 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
Father
Junipero Serra
a letter from the mission field
" MY DEAR FRIEND:--Thank God I arrived the day before yesterday, the first
of the month, at this port of San Diego , truly a fine one, and not without
reason called famous. Here I found those who had set out before me, both
by sea and land, except those who have died. The brethren, Fathers Cresp,
Vizcaino, Parron and Gomez, are here with myself, and all are quite well,
thank God. Here are also the two vessels, but the San Carlos without
sailors, all having died of the scurvy, except two. The San Antonio, although
she
sailed a month and a half later, arrived twenty days before the San Carlos,
losing on the voyage eight sailors. In consequence of this loss, it has
been resolved that the San Antonio shall return to San Blas, to fetch
sailors for herself and for the San Carlos.
" The causes of the delay of the San Carlos were: first, lack of water,
owing to the casks being bad, which, together, with bad water obtained on the
coast, occasioned sickness among the crew; and secondly, the error which
all were in respecting the situation of this port. They supposed it to
be thirty-three or thirty-four degrees north latitude, some saying one
and some the other, and strict orders were given to Captain Villa and
the
rest to keep out in the open sea till they arrived at the thirty-fourth
degree, and then to make the shore in search of the port. As, however,
the port in reality lies in thirty-two degrees thirty-four minutes, according
to the observations that have been made, they went much beyond it, thus
making the voyage much longer than was necessary. The people got daily
worse from the cold and the bad water, and they must all have perished
if they had not discovered the port about the time they did. For they
were quite unable to launch the boat to procure more water, or to do anything
whatever for their preservation. Father Fernando did every thing in his
power to assist the sick; and although he arrived much reduced in flesh,
he did not become ill, and is now well. We have not suffered hunger or
other privations, neither have the Indians who came with us; all arrived
well and healthy.
" The tract through which we passed is generally very good land, with plenty
of water; and there, as well as here, the country is neither rocky nor
overrun with brush-wood. There are, however, many hills, but they are
composed of earth. The road has been good in some places, but the greater part
bad.
About half-way, the valleys and banks of rivulets began to be delightful.
We found vines of a large size, and in some cases quite loaded with grapes;
we also found an abundance of roses, which appeared to be like those
of Castile.
" We have seen Indians in immense numbers, and all those on this coast of
the Pacific contrive to make a good subsistence on various seeds, and
by fishing. The latter they carry on by means of rafts or canoes, made of
tule (bullrush) with which they go a great way to sea. They are very
civil. All the males, old and young, go naked; the women, however, and the female
children, are decently covered from their breasts downward. We found
on
our journey, as well as in the place where we stopped, that they treated
us with as much confidence and good-will as if they had known us all
their lives. But when we offered them any of our victuals, they always refused
them. All they cared for was cloth, and only for something of this sort
would they exchange their fish or whatever else they had. During the
whole
march we found hares, rabbits, some deer, and a multitude of berendos
(a kind of a wild goat).
" I pray God may preserve your health and life many years.
" From this port and intended Mission of San Diego, in North California,
third July, 1769.
" FR. JUNPERO SERRA."
[excerpt from Seventy-five years in California , page 371, by William Heath
Davis; see the Library of Congress website, American Memory ]
