pueb- los, containing about seven hundred persons, and a few farm houses widely scattered over the country, there are no other buildings to the northward of Mon- terey : thus, while the missions furnish the means of subsistence to the presidios, the body of men they con- tain keeps the wild Indians in check, and prevents their making incursions on the settlers.



		J (J VOYAGE TO THE Each mission has fifteen square miles of ground allotted to it. The buildings are variously laid out, and adapted in size to the number of Indians which they contain; some are inclosed by a high wall, as at San Carlos, while others consist merely of a few rows of huts, built with sun-burnt mud-bricks; many are whitewashed and tiled, and have a neat and comfort- able appearance. It is not, however, every hut that has a white face to exhibit, as that in a great mea- sure depends upon the industry and good conduct of the family who possess it, who are in such a case supplied with lime for the purpose. It is only the married persons and the officers of the establish- ment who are allowed these huts, the bachelors and spinsters having large places of their own, where they are separately incarcerated every night. To each mission is attached a well-built church, better decorated in the interior than the external ap- pearance of some-would lead a stranger to suppose: they are well supplied with costly dresses for proces- sions and feast days, to strike with admiration the senses of the gazing Indians, and on the whole are very respectable establishments. In some of these are a few tolerable pictures, among many bad ones ; and those who have been able to obtain them are always provided with representations of hell and paradise : the former exhibiting in the most disgusting manner all the torments the imagination [can fancy, for the purpose of striking terror into the simple Indians, who look upon the performance with fear and trembling. Such representations may perhaps be useful in exhibit- ing to the dull senses of the Indians what could not be conveyed in any other way, and so far they are de- sirable in the mission; but to an European the one is

			*



		PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 17 disgusting, and the other ludicrous. Each establish- ment is under the management of two priests if pos- sible, who in Upper California belong to the mendi- cant order of San Francisco. They have under them a major-domo, and several subordinate officers, gene- rally Spaniards, whose principal business is to overlook the labour of the Indians. The object of the missions is to convert as many of the wild Indians as possible, and to train them up within the walls of the establishment in the exercise of a good life, and of some trade, so that they may in time be able to provide for themselves and become useful members of civilized society. As to the various methods employed for the purpose of bringing prose- lytes to the mission, there are several reports, of which some were not very creditable to the institution : ne- vertheless, on the whole I am of opinion that the priests are innocent, from a conviction that they are ignorant of the means employed by those who are under them. Whatever may be the system, and whether the Indians be really dragged from their homes and families by armed parties, as some assert, or not, and forced to exchange their life of freedom and wandering for one of confinement and restraint in the missions, the change according to our ideas of happiness would seem advantageous to them, as they lead a far better life in the missions than in their forests, where they are in a state of nudity, and are frequently obliged to depend solely upon wild acorns for their subsistence. Immediately the Indians are brought to the mission they are placed under the tuition of some of the most enlightened of their countrymen, who teach them to repeat in Spanish the Lord's Prayer and certain pas- VOL. II. C



		18 VOYAGE TO THE sages in the Romish litany ; and also, to cross them- selves properly on entering the church. In a few days a willing Indian becomes a proficient in these mys- teries, and suffers himself to be baptized, and duly initiated into the church. If, however, as it not un- frequently happens, any of the captured Indians show a repugnance to conversion, it is the practice to im- prison them for a few days, and then to allow them to breathe a little fresh air in a walk round the mission, to observe the happy mode of life of their converted countrymen ; after which they are again shut up, and thus continue to be incarcerated until they declare their readiness to renounce the religion of their fore- fathers. I do not suppose that this apparently unjustifiable conduct would be pursued for any length of time; and I had never an opportunity of ascertaining the fact, as the Indians are so averse to confinement that they very soon become impressed with the manifestly superior and more comfortable mode of life of those who are at liberty, and in a Very few days declare their readiness to have the new religion explained to them. A person acquainted with the language of the parties, of which there are sometimes several dialects in the same mis- sion, is then selected to train them, and having duly prepared them takes his pupils to the padre to be bap- tized, and to receive the sacrament. Having become Christians they are put to trades, or if they have good voices they are taught music, and form part of the choir of the church. Thus there are in almost every mission weavers, tanners, shoemakers, bricklayers, car- penters, blacksmiths, and other artificers. Others again are taught husbandry, to rear cattle and horses ; and some to cook for the mission : while the females



		PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 19 card, clean, and spin wool, weave, and sew ; and those who are married attend to their domestic concerns. In requital of these benefits, the services of the In- dian, for life, belong to the mission, and if any neo- phyte should repent of his apostacy from the religion of his ancestors and desert, an armed force is sent in pursuit of him, and drags him back to punishment apportioned to the degree of aggravation attached to his crime. It does not often happen that a voluntary convert succeeds in his attempt to escape, as the wild Indians have a great contempt and dislike for those who have entered the missions, and they will fre- quently not only refuse to re-admit them to their tribe, but will sometimes even discover their retreat to their pursuers. This animosity between the wild and con- verted Indians is of great importance to the missions, as it checks desertion, and is at the same time a pow- erful defence against the wild tribes, who consider their territory invaded, and have other just causes of complaint. The Indians, besides, from political mo- tives, are, I fear, frequently encouraged in a con- temptuous feeling towards their unconverted country- men, by hearing them constantly held up to them in the degrading light of bdstias ! and in hearing the Spaniards distinguished by the appellation of ginte de razdn. The produce of the land, and of the labour of the Indians, is appropriated to the support of the mission and the overplus to amass a fund which is entirely at the disposal of the padres. In some of the establish- ments this must be very large, although the padres will not admit it, and always plead poverty. The go- vernment has lately demanded a part of this profit, but the priests who, it is said, think the Indians are c 2



		22 VOYAGE TO THE influence these men have over their pupils, and with the regard those pupils seem to have for their mas- ters, that the priests do not interest themselves a little more in the education of their converts, the first step to which would be in making themselves acquainted with the Indian language. Many of the Indians sur- pass their pastors in this respect, and can speak the Spanish language, while scarcely one of the padres can make themselves understood by the Indians. They have besides, in general, a lamentable contempt for the intellect of these simple people, and think them incapable of improvement beyond a certain point. Notwithstanding this, the Indians are, in general, well clothed and fed; they have houses of their own, and if they are not confortable, it is, in a great measure, their own fault; their meals are given to them three times a day, and consist of thick gruel made of wheat, Indian corn, and sometimes acorns, to which at noon is generally added meat. Clothing of a better kind than that worn by the Indians is given to the officers of the missions, both as a reward for their services, and to create an emulation in others. If it should happen that there is a scarcity of pro- visions, either through failure in the crop, or damage of that which is in store, as they have always two or three years in reserve, the Indians are sent off to the woods to provide for themselves, where, accustomed to hunt and fish, and game being very abundant, they find enough to subsist upon, and return to the mis- sion, when they are required to reap the next year's harvest. Having served ten years in the mission, an Indian may claim his liberty, provided any respectable settler will become surety for his future good conduct. A



		PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 23 piece of ground is then allotted for his support, hut he is never wholly free from the establishment, as part of his earnings must still be given to them. We heard of very few to whom this reward for servitude and good conduct had been granted; and it is not impro- bable that the padres are averse to it, as it deprives them of their best scholars. When these establish- ments were first founded, the Indians flocked to them in great numbers for the clothing with which the neophytes were supplied; but after they became ac- quainted with the nature of the institution, and felt themselves under restraint, many absconded. Even now, notwithstanding the difficulty of escaping, de- sertions are of frequent occurrence, owing probably, in some cases, to the fear of punishment�in others to the deserters having been originally inveigled into the mission by the converted Indians or the neophytes, as they are called by way of distinction to Los Gentiles, or the wild Indians�in other cases again to the fickle- ness of their own disposition. Some of the converted Indians are occasionally sta- tioned in places which are resorted to by the wild tribes for the purpose of offering them flattering ac- counts of the advantages of the mission, and of per- suading them to abandon their barbarous life ; while others obtain leave to go into the territory of the Gentiles to visit their friends, and are expected to bring back converts with them when they return. At a particular period of the year, also, when the Indians can be spared from the agricultural concerns of the establishment, many of them are permitted to take the launch of the mission, and make excursions to the Indian territory. All are anxious to go on such occa- sions, some to visit their friends, some to procure the



		r i 04 VOYAGE TO THE chap, manufactures of their barbarous countrymen, which, _v__' , by the by, are often better than their own ; and some Nov. with the secret determination never to return. On these occasions the padres desire them to induce as many of their unconverted brethren as possible to accompany them back to the mission, of course, implying that this is to be done only by persua- sion ; but the boat being furnished with a cannon and musketry, and in every respect equipped for war, it too often happens that the neophytes, and the g^nte de razon, who superintend the direction of the boat, avail themselves of their superiority, with the desire of ingratiating themselves with their masters, and of receiving a reward. There are, besides, repeated acts of aggression which it is necessary to punish, all of which furnish proselytes. Women and children are generally the first objects of capture, as their hus- bands and parents sometimes voluntarily follow them into captivity. These misunderstanding and captivities keep up a perpetual enmity amongst the tribes, whose thirst for revenge is almost insatiable. We had an opportunity of witnessing the tragical issue of one of these' holyday excursions of the neo- phytes of the mission of San Jose. The launch was armed as usual, and placed under the superintendance of an alcalde of the mission, who, it appears from one statement (for there are several), converted the party of pleasure either into one of attack for the purpose of procuring proselytes, or of revenge upon a particu- lar tribe for some aggression in which they were con- cerned. They proceeded up the Rio San Joachin until they came to the territory of a particular tribe named Cosemenes, when they disembarked with the gun, and encamped for the night near the village of Los



		26 VOYAGE TO THE converted Indians in a determination to chastise and strike terror into the victorious tribe, and in concert with the governor planned an expedition against them. The mission furnished money, arms, Indians, and horses, and the presidio provided troops, headed by the alfeVez, Sanchez, a veteran who had been fre- quently engaged with the Indians, and was acquainted with every part of the country. The troops carried with them their armour and shields, as a defence against the arrows of the Indians : the armour con- sisted of a helmet and jerkin made of stout skins, quite impenetrable to an arrow, and the shield might almost vie with that of Ajax in the number of its folds. The expedition set out on the 19th of November, and we heard nothing of it until the 27th; but two days after the troops had taken the field, some im- mense columns of smoke rising above the mountains in the direction of the Cosemenes, bespoke the con- flagration of the village of the persecuted Gentiles. And on the day above-mentioned, the veteran San- chez made a triumphant entry into the mission of San Jos6, escorting forty miserable women and child- ren, the gun that had been taken in the first battle, and other trophies of the field. This victory, so glo- rious, according to the ideas of the conqueror, was achieved with the loss of only one man on the part of the Christians, who was mortally wounded by the bursting of his own gun ; but on the part of the enemy it was considerable, as Sanchez the morning after the battle counted forty-one men, women, and children, dead. It is remarkable that none of the prisoners were wounded, and it is greatly to be feared that the Christians, who could scarcely be prevented



		PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 27 from revenging the death of their relations upon those who were brought to the mission, glutted their brutal passion on all the wounded who fell into their hands. The despatch which the alferez wrote to his com- manding officer on the occasion of this successful ter- mination of his expedition, will convey the best idea of what was executed, and their manner of conducting such an assault. Translation�" Journal kept by citizen Jose Anto- nio Sanchez, qnsign of cavalry of the presidio of San Francisco, during the enterprise against the Gen- tiles, called Cosemenes, for having put to death the neophytes of the mission of San Jose."�Written with gunpowder on the field of battle! " On the morning of the 20th the troop commenced its march, and, after stopping to dine at Las Positas, reached the river San Joachin at eleven o'clock at night, when it halted. This day's march was per- formed without any accident, except that neighbour Jose Ancha was nearly losing his saddle. The next day the alferez determined to send forward the ' auxi- liary neophytes' to construct balsas* for the troop to pass a river that was in advance of them. The troop followed, and all crossed in safety ; but among the last of the horses that forded the river was one be- longing to soldier Leandro Flores, who lost his bridle, threw his rider, and kicked him in the face and fore- head ; and as poor Flores could not swim, he was in a fair way of losing his life before he came within sight of the field of battle: assistance was speedily rendered, and he was saved. As Sanchez wished to surprise the enemy, he encamped until dusk, to avoid * These are rafts made of rushes, and are the Indian substitute for canoes.



		28 VOYAGE TO THE being seen by the wild Indians, who were travelling the country ; several of whom were met and taken prisoners. At five they resumed their march; but neighbour Gexbano Chaboya being taken ill with a pain in his stomach, there was a temporary halt of the army: it however soon set forward again, and ar- rived at the river of Yachicume at eleven at night, with only one accident, occasioned by the horse of neighbour Leandro Flores again throwing up his heels, and giving him a formidable fall., " The troop lay in ambush until five o'clock the next evening, and then set out but here they were distressed by two horses running away ; they were however both taken after a short march, which brought them to the river San Francisco, near the rancheria of their enemy the Cosemenes, and where the alferez commanded his troops to prepare for battle, by putting on their cueros, or armour. The 23d the troop divided, and one division was sent round to intercept the Cosemenes, who had discovered the Christians, and were retreating; some of whom they made prisoners, and immediately the firing be- gan. It had lasted about an hour, when the musket of soldier Jose Maria Garnez burst, and inflicted a mortal wound in his forehead; but this misfortune did not hinder the other soldiers from firing. The Gen- tiles also opened their fire of arrows, and the skirmish- ing became general. Towards noon a shout was heard in the north quarter, and twenty Gentiles were seen skirmishing with three Christians, two on foot and one on horseback, and presently another shout was heard, and the Christians were seen flying, and the Gentiles in pursuit of them, who had already cap- tured the horse.



		32 VOYAGE TO THE broad thong at the end of it; a discipline which ap- peared the more tyrannical, as the church was not sufficiently capacious for all the attendants, and seve- ral sat upon the steps without; but the Indian women who had been captured in the affair with the Cose- menes were placed in a situation where they could see the costly images, and vessels of burning incense, and every thing that was going forward. The congregation was arranged on both sides of the building, separated by a wide aisle passing along the centre, in which were stationed several alguazils with whips, canes, and goads, to preserve silence and maintain order, and, what seemed more difficult than either, to keep the congregation in their kneeling posture. The goads were better adapted to this pur- pose than the whips, as they would reach a long way, and inflict a sharp puncture without making any noise. The end of the church was occupied by a guard of soldiers under arms, with fixed bayonets; a precaution which I suppose experience had taught the necessity of observing. Above them there was a choir consisting of several Indian musicians, who performed very well indeed on various instruments, and sang the Te Deum in a very passable manner. The congregation was very attentive, but the gratifi- cation they appeared to derive from the music fur- nished another proof of the strong hold this portion of the ceremonies of the Romish church takes upon uninformed minds. The worthy and benevolent priests of the mission devote almost the whole of their time to the duties of the establishment, and have a fatherly regard for those placed under them who are obedient and diligent; and too much praise cannot be bestowed upon them,



		34 VOYAGE TO THE introduced this subject. At other times they were very conversible, and some of them were ingenious and clever men; but they had been so long excluded from the civilized world, that their ideas and their politics, like the maps pinned against the walls, bore date of 1772, as near as I could read it for fly spots. Their geographical knowledge was equally backward, as my host at San Jos� had never heard of the dis- coveries of Captain Cook; and because Otaheite was not placed upon his chart, he would scarcely credit its existence. The Indians after their conversion are quiet and tractable, but extremely indolent, and given to intoxi- cation, and other vices. Gambling in particular they indulge in to an unlimited extent: they pledge the very clothes on their backs, and not unfrequently have been known to play for each other's wives. They have several games of their own, besides some with cards, which have been taught them by the Spaniards. Those which are most common, and are derived from the wild Indians, are touss6, called by the Spaniards pares y nones, odd or even ; escondido, or hunt the slipper; and takersia. The first, though sometimes played as in England, generally consists in concealing a piece of wood in one hand, and holding out both for the guessing party to declare in which it is contained. The intense interest that is created by its performance has been amusingly described by Perouse. The second, escon- dido, needs no description; the last, takersia, requires some skill to play well, and consists in rolling a cir- cular piece of wood with a hole in its centre along the ground, and throwing a spear through it as it rolls. If the spear pierces the hole, it counts ten



		36 VOYAGE TO THE great extent that it is necessary to erect these habita- tions, in order to separate the sick from those who are in health. Sickness in general prevails to an incredi- ble extent in all the missions, and on comparing the census of the years 1786 and 1813, the proportion of deaths appears to be increasing. At the former period there had been only 7,701 Indians baptized, out of which 2,388 had died ; but in 1813 there had been 37,437 deaths to only 57,328 baptisms. The establishments are badly supplied with medi- cines, and the reverend fathers, their only medical ad- visers, are inconceivably ignorant of the use of them. In one mission there was a seaman who pretended to some skill in pharmacy, but he knew little or nothing of it, and perhaps often did more harm than good. The Indians are also extremely careless and obstinate, and prefer their own simples to any other remedies, which is not unfrequently the occasion of their dis- ease having a fatal termination. The Indians in general submit quietly to the disci- pline of the missions, yet insurrections have occasion- ally broken out, particularly in the early stage of the settlement, when father Tamoral and other priests suffered martyrdom.* In 1823, also, a priest was mur- dered in a general insurrection in the vicinity of San Luis Rey; and in 1827, the soldiers of the garrison were summoned to quell another riot in the same quarter. The situations of the missions, particularly that of San Jose, are in general advantageously chosen. Each establishment has fifteen square miles of ground, of which part is cultivated, and the rest appropriated to

			* Noticias de California, by Miguel Venegas.



		PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. ftf the grazing and rearing of cattle; for in portioning out the ground, care has been taken to avoid that which is barren. The most productive farms are held by the missions of San Jose, Santa Clara, San Juan, and Santa Cruz. That of San Francisco appears to be badly situated, in consequence of the cold fogs from the sea, which approach the mission through several deep valleys, and turn all the vegetation brown that is exposed to them, as is the case in Shetland with the tops of every tree that rises above the walls. Still, with care, more might be grown in this mission thari it is at present made to produce. Santa Cruz is rich in supplies, probably on account of the greater demand by merchant vessels, whalers in particular, who not unfrequently touch there the last thing on leaving the coast, and take on board what vegetables they require; the quantity of which is so considerable, that it not unfrequently happens that the missions are for a time completely drained. On this account it is advisable, on arriving at any of the ports, to take an early oppor- tunity of ordering every thing that may be required. A quantity of grain, such as wheat and Indian corn, is annually raised in all the missions, except San Francisco, which, notwithstanding it has a farm at Burri Burri, is sometimes obliged to have recourse to the other establishments. Barley and oats are said to be scarcely worth the cultivation, but beans, pease, and other leguminous vegetables are in abundance, and fruit is plentiful. The land requires no manure at present, and yields on an average twenty for one. San Jose^- reaps about 3,000 fanegas * of wheat annually. Hides and tallow constitute the principal riches of the * A fanega is one hundred pounds weight.



		38 VOYAGE TO THE chap, missions, and the staple commodity of the commerce , of the country : a profitable revenue might also be de- Nov. rived from grain were the demand for it on the coast such as to encourage them to cultivate a larger quantity than is required by the Indians attached to the missions. San Jos�, which possesses 15,000 head of cattle, cures about 2,000 hides annually, and as many botas of tal- low, which are either disposed of by contract to a mercantile establishment at Monterey, or to vessels in the harbour. The price of these hides may be judged by their finding a ready market on the Lima coast. Though there are a great many sheep in the country, as may be seen by the mission, San Jos6 alone possessing 3,000, yet there is no export of wool, in consequence of the consumption of that arti- cle in the manufacture of cloth for the missions. Husbandry is still in a very backward state, and it is fortunate that the- soil is so fertile, and that there are abundance of labourers to perform the work, or I verily believe the people would be contented to live upon acorns. Their ploughs appear to have descended from the patriarchal ages, and it is only a pity that a little of the skill and industry then employed upon them should not have devolved upon the present ge- neration. It will scarcely be credited by agricul- turists in other countries, that there were seventy ploughs and two hundred oxen at work upon a piece of light ground of ten acres; nor did the overseers appear to consider that number unnecessary, as the padre called our attention to this extraordinary ad- vancement of the Indians in civilization, and pointed out the most able workmen as the ploughs passed us in succession. The greater part of these ploughs fol- lowed in the same furrow without making much im-



		40 VOYAGE TO THE omission of these preparations was of less conse- quence. In order to reach a tolerable halting place for the night, the first day's journey was necessarily long, and consequently by daylight on the 9th November the three officers were on their road to the mission; hav- ing found horses and an escort prepared in pursuance of previous arrangements. Setting off at a round trot, they made the best of their way over three or four miles of ground so over- grown with dwarf oaks and other trees, that they were every moment in danger of being thrown from their horses, or having their eyes torn out by the branches as they passed. In half an hour, however, they reached the mission of San Francisco, and soon for- got the little annoyances they had hitherto met with in the hospitable welcome of the good priest, who re- galed them with excellent pears and new milk. Nor was his conversation less palatable than his cheer; for, notwithstanding the introduction of half a dozen un- necessary si senors in each sentence, he contrived to amuse the vacant time with a flow of most genuine humour, for which Tomaso was always prepared, till the rattling accoutrements of a Californian dragoon announced the arrival of the passport from the go- vernor. Intrusting their baggage to the care of two vaqueros (Indian cattle drivers) who were to accom- pany them, and receiving each a blessing from the padre, they set off with their escort about ten o'clock in the forenoon. The cavalcade consisted of three officers of the Blossom, the two vaqueros, and their champion the dragoon, preceded by nine or ten loose horses, driven on before as a relay, to be used when those they mounted should become fatigued. These



		PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 41 Rozinantes are not much inclined to deviate from the road, hut if any thing should inspire them with a spirit of straying, the unerring lasso, the never-failing appendage to a Californian saddlebow, soon embraces their neck or their feet, and brings them back again to the right way. I must not, however, permit the party to proceed farther without introducing to the notice of the reader the costume and equipment of this dragoon of Cali- fornia. As for his person, I do not find it described, but his dress consisted of a round blue cloth jacket with red cuffs and collar; blue velvet breeches, which being unbuttoned at the knees, gave greater display to a pair of white cotton stockings, cased more than halfway in a pair of deer-skin boots. A black hat, as broad in the brim as it was disproportionably low in the crown, kept in order, by its own weight, a pro- fusion of dark hair, which met behind, and dangled half way down the back in the form of a thick cmeue. A long musket, with a fox skin bound round the lock, was balanced upon the pummel of the saddle; and our hero was further provided for defence against the Indians with a bull's hide shield, on which, not- withstanding the revolution of the colony, were em- blazoned the royal arms of Spain, and by a double- fold deer skin cuirass as a covering for his body. Thus accoutred he bestrode a saddle, which retained him in his seat by a high pummel in front and a cor- responding rise behind. His feet were armed at the heels with a tremendous pair of iron spurs, secured by a metal chain ; and were thrust through an enor- mous pair of wooden box shaped stirrups. Such was the person into whose charge our shipmates were, placed by the governor, with a passport which com-



		42 VOYAGE TO THE manded him not to permit any person to interfere with the party either in its advance or on its return, and that it was to be escorted from place to place by a soldier. Leaving the mission of San Francisco, the party receded from the only part of the country that is wooded for any considerable distance, and ascended a chain of hills about a thousand feet in height, where they had an extensive view, comprehending the sea, the Farallones rocks, and the distant Punta de los Reyes, a headland so named by the expedition under Sebastian Viscaino in 1602. The ridge which afforded this wide prospect was called Sierra de San Bruno, and for the most part was covered with a burnt-up grass, but such places as were bare presented to the eye of the geologist rocks of sandstone conglomerate, intersected by a few veins of jaspar. Winding through the Sierre de San Bruno, they crossed a river of that name, and opened out the broad arm of the sea which leads from the port to Santa Clara, and is confined between the chain they were traversing and the Sierra de los Bolbones, distinguishable at a distance by a peaked mountain 3,783 feet high by trigonometrical measurement. Upon the summit of that part of the sierra bordering the arm of sea called Estrecho de San Jos�, a thick wood, named Palos Colorados from its consisting principally of red cedar pine, stands con- spicuous on the ridge. I mention this particularly, and wish to call attention to the circumstance, as the straggling trees at the south extreme of the wood are used as landmarks for avoiding a dangerous rock which we discovered in the harbour, and named after the Blossom. About noon they reached a small cottage named

30 VOYAGE TO THE

Those who were taken to the mission were imme-
diately converted, and were daily tanght by the neo-
phytes to repeat the Lord's prayer and certain hymns
in the Spanish language. I happened to visit the mis-
sion about this time, and saw these unfortunate beings
under tuition ; they were clothed in blankets, and
arranged in a row before a blind Indian, who under-
stood their dialect, and was assisted by an alcalde to
keep order. Their tutor began by desiring them to
kneel, informing them that he was going to teach
them the names of the persons composing the Tri-
nity, and that they were to repeat in Spanish what he
dictated.

The neophytes being thus arranged, the speaker be-
gan, " Santissima Trinidada, Dios, Jesu Cristo, Espi-
ritu Santo"�pausing between each name, to listen if
the simple Indians, who had never spoken a Spanish
word before, pronounced it correctly, or any thing near
the mark. After they had repeated these names satis-
factorily, their blind tutor, after a pause added, " San-
tos"�and recapitulated the names of a great many
saints, which finished the morning's tuition. I did
not attend the next schooling to hear what was the
ensuing task, but saw them arranged on their knees,
repeating Spanish words as before.

They did not appear to me to pay much attention
to what was going forward, and I observed to the
padre that I thought their teachers had an arduous
task ; but he said they had never found any difficulty ;
that the Indians were accustomed to change their
own gods, and that their conversion was in a measure
habitual to them. I could not help smiling at this
reason of the padre, but have no doubt it was very
true; and that the party I saw would feel as little